“The future freaks me out,’’ Motion City Soundtrack frontman Justin Pierre declared in a song that came out nearly 15 years ago. The band’s pop-punk power hasn’t wavered much since, but the future has arrived: a point that the band, which has existed in some form since 1997, doesn’t deny. After breaking up earlier this year, Motion City Soundtrack is making one last ruckus on its “So Long, Farewell Tour,’’ the second leg of which hits Boston for sold-out shows at Paradise Rock Club on June 12 and 13.
“It’s weird,’’ Pierre admitted in a phone interview, “I think knowing it’s the end brings some sort of . . . I don’t know, like you can let go a little easier and just kind of enjoy the moment as it’s happening.’’
Last year was a big one for him: The band welcomed its sixth album, and Pierre welcomed his first daughter. Touring last fall brought a chance for the band to reflect. “We were having this great tour, and things were good, but we just all felt kind of beat up,’’ he said. “I think we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘I don’t know if we can do this anymore.’?’’
What’s next is uncertain, but Pierre, who’s excited to put his all into being a dad for a bit, says he’s staying present. “I really want to have this experience, knowing it’s the last one,’’ he said, “and then I’ll figure out how to process it later.’’ In light of the crossroads, Pierre named five of his favorite movies about saying goodbye and letting go.
1. John Cassavetes, “A Woman Under the Influence’’ I think Gena Rowlands kicks total ass in that movie. It’s about a woman with mental health issues, or in the midst of a mental breakdown, and people not knowing how to deal with that or help her. In terms of saying goodbye, I feel like it’s them trying to deal with that mental health issue, and I won’t give anything away but it’s a pretty brutal film. It’s hard to watch, but I love it.
2. Wim Wenders, “Paris, Texas’’ It’s a great opening of a guy just walking through the desert with an empty milk bottle or water bottle, and he doesn’t talk at all. You think he’s one thing, then from following him through the film you discover something else about him, and it’s a wonderful sort of — it’s just disturbing and depressing. To me, that’s another good “letting go’’ story.
3. James L. Brooks, “Terms of Endearment’’ Debra Winger in that movie reminds me so much of my mom when I was growing up — I probably shouldn’t say that — but there’s these wonderful scenes where she’s having this conversation with her husband, and then she turns to the kids and just yells “dinner!’’ and then she gets back to the conversation. It’s just like that frantic trying to keep a family, taking care of all these kids and keep a family going, but just being pulled in so many different directions.
4. Jim Jarmusch, “Dead Man’’ It’s so ridiculous, but [Johnny Depp’s character] gets shot early on in the movie, and then, slowly, as he’s nearing eventual death, probably, he just meets these wonderful characters. Neil Young did the score, just one guitar soloing. It’s so good.’’
5. Jeff Nichols, “Midnight Special’’ Now that I’m a parent, I wonder if I’d look at early Steven Spielberg movies like “E.T.’’ in a different way. As a kid it was just cool, but as an adult it was kind of goofy. Now that I have kids, I wonder if I’d look at it and just think it’s super sad and beautiful. But my point is that “Midnight Special’’ to me was this wonderful story of a parent, and your kids grow up and you have to let them choose their own adventure and just be.
JOE INCOLLINGO
Joe Incollingo can be reached at joe.incollingo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jk_inco.
