Kevin Abstract and Adam DiMarco on Tupac, Tumblr, and Texas Roots

When he got on a call with The White Lotus hunk Adam DiMarco last month, Kevin Abstract found himself speaking more candidly than expected. “The reason I’m giving this my all is because Warhol is like, one of my fucking heroes,” he confessed. “Interview means the world.” Among the topics discussed were Abstract’s love for Kid Cudi, the art of obscenely long playlists, their Letterboxd top four,  Tupac’s bank account and, of course, Blush, the Brockhampton frontman’s fifth studio album, released this past summer. Featuring star-studded collaborations with Dominic Fike, JPEGMAFIA, and Love Spells, the record finds Abstract at his most raw and genre-defiant, blending synthy textures to make music that “sounds like home,” as he described the album in an Instagram post. While touring in Texas, the 29-year-old multi-hyphenate hopped on a call with DiMarco to talk Letterboxd top fours, making “car music,” and the glory days of Tumblr. 

———

ADAM DIMARCO: Yo.

KEVIN ABSTRACT: My bad, I’m so late.

DIMARCO: [Laughs] You’re good. 

ABSTRACT: I’m watching a bunch of old Kid Cudi stuff. I just read his memoir, and I’m obsessed. 

DIMARCO: He wrote a memoir?

ABSTRACT: Yeah. It’s so good, you should listen to it or read it.

DIMARCO: I will for sure. He’s the goat.

ABSTRACT: Where are you at? You look like you’re on a balcony.

DIMARCO: Yeah, I’m in Vancouver. Are you in Texas?

ABSTRACT: I’m in the dark right now, but I’m in Texas. 

DIMARCO: It’s fully dark. Did you have a show last night?

ABSTRACT: A few nights ago. 

DIMARCO: Nice. How’s the tour going?

ABSTRACT: It’s been awesome. We only did three shows in Texas, and we’re going to hopefully extend it. 

DIMARCO: Texas residency. Dude, I was trying to do so much research and come up with so many questions, Nardwuar style. Have you ever been interviewed by him?

ABSTRACT: When I was in Brockhampton, yes. Not solo. But I really want him to do a solo interview because it’s like, “What is he going to find out about me?”

DIMARCO: “Eating Big Macs after soccer practice on weekends. Does that mean anything to you?”

ABSTRACT: [Laughs] Yo, what? Where did you find that, and what did you Google?

DIMARCO: “You’re Kevin Abstract, we have to know.”

ABSTRACT: You’re an insane person.

DIMARCO: Okay, that worked really well. What’s your Letterboxd top four?

ABSTRACT: I don’t have access to my account no more, but I could tell you my top four favorite movies.

DIMARCO: Yeah, let’s go.

ABSTRACT: Number one, The Social Network.

DIMARCO: Dude, that’s in my top four as well.

ABSTRACT: And then Boogie Nights. A Bug’s Life. 

DIMARCO: The fourth is always tough.

ABSTRACT: My fourth right now, emotionally, is Training Day.

DIMARCO: Oh, sick.

ABSTRACT: What’s yours?

DIMARCO: I don’t really have them ranked.

ABSTRACT: I feel that. Then why’d you ask me that question? The hell.

DIMARCO: I like Before Sunrise, and then I’ll say Princess Mononoke second. And then The Social Network. The fourth is tough. I’ll do a PTA [Paul Thomas Anderson] movie because you did Boogie Nights, I’ll do Phantom Thread.

ABSTRACT: Oh, great movie.

DIMARCO: You have a playlist. How long is it right now? Is it more than 38 hours?

ABSTRACT: Let me see.

DIMARCO: What’s the current hour count, and what are the last three songs you added to it?

ABSTRACT: It’s 39 hours and 39 minutes. The last three songs I added are “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis, “Would I Lie To You?” by Charles & Eddie, and “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross.

DIMARCO: Is this playlist private?

ABSTRACT: It’s actually public. I’ve shared it with this Discord I have. I treat it like it’s private, though.

DIMARCO: What’s the last dream that you remember?

ABSTRACT: The last one that really pops out is a friend of mine, he burnt his dick with an iron, and then we were rushing to get him to the hospital. I looked at him, and he begged for me to hug him, and I tried to hug him, but then his face started to go away. I woke up sweating and screaming.

DIMARCO: Damn. What do you think it means?

ABSTRACT: I don’t know, I actually asked someone that. Maybe it’s me not resolving certain friendships in my past. Dark shit.

DIMARCO: Do you miss Tumblr?

ABSTRACT: A lot, actually. I like blogs in general, artists having their own personalized space.

DIMARCO: I miss the old internet.

ABSTRACT: Were you on Tumblr?

DIMARCO: My group of friends or school wasn’t. I pitched it, and I was there, and no one came on that I knew, I guess. But maybe that was too early days or something.

ABSTRACT: I understand.

DIMARCO:  Did you go to an art school?

