Mitski - Embracing a Uniquely American Mythos with "Be the Cowboy" | The Daily Show

Mitski wants to be as arrogant and free as the mythological version of a cowboy.
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[@cryinglaughingemoji1741]

Her philosophy behind the album name is literally the quote "have the confidence of a mediocre white man" i'm-

[@seraphrene]

@@lucazanghierato1691 what is it luca do you have a problem???

[@owenupdegrove2541]

@@lucazanghierato1691 it's unhhhh

[@lucazanghierato1691]

@@owenupdegrove2541 oh then sorry for my spelling haha

[@jackthefrog80085]

I feel like the US is the mediocre white man of countries. I've never been there but that's what I see

[@kashmirichai123]

and a colonizer

[@silverandexact]

"The idea of a man riding into town, wrecking shit, and then walking out like he's the hero is just so..." *American.*

[@toobashaikh5922]

Literally American military in a nutshell

[@kashmirichai123]

​@@toobashaikh5922her dad works for the military too, so its wierd

[@dougsollo8482]

I loved her interview and the fact the host didn't make all about love affairs or sensitive womanhood. He actually made deep questions on her creative process.

[@storm1eee]

im so late to this so i hope you know by now but trevor noah is a brilliant man !!

[@jackthefrog80085]

Trevor Noah

[@florascent9ts]

it makes me so mad that people don't get that she is in control. she's a stunning lyricist, singer, composer, etc. and it's cringe that anyone thinks she's not already the cowboy.

[@danitiwa]

Yes and no... she just said on air she struggles w self esteem You can feel in control sometimes and not other times... They r not mutually exclusive

[@florascent9ts]

@@danitiwa true, but I'm speaking mostly about how people perceive her as a sad, depressed, lovelorn, struggling person, when that's actually the image she's constructed. she's the boss, she's the director of the show that is 'mitski'. obviously she's a flawed person and no one besides those intimate with her really knows who she is, but she is masterful.

[@emomu]

@@florascent9ts i think she's both... on one hand, she has control of everything she does whether that be songwriting or artistry, but on the other hand, she does seem pretty vulnerable in her artistry.

[@florascent9ts]

@@emomu that's true, again. but pain is a blade and she knows how to wield it. that's the mastery. but again I don't know her, only wishing and theorizing.

[@kashmirichai123]

the fact that she ignores the colonial undertones of the so called cowboy myth, as an asian woman, is sad

[@atopos-ct6xh]

1:51 I love how she subtly shaded American colonizations haha

[@Domisgreater]

it really wasn't that subtle, but i don't think trevor got it or he purposefully avoided it

[@blakrumba]

Yaaassss!

[@nickmessick5471]

That's not what she was doing at all. She was talking about movies.

[@SioneToki]

the dreaming I love how her music’s good, but her “subtle shade” on America shows how out-of-touch from reality she is. KEEP AMERICA GREAT - TRUMP2020

[@dimosanagnostopoulos7066]

@@Domisgreater he got it and thats why he laughed..

[@smthepiclikekaoriornicolascage]

this is actually a really good interview. i am impressed because usually in this kind of talk shows musicians are not really allowed to articulate what they really mean. and he really seems like knowing about the music, unlike Fallon or letterman, who just say great, great and that's all.

[@wormymaple99]

trevor noah is so good. i wasn't sure about him when he first took over the daily show, but i'm a fan after reading his book Born a Crime. 10/10 recommend

[@mannyglover]

So agree! A lot of thoughtfulness on both sides of this interview. And a lotta listening on the host’s side (as opposed to just throwing in jokes non-stop). Reminds me of when Dick Cavett would interview great musicians.

[@jruthejunkie]

i completely agree! he definitely gave her space to answer meaningful and insightful questions!!

[@griffinwetzel3059]

yeah trevor noah is a different breed

[@grasking]

It's like he actually listens to her music and is a fan.

