interviews
Chris Stracey From Bag Raiders Talks "Shooting Stars" And The Australian Electronic Duo's History With Meme Culture
hen Australian electronic duo Bag Raiders released their hit song “Shooting Stars” back in 2008, Chris Stracey and Jack Glass had no idea that, nearly a decade later, their music would wind up becoming one of the internet’s favorite tracks to use in memes. Thousands of edits began popping up all over the internet between 2015 to present day, featuring people falling off bridges, Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl performance and, of course, the beloved Gabe the Dog remix (may he always bork in our hearts). Though “Shooting Stars” had already been certified a Gold Record before the meme’s appearance, the edits helped spread their music around the world even further. Stracey, who’s personally a fan of the internet phenomenon, accepted our invitation to discuss the meme in-depth, so we sat down with him to dig a little deeper into the band’s history.
Q: Thanks for speaking with us, Chris. I know things are kind of weird right now with the coronavirus outbreak. We’re currently in quarantine lockdown here in NYC working remotely, how are things going for you guys in Australia?
A: We were actually just beginning a tour, did the first two shows and then there was a ban placed on non-essential public events of more than 500 people, so that sort of hit the pause button on all the shows for now. I actually got back to LA a few days ago, but I think they’ve since pretty much ceased international flights.
Q: So how are you passing the time during all this? Any tips for readers to avoid cabin fever? We’re a bit swarmed with coronavirus memes at the moment ourselves.
A: Well, I mean, I feel like musicians and music producers all around the world have been training their whole lives to thrive in these sorts of conditions. So far I've cleaned and vacuumed the whole house, including emptying that one room we all pretend doesn’t exist that is floor-to-ceiling boxes you never sorted out since you moved in. I got my studio back on track after I sent some stuff out to repair (the joys of using vintage synths), so now I've just started to dive into making some music. Also, I’ve been trying to expand my cooking repertoire, which has been both fun and delicious.
Q: Alright, let’s get back on track here. So “Shooting Stars” was originally released way back in 2008 on your EP “Turbo Love.” Can you give us some insight into how you guys came up with the song, what it meant, and where the name for it came from?
A: Yes. It was actually a bit of a jam in the studio. I had the idea that an annoying mosquito sound that really gets up your ear might be a cool sound for a synth lead. I found one and started playing the same thing over and over while Jack was playing some chords, and it all slowly just built and built from there. We did the whole tune without any vocals on it, and then when it felt kinda “finished,” we thought, “Hey maybe we should try putting vocals on this.” The name came from the line in the “chorus” (it’s a weird structure though, it just kinda goes verse-verse-verse, break, chorus-chorus-chorus). Really it’s just a love song about an elusive love that is rare, unique and, quite frankly, may be out of your league -- and you’re always chasing it. I liked the idea of personifying a geological phenomenon though, that’s kinda hard. Plus, I guess “shooting star” kinda sings better than “bolide” or “meteorite.”
Q: What was the early reception like for the track? Did you think much of it during those first few years?
A: Actually this is kinda funny, but when we were DJing, we always used to mix out of the track during the middle break before it really takes off. All the music that was playing in clubs at the time was super aggressive, wonky and loud and stuff. We felt like people would lose interest in the tune. You never know what people are gonna like. Anyways, radio in Australia picked it up (thanks FBI and JJJ!), and it just kinda grew and turned into one of our biggest songs from there. I think we knew there was something special about it that felt cool to us, but we definitely didn’t think people were going to vibe on it as much as they did.
Q: So as you know, your song became a huge meme for a few years and became a viral sensation by 2016-2017. Do you remember when someone first showed you an example, or what the specific video/meme was? What was your initial reaction?
A: I think someone tagged us in [the one with] the guy jumping off the bridge. I definitely did not get it. I was just like, “Oh, weird, okay, cool?” After that, someone sent the Lady Gaga Superbowl one, which I think was the first one I actually LOL’d at. Then people started tagging us in multiple memes, and when it got to more than 10, we were like, “Okay, what is going on here.” Then it was weeks later and literally hundreds of videos. We were pretty surprised, at first we didn’t get it. Then It just became funny and sort of ridiculous. We were just kinda laughing at how crazy the internet is.
Q: After you saw that it was becoming quite a phenomenon, what did you make of the various memes and remixes? Did you find it funny or was it more confusing than anything?
A: Yep, that’s what I mean! It was totally confusing, kinda funny, and we were basically just bewildered at the extent of time and resources people seemed to pour into making some of these things. We were seeing movie-grade special effects going on -- it was wild.
Q: Did you guys really know anything about memes and online culture back then, or was Shooting Stars your first experience with that kind of thing?
