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MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE By: Emmy Boyce
Take a look at some current promo for Scissor Sisters and you'll probably have an ABBA flashback, but that's just the promo. Though it ties in well with the music it is by no means the only or the full representation of what Scissor Sisters is all about. As drummer Paddy Boom makes sure to tell, "Well, that's an element of it. That just seems to be the easy selling point."
It's not often this journalist gets to interview someone she's completely excited about, but I was in the store on the release date for this album to pick up my very own copy. Face it. A lot of today's music is chinsey and mindless - two things of which Scissor Sisters is neither. Image is often just a gimmick an artist hopes will sell but is rarely lived up to. "Ta-Dah", the band's second release (in stores as of September 26, 2006), lives up to and makes an effort to reach beyond any images even inadvertently evoked. The first single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'", is full of irony and depth as the first thing it makes you want to do is dance, but the lyrics hold a heavy story. Does this belong in danceable tunes? Sure. "That's the idea about doing, lyrically, music that's woven in a way that isn't obvious," Boom says.
There. A little snip of Scissor Sisters spelled out. Paddy Boom talks about more.
Alternative Addiction: It's been said that you guys came up with your first album without even intending to come up with an album. It just happened that way. Do you think that if you had gone into it with intentions and knowing what you were headed into the first time that you would have been more rigid about it all and maybe Scissor Sisters would be a different band now?
Paddy Boom: No. I mean, you can't really predict. It could have just happened the way it would happen. When you force creativity it's never as exciting as when you just let it be. And that's sort of what happened with us. It's crazy. It's a crazy bunch of songs that came together, and it just sort of made sense on a level, we just said, "What the hell."
AA: What is the story behind how you came together? You all formed in New York, but how did you know each other and start this up?
PB: You mean the history of the band?
AA: Yeah.
PB: We all met at a lost animal clinic back in the early 90's. We were searching for pets that we lost along the way. [chuckles] No, I'm kidding. Basically, Babydaddy and Jake met. They became friends. They saw Ana. They loved her. After that they were connected through a mutual friend to Del, the guitar player. And then I found a link on Craig's List advertising for a drummer, and I clicked on, clicked through, and here we are.
Q: Music aside now, image-wise, if someone saw the commercial for Ta-Dah's release or visited your myspace page...
PB: Did you see the commercial?
AA: I did. Actually, I just saw it, like, a half an hour ago.
PB: You mean, like, the really junky one?
AA: It's part of the "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" video, and then it says "In stores September 26th".
PB: Is it the really trashy one where we take over a living room for a minute? Or that one was shelved I think, maybe.
AA: I don't think there was any living room anything going on. But I've only seen the one commercial, so I don't have another one to compare it to.
PB: Right. Okay, yeah. So, there's one that will be extremely hard to find. It just hasn't made it to the garbage yet. I guess there's another one out.
AA: This was more like a disco commercial, more like the pictures on the myspace page. If someone were to see that, is that the impression that you want people to have of your image, or is that just kind of what you felt like doing that day?
PB: I think I know the photo you're talking about. Are you talking about the florescent one? Well, that's an element of it. That just seems to be the easy selling point, but there's just as much of other influences besides disco in it. It's rock. It's punk. We've got other junk in there. It's sort of unabashed love for melodies and songs that just sort of improvise. It's self-conscious, but it's not too self-conscious. Otherwise, if it's too self-conscious it gets really boring.
AA: Were you surprised that you took off in the UK? Did you know that the scene there is basically a pop and pop-dance haven?
PB: Yeah. We all were completely surprised. I was just happy at first that we had a record [chuckles] that came out. And then when it went as big as it did. I mean, we were on the road so long that it was sort of like a slow build. It took a couple years for it to really blow up. That was on the back of a couple of years' work, so yeah, we were totally surprised. Who wouldn't have been? Who would have thought when we first started this thing a few years ago that it was going to go so insane? If you would put your money on a band judging from what we do and who we are, I wouldn't think most people would put their money on our band as being the one that would blow up.
AA: I guess I can see it happening more in the UK than in the U.S. because it's like I can't even believe how Oasis or Def Leppard could have come out of the UK when it seems like you go there and you just can't get away from Kylie Minogue.
PB: Right.
AA: Speaking of the UK, you have your musical influences, but I've got to say that every time I listen to your single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" brings WHAM! to mind.
PB: Really?
AA: Maybe it's just the same basic idea in their song "Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go". Are there any WHAM! fans in the band?
PB: Yeah, of course! Everybody's got a little love for WHAM!, I think, deep, deep, deep down somewhere hidden in the archives of their musical history. Yeah, there's an element of that. George Michael is a big sort of influence to the guys on a certain level. Our music doesn't sound anything alike, but it's definitely got a little George Michael string going through it.
AA: I highly recommend WHAM!'s first album, "Fantastic", if you've never listened to it.
PB: No, I never have.
AA: I give that one 12 thumbs up.
PB: Really?
AA: Yeah. It was really birthed coming out of the disco era into the pop era. Between the first and second albums they changed a lot. I find the first album really interesting.
PB: I'll have to put that one on the old list.
AA: They were 18 at the time. It's called "Fantastic". So, what's been the thing so far that's bothered you the most about the media labeling you or making claims about your music or direction?
PB: What's been the most annoying part? Just getting really robotic questions from people who've obviously done no research on the band at all. Interviews can be great if somebody does a little bit of homework and investigates, but if you're answering questions about anything in terms related to the sexuality of the band, you know, it's like the basic questions become really annoying. Especially if someone's got limited command of the English language. If they speak English as a second language and the questions are terrible that makes for a bad interview.
AA: For me, I've got to say that your music definitely conjures up decades-old memories of ABBA, Elton John, roller skates, lamet, and dance clubs. Before this became a career and became your life were you out clubbing and disco-ing?
PB: Was I? All the time. I still do. I moved to the city because I just love the nightlife. There were a few clubs I used to go to that I just got sucked into immediately called 10-18, and the Roxy, the Saint on 2nd Avenue. None of these places... I don't think any of them are even there anymore, but yeah, there was definitely a time when I just loved dressing up and going out and having fun.
AA: I had to ask that question because what I've heard of the music so far, that's what comes to mind when I hear it.
PB: Yeah, it's based on sort of a fantasy and a reality of what we want out of music. Fantasy is a big element for the band. The songs are not all danceable. We got labeled as sort of this dance group, but it's really the second record is more rock than disco.
AA: You seem like an intelligent person. When you're doing music like you're doing do you think it really leaves room for intelligence?
PB: Oh, totally. That's the idea about doing, lyrically, music that's woven in a way that isn't obvious. I still have a hard time figuring out how Jake even comes up with the words. I think it's a good thing to marry some danceable songs with really good lyrics. Usually dance lyrics are totally just cheap, like, "Oooh, baby. Yeah-hah. Whoo-hoo! Party." It's nice to have emphasis on both things - the music and the lyrics. And it's accessible to a lot of people. That's sort of the goal.
Catch Scissor Sisters on tour. Find out where by visiting http://www.scissorsisters.com and http://www.myspace.com/scissorsisters. Previous to the release of "Ta-Dah" full-length tracks were available on myspace, but you can still get a taste of selected tracks on their page. "Ta-Dah" is in stores now.
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Special thanks: Paddy Boom and Gur Rashal. |
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