interpol give village voice writer a hip hop education (somehow)

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wheres the hip hop influence in their own records?!?!

http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0604,romano,71924,15.html

Fly Life
Don't Stop
Two unlikely DJs, Womanmaker and Fancypants, spin hip-hop at the unlikeliest venue

Paul Banks and Alex Moreno flash signs.
photo: Tricia Romano

by Tricia Romano
You probably wouldn't think to seek a hip-hop education from a member of Interpol, but you'd be smart if you did. Lead singer Paul Banks is a true aficionado, as anyone who's been going to his and Alex Moreno's weekly Wednesday-night Deuce Deuce at the Dark Room can attest. They might love the genre, but their DJ names are not very—shall we say—hip-hop appropriate: Moreno's nom de disc is Womanmaker,and Banks's is, erm, Fancy pants. I told the boys that I am certifiably hip-hop retarded and apologized that I wouldn't recognize any songs but the most obvious. "This is 2 Live Crew," said Banks, whose all-time fave is Slick Rick, and helpfully pointed out Wu-Tang and Trick Daddy records. (Yes, I am really that bad.) Moreno cheerily added, "This is the only night where you won't hear Franz Ferdinand at this bar!" Later he played songs that can only be described as Junior High School Dance Soundtrack, 1991: Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison," and Naughty by Nature's "O.P.P."

Banks can sing in front of thousands of people and not bat an eye, but when he spins for a few hundred at a neighborhood bar, he's a bundle of nerves. He kept apologizing for the sound system and the lack of people dancing: "Usually we have the dancefloor going." But it was still early, and by 3 a.m. the floor was filled with dancing queens (the female kind).

The venue was also filled with downtown celebs: Har Mar Superstar wearing a fuzzy argyle sweater, musician Ezra Reich, Lit co-owner Max Brennan, comic David Cross. Miss Michael T sashayed in, looking elegant and glamorous—as it was a special occasion. "It's my birthday!" he beamed, and handed out flyers for his Saturday Scenic bash, Rated X, advising, "Dress code: boots, boots, and more boots." (If you know, you know.) Banks's bandmate and the original Rock Star DJ, Carlos D., in keeping with his never-leave-home-before-midnight rule, finally turned up around three.

Kelly Tisdale, Moby's partner in tea, sat in a booth with Spiky Phil and Nick Marc of Tiswas. Tisdale explained that Teany was not closed, despite the hyperactive press and blogs claiming so. Moby had decided he wanted to simplify his life (so minimal!) and handed the popular teahouse on Rivington over to Tisdale, who is scaling back the menu and keeping it open three days a week: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Tisdale was sitting in the same booth that Lindsay Lohan and Kate Moss had occupied a few weeks ago (celebrities! They're just like us!), back when gal-about-town Jenny Penny opportunistically loaned La Loha a Sharpie to write on the bathroom wall. This little stunt landed Miss Penny in the pages of Star and Us Weekly, making her mom proud.

Everyone was gearing up for the big opening night of the Annex scheduled for last Saturday. The grand unveiling and relaunch of Tiswas with the Longcut and DJ Mani of the Stone Roses was moved to Hiro. The Editors are a splashier choice for your first party, anyway, even if they are (good) Interpol-lite. But it was not to be: After temporarily being moved to Hiro and then back to the Annex, the Eds showed up for sound check on Saturday, but according to the band's publicist, the venue "still looked like a construction zone," so the live show was moved to Rothko, and Tiswas relocated successfully to Fontana's.

When the Annex opens, Lohan and Moss better hope the club doesn't use the creepy facial-recognition software called BioBouncer, which would recognize them as committing crimes against humanity for making bad records and dating lame, druggy rockers. The software isn't being used in nightclubs yet, but JAD Communications and Security wants some to test it. We'll keep you posted. Hopefully, the machine won't recognize us as being hip-hop retarded, and will let us back in.

― okok, Thursday, 26 January 2006 13:27 (twenty years ago)

well, the singer showed some bling in one of their latest videos...

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 26 January 2006 13:34 (twenty years ago)

weird, i just read this on the subway ten minutes ago.

― brokeback titty sanskrit (sanskrit), Thursday, 26 January 2006 14:58 (twenty years ago)

"certifiably hip hop retarded" music writer hails paul banks "true aficionado".

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:10 (twenty years ago)

har mar superstar! david cross! "poison"! "push it"! god forgive me for ever doubting dj fancypants.

