Last summer, rock ‘n’ roll six-piece Dr. Dog made a return to its Philadelphia home studio to record its seventh album, Be The Void (Anti-). In MAGNET #85 (order a copy here), we talked to the group’s founding members, co-songwriters and vocalists Scott McMicken (guitar) and Toby Leaman (bass), about that journey, and what it takes to bring a band with a formidable label deal and a professional touring setup back to its DIY roots. One thing that has remained consistent in Dr. Dog’s music across its evolving career is a juxtaposition of existential, occasionally desperate lyrical concerns with exuberant pop songs. Dr. Dog keyboardist Zach Miller will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with McMicken and Leaman.
Miller: I used to think of tofu as little more than a pale substitute for meat, but it is something I’ve recently come to enjoy (and even crave). I never disliked it, but I never got worked up about it either. This affinity paralleled an obsession with Chinese food and, more specifically, the first time I made the Szechuan style dish mápó tòfu. I always remembered hearing that “real” Chinese food was much different than the ubiquitous Amercanized dishes that I’d eaten most of my life, so I decided to try my hand at making some of the real stuff at home. After some poking around, I found this recipe, a dish that seemed to be a good bellweather of the authenticity of a Szechuan restaurant. It was very easy to make once I figured out what the ingredients were and where to buy them. (Chinese translations being notoriously inconsistent.) I was shocked to find that tofu and ground pork could be in the same dish and even more surprised to find that the tofu was my favorite part of the dish. Since then I’ve had a whole new respect for it. I love the texture and the way it takes on flavors. Tofu, I salute you.
