Personal Trainer’s Gran Fondo
Plus, I directed a music video
VANCOUVER — The smoke appears as if by magic.
Thick columns. One after the next. Dead centre of the room.
They snake across the uneven wooden floor, entwining as they kiss our feet and expand.
Out and up.
Towards the walls, towards the ceiling. Towards the windows and the city that sits just outside them.
Big smoke. Heavy. Like something out of a movie. Marlboro black. Wildfire grey.
It smells like burning tires. Tastes the same. It fills the room. Flattens everything in its path.
Zack is sitting three feet away from me, behind a drum kit, and I can’t see him.
And so it seems everything is going to plan.
I’ve been many things in this life: writer, journalist, unskilled labourer, and middling athlete, registered voter, and Passenger Princess.
But today, I am a director.
Bealby Point has asked me to shoot their first-ever music video. And so I roll off the couch and put my pants on and I grab a tripod and a camera and I direct them about the room.
Clever lads. Going places. Catchy choruses. Broad appeal. Songs in 4/4 time. Etc.
The single is called For Your Time. Release date TBD.
We dreamt up a simple concept. A mix of performance and narrative. Shot on Sony. Shot on JVC. Small budget. Big personality.
Distorted guitars.
Blue Sunbird.
Smoke machine. Filling up the entire room. So much smoke the band can hardly stand it. And yet (!) the band plays on. Destined for superstardom, clearly.
To prepare I watched music videos. Spike Jonze, mostly. The 1975, obvs.
In the mix, too, is Personal Trainer (PT). Fronted by Willem Smit. New single “Intangible” available now wherever you find Proper Chunes. Accompanying music video on their YouTube page.
Cool vibe. Lots of colour. Willem writhing on stage.
When we spoke, we chatted about PT and his life in Amsterdam. The difference between performing solo and as part of a septet.
Mostly I asked him about local delicacies and biking to band practice.
I tell Bealby Point that’s a wrap on today’s shoot.
We turn on two fans to clear out the room. The smoke lingers a lot longer than I had planned.
ES: How’s life in Amsterdam today?
WS: It’s alright. Kind of a slow start. I have to head off in 45 minutes because I’m playing my first-ever solo show. My dad’s throwing a party. It’s going to be very cute, probably, but I’m a bit nervous. Laughs.
ES: How do you approach a solo show versus performing with a band? That must feel a little exposing compared to Personal Trainer, where you have six people on stage.
WS: I guess so. I’ve been playing with bands for over 10 years now and I really like that. I’m used to having six people making a lot of noise behind me, so it’s probably a little more scary. It’s weird to rehearse on my own. I don’t have to tell anyone what to do or anything. I like the freedom of it but maybe I’ll hate it once I’m standing in front of people.
ES: What are some of the songs you’re thinking of playing? Are they all original or are you throwing in some covers and stuff?
WS: It’s mainly original songs. I’m going to play some songs that I’ve never played for anyone. I’m also going to play two covers, which I never do. A song by Belle and Sebastian, and then a song by my dad’s band. Try and surprise him a little.
ES: Oh man, I love Belle and Sebastian.
WS: When I was very little I only wanted to listen to The Lion King soundtrack. I wouldn’t want to hear anything else. So my dad started telling me that Belle and Sebastian was the new Simba record, The Pixies were the new Timon and Pumba record, all of that. Anything to make me okay with it.
ES: Laughs. And you believed him?
WS: Oh yeah. I was like “Fair enough, I’ll give it a listen.”
ES: That’s so good. But so your dad was a musician too, then?
WS: Yeah he was in a band for a long time called Scam C Baby. They put out a couple of records and they’re still going. They release one record every six years. They never toured as much as we do, but I really like that band. They have great songs.
ES: Are they local legends in Amsterdam?
WS: A little bit. They’ve never had a big following, really, but they are kind of a cult band in the city. Within the Netherlands, I guess. They were one of the first bands to sign to a label called Excelsior, which put out a lot of guitar music in the 90s. There were three or four bands that got pretty big in the Netherlands riding the Nirvana wave. They never as big as that but they did put out the best records, in my opinion.