ABSTRACT: Public school. North of Houston, where I started my high school experience, that school was all about getting the best grades and going to the sickest college, so that was definitely not an art school. When I moved to Atlanta, that was about surviving and getting out of high school.

DIMARCO: I read something where you were saying that you just wanted to blend in and get through it and be done, right?

ABSTRACT: Yeah.

DIMARCO: That’s exactly how I felt in high school as well.

ABSTRACT: In Vancouver? 

DIMARCO: No, I grew up in Oakville, Ontario.

ABSTRACT: Oakville?

DIMARCO: Outside of Toronto.

ABSTRACT: We talked about this, yes.

DIMARCO: Yeah. Okay, here’s a question. So you started performing obviously with a lot of people on stage, right?

ABSTRACT: Yes.

DIMARCO: The first time I saw you was in L.A., it was Brockhampton, December of 2019. And then shortly thereafter, you guys went your separate ways. The next time I saw you performing, I think it was you and Devin on stage. Is there a big adjustment to being like, “I’m the only person on this stage versus a group?” Is it like doing improv and then switching to being like stand-up or something?

ABSTRACT: I mean, I work better with a crew on stage. I learned with this last tour, I like orchestrating and directing. When it’s me alone, I feel so awkward. And also, I asked Devin to join me on that last tour that you saw me at, but it felt like I had someone to bounce ideas off with on stage, specifically. It feels more natural for me, I guess, when there’s more people around. But I was thinking about that this morning, I really want to master what Tyler’s good at, it’s just him. Or Michael Jackson or Kanye. I want that to be dialed in. 

DIMARCO: We both travel for work a lot. Do you have a routine, or could you work 24 hours a day?

ABSTRACT: I could, but these days, I’m not doing that. The next two weeks, I’m trying to chill.

DIMARCO: What do you like to do when you’re doing nothing?

ABSTRACT: I’m being 14 years old again, it’s awesome.

DIMARCO: Reconnecting with a younger self really helps being an actor or a musician or any artist.

ABSTRACT: My therapist is the one who put me onto that. Anytime I feel low or lost, she’s like, “You should go look at the art that inspired you to chase this vision in the first place.” It really does help me a lot.

DIMARCO: You were quite young when you were like, “I want to get started making music in a group.” You had a vision.

ABSTRACT: I was 14 when I knew I wanted to make a band, and I was nine when I knew I wanted to start writing songs. What about you? When did you know you wanted to start this field, acting?

DIMARCO: I went to university in Canada for a semester, and I was so miserable. I was studying math and science, and I didn’t have any interest in it. I had a calling or something, so I dropped out and moved to Vancouver to kind of focus fully on it. I wish I had the idea when I was nine, though. Would’ve been good to get a head start on it.

ABSTRACT: No, it’s interesting to me how it plays out for everyone.

DIMARCO: I was listening to Blush earlier today, actually, and I was thinking, “Everyone must have a different favorite song on this album.” Do you know what I mean?

ABSTRACT: Yeah. People say this a lot, they make playlist albums, but it works like that playlist you brought up.

DIMARCO: I guess hearing you say that puts it in perspective. It does feel kind of like a playlist that you made.

ABSTRACT: That kind of was my goal. Well, my homegirl told me it was car music.

DIMARCO: The best kind of music. Nothing hits like car music, anytime of day. Maybe this is a boring question; you don’t have to answer it. Maybe I shouldn’t ask this.

ABSTRACT: No, ask it.

DIMARCO: Is there a profit share split for Blush based on percentage, based on time on the record or something?

ABSTRACT: What do you mean? Are you talking about publishing and stuff?

DIMARCO: Let’s forget this question.

ABSTRACT: No, no, no, that’s an awesome question. 

DIMARCO: I saw this infographic of—I don’t know. Nevermind.

ABSTRACT: Wait, I want to answer the question. That’s so funny to me. You’re a crazy person.

DIMARCO: I just remember seeing this thing that had all the artists who had vocals on Blush, and then that was the first column. And then there’s a second column that was total time on record or something.

ABSTRACT: Ah, I see. 

DIMARCO: And then there was a third column that was percentage.

ABSTRACT: I’ve seen tweets like that about Brockhampton.

DIMARCO: Oh, really?

ABSTRACT: I have. I’m not going to answer that on record, I’ll tell you on text, though. Who got paid the most on White Lotus?

DIMARCO: We all got paid the same.

ABSTRACT: Okay. I’m going to say the same thing. For Blush and Brockhampton, we all got paid the same.

DIMARCO: Oh, sick.

ABSTRACT: Cap. I can’t lie to you, bro.

DIMARCO: This is all off the record, let’s keep this off. We’re cutting.

ABSTRACT: No, this is the best question I’ve ever been asked. 

DIMARCO: That’s so funny.

ABSTRACT: Okay, I’m done, keep talking. I’m sorry.

DIMARCO:  What’s your coffee order?

ABSTRACT: A cold brew, black. What’s yours?