[@ArtleyDraws]

“I feel like i have to apologize for existing.” Big juicy mOOD.

[@MrWalker1000]

sounds like insecurity to me.

[@percyperanamus7432]

@@MrWalker1000 sounds like systematic oppression to everyone else

[@MrWalker1000]

@@percyperanamus7432? Lol what fiction books do you Read

[@percyperanamus7432]

@@MrWalker1000 woc who feel they have to apologize for existing in white male dominated spaces because they are met with harassment doesn't come from a book, just experience and looking around ones self.

[@MrWalker1000]

@@percyperanamus7432 lol if anyone it's white males being made to apologize for existing. Sorry about your made up fantasies

[@greyson-j]

she sounds dreamy in a good way and still insightful and really certain on what she thinks I love it

[@LindsayWare-vb5py]

Greyson Jean she “sounds” certain because she used semi-big words and throws in a philosophy or sociology 101-ism every few sentences. And speaks as if she’s literally the 1st person on earth who’s ever recognized that there’s an American cowboy ethos/style. Oooooooooh that some deep shit. LMFAO she needs to get over herself.

[@lzmunch]

@@LindsayWare-vb5py i feel like you need to chill and open your mind. I always feel like this kind of disdain comes from a fear of being "cringey" or , like you said, "pretentious", but once you get over that theres so many interesting things out there.

[@atomixdragon]

Just cause she isn't an airhead doesn't mean she's full of herself

[@AnGie9988]

Lindsay Ware LMAOOO you sound so bitter and pretentious it’s ironic really

[@istankon-el2470]

@@LindsayWare-vb5py bro what 💀

[@megasocky]

God as a half Japanese American I can relate with the "apologizing for existing" thing. Neither side of the spectrum see me as a native/one of them

[@danitiwa]

I’m not even rly mixed race but my parents are from polar opposite cultures and i grew up internationally so i feel that on a molecular lvl as well. No matter where you go you are weird or exoticized

[@Lichenroc]

I thought Americans liked Japanese

[@braxton6179]

im not mixed but i grew up very whitewashed because kazakhstan is a post soviet country where internaalized racism is considered a norm when i visit my relatives i cant fit in with them even though i really want to

[@cheesecakelasagna]

history will tell you otherwise. look up "Internment of Japanese Americans"@@Lichenroc

[@moche2303]

I love the way Mistki described being seen as a vessel for music instead of getting the credit of being the creator. She's a genius damn it. She deserves ALL the credit.

[@cisnt9244]

I love her tone while speaking.

[@Nylak-Otter]

The phrase "freedom and arrogance" is so American that I'm surprised a bald eagle didn't swoop in screaming when she said that.

[@Julia-zu2xl]

I can't stop smiling that this interview exists, I listen to Mitski every day (that's not a joke, I literally have listened to her every day for the past three years) and just adore her music, I love that she's getting more recognition. If you haven't listened to her music, pleasse do.

[@uwotmate87]

IKR I’ve literally seen this girl grow as an artist and her music gets better every album!

[@happynewfears1805]

*hand fetish*

[@shafiat5603]

I just started.... what album if hers should I listen to next after be the cowboy? Or should I just work my way down consecutively

[@happynewfears1805]

Shafiat *the one about hands*

[@Julia-zu2xl]

​@@shafiat5603 I'd say Puberty 2 or bury me at makeout creek (these are probs my fave albums from her, but tbh all her albums have songs i cant live withput, so none of the albums are not worth a listen), I love my body's made of crushed little stars, a burning hill, and a loving feeling off of puberty 2. My fave songs from makeout creek are Last words of a shooting star, I don't smoke (god the emotion in that song gets me everytime), and first love/ late spring. Her early albums are great too off of lush I love bag of bones, liquid smooth, and brand new city, it amazing to see the change in her music style when you compare lush to be the cowboy, I love the loudness and rawness of this album. Off of Retired from sadness, I recommend goodbye, my danish girl, strawberry blonde, and Humpty, this album is probably her saddest, it's a great album for when ur 19 and have no clue what ur doing with ur life.