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:12 (twenty years ago)

bummed this isn't another Nick Sylvester thread

― Beaty DNA (abeta), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:12 (twenty years ago)

The subway she ain't nuthin but a big ass ho, niggaz.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:15 (twenty years ago)

as a junior high student in 1991, i take issue over this characterization

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:20 (twenty years ago)

by 3 a.m. the floor was filled with dancing queens (the female kind)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

get it the female kind

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

i'm curious to listen to their next album ! (enough of joy division refernces, enter kriss kross).

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

cocaine's a helluva drug

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

What Junior High School DJ was still playing "Push It" in 1991?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:31 (twenty years ago)

i almost just threw up, but i swallowed it

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:33 (twenty years ago)

tricia romano in being completely useless non-shocker.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:35 (twenty years ago)

howabout this… TS: Tricia Romano or Ultragrrl?

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

I'm really happy I don't live in NYC.

― matt2 (matt2), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:42 (twenty years ago)

OMG at least Teany is not closing

― brokeback titty sanskrit (sanskrit), Thursday, 26 January 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

"I'm really happy I don't live in NYC"

drawing this conclusion based on a fly life column=dud

― Renard (Renard), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

I think we've found the only DJ team ever influenced by Handsome Boy Modelling School's own sets.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:22 (twenty years ago)

lindsay lohan and kate moss have both made better records than interpol (and i don't mind interpol)

also: no lil kim, no credibility

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

do you ever get exhausted being ~~moronic~~"controversial"?

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:27 (twenty years ago)

Tricia Romano does a great service to this fine city:

http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0503,flylife,60092,15.html

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

Reality check: We are not Tricia Romano's audience.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Selzer: More gay Italian shit

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:39 (twenty years ago)

haha great cutline

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:41 (twenty years ago)

who is her audience then? Honestly, I don't know…

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:44 (twenty years ago)

wow the fucking photo makes that interpol story infinitely worse, I didn't click the link till now

now i AM embarrassed for nyc

― Renard (Renard), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:48 (twenty years ago)

club rats? nightlife gawkers? the minorly famous?

xpost

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:48 (twenty years ago)

jess you do ever get exhausted being so grumpy?

you remind me of someone i know.

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:52 (twenty years ago)

never.

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:53 (twenty years ago)

i've actually been dead for a number of years now and merely running on leftover hate.

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:54 (twenty years ago)

you remind me of my jeep

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:55 (twenty years ago)

you wanna wax me?

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:55 (twenty years ago)

http://www.calmapro.com/popeye/images/popeye_with_jeep07.jpg

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:56 (twenty years ago)

I have no idea what "Poison" is, but "Push It" and "O.P.P." are great songs, what's wrong with playing them? I often spin them myself, especially if the crowd is not that rap-knowledgable, i.e. they won't recognize some obscure undie tune from 1995.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:04 (twenty years ago)

new york: finally catching up to finland in hip-hop

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:07 (twenty years ago)

i like tricia romano

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:08 (twenty years ago)

xx-post

http://blog.wealthcountry.com/pandering.jpg

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:09 (twenty years ago)

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/fstack/_pathetic_hip_hop_pandering.Par.0002.ImageFile.jpg

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:09 (twenty years ago)

"Retarded" as a synonym for stupid or ignorant = dud. I notice the Voice search engine turns up a lot of that, including a really stupid Christgau remark on verbal IQ.

Anyway, it means "lively" or "outrageous" in a hip-hop context.

― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:11 (twenty years ago)

Poison is an 80s hairmetal band, they coined the phrase New Jack Wig.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:14 (twenty years ago)

when Fancypants mixed Unskinny Bop into Bring Da Ruckus the floor went crazy

― Renard (Renard), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:20 (twenty years ago)

POISON - NOTHIN BUT A GOOD TIME- JUST BLAZE REMIX!!!!

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:21 (twenty years ago)

that perpertrating wounds me to this very day

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:22 (twenty years ago)

I'm not surprised that Paul Banks likes rap - his biggest lyrical influence appears to be Anthony Kiedis.

― Zwan (miccio), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:23 (twenty years ago)

BURN

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:27 (twenty years ago)

you guys realise there's an anthony kiedis bio in bookstores now? not a red hot chilli peppers bio - AN ANTHONY KIEDIS BIO. A BIO OF JUST ANTHONY KIEDIS. this blows my mind to say the least. you can find this at my local borders but not the reynolds or kogan book.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:28 (twenty years ago)

dude that's been out forever! we shifted crazy units of that.

