Amy Millan: sång, gitarr
Chris Seligman: keyboards/programming, valthorn
Evan Cranley: bas, gitarr, trombon
Pat McGee: trummor
Stars är ett kanadensiskt band, vars medlemmar egentligen i
Sverige är mest kända för att de hänger ihop med Broken Social Scene. Men Stars
är verkligen värda att upptäckas, och att de ska spela på Accelerator The Big
One sommaren 2005 kanske kommer hjälpa till.
Den lille och spenslige Torq satte sig bekvämt till rätta i
skräddarställning i soffan i logen och frågade mig om jag kände till The Arcade
Fire, som DJ:n spelade utanför.
- They're from Montreal. Do you know what I've been
listening to - Magnet, he's Swedish, right? Have you heard of that? I'm sure
he's Swedish. It's on a British label though. It's great, you should check it
out.
I've never heard of him.
- That's strange, maybe he's not Swedish, maybe I'm getting
it wrong, but I thought he was.
A girl named Nadin, who works with Stars, came in:
- Hey, did you find any smoke for us, Nadin? You have no
idea how crucial this is. You've been with The Broken Social Scene, you know
what it's like. (To me:) In Canada we all smoke a lot of weed, but in
Scandinavia nobody smokes weed. We come to Scandinavia and we're like
"Where's all the weed?" - 'cause it's virtually legal in Canada.
It's totally illegal here.
- Interesting! 'Cause I would have thought that Scandinavia
would be very advanced in that way.
Seeing that we have the Systembolaget for alcohol, normal
shops can't even sell alcohol...
- Same in Canada, we do that too with alcohol. And with weed
it's sort of illegal, but if the police caught you with it they'd just take it
from you, there'd be no consequences. And there's cafés starting to sprout up -
it's a big legal challenge, people are kind of legally challenging it a lot.
People are more scared of it here. I actually thought of
that - I was looking through your website and there were quite a few references
to drugs... (Torq's girlfriend Molly laughed.) And that seems so weird
in Sweden, it's like "isn't it pretty stupid to talk about it like
that?"
- Yeah, well, I think the thing is... we refer to drugs a
lot, partly as a kind of a... antidote to the music we make. The music is so
soft and so sort of... specific, it's very worked out, it's not sloppy, it's
very neat and yet it comes out of a lot of sloppiness and a lot of mess and a
fair amount of drugs. God knows we're no big druggies, but I think that we all
grew up... part of what Stars is is like trying to capture a time when you're
young and you're totally drunk in the world, whether it's on love or alcohol or
whatever it is. We're into drunkenness, we're into excess of feeling and
experience. So the drug aspect of it is just kind of one aspect, I mean there's
twice as many references to love as there are to drugs, you know what I mean?
But I also think that there's something about pop music, lyrics in pop music
and the way pop songs work, they are like a drug, they have the same kind of
effect, they're quick, they're easy and they get you high, they take you to a
place that is somewhere not real, you know. And I've always seen that
relationship very closely between music and intoxication. I think it's an
interesting area to explore. It can destroy you, obviously, but fortunately
we're all quite old, so you know, we've done our drugs (laughter) and lived
through it, you know! My body couldn't take it anymore, so now I just indulge
myself in other things.
- Yeah. Well, I think I said something vaguely like that and
they probably adapted it to a more simple idea. But again, I think that's to me
what I love about pop music is its ability to capture these little moments
where the mundane becomes the extraordinary, you know? Pop is simultaneously so
dumb and so silly, but also so meaningful and so deep and so profound for
people, and that dicotomy really fascinates me, it's a really powerful artform
for that reason. And unique, because most other art forms take time to make,
and they take time to understand, if you read a great book or look at a great
paiting you have to take time with it. Pop music is instant! I can hear that
bassline, and I've never heard this song before, but I'm already having an
emotional reaction to it, even thought it's happening in the background,
because it's so simple and so... sensual. And kissing someone for the first
time, that electric reaction of knowing that you're never gonna feel
that way with that person again, it's never gonna be that intense again. And...
yeah, I guess that's an aspect of what we do, definitely.