[@dotdotodorold3987]

I'm a l e s b i a n

[@hellowhitepeople]

i thought you were american

[@oof-rr5nf]

hashtag blessed VINE REFERENCES!

[@oof-rr5nf]

also: i'm a b i s e x u a l who is in l o v e with mitski

[@primolla4609]

I'm gonna go bi for now

[@Alberto-ny7kf]

why do lesbians feel such a huge necessity to declare their love to mitski in every video stop being so horny ffs

[@christelheadington1136]

I wanna be a cowboy baby.

[@arniecalang4583]

Christel Headington HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@ernstjohannes37]

*a coooooowwwboy baa-by

[@saintnicole3209]

hell yeah

[@user-fo2rz8gt6b]

We all do, honey. Mitski is our cowboy queen.

[@Floytie]

She’s SO COOL. Every interview I watch her in I fall in love with her elegance and overall sense of chill. I’m in love with Mitski.

[@cheesecakelasagna]

Ifkr

[@SachaMullin]

She deserves all the success in the world.

[@davidbeppler3032]

As long as that success is in a Foxcon factory in China.

[@Will-ju7sc]

@@davidbeppler3032 I think the name Mitsuki is Japanese, not Chinese for sure but probably Japanese.

[@Will-ju7sc]

@@davidbeppler3032 Also, that sounds pretty racist

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@Will-ju7sc it was racist. Do you know Foxconn? Look it up.

[@mcflopkin8434]

@@Will-ju7sc she is japenese actually. She uses japenese language in one of her songs.

[@mcflopkin8434]

People are not understanding the point of *Be the cowboy* *YeeHaw*

[@uwotmate87]

Nah more like people always say yeehaw but no one ever asks hawyee

[@poopsoup3]

Marvelous Dwanah so glad I looked to see what someone had commented on that 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mcflopkin8434]

@@uwotmate87 *Hawyee!*

[@saintnicole3209]

yeehaw pard'ner

[@nika-bx2gl]

Its high noon

[@bobymcgee]

I love Mitski so much she is such a great lyricist

[@beni5616]

She's so beautiful I wanna cry

[@kyrakremser2333]

she is so profoundly articulate; i love how effortlessly she conveys thoughts and ideas that are often easier left unsaid but in such a graceful way. she is such an interesting person and i adore her. also gotta hand it to trevor because he is a fantastic interviewer, you could really tell that he cared about curating questions that were actually pertinent to her and let her speak authentically

[@zeeby24]

She has a björk-esque energy

[@daise.ghosts4846]

Alexander K not really, Bjork has always been more charismatic and bubbly. Mitski is great though, so articulate and well spoken. Both very classy ladies and forerunners of the alternative genre

[@itsrainingmelons6202]

her look! And her sound

[@carljcreighton]

you have a superficial energy

[@j___4408]

bjork is a racist so i hope not

[@frenzyftw]

have you literally ever watched a bjork interview

[@scottanderson7793]

I don’t know who she is, but she seems very thoughtful and self-reflective. Lovely person from what I can tell.

[@kuroichan101]

It always people who arent a minority and dont feel the effects of racism, discrimination, etc claiming that people are just 'victimizing themselves'.

[@homewall744]

So it's entirely normal and expected? That is, this is a universal trait as there is no place at any time in history where minorities are the most favored.

[@johnc.5600]

John Anderson Stop complaining, whites died by the millions in all the wars. They worked to their death in factories and mines. Don’t come to me with, withes never had it hard....

[@sickid41]

Asians are discriminated against look at all those small penis jokes. Asians are so discriminated against not in a blatant way but in hidden ways. So ya she is a victim.