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:29 (twenty years ago)

and it's an AUTOBIO

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:29 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 35 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I figured you were kidding...but you have seen the Moroder photo, right?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 18:58 (twenty years ago)

and the original Rock Star DJ, Carlos D., in keeping with his never-leave-home-before-midnight rule, finally turned up around three.

― |l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l| (ema, Friday, 27 January 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

I figured you were kidding...but you have seen the Moroder photo, right?

nope, give up the goods

― brokeback titty sanskrit (sanskrit), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:16 (twenty years ago)

What precisely is so funny about that line? I mean, I know it's not the never-before-midnight joke, which is about like your grandmother in a moment of levity.

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:16 (twenty years ago)

that the whole scenario reeks like a dirty diaper?

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:19 (twenty years ago)

xpost - it's funny because a) "the original Rock Star DJ" and b) they abbreviated his full name which is "Carlos D. Interpol Herpes"

― |l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l| (ema, Friday, 27 January 2006 19:20 (twenty years ago)

xpost

What scenario -- a dude showing up at a bar at 3? That's not exactly super-weird.

xpost

I wonder how gleeful people would be about those jokes if you substituted "herpes" for "AIDS."

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:22 (twenty years ago)

Not gleeful enough.

― Eppy (Eppy), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:23 (twenty years ago)

xpost
I think some people live in places where the bars close at 1 or 2 and this whole three o'clock thing is like a TIME WARP.

― Eppy (Eppy), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Aw, good old Michael T.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Ah, whatever, some people live places where the bars/clubs open at 1 or 2, including half of everyone near the Mediterranean and all. And it's not like the guy has some big dayjob.

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:28 (twenty years ago)

yeah... i mean, rock star going out late shocker!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:29 (twenty years ago)

oh ffs here we go, the nabisco sieve (patent pending?), tediously filtering out humor from ilx

― |l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l| (ema, Friday, 27 January 2006 19:39 (twenty years ago)

haha

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:40 (twenty years ago)

Well, given that sometime back in the 20th century "retarded" became an official euphemism in the U.S. educational system for "stupid," this usage is now standard, as every school child learned it and used it.

I agree that "retarded" became a euphemism among many American school children for "stupid" in the 20th century. The rest is bullshit.

― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:42 (twenty years ago)

If dudes going out late is your idea of humor then I've got a crate of Daddy Day Care DVDs to sell you.

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:44 (twenty years ago)

never have you been less otm

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Friday, 27 January 2006 19:46 (twenty years ago)

What, it's VHS?

― Eppy (Eppy), Friday, 27 January 2006 20:02 (twenty years ago)

apologies to those of you who've seen this a thousand times:

http://www.warriorshalloween.com/main.php?id=WAR1_0013

and nobody goes anywhere before midnight in NYC.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 20:08 (twenty years ago)

trade ya for a crate of Noam Chomsky Manufacturing Consent dvds?

and nobody goes anywhere before midnight in NYC.

you mean "nobody who's anybody goes anywhere before midnight in NYC"

― |l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l| (ema, Friday, 27 January 2006 20:25 (twenty years ago)

I go out at like 7 in NYC, man. It's the new hot thing. It's like you're going out so so late that you're actually early. You wouldn't believe the crazy stuff going on at those clubs before the midnight rank-and-file comes in.

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 27 January 2006 20:31 (twenty years ago)

I mean "nobody who's anybody goes anywhere that is anything before any hour that is anytime".

I've been everywhere at 7pm. Actually starting an early evening party soon, Dazzle Ships, watch for it.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 20:43 (twenty years ago)

I think "Instant Pussy" would've been a lot better.

― Confounded (Confounded), Friday, 27 January 2006 21:33 (twenty years ago)

nobody asked you.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 22:10 (twenty years ago)

is it an OMD night? early evening OMD party sounds like the best idea ever.

― bell labs (bell_labs), Friday, 27 January 2006 22:14 (twenty years ago)

we will play OMD, but it's actually a Cosmic Balaeric Disco New Wave Minimalist Electronic Soundtrack Freeform Wrong-Speed Self-Indulgent Collage Music Listening Night.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 22:37 (twenty years ago)

i couldn't get past that first sentence.

