Courtney Barnett knows she watches a lot of TV

Australian indie-rock songwriter Courtney Barnett was tormented by the writers working on her new album, A Creature of Tradition. He is known for his words of wisdom – “A paramedic thinks I’m smart cos I play the guitar/I think you’re smart cos you stop people dying,” he sings on 2018’s “Avant Gardener” — he first realized he was using comedy as a crutch. “I see things like sarcasm being used as a defense,” he tells me of his musical past at Ariston Flowers & Cafe in Union Square. Not that I was unfaithful, but now I see where I was hurt.

A Creature of Tradition born from his time living in Joshua Tree, where Barnett stopped to be alone and learn about himself. He started recording his dreams, drawing from his mind as a way of learning: “I was thinking about honesty in writing – how honest you can be when you know someone is going to hear it,” he says. The result is still funny, but more expressive and mature than before, with the same sound of trauma. Here, Barnett chats about his favorite podcasts, Joshua Tree, and the perfect idea.

Where do you get your cultural inspiration?

More time from friends. I listen to a lot of podcasts, so I guess I get things that way. I like autobiographies Every Day, Fresh Air, Immediately Immediately, Smarter Than Meand the Australian called 7 am. I also listen Democracy Now and Pod Save America for news. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s new movie – I want to see that because I’ve been listening to interviews about it.

Do you Criterion Channel beggar?

Yeah, it’s really good. I only found it in 2020. It changed my life.

Have there been any new directors or new movies you’ve seen recently that you really like?

Oh my god, that’s all I can think of The Pitt. I’m so confused right now. Before that, I had rewatched all of Jim Jarmusch’s movies. Last week I watched Stranger Than Paradise, which is the case of the grass being greener, wishing you were in another place because you see it as good and realizing that it is the same, just different. I didn’t see the point in revisiting things, but now I do – you pick up something new every time.

Which Oscar movies have you watched recently?

I will always remember One Battle After Another because I saw it in LA on Vista. It’s one screen. I really fell in love with going to the movies.

It was packed, and at the quarter mark, someone came in and sat in the front row. A guard came, and many guards, trying to get the man to leave. The person stood up and started shouting. My friends and I looked at each other like, “Should we go?” Then we turned around and saw the whole theater running away. It was really scary – we thought they had a gun.

We all went outside, the police showed up, the person ran away. After about 30 minutes, many people returned to finish the film. I did – I wanted to know what happened.

So you went back in and watched some more?

Yes. Still, it was scary.

Do you have a favorite movie theater in LA?

I like Vista, Laemmle in Glendale, and Alamo Drafthouse downtown. There are great movie theaters in LA

What is important to you in filmmaking?

Maybe curation. I can take or leave snacks. Good sound is important. The movies I mentioned have great shows. There’s also a site called Vidiots that I haven’t been to, but they work really well too.

It seems like The Pitt it is really busy in your mind. Tell me about it.

I didn’t watch IS or Grey’s Anatomy It’s getting old, but I love this show. It’s beautifully done – each episode is an hour long, which is a good idea. It’s subtle and sensitive, and it touches on real life issues like health care and gun violence without being over the top. I’m always in the mood to watch it.

There is also the story of AI and technology. I won’t spoil anything, but there is a situation where they have to turn off all the computers, so it becomes an explanation of how they have to rely on their knowledge instead of technology. I love that part. I go through phases of watching too much TV. It may sound like a distraction, but I’ve seen some great things. I’m watching Love Is Blind now.

How does this relate to your album and your process while working on it?

I had a lot of writer’s block, mostly with words. I wrote every day but never came up with anything I liked. I ended up procrastinating by watching TV, after which I felt sorry and tried to justify myself by learning about human behavior.

There’s a line in one of my songs about watching too much TV. But I’m trying to accept the fact that there is such a thing as procrastination – that withdrawal can give you a new perspective.

Are there any lines on this album that feel honest to you?

There is a song called “Mantis” that feels the most important. It was from the moment I saw the mantis and I had a very vivid experience. It felt like a symbol, like something more meaningful than I could fully explain. It was kind of revolutionary.

You mentioned Georgia O’Keeffe – what about her work inspired you?

I had many of his books and found him inspiring as a person and an artist. I really liked the cookbook about her life – it shows small everyday moments in a random way, which I enjoyed. Simple things like growing your own vegetables.

What is your relationship with the visual arts in general?

There are always things I come back to. While in the desert, I also took up drawing, experimenting with ceramics and photography. It was fun to do something without expectations – just for fun, like a kid. That helped me get out of the pressure of writing.

I’m still doing photography. I started filming at home again, which I hadn’t done since art school. It’s fun to experiment. Ceramics and photography are almost magical – creating something tangible with your hands or seeing an image appear in a dark room.

Did these hobbies feel social or lonely?

A bit of both. I met people through the classes, which was challenging for me but also rewarding. I remember hearing a conversation that stuck with me.

The teacher said perfectionism doesn’t mean you make something perfect – it means you keep working on it forever trying to make it perfect. That really stayed with me. I can spend all day changing one word. It’s hard to explain that situation to someone else, but I don’t want to waste words – I want everything to make sense.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.