[News] W Magazine Interviews Kanye West

As Yeezus seeps further into the public consciousness, Kanye has begun putting himself out there, revealing intimate details through rare and selective interviews. The first was his interview with The New York Times, where he was open about moments throughout his career, his failings and also his successes. Now, the fashion magazine W has published an interview with Kanye that occurred in Paris just before Yeezus was released.

The interview revealed a Kanye that, as much as he is boastful and self-aggrandizing, understands the importance of inspiration and the effect others can have on oneself. Speaking on Paris, where he recorded Yeezus, he said, "In Paris, you’re as far as possible from the land of pleasant smiles. You can just trip on inspiration—there are so many people here who dedicate their lives to excellence."

For example, the song "I Am A God," a title that flaunts a self-absorbed mind, came about because of a major fashion designer's poor decision to attempt control, effectively dissing Yeezy:

[A] few days before Paris Fashion Week, West was informed that he'd be invited to a widely anticipated runway show only on the condition that he agree not to attend any other shows. "So the next day I went to the studio with Daft Punk, and I wrote 'I Am a God,'" West says. "Cause it’s like, Yo! Nobody can tell me where I can and can’t go. Man, I’m the No. 1 living and breathing rock star. I am Axl Rose; I am Jim Morrison; I am Jimi Hendrix." West is not smiling as he says this, and his voice is getting louder with each sentence. "You can’t say that you love music and then say that Kanye West can’t come to your show! To even think they could tell me where I could and couldn’t go is just ludicrous. It's blasphemous—to rock 'n' roll, and to music.""

He went on to reason why he chose the title "I Am A God": "I made that song because I am a god. I don’t think there’s much more explanation. I'm not going to sit here and defend shit. That shit is rock 'n' roll, man. That shit is rap music. I am a god. Now what?"

Kanye even embraced the shortcomings of his opinionated voice, understanding that his way of expressing that opinion doesn't always work the way he wants it to: "God's little practical joke on me—as an intellect who doesn't like to read a lot—is like, I'll say some superphilosophical shit, but I'll say it the wrong way. I'll use the wrong word, so it goes from being really special to completely retarded."

You can read the entire interview here.

[News] Buy Justin Vernon's Guitar

Want to buy Justin Vernon's guitar? Well, here's your chance, as the custom made guitar named "The 1608" is now up for auction. Made by the Bon Iver frontman and Master Luthier Gordy Bischoff, the guitar was crafted using white oak wood from the barrels used by Bushmills Irish Whiskey. From today, October 22nd, to Friday November 2nd, the guitar will be available through an online auction, and the proceeds, according to Vernon, will go towards The Confluence Community Arts Center in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Below, you can check out the process of making the whiskey-tinged guitar.

[Listen] Kanye West - "Lost In The World" (DJ Tiësto Remix)

Over a year ago, DJ Tiësto remixed Kanye West’s "Lost In The World" the epic album closer on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Since then he's had problems getting clearance to use it etc. Note the use of the word had. He's now featured the track on a podcast and it can be heard below. 7 minutes of club floor filling music and some warped Justin Vernon to boot. Worth the one year wait? First impressions for me... this won't be sat on my hard-drive for a year like it was Tiesto's. Maybe it'll grow on me though. 

[Listen and Download] S. Carey - "Two Angles"

Last month, after Justin Vernon and S. Carey's 4AD-shot footage of their live, barebones in-studio session made its way onto the web, people took notice of the incredible falsetto that was gracing their ear drums, a falsetto that did not belong to Vernon. The Bon Iver head honcho said it best himself via his Twitter: "maybe some peeps get why @scareymusic is the fucking best now." The video reminded us that Bon Iver doesn't consist solely of Justin Vernon, and that the Wisconsin native is backed up by some incredible talent. S. Carey is exactly that, he is incredibly talented, and his 2009 solo debut All We Grow is something that should be revisited immediately.

Now, S. Carey is back with a brand new EP, titled Hoyas, that is being produced by Justin Vernon and is set for release on May 8th via Jagjaguwar. Today, you can listen to "Two Angles," the first track from the album, which premiered earlier on SPIN.com. Check it out below.

[News] Bon Iver To Play Saturday Night Live

Continuing the high praise and accolades he saw in 2011, Justin Vernon has announced that he and the rest of the Bon Iver outfit will be performing on Saturday Night Live on February 4th, with Channing Tatum serving as host. The performance comes as no surprise, as Bon Iver's self-titled sophomore album has received numerous year end accolades. The real question, though, is which song Vernon and co. will decide to perform, but seeing as "Towers" was recently announced as a single, the song has a good chance of making the cut.

[News] Justin Vernon Starts Record Label

Today, Bon Iver frontmam and overall superstar Justin Vernon announced the formation of his own record label, called Chigliak. The label is a subsedary of Jagjaguwar and, according to its official website, will release new material as well as reissue "albums that were never commercially released or locally released and never put out on vinyl.” The label's first reissue will be It’s All Aquatic from Amateur Love, which comprises of Vernon's former Megafaun bandmates Brad and Phil Cook. Along with Amateur Love, the label will represent Minnesota band 12 Rods and Sarah Siskind, among others. Expect more information from the newly formed record label to surface as the year goes on.

[Listen] Bon Iver - "With God On Our Side" (Bob Dylan Cover)

Justin Vernon cannot lose this year, no matter what he does. At a recent Bon Iver show in Portland, Oregon, the group performed yet another beautiful cover, this time an awesome rendition of Bob Dylan's classic "With God on Our Side." Take a listen to the live recording yourself, courtesy of TwentyFourBit, and let us know what you think. 

[Listen] Bon Iver - "If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do)" (Don Williams Cover)

We know by now that Bon Iver like to play cover songs live, and we've even had a few studio versions to indulge in, most notably would be the great Bonnie Raitt cover of "I Can’t Make You Love Me". Today courtesy of our buddies at TwentyFourBit you can enjoy the band covering  the 1983 single from Don Williams, "If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do)". The cover may not be what you're used to from Justin Vernon and co but the cover is a great listen and a welcome addition to any fans catalogue of Vernon. 

Bon Iver - "If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do)" (Don Williams Cover) by TwentyFourBit.com