ES: That’s awesome man. My dad wasn’t in a band or anything but he’s a great piano player. Sort of honky-tonky blues stuff.
WS: It’s funny, apart from The Lion King thing my dad never really played music at home. He still doesn’t. He rarely even listens to music, and hardly ever goes to shows. I took him to see The Pixies last week because that’s one of my favorite bands. He goes to my show sometimes, but that’s basically it. He was always more of a visual artist. He was a painter. The place I’m playing today is an exhibition he’s putting on.
ES: So he’s multitalented.
WS: He likes to do different stuff. He has a 9 to 5 job. He doesn’t like it that much, but he wanted more structure in his life so he took a “normal job” about 15 years ago. I think he regrets it a little because it’s hard to get back into the art world.
But yeah, he’s a good guy. He’s always been supportive of my music, but… My mom would play more music around the house. She’s not super musical but she likes Amy Winehouse and stuff.
ES: This is completely random but the Netherlands is a cyclist’s paradise and I’m in the market for a new ride. Wondering if you can bless me with any of your innate bike wisdom. How much should I be spending, what’s popular out there, etc.
WS: That’s funny. I cycle pretty much every day because that’s how we get around in Amsterdam, but I don’t know anything about bicycles. I think it’s because they’re so common. No one is thinking about the bicycle they’re sitting on every day. I use a subscription thing which a lot of people frown upon. They say I’m supporting like monoculture or something, which I’m not sure about.
ES: Laughs.
WS: How it works is you pay a monthly fee, and if your bike breaks down, you get a new one and they fix the old one. A lot of rich students use it, but my bike got stolen so many times and was constantly breaking down. I just kept having issues, and my girlfriend was like “Maybe you should try this subscription thing because I think you’ll lose less money.” I was like, “No way” but then I calculated it. Like, “Man, I’m going to be rich.”
ES: That’s really funny. So are people there generally laissez-faire about bike ownership? Like, Vancouver has a cycling culture, but a big portion of it centres on high-end road bikes and expensive gear. I have this $400 unit that was built in a guy’s garage using parts from China and I feel a little embarrassed about it.
WS: There are definitely people who are really into bikes. I know some who have bike frames on their walls. But we have what we call “grandma bikes.” That’s a literal translation. It’s just a bike you use to get around. They’re not nice.
ES: I think my grandma bike would fare better in Amsterdam because it’s so flat. Vancouver is super hilly and it forces you to consider whether it’s made out of steel or aluminium alloy or whatever. Otherwise, you’re just sweating like a hog.
WS: Laughs. I would hate having to cycle up and down all the time. That’s awful.
We broke a couple of sticks of celery and we made weird sounds with knives.
ES: How does it work for band practice, though? Do people transport instruments on bikes? Has anyone ever asked you so many bike questions in an interview before?
WS: Actually Abel, our keyboard player, always brings a ton of rope to tie stuff to his bicycle. He likes a challenge, so he stacks a lot of stuff on top of eachother. It’s really funny.
But yeah, it’s quite annoying for most musicians in a band. I used to play guitar and sing in other bands but I’m just the singer in Personal Trainer. At our first rehearsal, I was like “Holy shit I don’t have to bring anything, this is wonderful.” It’s awesome not to have to carry anything on a bike because it can get quite annoying and tiring to cycle around with gear.
ES: I do want to ask you a little bit about your stage presence. I obviously haven’t seen you guys live yet but I saw some game tape on YouTube and I was almost getting a pre-hiatus LCD Soundsystem vibe.
WS: Cool. I really like LCD Soundsystem, I think they’re an awesome band. When I write music, I like to take bits and pieces from different bands and mess around with them until there’s something I like. But stage presence-wise, I try to get myself to a place where I’m not completely embarrassed. That’s my main approach. I probably take things from other bands subconsciously, because I love going to shows and I watch a lot of bands perform, but that’s never been something I actively think about. Maybe it’s because the first bands I really liked to see were super energetic and would jump around. Maybe that stuck with me. But I also really like watching bands that seem like they’re not having a nice time. I don’t mind.
