When Matt Berninger of The National caused a terrorist emergency
In 2023, America’s indie heroes, The National, released their ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Beyond the exciting collaborations with Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and Taylor Swift, the album was packed with evocative instrumentation and powerful lyrics courtesy of Matt Berninger.
In February, two months before the album launch, The National shared the second preview single, ‘New Order T-Shirt’. In the chorus of this indisputable highlight, Berringer sings of a past girlfriend who used to wear his New Order top: “I keep what I can of you/ Split-second glimpses and snapshots and sounds/ You in my New Order T-shirt/ Holding a cat and a glass of beer”.
Throughout the verses, Berringer flits through different events that marked moments in a past relationship, including the 9/11 attacks. “Before the ashes and management capital files filled the streets/ How we wove through the cones walking home,” he recalled of his experiences in the Big Apple on September 11th, 2001.
Elsewhere, Berringer lifts spirits, remembering a more humorous event: “When you rescued me from the customs cops in Hawaii/ When I shut down the place with my Japanese novelty bomb/ And your dad came along”.
This verse recounts an incident in 2010 when Berninger inadvertently caused a 45-minute evacuation of Honolulu Airport. He was temporarily held in custody by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), who believed he had an explosive device in his possession. They soon discovered that the suspicious item was, in fact, a strangely designed Japanese alarm clock.
Berninger recalled the incident in a 2010 interview with Spinner Music. “I had bought a novelty clock in Tokyo, some sort of MacGyver, goofball alarm clock that happened to look exactly like a bomb. I had the Honolulu Airport evacuated for about 45 minutes,” he said.
“Suddenly, I hear my name being called and my name’s flashing on all the monitors, and I was supposed to report to security,” Berninger continued. “I was kind of hoping that maybe I could finish this 15-minute massage chair thing first, then realised that maybe I shouldn’t.”
As he arrived at the security desk, Berninger was informed that the airport was being evacuated, and he was asked to hand over his luggage. “I ultimately had to surrender the alarm clock to the TSA, but they were very pleasant and professional,” he concluded. “They had done a great job, and I thanked them, and they let me go.”
Listen to The National’s ‘New Order T-Shirt’ below.