A: Basically just funny videos from sites like eBaum's World and Homestar Runner. I knew people liked cats and wanted to haz cheezeburgers and things like that. I think I maybe followed a few music meme accounts on the ‘gram, but I’m not sure, that might have come after. Definitely never made any memes or thought we would be involved in one.
Q: Once it became widespread and everyone was familiar with it, how did your friends, family members and colleagues react to it? Was it mostly positive, or were some upset about it using your music?
A: People mostly found it funny I think. My mum kept sending me videos asking what it was about, and I had to explain internet/meme culture to her. Lots of people wrote to us like, “We loved you guys before the meme,” which was nice, but also lots of people wrote to us saying “We found you because of the meme but listened to the rest of your music, and wow, you guys are actually good.” [laughs] That was nice too. We just thought, “Look, it’s out of our hands, just let the internet do its thing.”
Q: At any point during the meme’s heyday, did you feel like it was a copyright infringement, or were you annoyed at all by people using the song in videos without permission?
A: Nah. We weren’t really annoyed. I mean, it would be cool if people asked first, but the internet is kinda the Wild West in that regard. There were already like thousands of videos circulating, I don’t know how anyone would even begin to fight against that. I think only Prince had that sort of power over the internet. Universal had an algorithm that automatically issued a lot of takedown notices over YouTube. We sort of ignored the whole thing, because it was just so out of control so fast. We definitely got our fair share of hate mail from people whose videos had automatically been taken down, which had nothing to do with us -- but we’re, of course, the assholes. [laughs]
Q: The meme sort of relaunched “Shooting Stars” in several places around the world, topping charts in many countries and introducing the band’s music to new audiences. Do you think that altered the trajectory of Bag Raiders in any way, or did it have little impact on the band as a whole?
A: Yeah. It had fairly little impact on the band. It was just one of those wild crazy things that happens that’s totally out of your control. Probably the coolest thing that happened was people hearing us for the first time, because a lot of people heard us for the first time and told us about it. It’s always cool to pick up new listeners, so that was great.
Q: Why do you think “Shooting Stars” ultimately became a meme? Is it the catchiness of the track or is there something else to it that you think makes it so memeable?
A: I honestly have no idea. Probably that it’s catchy, sure. I think it’s just [one of those songs] where things change dramatically from the intro to the first downbeat, so it’s a pretty good “audio caption” to a moving image.
Q: When you’re on tour or speaking with fans, how often do people reference the song/meme? Is it sort of a cult favorite now, or was it always a hit?
A: Some people talk about it sure, especially people who discovered us through that. The song was always big for us, we’d already had a gold record with it before all of this stuff came along, but yeah -- it became a bit of a cult favorite for sure.
Q: Do you have any favorite versions of the meme or some you’ve made yourself that you can share with us?
A: The Lady Gaga one was pretty fire. There were some funny NBA versions, and I remember laughing at a go-kart one. Also some with Nicki Minaj, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. [laughs] No, we didn’t make any ourselves. I would have no idea how to do that. I have never edited a video in my life aside from the “end of year recap” video in my high school. [laughs]
Q: So aside from the Shooting Stars meme, do you have any favorite memes currently or are you not really big on that kind of internet culture?
A: Mostly the meme accounts I follow are band geek and music-related. Some of my favorite memes are still the Drake one and Expanding Brain ones.
Q: All these years later since the original release of “Shooting Stars” and the meme’s prime, do you guys love the song, or are you sick of it?
A: Nah. I mean, look, it makes people happy. Sure, we’ve played it on stage hundreds of times, but it’s sort of the part of the show where people go off the most, so it’s hard to hate something that can generate that sort of positive energy right in your face. And I feel like I am contributing something positive to society when I see that something I had a part in creating makes people happy. So yeah, sure, I get embarrassed if it comes on when I'm in a bar or something, but no, I'm not negative on it at all.
Q: What’re you and the band up to these days? Got any new music or tours we should know about?
A: We put out an album at the end of last year, and we’ve been on the road doing shows supporting that (did an Australia tour and a USA tour), but basically that’s all out the window now due to the old ‘rona. I guess it’s just quarantine and studio for the foreseeable future.
Q: Where can fans follow Bag Raiders and stay up to date on the group’s happenings?
A: @bag_raiders on all the socials. That’s where we are!
Q: In conclusion, how do you want people to remember the legacy of “Shooting Stars” in the future? What do you hope people take away from the song or the meme?
A: [laughs] If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this, it’s that people are going to do what they want with your work regardless of what your intention was. Once it’s left your outbox, it’s really at the mercy of the gods of the universe as far as what happens to it. If you think about it macro though, our intention upon making it was to create a good song that had a cool beat you could dance to -- something fun that sparked a little joy. And if you look at where it went, I guess we succeeded in that.
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Photos provided by Bag Raiders and Patrick Stevenson