Brainlove Interview

[illuminated]

They keep on coming.

http://fireworksnightinamusia.blogsp...in-barnes.html

[I Rule The School]

And there's one here too...

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/525631

[Linmacca]

Wow, there's so many of these. And I feel compelled to read every one.

"Everyone seems so befuddled. Some people are actually pissed off. `How dare he make this record? Obviously, he can write pop songs. Why is he doing this?' It's absurd, the reaction, when people are given something that is complicated and unconventional and exceptional. They don't even know what to think of it."

Haha, that does seem to be the general reaction. They really just can't understand it at all. I love the abandonment of conventional structure. It like when things are new and different and surprising and not boring.

[I Rule The School]

http://thevioletteroll.wordpress.com/

One in French... It's been quite badly translated into French (and whoever interviewed the band admits that she didn't understand Kevin's answers and had to listen to them again and again!!!! - she still didn't manage to make any sense of what he said, what the fuck?!) so I can always try to translate them back into English and see if it makes more sense or not...

Interesting fact, though... They shot something for a French TV show while they were here... God. I'll have to buy a tv now!

Also, the review of the show does mention the two drum sets and how much Ahmed adds to the lineup. Dude, I'm so proud to be French tonight. :-D

[I Rule The School]

OF MONTREAL – Square d’Anvers – 14 octobre 2008 octobre 17, 2008

The Hotel on Square d'Anvers looks slimy but as you step in you are pleasantly surprised... of Montreal have missed their plane and are running late, so there are a lot of fellow journalists waiting for Kevin Barnes when I get there. Since I have a lot of time to kill, I figure I may as well have a little chat with Bryan Poole. He's all dressed up in orange and red neo-psychedelic gear. I really didn't think they made red cords anymore.
When my turn comes, Kevin seems surprised to see me eager to interview another member of the band too. He explains that it is unusual but seems very happy not to have to do all the talking by himself for once.
Quick-paced interview between a photo shoot and a TV show from the most charming and borderline American group of these past few years.

M : Hey Kevin, Bryan, my name is Maube but you can call me Violette if it makes it easier on you.
K & B : Cool. That's very thoughtful of you.

M : We have a problem in France because we say “off monréal” instead of ov Montreeeal, and I hope you don't mind...
K : It doesn't matter, now we know how to say de Moneréale!

M: So of Montreal has released 9 albums in 11 years. Do you consider yourself old?
K: Eer, well...
B: We've grown up, we've evolved since we recorded Kevin's first songs on a very low-key level... We were influenced by the Kinks and the Beach Boys and a lot of comedy acts we don't even want to discuss now (Kevin chuckles). The way Kevin writes the song has evolved too, the influences are not as obvious and the more songs he writes, the better he gets... So I'd say we've grown up, but we haven't grown old yet.

M: Do you still write the lyrics on your own Kevin?
B: Kevin writes all the songs himself.

M: There are a lot of new themes in Skeletal Lamping. I love the rap poart in Wicked Wisdom, it's very funny (Kevin chuckles again, did they give him oxygen on the plane?). Would you say it is a turning point in your career? Are you always looking for something new to record?
K: Yes, I'm always looking for new inspirations, and then I translate them into the studio. It's always the same to me, I discover something, or hear something new, and I always think “I want to try to do something like that...” So I've been listening to Curtis Mayfield a lot, a lot of 70s soul and funk and it's a huge part of this record. A few years back I was only interested in 60s psychedelic pop music, but now I'd say funk and soul are more important to me.

M: OK. Eeer (at this point I realized I hadn't understood one word of what he had said and it became clear why he wanted Brian to do the talking...) Compared to the former albums, I think that you sound a lot less depressed on Skeletal Lamping. Is it because you are happier right now, or is it just because you have a better understanding of the way your brain and your emotions work?
K: I do have a much better understanding of what goes on inside my brain.

M: We have another problem in France – it is almost impossible to translate the titles of your songs or albums... Can you explain what Skeletal Lamping means?
K: Actually it can mean a lot of things, but to me, it means putting your skeletons on display and shining a light on them... A lot of the songs are about taboos, rather embarrassing stuff you usually don't talk about around the dinner table, but I wanted to look into them... But isn't Nonpareil a French word?

M: Er, it is but it's not... We wouldn't use it that way, we'd have to say “pas pareil” and to translate the title of the first song, we'd say something like “un parfum sans pareil”
K: (chuckles) Oh well.

M: Do you have a favorite song on the new album?
K: uhuh, maybe the first one, Nonpareil, it's completely new to me, and it's an interesting composition because the ending is so different from the start... What do you think Brian?
B: Well, I don't know... It feels like we've only just learned these songs, so to me it's just one big piece... I'd need to listen to the album again to actually remember one song I like best. I guess what I mean is that sometimes when Kevin plays us a new song, and I like it straight away, and sometimes I need more time to wrap my head around it, so... For some reason right now I think my favorite one is Beware Our Nubile Miscreants.

M: Let's talk about Paris now. You're playing at the Elysée Montmartre tomorrow, how do you like our city? Is it important for you to start off your European tour here?
K: It's always exciting to be in Paris or in London. They're both great cities. There are so many places to play in the US... Most of the time it's fun, but the cities themselves don't have any history... We have a very romantic vision of Paris. At least I do. What about you Brian?
B: Yeah, I really like Paris... It may be one of my favorite cities. Actually we don't like Britain that much because the weather sucks and the food is downright scary (the both laugh) and I could go on like that... But London is cool. There are so many things to do there when the weather is fine. I like London and Paris equally because we always put on a good show in those cities. We feel loved.
K: And in Britain we always play in the same places... And the English tend to think we're just doing some kind of big production All Star American tour, but we don't get this feeling in France. The French don't seem to care where you're from, it doesn't make any difference to them. I mean, in my opinion... In Britain, they make fun of our accent and it's just not so nice (chuckles)! They're just not cool.

M: Tell me more about Georgie Fruit, did you choose the name or was it suggested by someone else?
K: I can't really say... Georgie Fruit just developped in my mind, it's some kind of role play I used to be into... And for a lot of people now I am that fictional character... But then I realized that you can't be someone else. You can't be defined by someone you are not. It doesn't matter if it comes from you, or if it's just one little part of your personality, of your psyche, something you had never explored before... So now I'm trying to kill off Georgie Fruit because I don't want people to think the album is fake or phony, that it doesn't come from the heart.
I don't know where the name came from, though... It sounds kind of funny... Georgie is a funny name to us, and Fruit, well, it's fruity, weird and freaky... it's a bit lame, too... Like a fruit cake.

M: What about your artwork? Do you still draw everything?
K: Oh no, I don't! The drawings are my brother's! I'm a terrible artist but he is very talented. My wife and my brother did everything together this time. Every single object of the Skeletal Lamping collection.

M: On stage you have mimes playing with you, performance artists who act out scenes, do you plan what they have to do, or are they free to express themselves?
K: It's a bit of both. Usually we have a few raw concepts that need polishing, so the performers have their say... This time my brother actually designed the whole stage show, and explained them who the characters were, what costumes they had to wear, what they needed to do for each scene... But sometimes the characters don't have anything to do with the music. For example, during She's A Rejector, they are playing cards in a saloon, and just like in old Hollywood movies, one of them gets bored and starts throwing bottles at the others... So then I thought we'd had a real fight and everyone would join in and end up naked on the table, but it was too dangerous so we actually do a slow motion version of it.