Chris walked in, and Torq said: - Here's Chris, who writes
all the songs with me and plays keyboard. This is Sara. Feel free to pitch in
anytime.
Torq var otroligt lätt att prata
med, han log och pratade mycket och vi växlade lätt mellan olika ämnen, så jag
vågade mig på att fråga en sak som jag ibland funderat över:
Sometimes it just seems so strange to me that people want
to get up on a stage or in a record studio, and sing, play the guitar or
whatever. I mean, why does anybody want to sing? I know it's a natural thing,
but...
- Yeah... I think maybe it's when you're in the womb and you
hear your mother's heartbeat, so you have the rhythm inside you right from
before you're born, it's a way of communicating. And when you're a little baby
you can't use words, so you use sounds. I was talking to my friend the other
day, who's got two little boys under two years old, and she said she'd been
doing some reading on it, and that babies actually have something
physiologically inside them which makes it so their particular vocal
intonations when they cry or whine or scream are designed to particularly effect
that specific woman who is their mother. We sing from the moment we're born,
crying and singing and laughing. These are all kind of melodic activities.
Singing is just like a chrystalisation of those emotions, but it's so
basic, everybody sings at some point, you know. There's nobody that doesn't
sing to themselves at some point or another during the day or the week. And if
they don't I think it's very strange, it must be a very strange life to never
sing. It's life, how you express life, in the best way.
What do you write lyrics about?
Torq spoke slowly and thoughtfully: - I write lyrics about
people losing all sense of perspective and throwing themselves into a situation
that they kind of know is... a death, but it will also save them. I'm really...
obsessed, I guess, with the moment in people's lives when they transcend their
fear or their doubts and do the things that they've always wanted to do.
He began speaking faster again: - And I'm also fascinated by
people's regrets at not doing them. But I think of the series of those little
moments where you decide "Can I do this? Should I do this?", and
sometimes if you take that action it can lead to terrible things, sometimes it
can lead to wonderful things. So I write kitchen sink drama, in a way, I write
about people with very mundane worlds and lives who suddenly feel the desperate
desire to transcend that and experience something bigger, so they do crazy
things, or they take crazy drugs or they kill someone, or whatever it is, you
know. And I guess that's what I find myself writing over and over again. But I
also just... I'm really into the idea of trying to write great love songs. Just
simple love songs that you can play to your girlfriend, to... make her love you
(laughter), you know what I mean? I love the idea of writing songs that people
can play to each other as a means of seduction, or a means of expressing
something that they can't express. So I guess I write about that. But on the
new record we have a bunch of... we write some hate songs too.
Yeah, the titles seem so much more dramatic.
- It is quite a lot more dramatic. But you know, "Set
Yourself On Fire" is a... it's a positive statement too, because I think
you have to ignite whatever is in you in order to burn, in order to be who you
want to be and be what you imagine yourself being.
Does it sound about the same, musically?
- It's a lot more dramatic and dynamic. As much as you try
and escape from what you are you always end up back there, being what you are,
you know. But it's definitely got a lot more drums on it and a lot more feeling
of a band playing, because of the way we recorded it. So it's much more
guitar-driven and there's lots of strings and it's quite ornate and big and
long. It's an hour long. There's things on it that are totally unlike anything
we've done, and there's things on it that are a lot like what we've done. It's
better, I think. Hopefully.
The drummer, Pat McGee, is he a member of the band now?
- He is. He was there for the whole process of writing the
album and recording it. And Pat has over the years always been there as a
drummer for us. I think it's hard for drummers to find bands that they really
want to commit to, because I think drummers get bored really easily with what
they do. They are much more impatient than most musicians, they need to
constantly change things and to examine the rhythm in different ways, so I
think Pat's finally found a way to be in this music and be able to express
himself, so he feels more commited to it now. Which is great, we love having
him, he's an awesome drummer and an amazing guy. And there he is right now! I
was just blowing smoke up your ass Patty. This is Sara, this is Pat. (we shook
hands)
Pat: - Are you blabbing?
