See also: 2013 interviews
Twenty One Pilots was interviewed by KIIS 95.7 at the Dunkin' Donuts Music Lounge on May 10, 2013. [1]
Transcript[]
Kitchen Sink[]
Host: “What does a kitchen sink mean to you?” This is from an audience member, her name is Alyssa. Or his. Hers?
Tyler: You never know these days.
Host: You never know! So what does a kitchen sink--
Tyler, in an offended bro voice: “Alyssa with a U”
Tyler: Okay. Just to bring everyone in. There was a song that I wrote -- it’s on a demo-type thing, it’s out there somewhere online. I don’t know [how] the kids are getting music these days -- um, and it’s called “Kitchen Sink” and it’s a line that says “A kitchen sink to you is not a kitchen sink to me.” [to host] Now this is deep, ready? This is to sandwich my Dumb & Dumber answer that I had earlier.
Tyler, to audience: I feel like, our generation of people, we struggle with some things. We struggle with a lot of suicide and depression, and not that I claim to be any profession opinion on those topics but. What I've found out is that those two issues are really centered around the idea of purpose. What’s the purpose? Like, what’s the point? We have a lot of questions, a lot of big questions, right? And we don’t have the answers to those questions. And that can really discourage us, as young kids that are wanting answers to questions.
Tyler: So I found out -- it’s like, how can I create purpose for myself? Because I feel like if I had purpose, I’d be able to conquer these two things. And I’ve found that through art, you can create the beginning of purpose for you--not all of purpose, because that’s just such a huge thing, but the beginning of purpose can be found by creating something that only you understand.
Tyler: For example: In your darkest hour, when you’re trying to figure out whether it’s worth it to stay alive or just give up, if you have something that you’ve created and you know that you’re only person on earth that can explain that thing, then that you hold onto and that can be the thing to get you through moment of -- ‘your darkest hour’, I like to call it.
Tyler: So for me, something happened to me at a kitchen sink that was very -- it was awesome, it was good, it was emotional, it was great -- but the point is I use that moment to help me get through my tough times because the point is I’m not gonna tell you what happened at that kitchen sink. A kitchen sink to you is not a kitchen sink to me. Because I like to use that moment as “You know, if I explain what exactly happened here and then everyone knows then it kind of loses its ability to help me, and justify staying around.”
Tyler: So. You don’t know what a kitchen sink is to me. But it has to do with purpose and it helps me.
Host: Wow. You guys got that? Alyssa you got that? There she is. Head down. [Tyler smiles at her.] Awesome.
Touring with Anyone[]
Host: If you guys could go on tour with any band or musician who would you choose, and, follow-up question, would you take me with you, “winky face”.
Josh: twenty one pilots, I think.
Tyler: Yeah I’d probably go with them.
Tyler: Nah I think that if you wanna -- because she winked, probably not.
Host: Were you looking for more of a straight up smiley face?
Tyler: Smile’s alright. Smile’s like ‘we could be friends’. Winky’s got like...motives.
Host: I’m sorry, it is a smile.
Tyler: Then let’s go!
Josh: I think I would like to go on the road with Celine Dion’s band.
Tyler: No her though. Just her band. She like an amazing band.
Josh: Her band is awesome.
Host: I think they’re available. [to Josh] Greatest Celine Dion song of all time?
Tyler: It’s not about her, it’s about her band. The thing is they can do anything.
Host: Sorry. It was a dumb question.
Tyler: It’s a really dumb question.
Favorite Labelmates[]
(03:49) Host: Who is your favorite Fueled By Ramen band past or present?
Josh: Metallica was never on Fueled By Ramen so that kinda sucks.
Host: Wanna pretend?
Josh: Yeah let’s pretend that Metallia is currently on Fueled by Ramen.
Tyler: Well no it’s that just picking one band from our label means excluding so many friends of ours. So I’d have to go with Paramore.
Host, making fun of Tyler: “It’s so hard to choose! Narrowing it down to one!”
Connecticut[]
(04:23)Host: Do you like CT so far? That’s Connecticut.
Tyler: Oh yeah. I do like Connecticut. It’s very nice.
Host: I mean you guys are like hanging out here all day and all night right?
Tyler, dancing slightly: All day and all night. We’re gonna go clubbing.
Host: There’s a club. I can show you around.
Tyler: This is what you have to do when you wanna go clubbing, you go, clubbing [makes ridiculous gesture]
Dream Kit Setup[]
(04:44) Host: for Josh: What would dream kit setup be?
Tyler: Next question.
Host: That’s from Colin.
Josh: I think I’m playing it right now. It’s this piece of wood. [gestures at cajon behind him] I dunno, I like the drums that I have now on the road. I play -- it's a company called SJC drums -- they're nice, they do custom stuff and so I'm like trying to think of what I want to do next -- I want to do something really weird and crazy but I guess that dream hasn't totally arrived yet. But I like what I'm playing now so I don't know.
(05:26) Host: Cool and don't forget if you're online right on the web chat you can ask us questions with your Twitter just hashtag DDML. Okay.
Craziest Tour Memory[]
Host: What’s your favorite memory from touring? Or [suggestively] non-memory?
Tyler: Memory…
Host: Let’s rephrase that. What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you guys --
Tyler: Craziest thing.
