Winnetka Bowling League shared their wistful, nostalgia-drenched debut album, Sha La La, in May, but ahead of its release, Alternative Press connected frontman Matthew Koma with his unlikely, incarcerated pal, and another modern pop culture icon of irreverence, Joe Exotic of Tiger King, for our Summer 2024 Issue.
Together, they wade through Winnetka Bowling League’s sentimental new record, Koma’s relationship with his idol Bruce Springsteen, the band’s surprising origin story, and their mullets, always sprinkled with the same levity that appears across Koma’s Instagram page.
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“I saw that you recently got a cat. Would you consider a tiger?” Exotic asks.
“I don’t know that I’m equipped to take care of a tiger at my domestic home,” Koma quips. “I think I have enough room in my heart to love one. My cat is definitely my favorite animal that we have, so I think my love for it would only increase in the size of the feline.”
Preorder your copy today. The Summer 2024 Issue also comes with alternate collectible covers — including previously announced cover stars Wallows, Drain, Maya Hawke, and the Linda Lindas — as well as stories on Remi Wolf, Sick New World, Death Lens, and more.
Interview by Joe Exotic
Story by Erica Russell
Photos and creative direction by Paige Sara
Grooming by Alli Elizabeth