[@GenXsinglefree]

I always clap back at those who try to fictionalize my reality. Some do it out of naivety and are easily forgiven. However, I have no such patience with those who spray rose water over dung. It still stinks.

[@Kids-cl6hi]

Elegast wow, you whites died in wars you whites started or intervened in and then later claimed it had nothing to do with greed. Save your pity party for your country clubs, “cowboy”!

[@fym90]

She is really interesting and Trevor is really a great Interviewer!

[@fym90]

@Kiki-san you are entitled to your opinion. I do not share it.

[@LindsayWare-vb5py]

Kiki-san lol right?! like tell me more about that cowboy myth/Marlboro Man mystique cuz no one has ever even realized that was a thing. GTFO with all the comments about how “enlightened” and “spiritual” she is. Maybe if you’re in high school. Like wtf why did this even happen.

[@percyperanamus7432]

@@LindsayWare-vb5py mitski never said she was the first person to use this to express herself creatively- ppl are asking HER to explain why she chose to. You're mad at her for what?

[@mannyglover]

“We should talk about the band name...” brilliant closer 😂

[@marcornelles485]

watching mitski interviews makes me feel comfortable, it's not just her music, it's her way of thinking, speaking, it's her

[@HelgaCavoli]

So articulate. Never heard of but already respect.

[@eloisemae1325]

Mitski inspires me to be the cowboy of my life, not apologizing for existing and being who i am, she really does dig out her lyrics from her soul, it’s beautiful 💕

[@agnishwar3658]

I liked this interview. Fallon, letterman and others usually don't give this level of nuance and respect unless you're quite popular. Good going mitski! Please get more popular and show everyone how lyrics are Really written. I love her because she's just raw talent and no pretence.

[@daniellerogers1352]

I'm legit a brand new Mitski fan. Having watched a few of her interviews, I totally agree with you. She has shit to say. :)

[@JaneDoe-er2sg]

I dream of being this articulate

[@idkatthispoint4657]

i’m very different from mitski i’m a white woman who has lived in the midwest her whole life but i find her extremely relatable in the sense of feeling like an outsider, not feeling the freedom to exist as you are, being lonely i know we’ll never experience these things in the same way but she still reads my mind with her music

[@vickyselembasualdo8617]

the way she manages to put such complicated concepts into words... it shouldn't be surprising considering she writes for a living but shes just so fantastically articulate and witty! i hold her so close to my heart

[@spencerfrank726]

This is a really good interview. Noah asks really good questions and lets her do her thing. You really get to learn about Mitski!

[@daisiesdreams]

She’s so talented and underrated,if she was a white cis straight man she would be called genius and would be praised by the media

[@xjmmjbnqfstjdijoj2044]

I think you mean black* man

[@u-x-m-a]

@@xjmmjbnqfstjdijoj2044 white artists are much more famous and internationally known

[@normanedwards8552]

He always had the best guests on his show

[@Erin-Thor]

Norman Edwards - Had?

[@faithsanchez4883]

After reading the comment section, I’m no longer surprised that Americans as a whole score so low on reading comprehension.

[@lzmunch]

Makes me sad man

[@theworldslargestturtle1453]

We used to be #1 :(

[@medicatedshampoo]

What did you say about my American hole?

[@portzblitz]

Faith, please-- Where can I find your profile picture? It's beautiful. I want to go find a high resolution copy and make it my desktop. Thanks!

[@loveharrydaily]

Faith Sanchez for what it’s worth... I’m in the 99th to 100th percentile. 😩

[@censusgary]

Singing your diary entries in a way that makes them listenable is actually very difficult to do.

[@vickisigh2674]

oh my god i love her so much especially her explanations of being the cowboy and her experiences with loneliness. thank you for digging deep and sharing your soul with us.mitski!

[@soda3065]

I love how she looks at the audience when she's speaking

[@420aneesh]

I did not know who she is until this video, she's a really interesting woman and artist. i just started listening to her songs now.

