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Our music correspondent Jim met up with Will Schwartz from Imperial Teen and
had a hi-fi holiday chat in December of 2002. |
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I thought it only fitting that my debut column should be about one of my favorite
bands, the California-based Imperial Teen. And what perfect timing, since they just
released a new album, "Live At Maxwell’s," on which yours truly even makes an
appearance! (Okay, so my part basically consists of some rhythmic hand-clapping
along with the rest of the crowd during the track "Baby," but it’s all about the spin,
right?) The band includes guitarist Will Schwartz, drummer Lynn Perko, bassist Jone
Stebbins and guitarist Roddy Bottum. One of the coolest things about Imperial Teen is
that all four members trade off instruments and vocal duties, making for an always-
interesting and surprising pop-rock sound.
I recently had the chance to chat with Will from Imperial Teen about the band’s origins,
their music and life on the road. If you want the full Imperial Teen experience, try to
catch one of their upcoming shows in a city near you. Dates and venues are listed on
imperialteen.com. If you can’t make it, definitely check out "Live At Maxwell’s" to
hear them perform some of their best songs from all three of their studio albums, not
to mention my extraordinary hand-clapping skills!
Jim: Hey Will!
Will: Hi!
J: So, I’ve been an Imperial Teen fan for years now, but I’m curious as to how the
four of you got together. And where did the name come from?
W: Lynn and Jone met in Reno in high school where they formed an all-girl punk band
called The Wrecks that toured with Black Flag. Roddy and I met in Silver Lake through
a mutual friend. The three of them had known each other from playing music and
being culture vultures. I was in LA to help a friend, and Roddy said he and his friends
Lynn and Jone wanted to start a band with me, so we did. The name Imperial Teen
seemed fitting at the time because we were all trying new things. I had just started
playing the guitar, and so had Roddy. Jone had never played bass and Lynn hadn't
played guitar or bass. So we were naively going to take over the world, which seemed
like an Imperial Teen sort of thing to do.
J: Cool! And I cannot WAIT to start calling certain friends of mine "culture vultures." I
love that! Speaking of new things, one of fred flare’s newest holiday items is the 2003
"My Teenage Rock Star Fantasy" calendar. What was your teenage rock star fantasy?
W: I’m sure my band mates would be more deliberate with their answers, but I can
remember watching Blondie perform on "Solid Gold" when I was a little boy and Debbie
Harry was wearing a camouflage outfit and was nodding off while she was singing. That
seemed really appealing to me. Not quite teenage, but a fantasy nonetheless.
J: Oh wow, I must have missed that episode! So, besides supermodels ("Baby") and
rock divas ("Lipstick") what else inspires your lyrics?
W: Actually, when we say things like, "This song is about a supermodel," it's just
a joke, because everything inspires our lyrics. We have some interesting, quirky
friends who tend to get in lots of trouble, so we like to write about them. Also,
we like to talk about our feelings of alienation and despair but make it funny.
J: I’ve seen Imperial Teen perform in several different cities, and one of the things I
enjoy most about your shows is that you guys seem to be having so much fun onstage.
What’s your favorite song to perform?
W: Well, it changes really, but I like to perform ones like "Alone In The Grass" and
" Hooray," which are kind of improvisational songs that have dramatic crescendos. Also,
"Million Dollar Man" is fun because it has a quasi-drum solo and the crowd goes wild for it!
J: That’s one of my favorites, too! We’ve all heard stories about the grueling lives of
musicians on the road. For you, what’s the best and the worst thing about being on tour?
W: The best thing is when you're connecting with an audience and you forget you're
standing there playing music, you just are. The worse thing is needing the loo real badly
on the bus and you drive past an exit with a gas station and there's a sign that says,
" Next rest stop, 35 miles."
J: You’ve toured with The Breeders and before them, Hole. There’s gotta be an outrageous
backstage story somewhere in there…
W: Um, yes there are. Some are just too weird to share, but a fun memory on the
Breeders tour was when we played rock and roll (and movie) jeopardy with those guys
and Poster Children. Kim Deal and Jone kicked ass!
J: I know you are from Los Angeles, but the fred flare gang are loud and proud New
Yorkers. Do you have any favorite hangouts when you are in the Big Apple?
W: Hmmm… I like to go to Tokyo 7 to shop, the 2nd Avenue Deli and Ratner’s, where Allen
Ginsberg used to eat all the time. I also love the cannolis at Giorgio's in Hoboken and eating
at Shun Lee. Sometimes, I like walking around Soho and the bars in Williamsburg, too.
J: Can you tell us what’s next for Imperial Teen?
W: We're going on tour in a couple of days, making our way to New York City for CMJ. Then
we go to Spain to play a moving festival with the Flaming Lips, which should be exciting.
Hope to see you all there!
12/2002 |
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