The National’s Matt Berninger on struggling with writer’s block: “Everything was evidence of failure”
nme.comThe National’s Matt Berninger has opened up about struggling with writer’s block.It comes after ‘Laugh Track’, the band’s surprise ninth album arrived in quick succession off the back of April’s acclaimed ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’.
It was announced earlier this month (September 15) during a concert at their Homecoming Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. The LP was released three days later on September 18.Speaking to The Independent, Berninger reflected on having writer’s block for some time, a process that he said would scare him.“I couldn’t even open a laptop,” he told the publication. “I could barely pick up my phone.
Everything symbolised my paralysis. Everything was evidence of failure. So once it started coming back, I thought: I have to keep writing.”Now, Berninger says he’s protective of his writing time saying that he finds time daily to write. “I go to bed knowing OK there’s still some ink in there, in the well,” he added.He also revealed that part of his writing process involves sending messages to himself. “I don’t know why I text myself,” he explained.
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