Torq: - Yeah, just blabbing.
Dead Child Star, who writes the diary on the website, is
that you?
Torq laughed: - Yes. That is a form of me.
"When people ask me what I believe in from now on,
I'm telling them 'love' and leaving it at that.... and if they mock me and call
me simple minded.... well, then I'll summon my belief in hate...."
And you believe in love?
- I believe in love. Do I believe in love? Well, if you
don't believe in love I don't see how you can be alive. People who don't
believe in love are people I want to avoid at all cost, because they're
dangerous people. You know? It's like saying "Do you believe in
breathing?". Yes, I believe in breathing, and I believe in love. Without
it I just don't think there's any possibility for human existence, basically. I
mean it's like the... squirrels need love, everything needs love, love is God.
So you don't say that you just believe in love at first
sight, or everlasting love, but just love?
- Love of all kinds. Romantic love is just a little tiny
distraction, it's like the lemon meringue pie of love, you know, the little
fancy-schmancy thing we do to keep ourselves occupied. But there's a much
deeper love than that, I think. And you can certainly have it for the people
you're in love with, but I think romantic love is an aspect of love, which is
everything. War is an aspect of love, war in a perversion of love.
How?
- A denigration of it. But everything relates to it in some
way. Everything is affected by it, even the bad shit is affected by love.
Why are you called Stars?
- We're called Stars because... lots of reasons. I heard it
was Paddy McAloon's favourite word, from Prefab Sprout. And I guess he's my
hero in terms of a song writer, he's the guy I aspire to the most. And he
writes a lot of songs about stars, and I think the word star in our language
has an interesting dual nature, in that we use it to describe you know, David
Beckham and whoever the people who went on "Survivor", but we also
use it to describe the galaxy and the most profound, the most complex aspects
of our existence, the stars and what they mean, and how they affect us, and
what they are, all those things. I think that is kind of what pop music is like
too, that it's simultaneously very... it arouses incredibly complex, very deep
feelings, and it can take you to some very transcendental places, but it's also
just stupid kids playing guitars, singing "I love you oh-oh-oh" and
shit. So I love that it's so dumb and so clever at the same time.
- And also, when we started it was me and Chris (he
laughed), unemployed, totally fucking... just so pathetic, you know,
mid-twenties, in New York, with no money and no anything, and I just thought it
was kind of funny to call ourselves Stars, because we were so not. And
continued to not be! I think it's a good name for a band of people who couldn't
be stars if they tried (laughter)! Kind of like calling ourselves The Machine
Gunners. (laughter)
By the way, I saw also on the website, "things you
may not know about Stars", and you said that three of you spent two days
in jail in New York.
- Yes, we did, yes.
Do you want to tell me why?
- Well, it comes back to drugs, oddly enough. We were
arrested smoking a joint in Central Park. And in New York they don't look upon
that kindly, anymore. It used to be a haven for that sort of activities, but...
So we all spent a couple of days in jail, and then we were released by a judge,
and ran into a cab and drove directly to a club and opened for The Trashcan
Sinatras - it was a great day of my life, it was fantastic! And we could
actually get on stage and say "Ladies and gentlemen, we've just been
released from jail", which was a fantastic opening line, really really
good!
And you also think that The Magnetic Fields suck? I
thought that was pretty funny.
- I do, I do think they suck, and... I don't like to pick
that many fights, but this is the one that I do like to keep going.
Someone in the background asked: - Who?