Host: Yeah.
Tyler, to Josh: Is anything hittin ya?
Josh: I uh -- [to host, about mic] -- do you mind if I just like hold this for a second? I feel weird just kind of leaning in --
[they goof around for a minute and huddle up in a way that is difficult to transcribe]
Josh: There where we were --- it was one of our first like, “tour”s. We didn’t even call it a tour cause it was just like “are we really doing that?” We’re getting in an SUV and driving to shows. Um. We had a friend booking new shows for us. And he did a good job, but he -- that’s not what he --
Tyler: The tours sucked.
Josh: We were going to play a show in New York, somewhere in New York. And we got a phone call from the promoter of the show and he said “well the show’s, you know, you can't do it. The venue burned down.” We’re like oh, that sucks, that’s a bummer.
Tyler: You can't argue with that.
Josh: Yeah I mean there's nothing we can really do.
Tyler: “I'll do it anyway!”
Josh: “Hey can we get like a speaker and we'll just play on the ashes?” But so then I guess we called the owner of the place -- it wasn't the promoter -- and we're just like “Hey yeah so we heard the venue burnt down.” He's like don't know what you're talking about I’m in the office right now.” We were like “Well the promoter said it burnt down.” He’s like “Well I don’t know.” And then we’re like “Is the show still on?” “What show? I don’t know what show you’re talking about.” “twenty one pilots?” “Never heard of em.”
Josh: So that was kind of a moment for us.
Tyler: So now any time we want to get out of something, “it burnt down.”
Josh: Mom tells me to clean. “Sorry mom your kitchen burnt down.”
Tyler: Sorry Mom.
Favorite Tour Location: Seoul[]
(07:42) Host: How about your favorite tour locations so far? This one’s from Ashley and Jeff.
Tyler: Favorite tour location…
Host: Yeah.
Tyler: Gosh it'd be just super hipster to just name something really like obscure like, “you've never heard of this place but it's awesome” So I'm actually gonna do that. But you may have heard of this place. Seoul Korea is like one of our favorite...but it's in Korea, it's called Seoul, [sarcastically] just to fill you in...all you other people who don't know what it's like to travel...
Tyler: I hate trying to like...place-drop. It’s like hey I travel now. Because I grew up never really traveling muc, not really even knowing how an airplane worked and now that we've been doing this band thing, I feel like I've gotten a lot in. So Seoul, Korea is a really cool place. Lot of cool food.
Host: That's far away.
Tyler: Yeah.
Host: What was the best thing about it, just the food?
Tyler: Ummm... probably the clubs.
Josh: Yeah, mostly the clubs, yeah. But it's amazing food, the people are really nice. People in America suck sometimes. People are mean. But they’re [Koreans] really nice and really accepting. Like I mean you expect to go somewhere where they don't speak your language and they're like “can't help you” because we do that, but they'll stand there for 45 minutes and try to help you get tylenol if you need time yeah try to figure out what you're sayin. Also their clothing over there is really cool too. Everything about it. I like everything about it.
Silly Twitter Questions[]
Host: You know what I love about twitter is like, it’s there forever?
Tyler: Mhm.
Host: So when you guys tweet things, we can ask you questions and talk about them? So.
Tyler: Oh gosh.
Host: Here we go. Who is a bigger Taylor Swift fan in the building right now?
Tyler: Hmm. I’ve seen her live. Have you seen her live?
Josh: Well, I’ve purchased her albums.
Tyler: That’s true. He purchased her albums; I’ve seen her live -- I don’t know…
Josh: But did you pay for the ticket?
Tyler: ...I did not.
Host: [pointing to Josh] Bigger fan! Bigger fan.
Tyler: So Josh is the bigger fan. 1:0.
Josh: Should I be proud of that?
Host: Yes. I’m feelin twenty two.
Host: Build-a-Beard Workshop. What’s that all about?
Josh: Oh, that was an idea that I came up with I think.
Host: Beard. Not bear. Beard.
Josh: Yeah it was cool cause like I've always just really envied people with great beards. I don't really grow it too well right here [points] and so I figure if there's a place where you can go, where you like hit a button, like with your foot, and then it kind of like creates an awesome beard for you. And then you like, take a heart and kiss it and put it in the beard. aAnd then it's just yours to cuddle with every [laughs] I don't know…
Host: It makes complete sense.
Tyler: We’re really not tapping into your creativity as a drummer.
Host: Taco Bell? What’s up with their quesadillas?
[Tyler talks about the tribulations of getting a quesadilla to come apart for a minute,]
(11:35) Host, to Josh: “Thirsty for knowledge, I mean Coca-Cola Classic.” “Auto-correct.” What happened there?
Josh: Oh, I don’t -- my phone was really that day but. I’m always really craving the Coca-Cola classic. It’s really weird to be talk about Twitter right because I feel that’s a totally different universe. And when that collides with real life and you’re talking about it, you’re like “Man, my thoughts are stupid.”
Tyler: Sometimes someone will be like “I saw what you tweeted today” and it’s like “What are you talking about? I don’t tweet.”
Host: I feel like Twitter should give you -- or even iphones should give you -- that like three time rule where they ask you “Are you sure this is what you want to be saying right now?”
[They trail off talking about that before the video cuts off before a live performance.]