About this episode

Ben Gibbard discusses his songwriting process and the importance of finishing every song he starts.

"If I could sum up my process, it would be this: finish everything," says Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. "I finish every song I start even if I know in the first verse that it’s a complete pile of shit. I finish it because there might be a lyrical idea or a theme in the third verse or the chorus or the bridge that I can use somewhere else." Unsurprisingly, Gibbard calls himself a "completionist." He finishes every song he starts writing, every book he begins reading. It's no mystery why ...

People in this episode

Host: Ben Opipari

Guest: Ben Gibbard

Topics covered

• songwriting process
• completionism
• music creation
• lyrical themes
• interview

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Death Cab for Cutie

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