ES: You can call out The Strokes by name. We all know they hate being up there.
WS: Laughs.
ES: You mentioned not wanting to be embarrassed. How do you get into that headspace? Is it a warm-up thing? Do you drink a lot? What’s the move?
WS: I do drink a couple of beers before the show. It’s not very healthy, but it does really help. I should try in the future to do less of that, but there’s just something about it.
At first we were a bit too embarrassed around each other to do a warm-up thing. But now we have a ritual where we all get together at least 15 minutes before the show. We want to be in one room together. We go through the set list and talk through it. Get in the same headspace. And then we always kind of start jumping around a little bit, which is really silly. When my girlfriend’s there, for instance, she’s also in a band and, when that happens, she really hates it. It’s super cringey. I’m not proud of it either. I would never want someone to see that. Laughs. It just happens and it kind of works because you go on stage a little more pumped and together. I like it, because, with seven people, there’s often someone in the band I don’t see for the whole show.
ES: I’ve never considered that a larger band might mean less face time on stage.
WS: Especially at smaller gigs, where there’s almost no space to move around. Sometimes I have to be out front with everyone else behind me. I don’t have time or space to move around or look at someone properly without losing focus.
ES: I mean, I love that PT is a septet. Again, it’s kind of a throwback to the 2000s. But also you guys clearly don’t want to make any money because I assume you’re splitting everything seven ways.
WS: Laughs. Yeah it’s not the best way if you want to make money. I never really thought about it until, like, two years into the band because I never really thought about making money off music.
ES: It’s not all about the dollar, but it’s so rare in 2024 to see a band, really, with more than, like, three full-time members. It used to be four members but we’ve had to collectively downsize. There’s so little money to go around now, most people don’t want to split anything.
WS: I should definitely go solo for the next record.
ES: I mean you’re clearly testing the waters with this lil gig today.
I think [the Dutch] have mastered these sort of in-between meals. Not quite bite-sized, not quite meal-sized.
It’s funny how warming up is kind of embarrassing though. I guess being a musician in general has a high potential for embarrassment but something like vocal warm ups can feel quite exposing. But it actually helps so much. Like, I heard the lead singer of Foxing warming up on the bus a couple weeks ago and it had me thinking: maybe the current generation of musicians is more open to the whole thing.
WS: Definitely. It seems like people are concerned about being cool in a different way. I think there’s less shame in liking big pop music. That’s a new thing that I see a lot of bands be quite proud of. It’s cool to like Olivia Rodrigo right now. Which is a funny thing. It’s a good thing.
ES: She’s so good. I’ve been really obsessed with that record lately, and especially the new songs that she just put out, like, two weeks ago.
WS: I only heard the first record. I really liked some of the songs on that.
ES: I think you would probably like the second one too. There aren’t a ton of loud rock songs but the ones that are there are very 90s influenced. Kinda Pixies adjacent.
Do they have the De Dutch restaurant chain in Amsterdam? And if so, how do you feel about it?
WS: Do they have the what?
ES: There’s this restaurant in Canada called De Dutch. It’s a breakfast place. It’s like bad, expensive, vaguely European IHOP. And I was wondering if you’ve encountered this.
WS: No, I don’t think so. If there is one, I haven’t seen it.
ES: Oh my god. Well there goes my whole question line.
WS: I’m looking it up right now. It’s not in the Netherlands. I see there’s a golf course called De Dutch.
ES: Tell me about your Amsterdam breakfast culture, then.
WS: In general, Dutch people are very concerned about functionality. One of the most famous things we have to eat is called plakjes kaas which translates to “cheese sandwich.” It’s two slices of bread with a slice of cheese in between and that’s it. It’s very typical of Dutch people. They make it really simple.
