Ben Gibbard: 'My Goal Was to Beat Flea' in the L.A. Marathon

Ben Gibbard speaks as Flea leaves him in the dust.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

In the new issue of Runner's World, Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard talks about taking up jogging to "shed some unhealthy habits," plus how he'd hoped to beat the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea in the L.A. Marathon.  

Overcoming his skepticism about jogging, Gibbard says he built up gradually from short runs and became hooked when he first experienced a "runner's high." "It was that euphoric point everyone talks about," he says. "And like so many drugs, your next high is never as high as your first time, so you're left chasing that initial high."

Comparing running to songwriting – "when you have those uninspired moments, you have to power through them" – Gibbard admits that he wanted to beat Flea when both musicians ran the L.A. Marathon. "He got me by about four minutes... I don't think we should underestimate what good shape Flea is in." 

• 
  MUSIC Exclusive Live Chat With Linkin Park and Incubus
• 
  MOVIES & TV Peter Travers: 'The Avengers' Has it All
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Jon Corzine Is the Original Zimmerman
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive Premiere: Tenacious D's 'Tinnitus'

Song Stories

“Baby Got Back”

Sir Mix-a-Lot | 1992

While watching a Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl, Sir Mix-a-Lot thought the skinny female models in the ad didn’t represent reality. So he wrote this ode to ample bottoms, featuring its famous to-the-point lyric: “I like big butts and I cannot lie.” MTV banished the video, featuring shaking booties and sexually suggestive fruit, to 9 p.m. or later. “I thought my career was over,” he told Rolling Stone. “Then I called Rick Rubin, and I told him the video was banned, and he was like, 'Great!' We sold another 2 million records.”

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter