WOAH! Hunkies!!!
WE LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE ARE MORE SERIOUS THAN THEY NEED TO BE... LIKE WHEN THEY TALK TO EACH OTHER THROUGH THOSE MADONNA-STYLE HEADPHONE MICS.
It’s not often we are put in our places, but old pals Male Bonding had a taste to put us in the firing line when SUPERSWEET interviewed Robin Silas Christian about Nothing Hurts. The drummer gave us red faces when we hoorayed them for being the first British band on Sub-Pop “we're not the first though, remember the Yo-Yos?” and let’s not forget when we jested about their fast beats “Were not that fast!?” But rounding the interview off rather nicely, Robin gave us his praise-be thanks for Kevin’s car dodging luck and the total score of their American invasion. See that interview wasn’t too painful MB, was it?
SS: You have received some serious thumbs up for your new release Nothing Hurts, particularly in the States; did you expect such a reaction?
Robin Silas Christian: We weren't sure what to expect. We're happy people like it, and we're happy to make another one for our Sub Pop family. We just tried to make the best record we could at the time, writing it was a fun collaboration.
SS: On the Vivian girls collaboration ‘Worse To Come’, did they influence that track at all and how did it come about?
Robin: It’s just a song we really liked playing together. ‘Worse To Come’ isn't influenced by Vivian Girls but we’re happy they contributed to it, and proud to share our bit of plastic with them. John wrote it on his own and they wrote their part after. We are influenced by like-minded friends and good bands though. They are both of these things.
SS: Haven’t you done a lot of self promotion when you first started out? Have you ever promoted a rumour about the band?
Robin: We're not really into self-promoting actually! We’re very happy to share what we have done and what we are doing... document it all. We always tell the truth.
SS: You’ve been signed on Sub-Pop Records, one of your favourite labels growing up. What Sub-Pop super group would you create if you could?
Robin: I’d bypass the bands and focus on the label staff in the space they share with the label Hardly Art – there’s a killer band in that office already! Mark Arm who runs the warehouse and Dean Whitmore who does the Mail Order shop are [the band] Unnatural Helpers who are amazing. That’s already an amazing band.
SS: You are a pretty tight unit as a band, but how in-tuned are you with each other’s minds? Will you finish each other’s sentences, or do you clash a lot in your ideas. Is there just one of you who is just a little bit psychic?
Robin: Kevin comes up with a lot of sayings, and funny words which catch on because we all spend so much time together. I’m confident we're on the verge of a new language. We can easily make sense to each other without others understanding us. Sometimes people we know take bits of our talk – like the term ‘burger’ (which we invented for things we’d come across that aren’t describable – like “what an absolute burger”) and use them in the wrong context. We couldn't believe there was a Burger Records!
SS: In what way do you feel the band has evolved the most since the beginning?
Robin: Different practice room, moved in together, moved out together, lost jobs, bought a swimming pool, made friends, got more e-mails, stopped replying to MySpace messages. Apparently, MySpace is "going bust" next year…
SS: What’s the most memorable quote/conversation you’ve have overheard while being on tour, from other supporting bands, touring staff, gig goers?
Robin: We like it when people are more serious than they need to be, like when there are more stewards than people in the crowd and they talk to each other through those Madonna–style headphone mics. One show we played, a band's manager stood next to my drums and discussed his strategy for moving the carpet underneath them so his ‘act’ could fit their keyboards down – “FAST”. I enjoyed the exchange but I couldn't hear the other two through the fog of his waffling on. Really though, he needed us to get us off, the venue was running late because my in-ear monitors weren't working and our rider was wrong. That guy, he was the epitome of not getting it, but his band was going places - that was at SXSW.
SS: What’s the scariest experience you have shared while being on tour/recording?
Robin: Kevin jumped in front of a speeding car to dodge a flying burrito and nearly got run over. It was pretty bad, [we’re] very glad he wasn’t turned into a Taco Bell.
SS: Apparently you’re keeping track on how many States you’ve been touring through as a band, what’s the figure now? What show are you looking forward or apprehensive to playing to most this fall?
26 this year so far - WASHINGTON, OREGON, CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, NEW YORK, MICHIGAN, INDIANA, ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, MASSACHUSETTS, ARKANSAS, TENNESSEE, NORTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, DELAWARE, MARYLAND, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, MINNESOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, MONTANA, IDAHO
I’m really looking forward to playing Music Hall of Williamsburg with Best Coast. It’s a beautiful room. Also closer to home looking forward to playing shows with Crystal Castles, No Age and at the Upset The Rhythm event Yes Way. There are so many bands I’m really looking forward to seeing; Lovvers, Former Bullies, Waiters, Cold Pumas…
Words: Gemma Dempster
Illustration: Michael Zander