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Jun 25, 2023

“For the genius of Boygenius: three individual germanium transistor boost pedals in one single enclosure”: Nardwuar nails the ultimate indie trio gift with this custom pedal

The indie supergroup’s three band members are so close they can all share the same stompbox says the viral interviewer Nardwaur has gifted the three members of Boygenius a custom-made three-in-one

The indie supergroup’s three band members are so close they can all share the same stompbox says the viral interviewer

Nardwaur has gifted the three members of Boygenius a custom-made three-in-one pedal that combines three individual boost pedals in one box, with a separate input and output for each band member.

The internet’s most idiosyncratic interviewer, Nardwuar the human serviette, is known for many things – mainly his tartan hat, call-and-response questioning, awkward silences and knocking guests out with thoughtful gifts.

On the latter point, his new conversation with indie supergroup Boygenius – formed from the trio of songwriters that is Julian Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers –features (in our eyes) one of his best gifts yet: a custom-made germanium boost pedal.

In the clip of their conversation, you can see Nardwuar present the band with the pedal [around 1.40], before they read out the inscription on the bottom panel:

“A triple boost pedal for the genius of Boygenius. Three individual germanium transistor boost pedals in one single enclosure.”

On the top panel is an image of Nardwuar and the words “Nardwuar the human serviette vs Boygenius”. Each of the pedal’s three band member’s on/off switches are named accordingly: from left to right with Julien, Phoebe and Lucy.

It is in many ways the ultimate pedal representation of the group’s close nature – formed from the three friends and songwriters – and one that brings new meaning to the term Trio pedal.

“Made by Adam at Satellite Amps in San Diego, explains Nardwuar. “He made it custom for you. An actual boost pedal… You can share it!”

“The way we used to share one tuner pedal in my old band,” jokes Julien Baker.

Later, in a typically Nardwuar blend of halting conversation and leftfield surprises, the conversation turns to Dacus’ first guitar – a three-quarter-sized Ibanez named ‘Todd’ – and Bridgers’ early experiences on the instrument, picking out Hank Williams tracks.

Watch the full clip above and if you want more Boygenius guitar chat in your lives, you can read our interviews with Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker.

For more from the pedal builder, head to Satellite Amps.

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Matt is a staff writer for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

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