DIMARCO: I do like an iced matcha, unsweetened, with coconut milk if I can find it.  I can’t drink coffee. The caffeine is too inflammatory or something for my system. 

ABSTRACT: You drink alcohol, though, right?

DIMARCO: I haven’t in almost two years. Wait, I had sake recently, but that was two little things.

ABSTRACT: What kind of sake was it? I like plum sake.

DIMARCO: I was on a date, so it doesn’t count.

ABSTRACT: Okay.

DIMARCO: Is there a track that you don’t feel gets the love it deserves? Or maybe you’re like, “This is my baby.” Or maybe something from Blanket, because you were saying that album’s underappreciated.

ABSTRACT: I’ve been going back to the song on Blanket called “What Should I Do?”

DIMARCO: I love that song.

ABSTRACT: Thanks. I wish that song was bigger. 

DIMARCO: That song is big to me.

ABSTRACT: [Laughs] Look at this, being sweet to each other. 

DIMARCO: There’s this expression, “Life can only be lived forwards, but it can only be understood backwards.” A lot of your stuff feels pretty nostalgic. Do you think about the future a lot?

ABSTRACT: I do. Do you?

DIMARCO: A little bit. Do you have a place where you feel like you’re living in the moment the most? Is that when you’re creating and directing?

ABSTRACT: Yeah, I think so.

DIMARCO: So you did ten hours on a treadmill outside your house in Corpus Christi, which is on Brockhampton Street, which I didn’t know was a street. What was that experience like? Because I’ve definitely never walked for ten hours in a row. 

ABSTRACT:  That was strange. That was Shia’s [LaBeouf] idea. I think he had the idea for another artist, and we were brainstorming about performance art pieces I could do. And he was like, “To show your audience how long it took for you to get to this moment in your life, maybe go on a treadmill and do it in front of your childhood home.” I really wanted it to look like a movie, but I wanted it to be live-streamed. There’s this thing I did when I was younger too. I just turned 18, and I live-streamed my desktop off my MacBook for 24 hours or some shit.

DIMARCO: That’s cool. Have you talked at all about—because you have some film and TV projects in development.

ABSTRACT: Have I talked about them publicly?

DIMARCO: Yeah.

ABSTRACT: I don’t think I have, actually. Every interview I’ve done recently has just been about Blush, me reconnecting with old friends, and me moving back to Texas. I haven’t talked about any of my filmmaking aspirations, I guess.

DIMARCO: Because I’ve read a short film and then a TV series pilot, I guess, and then I know you had an animated thing at one point that you were talking about.

ABSTRACT: When I first realized I wanted to be in the entertainment space, it happened because I knew I wanted to be an actor. My idol was Will Smith, and I was like, “Oh, what did he do? What’s his story?” And his story was, he started with rap, so that’s why I started rapping. When it comes to filmmaking, I’m not saying it means more to me than music— music is my life—but I think about it every day, just as much as music.

ABSTRACT: I think about it all the time.

DIMARCO: They’re both kind of the same thing, in a way.

ABSTRACT: They go together, for sure, because you make music too.

DIMARCO: I try. But I don’t have a process, or I don’t know a way of doing it. And also, it is kind of the lowest on my list of priorities. But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it; it’s just going to take longer. 

DIMARCO: Now I’m excited for that chapter to begin.

ABSTRACT: I appreciate that. 

DIMARCO: What do you think is going to happen to, I guess, the future of music and streaming services? It’s so hard to predict, because no one would’ve thought vinyls and CDs and cassette tapes, that people would be buying them in 2025, right?

ABSTRACT: I do think people want to. I’ll speak for myself. I want to lean into more, ”Just put it out, and don’t overthink it. Partner with whoever wants to partner with you, and let’s see what happens.” I think that may become the trend, especially with how Tyler’s [The Creator] been talking.  That’s my future at least. I don’t want to really be attached to majors and all that stuff; I kind of want to float.  What do you think will happen? 

DIMARCO: I don’t know, I like seeing artists be supported directly for their work.

ABSTRACT: I get that. 

DIMARCO: Even just a higher percentage.

ABSTRACT: I’ll tell you, when Tupac died, his bank account was insane. So low. What do you think it is?

DIMARCO: Wait, you’re asking me what do I think Tupac’s bank account was at when he died?

ABSTRACT: He was the biggest rapper on the planet at the time.

DIMARCO: This is maybe the hardest question anyone’s ever asked me in life. Inflation?

ABSTRACT: How much do you think it was? 

DIMARCO: I don’t know. Let’s say, 2 mil.

ABSTRACT: $15,000. How insane is that?

DIMARCO: That is hard to believe.

ABSTRACT: In his checking account, all he had was 15K. That’s wild. So, going back to what I want the future to be, I agree, the percentage should go up a lot for artists. Especially if artists are moving posters, they’re like superheroes. 

DIMARCO: How do you feel?

ABSTRACT: I feel great. I also want to say, the reason I’m giving this my all is because [Andy] Warhol is like, one of my fucking heroes. Interview means the world.