- Fucking Stephin Merritt, man. The thing about those guys
is, we opened for them when we started, like four and a half years ago, we got
a gig opening for them in Washington, and we were really excited. I'd never
really listened to their music to be honest with you, but you know, we knew
that they were doing well and it was a great, big club, "69 Love
Songs" had just come out. And we went down there, and we're Canadian,
we're friendly, so we came in to the club and said "Hello! Nice to meet
you", and they just stared at us like we'd just taken a piss in the middle
of the club. And they proceeded not to speak to us all night, and Stephin
Merritt walks around with his little dog... It's interesting, because I love
probably every band - if you like The Magnetic Fields, I probably love every
other band that you like, but that to me is just going a little too far into a
kind of preciousness and a kind of... there's a sort of feel-retentive quality
to a lot of indie music that I find really... prudish and middle-aged, I guess,
and not sexy. And if rock'n'roll isn't sexy, what's the point? Go to church.
(laughed) If you don't want to be sexy, don't write pop songs, you know what I
mean? I just "Eew, get rid of that dog! Get a boyfriend!" He's got a
little hand dog that he carries around all the time.
I just thought that was funny, I don't really care about
them, I think they have a few great songs, but I have an acquantance who is
obsessed by them, and I don't really understand why.
- I guess I harped upon it because I've read several times
that "clearly, listening to Stars' music, it's obvious they've ripped of
The Magnetic Fields", and I've never even listened to them, and if I had,
they'd be the last people that I would rip off - it's just that we've both
ripped off Morrissey, so it sounds like I'm ripping off The Magnetic Fields
(laughed). Just ripping off New Order, like everybody else. (laughter)
Which question would you most of all like to answer?
- Oh! "Would you like to smoke a joint with me?"
(laughed loudly) And the answer would be "Yes!". No, what question
would I most want to answer..? Any, like "Where's the post office?"
No, I don't know. "Do you love doing what you're doing?"
Do you love doing what you're doing?
- Yes, I love it! It's awesome. It's very difficult, and a
strange experience, but it's beautiful.
Are you doing well? I don't know anything about how many
records you sell.
- We're doing okay. We've sold about 11-12 000 in the
States, and probably 6 000 in Canada. Hopefully on this record we'll sell more.
We're starting to slowly get to a place where we're making a bit of a living
off of it, so we're doing a lot worse than a lot of people and a lot better
than a lot of people.
Can you manage economically on it?
- We're all living on it at this point. I act as well, I act
in plays a lot, so I earn money from that as well, but the others play in
Broken Social Scene as well and they earn some money from that. But with the
new record we got an advance and we're getting a little salary, so we're
managing it at the moment. We certainly don't own anything, but we pay our
bills.
The final question then: Which is your favourite Muppet?
- Well, it's hard to say, I mean Animal is a fantastic
Muppet, the surgeon, the dog surgeon, I love him, he just seems so... he's got
a lot to do, you know. But I do think that Fozzie is... he's got such heart.
He's such a good guy. He's kind of sad, and you feel like he probably goes home
and watches tv, has a beer and goes to sleep by himself, but he's a beautiful
human being, or a bear or whatever he is. I have to say Fozzie. Is that okay to
say? It's not just kissing up. My favourite Muppet is actually Fozzie. His
little hat...
Someone in the background said Animal, and Torq said:
- Yeah, Animal's great, but I don't even know Animal, you
know what I mean, you never got to know Animal.
The guy in the background: - What about the two guys in the
balcony?
Torq: - They're great too. But I wouldn't wanna hang out
with them. Fozzie is a guy you could go on tour with. (laughed) Do his stand up
comedy routine, it'd be great!
Amy walked in, and Torq introduced us: - This is Sara, this
is Amy. The other singer and songwriter in the band. You look very beautiful!
Amy: - Thank you!
I'm actually quite done, if nobody has anything to add?
Torq: - Does anybody have anything to add?
Amy: - To what?
Torq: - To this interview, for Sara's magazine Fozzie.
Amy: - Don't believe anything he says!
Torq laughed: - That's good advice!
Thank you very much!
- Thank you.
/Sara
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