I don’t think a lot of people eat out when they have breakfast in the Netherlands. Lunch a little more, but mainly we go for dinner somewhere. Dinner is the main thing. But food wise I think it’s mainly about functionality. Quick bite and then off to work.
ES: What kind of cheese are they putting in these sandwiches?
WS: Gouda. It’s a Dutch cheese. We just call it cheese, to be honest. Dutch cheese. It’s boring slices of yellow cheese.
ES: I love a boring slice of yellow cheese. It’s like sex. You can’t really go wrong.
WS: Laughs. Exactly.
ES: What is your favorite of the many Dutch delicacies, though? I myself prefer a stroopwafel.
WS: Oh stroopwafel’s a classic. I really like a kaassouffle. It’s melted cheese with a crunchy, deep-fried outside. That’s quite good. There’s a couple of very famous deep-fried Dutch snacks. I think we have mastered these sort of in-between meals. Not quite bite-sized, not quite meal-sized. A snack you can hold in your fist and eat in four to five bites. Deep-fried sausages. Deep-fried croquettes.
There are these famous automated snack bars here where you can pull deep-fried snacks from the wall. All of the food is behind glass and you put in some coins and then retrieve it. It’s really cool.
ES: And those are just everywhere?
WS: Basically. They’re all around town. The most famous one is named FEBO. Some friends of mine from England, this band called Bull, just released their record and they have a song called FEBO on it.
ES: PT has some dates coming up in England. Have you spent much time over there?
WS: Pre-PT, my girlfriend’s band was doing quite well in England, and she went over a lot. It always seemed like something we could never do. But she was like “Just do it.” Like, “Oh, fair enough!” Ever since, we’ve gone there, made friends, and kind of gone back and forth.
With Personal Trainer, we’ve been picked up by this band called Sports Team from London. They put out like our first single. We’ve been touring a lot there, we supported my girlfriend’s band for one tour, which really helped us build a little fan base. There’s a DJ from the UK that supports us… We basically play the Netherlands and the UK about 50/50, at this point. It’s nice. The Netherlands are small. There’s more space in the UK for bands like us to grow.
ES: And you’re the band’s main songwriter? How does that work?
WS: It started with me recording stuff at home. Then I brought some of those songs to a couple of friends that I invited to try out and play one show. I really liked not over rehearsing, playing really simple songs. So I would ask different people every time. I would be around town a lot, going to shows, drinking beers with friends. And I’d ask whoever I might meet “Hey, do you want to play a show with me in two weeks?” I really liked that dynamic because it felt like everyone was just grasping the song, and the structure and what chords to play and stuff, which I felt was really exciting… But it’s since settled into one band.
I write the songs and make the records and then I bring the songs to these six other people. We try to make it work together on stage. I think we sound very different live compared to the records because there’s a lot of time when you make a record and there’s no time when you’re playing a show. It’s instant.
ES: It sounds like urgency is important to you. Why do you like operating in that space?
WS: I really like listening to records and I really like bands. So as a fan, on one side, I try to recreate records that I would find cool to listen to. I make them with a friend of mine, Casper, who used to play bass in the band. At first I wanted PT to just be a live band. He convinced me to record with him… He was really transparent about experimenting, and trying out different things, which I found really interesting. He is very clear headed, whereas I’m all over the place, so it’s a really nice balance.
ES: What’s the weird thing you’ve done experimenting in the studio?
WS: Probably the weirdest thing is, for one sound in a song, we broke a couple of sticks of celery and we made weird sounds with knives. We jammed with a radio playing live. Like, Dutch radio. That was nice, using the dial. It’s a bit weird maybe.
My favorite moment from the record we have coming up is, we did this thing called No-Input Mixing, which I had never heard of. You create a feedback loop inside of a little mixing board, which is not really an instrument, and if you turn buttons, it becomes really unpredictable and creates this loud, harsh noise. We did that for the last record and then played over a speaker into this really big hall. Like, huge. It was like nighttime and it was raining on the ceiling and we re-recorded those sounds. It was insane. Harsh noise with lots of reverb. It was really scary but cool, too.
