In an attempt to help everyone connect virtually and get through this time of physical distancing to help stop the spread of COVID-19, Death Cab for Cutie members Ben Gibbard and Dave Depper—who are also runners!—are finding unique ways to give back. Frontman and ultrarunner Gibbard is live-streaming an hour-long concert every night at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
During these YouTube live-streams, he plays music requested by fans, answers questions, and drops some wisdom—plus, he shares some personal anecdotes about running (and even jokes about running an ultra in his backyard). In addition, he even debuted his new song “Life in Quarantine” on March 20.
When asked for tips for someone who wants to start running, he said, “Start small because there’s always somebody running farther or doing bigger miles. What I would recommend is someone doing a Couch to 5K or similar app, that will ease you into it and start off really mellow.
“When I started running, I could barely run a mile or two. And you just slowly build up and learn more about the sport. You’re gonna hate it probably for the first couple months, I did. But all the sudden there’s like a click, and you just love it.”
[Want to start running? The Big Book of Running for Beginners will take you through everything you need to know to get started, step by step]
When asked what he’d be if he wasn’t a singer/songwriter, he said physical therapist, because, “As an ultrarunner, I’m constantly trying to fix things that go wrong in my body that go out of wack, through stretching, strength training, things like that.”
On his March 24 stream, he talked about his attempt with a few friends to do a Dick’s Drive-In “marathon”—a run connecting all six of the burger chains in the Seattle area. “It ended up being about a marathon, 26 miles, on foot. We had a rule you had to eat a burger and fries at every one of them. Long story short, it ended up very badly, it didn’t feel good at all. If anyone has ever run a marathon, half marathon, or ultramarathon, you know you go through some rough patches but then things got better. This didn’t get better. It got worse and worse.”
He’s also using each livestream to raise money to give back to organizations helping people during this time. Gibbard is streaming nightly through Sunday March 29, but you can catch up on any stream you missed on the band’s YouTube channel. He’ll also be streaming live every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT for the foreseeable future.
While Gibbard is playing nightly concerts, Depper is donating his musical talents. Depper posted on his Instagram feed that he would play on records that people were making if they donated to MusiCares, and he would match donations, up to $2,500, for a total donation of $5,000.
He chose MusiCares because years ago, the organization was crucial in helping him get some emergency dental work done, and they’ve also helped out many people close to him who’ve found themselves in similar circumstances.
“When I saw that they’d set up a fund specifically for musicians affected by this crisis, I knew that I wanted to help spread the word ASAP,” Depper told Runner’s World.
He ended up taking on about 30 different projects, and has completed eight so far.
“I’m doing my best to really take each one seriously and do a good job, so it's pretty time-consuming. I’m hoping to have them all done within the next two weeks,” he said. “The requests have been all over the map, from laugh-out-loud funny to tear-inducing and everything in between. It's been a wonderful project for my head and heart during a truly insane time, and it feels so nourishing to connect with random people all over the world through art.”
More Run-Related Coronavirus Resources
What Runners Should Know About How Coronavirus May Affect Their Lungs
As for why he decided to offer up his musical talent in exchange for donations—with the cancellation of all live music, and practicing social distancing, he’s got nothing but time.
“People are constantly asking me to help out with their records, and I almost always have to turn them down due to my schedule, so I thought it would be fun to open the gates to all who applied,” he said.
Aside from making music, Depper is using his love of running to bring some sanity and normalcy to his daily life. He’s been running just about every day, has taken a few bike rides when the sun has been out, and has been doing daily live-streamed yoga classes courtesy of the studio he belongs to in Portland.
“I’ve also been baking a lot of bread. Conversations with my cat have increased in frequency by approximately 750 percent. Music. Meditation,” he said.
For others, Depper said he cannot recommend meditation apps like Headspace and Calm highly enough. It’s incredible how much of a grounding effect they can have on you, especially if you feel like you are drowning in anxiety.
“And don’t forget that you can still go outside and take a run or a walk. Re-center yourself. Breathe,” he said.
Even if you weren’t able to get Depper on your new record or musical project, he asks that people please donate to the MusiCares Covid-19 Musician’s Relief Fund, found here.