― gear (gear), Friday, 27 January 2006 22:38 (twenty years ago)

btw, lindsay...are you the lindsay from NY who lived with amy and anna?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 22:54 (twenty years ago)

i couldn't get past "we will play OMD"

― yuengling participle (rotten03), Friday, 27 January 2006 22:59 (twenty years ago)

is gear talking about the article or my night description?

And I'm not even going to bother debating the merits of OMD.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 27 January 2006 23:06 (twenty years ago)

the article.

man, the voice just sucks now.

― gear (gear), Friday, 27 January 2006 23:11 (twenty years ago)

x-post dan-

that is the lindsay that i am! i've actually seen amy a bunch the past week or so. she has a new puppy!

but i digress...i unconditionally love OMD. even that "i have a dream" speech song off the pacific age. so i will totally debate their merits if necessary.

― bell labs (bell_labs), Saturday, 28 January 2006 02:14 (twenty years ago)

small world...I saw you post before and recognized 'bell labs' and thought it might be you...then you show up on a thread about interpol...curious!

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 28 January 2006 02:36 (twenty years ago)

it's actually a Cosmic Balaeric Disco New Wave Minimalist Electronic Soundtrack Freeform Wrong-Speed Self-Indulgent Collage Music Listening Night.

you just described about 80 percent of my record collection.

― stockholm cindy (winter version) (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 28 January 2006 02:41 (twenty years ago)

heh, not SO curious, i've just been lurking here a bit, it's not like i *only* post on interpol threads...

― lindsay bell kay labs (bell_labs), Saturday, 28 January 2006 02:47 (twenty years ago)

also what does "Balaeric" mean? i am curious.

― lindsay bell kay labs (bell_labs), Saturday, 28 January 2006 02:52 (twenty years ago)

not sure of the full history of the term, but it usually refers to a kind of music that was popular early evening and early mornings in Ibiza, on one hand, boring ambient coctail techno kind of stuff, on the other hand, really cool stuff. I dunno, check out this web-page:

http://blog.myspace.com/jolyongreen

The idea behind the party is because often we do our best sets and have the most fun playing records before anyone starts dancing. It's also partially my attempt to bring back the vibe of my old party at Plant Bar, where people got together to talk about music and hear cool records, and I got to play whatever the hell I wanted and didn't worry about people dancing.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 28 January 2006 03:30 (twenty years ago)

it's here:

Dazzle Ships
at Heathers, 506 e 13th st, near Ave A
starting at 8 o'clock
2 drinks for 1 till 9
2 dollar Tecate beer till 10.
bartending by the Drunken Sailor.

see nyhappenings for more information

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/nyhappenings/message/26246

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 6 February 2006 04:40 (twenty years ago)

http://www.warriorshalloween.com/main.php?id=WAR1_0013

OMGWTF

― etc, Monday, 6 February 2006 05:00 (twenty years ago)

The Moroderriors.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 February 2006 05:01 (twenty years ago)

Giorgio's Marauders. The mustache fell off pretty quick though.

Though the best gang were the 2 who went as Blossom and Joey.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 6 February 2006 05:57 (twenty years ago)

hahaha i went as blossom for halloween 2 years ago & my gf went as joey!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 6 February 2006 15:13 (twenty years ago)

more HARD-HITTING investigative journalism from your village voice!!!!!!

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:05 (twenty years ago)

ok, ilx has cookie weirdness when using search. but yeah!!!! omg who knew?!!??

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:07 (twenty years ago)

This week's voice is like all-Tricia, all the time! Two good things this article offers, though:

1. Cute picture of Princess Superstar on cover

2. Fascinating sound of proper DJs realizing that -- oops -- the masses aren't actually too interested in their specialized skills, and mostly just want to hear songs they like.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

"Now I think it's totally gauche for people in bands to DJ their own music. It's worse than wearing your own band T-shirt on the L train."

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

It's genuinely really annoying, though, how many parties here still just run on hip-friendly 80s tracks, making them basically a more "stylish" version of the party full of late-20s folks where the DJ plays middle-school favorites from BBD and Sir Mix-a-Lot.

I'm thinking of having a t-shirt made with my own face on it -- how would that be for Bedford-stop attire?

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:14 (twenty years ago)

no way, she busted mang.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 February 2006 20:15 (twenty years ago)

Why is that annoying, Nabisco? What would you rather hear being played?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 16 February 2006 20:18 (twenty years ago)

more credit to NIck Zinner, show seems to make a habit of holding up a record whenever he's photographed...last time it was Magazine.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 16 February 2006 20:23 (twenty years ago)

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