[@kateaustin2104]

so many racists in the comments tonight boys

[@olso4389]

I've been hooked on her album, it really is fantastic to listen to start-to-finish

[@mrsbillforshort]

I love how his questions were so thoughtful and tailored to her & her music and how genuine her answers were-as interesting and intelligent as her songs suggest

[@arca-ngel]

i love mitski i love everything she sings and feels and this album made me feel so liberated and it really is an amazing message to poc to women etc

[@mrsbillforshort]

I love how his questions were so thoughtful and particular to her and her music and how genuine her answers were-just as interesting and intelligent as her songs suggest

[@hashtag-shaneiacs]

Mitski is a treasure. We must protect her at all costs.

[@thomasbeckett1174]

I love Mitski. So damn sharp.

[@audreykoskei4072]

As if I didn't love you enough before, Trevor!!! Trevor+Mitski= My Year of the Cowboy.

[@Carfeu]

She sounds so free but at the same time so troubled

[@nanajiloh]

I'm so happy to see her growing! Also, the "be the cowboy" thing is so true... Only recently I came to realize how a white, mildly successful man, feeling so fucking confident, being able to walk down a street and having absolutely zero fucks to give and I'm like... Wow, if I had half of that confidence.

[@nataliechavez8723]

I love Mitski so much! I saw her in concert last weekend, and she was so genuine and seemed like a real person. I know that's odd, but I often seem to forget that celebrities are actual people too. I go to a lot of concerts and Mitski was so human.

[@s.f.694]

Great interview. Mitski is brilliant. I love her answers to everything and how she is so unapologetically herself through her music and who she is. Respect 🙌🏻

[@doejohn2447]

I love everything about this interview

[@donnieburitto5308]

I'm really happy for her. but the shady side of me doesn't want her to be popular bc then I'll have to share.

[@dreadstheheart]

Mitski: I’m in love with someone and their name is Music. That’s pretty fuckin rad

[@jennhello2522]

this was such a good interview!

[@scruffytuna]

4:51-5:28 she's so sharp 🤯👌👏🙌

[@bakabinch]

She's so brilliant!

[@martabarbosa630]

i love this interview

[@isa0ber]

expecting to be welcomed after wrecking shit is a good summary of america's international relations. what she said about her critics writing about her as if she doesn't know what she's doing really struck me, they can't fathom an asian woman having agency. mitski is an amazing composer and lyricist and many would rather write her off as hysterical woman

[@weepingangel90]

O M G MITSKI!!!! Such a nice surprise to see her pop up on here.

[@krz0ne1]

Interesting thing though, One of the most iconic "Cowboy" Movies, the Magnificent Seven, is based on a Japanese Movie (The Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa)

[@GenXsinglefree]

Seven Samarai is one of my classic favs.

[@codyh3169]

Seven Samurai is legit!

[@BattyButtercup]

a lot of Star Wars drew on those very same connections between eastern action films and western, well, "westerns"! i've noticed a lot of commentary here where people have confused the mythos of the cowboy with the portrayal of samurai in fiction and your comment doesn't do that. :) Darth Vader is more akin to a historical samurai in his servitude to Sidious (villainous that it is) than the image many have of samurai. the mythos of the samurai is of a very different sort in eastern imagination - which is more akin with Darth Vader - than that of the western image of stoic action stars. there is a resemblance, certainly, but the emotional backgrounds are very different - something that is only really felt in all those shades of nuance when one is a recent(ish) immigrant of mixed heritage who has had experience of each version of those mythologies.

[@utubit22]

nice one ;) haha

[@healingdog364]

Well, the seven samurai was based on western movies...

[@sophiebradshaw4157]

Man she's so articulate

[@LanaDelMitski]

この二人の会話、大好き。また共演してほしい。

[@Eiaesthetic]

Well spoken and COOL af.

[@brokencookieuwu]

I love how well she articulates subtle ideas.

