Justin Vernon: Kendrick Lamar Is The Most Important Musician Alive, Peanut M&M’s The Most Important Snack

Brett Warren/Billy Reid

Justin Vernon: Kendrick Lamar Is The Most Important Musician Alive, Peanut M&M’s The Most Important Snack

Brett Warren/Billy Reid

Apparel company Billy Reid invited Justin Vernon and celebrity chef Ashley Christensen to participate in their Fan Club series, “wherein we invite chef and musician friends, who we know share a mutual admiration, to create a list of ‘burning questions’ for each other.” Apparently Vernon and Christensen are big fans of each others work — she digs Bon Iver, and he likes to eat at her Raleigh-area restaurants such as Poole’s, Death & Taxes, and Chuck’s.

Christensen prepared a meal for the two of them back in October during Vernon’s visit to North Carolina, and their conversation generated some interesting tidbits from Vernon. He spoke about his love for Middle American life and his hometown of Eau Claire and sided with pie in the great cake vs. pie debate. (No word on where he stands re: tacos vs. burritos.) Vernon also says Peanut M&M’s are the non-negotiable item on his tour rider (“They can serve as a meal, a base for a night of alcoholic drinks, or just a good old-fashioned dessert”), and he pronounces Kendrick Lamar the most important musician in the world. Here’s that last part excerpted:

AC: Most kitchen folks have a true love of music. Getting to know you and a number of our mutual pals made me realize that so many musicians hold cooks in the same high regard as we cooks hold musicians. Choose one cook and one musician with whom to share a meal, and give me a glimpse of where the conversation might go.

JV: If I had to pick one chef, I WOULD pick YOU and then I would pick Kendrick Lamar. I’d want him — he’s the most important musician alive today, in my opinion — to taste the food I’ve tasted of yours and for you two to speak about the struggles of your cities and how culture and expression and hard work can heal basically anything.

Read the full interview here.

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