{"id":575709,"date":"2026-05-10T02:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T02:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/575709\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T02:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T02:19:14","slug":"10-minutes-with-dirt-buyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/575709\/","title":{"rendered":"10 minutes with Dirt Buyer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Quick-fire<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Diry Buyer<\/p>\n

When Joe Sutkowski and Ruben Radlauer first founded Dirt Buyer, it was little more than a midweek lark among college friends. They envisioned the group as just one fictional band, signed to a fictional record label, all fronted by the daydreaming duo. But something about the emo<\/a>-folk of Dirt Buyer stuck with Sutkowski. In the end, it may have even saved his life.<\/p>\n

Back in March, Sutkowski publicly revealed that he had checked himself \u201cinto detox for opioids\u201d. While the National Institute of Medicine in the US estimates that around 2.1million Americans are addicted to opioids, it is not all that common that a public figure reveals that they are one of the many. But sharing vulnerabilities has always been at the heart of Dirt Buyer, connecting the cathartic band with a growing contingent of followers. <\/p>\n

On their latest album, Dirt Buyer III, delves into the importance of self-expression, allowing the music to say things that Sutkowski was struggling to communicate. Speaking about the track \u2018Betchu Won\u2019t, he indicatively revealed, \u201cThis song is about feeling very alone in a situation I didn\u2019t want to be in, but not knowing how to communicate that. It\u2019s like being really, really tiny and screaming, but you\u2019re too small and nobody can hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s often how Dirt Buyer\u2019s music sounds. So, when we caught up with Sutkowski in the middle of this transformative period, it always seemed certain that we would find him in a reflective and unguarded mood. So, we mused on everything from The Beatles to Bob Lazar in an assortment of quick-fire questions<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"Quick-fire<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Diry BuyerQuick-fire Questions with Dirt Buyer:<\/p>\n

What song would you want played at your funeral?<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Disintegration Loops dlp 1.1\u2019 [by William Basinski]\u201d.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the weirdest show you\u2019ve ever played?<\/p>\n

\u201cMy college band played this show at a hoarder house in South Jersey years ago. I remember walking in and seeing merchant ship models on the shelves and not really thinking anything of it. I went into the bathroom and there were packages of water bottles stacked to the ceiling inside of the shower, and when I turned around, there was an electric scooter and a Mannekin Pis on the countertop.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when it hit me like, \u2018Oh, I understand where I am now\u2019. The kid who booked it specifically told us not to go upstairs, but of course, somebody from my band and the other band we were touring with went up there looking for a bathroom, and his parents were home, guarding the bedroom. Nobody came to the show, and the house ended up burning down several months after that. Also, one of the kids from the opening band accidentally grabbed my guitar and dipped, so we had to figure that out the day after, on our way to the next gig. We got it back and all was well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further reading: Features<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one conspiracy theory you kind of believe in?<\/p>\n

\u201cOh boy\u2026 I\u2019ll be so honest, I try so hard not to go there, but I\u2019m so destabilised at this point I\u2019ll believe anything if enough people back it. I\u2019m inclined to believe Bob Lazar\u2019s story about studying UFOs in Area 51 back in 1989 because his story has never changed, and he seems very stressed when he talks about it. I feel bad for that dude, he\u2019s doing his best.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one begrudgement you have about modern music?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really have any gripes about the way people make art as long as it\u2019s genuine, but it\u2019s always a bummer when a band sucks, and the drummer takes his shirt off, but whatever.<\/p>\n

Who did you have in mind with the song \u2018Bullshit Fuck\u2019?<\/p>\n

\u201cMe \u2013 it\u2019s about a shame addiction I\u2019ve been battling with since I was very young.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one classic album you\u2019d happily delete from history?<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could mean like \u2018historically relevant\u2019 or \u2018from a classic band\u2019 or just \u2018old\u2018 \u2013 this question rules. An album from a classic band, probably Honkin\u2019 on Bobo by Aerosmith, but in terms of historical relevance, I guess I\u2019d say Play by Moby. I\u2019ve never listened to Moby. I remember being a kid and seeing this music video where somebody licked his bald head and being really freaked out by it. Not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dirt<\/a>Credit: Album Cover<\/p>\n

What album do you think you\u2019ve listened to the most?<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably Hissing Fauna or The Gay Parade by Of Montreal. I\u2019ve always thought Kevin Barnes is an incredible songwriter, and I love his lyrics and cosmic sense of exploration and confidence when it comes to each new record.\u201d<\/p>\n

What album due out in 2026 are you most looking forward to?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really sure what\u2019s coming out, but a new album I\u2019m really stoked on right now is All Monsters by MX Lonely. Nugaze done correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you had a 30-word mission statement as an artist, what would it be?<\/p>\n

\u201cDirt Buyer make, try, stay, help, see, feel, go, grow, be, be, be, no stop, no fear, just go, just try, just be, just be, just go.\u201d<\/p>\n

What book do you think should be taught in schools?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van Der Kolk\u201d.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the weirdest subculture you\u2019ve been privy to?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many of these that it\u2019s hard to pick just one, and the word \u2018weird\u2019 stops being descriptive once you hit a certain point on the internet. There are the people who collect and have Instagram pages for hyperrealistic baby dolls, there are diaperfurs, and I\u2019m not gonna say more than that! If you\u2019re on the internet, go explore! It\u2019s an awesome place, super duper awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which venue would you love to play?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be sick to play a show on the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should AI be outlawed for music? <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, probably. I feel like they\u2019ve kind of been doing that for years, like with vocaloid, but that was actually cool and was still made by people. The slop that\u2019s being pumped out totally sucks, and it\u2019s not for anybody, and I\u2019m pretty sure everybody hates it. I don\u2019t think that it will affect live music, but I guess we\u2019ll see about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite song by Nirvana?<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Aneurysm\u2019 off of Incesticide\u201c.<\/p>\n

Are the Beatles overrated?<\/p>\n

\u201cNO! The Beatles are legendary pioneers of modern pop music, and I feel like a lot of us are still catching up to their level of virtuosity. It\u2019s rare that four (arguable three) people on the exact same page at the exact same time are in a band together, at least for some years. The Beatles are a great place to steal from for songwriting vocab, maybe one of the best places to steal from. Learn as many Beatles songs as you can, and you\u2019ll probably be writing some absolute heaters. Dirt Buyer forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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