[@phw1102]

her eyes.. so beautiful

[@RinRin_c]

She has a beautiful soul.. Thank you Trevor for bringing out interesting stories out of her

[@cacophonyoflaughter]

ugh wow she’s so elegant - i love her

[@toby2044]

my favourite mitski interview so far

[@angelofsarcasm4924]

Adventure Time allowed me to discover her and her music... The Daily Show turned me into her new subscriber in Spotify!

[@lesliechun951]

THANK U TREVOR I LOVE MITSKI SO MUCH

[@li_celly]

omg i love mitski it's so surreal to see her the Daily Show.

[@-_-Ginger-Ninja-_-]

I love Mitsuki

[@vernond.p.3017]

I think her definition was the whole pitch for the HBO series Westworld and the the theme park in the series

[@rashmika9742]

So true. 😂

[@marilyngarcia1519]

Aaaaah Trevor is so polite; such a wonderful host.

[@cmdargument]

Darrell Winfield "Marlbo Man" passed at 85. Mitski has now another listener of her euphonic endeavors. Thanks Mr. Noah

[@fl0w3r_ch1ld6]

i love her so much it's indescribable

[@indirawylie7124]

she’s so cute wow she’s so 🥺🥺🥺🥺 i want to hold her hand

[@elijahpickard3942]

she’s so rad💕💕

[@womikxamo1976]

she's so iconic and her music rocks

[@Jack458111]

“We should talk about the band name.” LOL

[@austrarobust8993]

She isnt wrong. I am a mixed lady. My father is a 6foot white man who embodies all the freedoms described here. He is also a cowboy who sells and ships livestock. Truly the last of his kind. I grew up wanting to be just like him, confident and strong...and he would teach me the white man way. I learned that education/ english-is my only weapon against rascist. My capacity for self defense is a result of using the same tactics of the cowboy..the key is to think like a white man. Than you can be two steps ahead of their evil.

[@depleteduraniumcowboy3516]

Thank-you, her comment of being structurally alone resonates more with me after your comment. I know that feeling of seeing their evil and working against it. It is a lonelier existence than embracing the evil.

[@Murmurrr]

So what's your other half?

[@TysenTV]

Calling an entire group of people evil is... evil lol. Most problematic white people come from a lack of understanding or empathy and the way people think to help them change is to call them evil or berate them? Sounds legit

[@gummybear302]

chill I mean historically speaking white people have acted evil not only towards people of color but towards their own as well so if the shoe fits...

[@TysenTV]

@@gummybear302 yeah it makes sense I suppose it just seems like conformity over meaningful change

[@FiqkiAzizah]

Just found her today because of genius video.. i like her songs and knowing her story 💗

[@sharonunachukwu7320]

Im amazed by how clear she sees things and how raw and vivid she’s able to project her POV. 👏

[@mangostreetproject]

This interview came out before Jia Tolentino’s “The Misreading of Mitski” profile for the New Yorker…that blew my mind. That article is basically a summary of Mitski’s own amazingly perceptive analysis of her own media coverage

[@asseater0077]

two of my favorite celebrities in the same room

[@vrenfield]

I think that's the first time I actually heard her talk. Now I love her even more 😍

[@fraubeatrix1388]

Ah, I love this interview. How articulate these two are made it very engaging!

[@edezagon]

Love the interview... but both said, I wish I was... should be I wish I were people!

[@lillymeyer6325]

I love her music!

[@marmina1283]

i like that man's questions

[@willolvera5953]

i love her so much 💖

[@Mmorguemusic]

Love her sm ❤️

[@fithealthynhappy8860]

Thank you, preach it! I always feel like I have to apologize for my presence!!

[@survivorturnover]

how relatable mitski-san

[@fernandag0]

I just love her and her music

[@brianschofield4419]

How did I not know about this interview???

[@M1KEYWAY]

Gosh i adore Mitski so much