Damian Kulash joins Shelf

If you’re a rock fan, you’d be hard-pressed not to know OK Go—the band that turned music videos into an art form. They’ve danced on treadmills and with dogs, defied gravity, orchestrated mind-bending Rube Goldberg machines, and appeared in Super Bowl commercials. While the music industry once fought the digital age tooth and nail, desperately trying to keep music off streaming platforms, OK Go did the opposite. They walked away from their label (Capitol) to fully embrace the new era, creating music with virality in mind. The result? They didn’t just ride the wave of internet culture—they helped invent it.

Their work has landed in MoMA’s permanent collection, they’ve played Barack Obama’s 50th birthday, guest-starred on The Simpsons, jammed with the Muppets, collaborated with NASA, and even delivered a TED Talk on creativity.

Now, they’re back. Their fifth studio album, And the Adjacent Possible, drops April 11, and the lead single, “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill,” is out now. Today, we’re lucky enough to be joined by frontman and visionary video director, Washington D.C. native, Damian Kulash, who’s here to unpack the media that’s shaped him into the dynamic, energetic artist we know and love.

ShelfMAG: What’s your DC/DMV anthem and why?

@damiankulash: Most of my DC anthems come from the first few Fugazi albums, but you don’t really wanna be working up that kind of indignation in the DMV. So let’s go with "Buck Wild" by Experience Unlimited. “No, DC! Yeah, that’s it, James, hit it one time….”

ShelfMAG: What song would you defend with your life despite popular opinion?

@damiankulash: The entire broadway soundtrack to Les Miserables. And you could add the London cast recording in there, too. Listen, I understand that musical theater comes with a lot of baggage, but this is stuff that transcends your petty stylistic concerns. Revolution. Freedom. Unrequited love. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Terrence Mann and Colm Wilkinson locked in fierce, combative harmony. This is a higher cause.

ShelfMAG: What was your childhood comfort show (and what does it reveal about your emotional state today)? 

@damiankulash: The A-Team. I mostly loved the montage where they built something awesome from whatever was lying around, and then saved the day. My emotional state today is basically dystopia-induced confused free-fall, which does seem sort of inversely related. The forces of good are supposed to pull off a thrilling upset against the bad guys, and THAT IS NOT HAPPENING.

ShelfMAG: What musician has had the largest impact on your career or relationship to music?

@damiankulash: Prince and Run DMC made me love music. Fugazi and Pixies made me want to play music myself. Shudder To Think and Elliott Smith made me want to surprise myself with music I made.

Curious about what else Damian is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/damiankulash