Controlling Shania's Input: An Interview with Electric Six's Dick Valentine By David Platzer    Electric Six rocks. And pretty hard at that; but they also want to make you dance. Dance hard, or something like that. Anyways, the point is that many have described their high energy music in terms of genre bending or blurring. Indeed, their three albums attack you from many different styles and approaches, while always keeping you grinning from their odd turns of phrase, subtle witticisms, and flat out hilarious jokes. From early favorites like “Dance Commander” to more recent hits like last year's omnipresent “Gay Bar,” Electric Six are a rock funny hard dancing band. (I think that gets it.) To top all this, they put on a great show. I had the chance to talk with front man Dick Valentine recently on the occasion of the release of Switzerland, their latest album. Me: Crave generally covers metal. Can Electric Six do metal? DV: Um. With…ah…With…ah.. the right amount of metriculosis, Me: Metriculosis? DV: Yup. Me: So punk/disco is kind of thought of as a genre these days, how do you guys situate yourselves in comparison to bands like The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, The Faint – all of which come from a rock background but have prominent dance elements? DV: Um. We live in the same century as them. Me: Who are your favorite DJs or dance musicians then? DV: Lets see. DJs. Huh, Um, do you want me to give a list? Me: Sure, go for it. DV: Go ahead and list some for me. Me: Ok, uh, Daft Punk, Tiga, uh, who else? Shit Robot… DV: Lets do that one. Yeah, that sounds good. Me: Shit Robot? DV: Yup. Me: Tell me a little bit about the new album. DV: DJs are going to love it. Me: Why is that? DV: Uh, because it's going to… alter their perceptions of what music needs to be… Me: By taking sound to new levels… DV: Exactly, yeah. We're taking it to new levels and altering the perception of DJs. Me: What can Portlanders expect to see when Electric Six plays the Doug Fir on October 16? DV: They're going to see a band that is reaching out to them. A band that is… really, really wants to connect. Me: How do you connect? DV: We're not sure we do, we just want to. Me: Speaking of concerts, I'm told you do pushups on stage. Is this part of a broader in-show fitness regimen? DV: I mean when you don't….alright, you're a DJ, right? Me: No, uh, actually I'm just a college student. DV: OK, alright, well when you're a front man in a band and you don't have a guitar, a lot of times when there is one of your guitar players soloing you need to find something to do. Some front men just stand there. Some front men go to the guitar player and pretend that they're playing guitar….and I do push-ups. Me: Have you ever thought about adding some sit ups – some crunches, maybe bringing some dumb-bells on stage? DV: I do sit ups too, but nobody wants to talk about those. Me: I know a kid named Robin Zander, who claims to be the dance commander, is he telling the truth? DV: He claims that now, huh? Me: Yeah DV: I don't think he is. I've seen him. He just stands there. Me: A lot of celebrities are going to far-flung places to find children. Just today Madonna adopted a baby from Malawi. Do you plan on adopting any African children? DV: Plan on it? No, but willing to try. Me: What bands did you listen to growing up? DV: I listened to a whole smorgasbord of 80s music. You know, the whole…whatever was on the radio in the 80s. I didn't really take time to research anything. I took what they gave me. So, you know, if Sheena Easton was on the radio, I enjoyed that. Me: Prince? DV: Yeah, of course I did, yeah. Me: Are there any particular songs from that time that might have shaped how Electric Six sound today? DV: Um…yeah… “Der Kommissar…” Me: Yeah, by that German dude…. DV: By Falco and After the Fire [a British band that did a cover of the song] Me: What do think is the best overseas audience to play for? DV: What type of audience is Caesar's'? Me: Overseas… DV: I thought you were talking about the audience at Caesar's in Vegas Me: No, but totally talk about the audience in Vegas… DV: The best audience overseas? Me: Yeah. DV: That would be the… I would have to go with the Belgians. Me: Really? Why? DV: Um, It's because Belgians generally… I mean I think your average Belgian speaks four languages. And there is not a lot of space left in his brain for anything else, and uh, so watching them onstage watching you… is very interesting. Its like they're going into overload. Me: Electric Six is from Detroit, do you own a Ford? DV: I own a Saturn Me: What concert-going experience has made the most lasting impression on you? DV: What comes to mind is… I'd have to go with Ween 1991. Me: It was just the two of them back then…[Dean and Gene Ween] DV: Yeah. Me: Was it the music or the performance or how much could be done by only two people onstage… DV: Exactly, it showed me how much you could do with very little. Me: Ween has made a country album. Do you think Electric Six will ever make a country album? DV: Ween made a country album? Me: Yeah, 12 Golden Country Greats. Might Electric Six ever completely switch genres and go country all the way? DV: Well, we have a country song on the new record but ah….yeah, I think maybe that'll be about it. Me: The new album is called Switzerland, right? DV: Yeah… Me: Lee “Scratch” Perry, the Jamaican music legend, has declared himself the King of Switzerland, did making this album give you any insight into … ? DV: That's the first I've heard about it. Um. I mean…yeah… it'd be nice to know if he was. Because if he was then…that's a good feeling… Me: Might Dick Valentine be the King of Switzerland? DV: That would be cool too because then my minions would include Phil Collins and Shania Twain Me: It would be good to rule them because you could control their output…? DV: Control their output? Me: Yeah DV: I'd control Phil Collins' output, yeah. Me: But not Shania Twain's? DV: I'd control her input. Me: Who is the funniest man alive? DV: Don Rickles Me: The funkiest? DV: Bill Clinton? Me: Detriot vs. Zurich? DV: Uh, I've never been to Zurich. Me: Is there anything else you want to tell Portland about your upcoming show? DV: I think everyone should come just to see the Doug Fir. Me: It's a great place. DV: What a great room. Me: It is indeed awesome. DV: It really makes you feel better about yourself. Me: Have you been to the Jupiter Hotel next door? DV: Sure have. Me: It is really cool how they've turned a somewhat dumpy motel into a really hip, luxurious space. DV: Yeah, there you are in Portland but somehow it makes you feel like you're in LA. Me: Speaking of Portland, what are your favorite things about our city? DV: Oh, um, I like the spectacular feelings you can get from some places in the city. I like the fact that everybody there is busy doing something. Me: Would you ever consider moving to Portland? DV: I would as a matter of fact. I would consider it… I find it very livable…very livable, an amazing abundance of food. Me: Any particular places you like to eat at when you come here? DV: Mu mu's, you been to mu-mu's? Me: No, actually I've never been there. [Ed. I don't think it exists] DV: They do this thing with their hash-brown potatoes that will floor ya. It's truly great. They dust it with some sort of sauce. I think maybe tomatoes. Me: Sounds great. Well are there any last things you want to share with Portland? DV: No, well. For what publication is this again? Me: Crave, we're kind of new. DV: Ok, I hear you. Well, I don't want Portland to know anything. I try to maintain a low profile and an air of mystery. Me: Sounds great and we're all super-stoked about the new album and your show. DV: Can't wait. Me: Take it easy. DV: Bye bye.

Copyright © by Crave Magazine All Right Reserved.

Published on: 2007-01-08 (1101 reads)