 |
| |
|
| |
Interview
by SashaS
10-1-2003
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
More on: The Green And Yellow TV
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
| TG&YTv's backing forward to a zapper |
|
Resurrected Vision
An introduction to The Green And Yellow TV
The Green And Yellow TV is a band from Silverlake, California, an independent band that is making music that is full of “sparkling harmonies and snappy melodies that dance on the brain and don’t let up,” wrote LA Weekly in August 2002. “‘Record X’ is pure pop for f**ked up people and the LA album of the summer,” concluded MeanStreet a month earlier.
‘Record X’ is the band’s second LP-release, supplanting ‘As Performed By The Green & Yellow TV’ (2000). Led by Todd O’Keefe, the quartet has been re-enforced by the ex-Redd Kross bassist, Steve McDonald. Sheer quality of music has made us contact the band and, as we were nowhere near la-LA land, we E-mailed some questions to O’Keefe and this is what we got back.
1. Having played the album live for a while now, how has it stood to the show’s acid testing?
“Most of the songs are still great to play live. ‘Hawaiian Saucers’ is the most fun to play. Everyone just does whatever they want and the harmonies are great. ‘Torpedo’, on the other hand got scratched from the set. The song is about 1 minute 15 seconds long, or something. Every time we would finish playing it, people would just stand there waiting for the next part to kick in. It was a bit anti-climactic.”
2. If you meet fans after gigs, do you REALLY listen to what they comment/suggest about your music or creativity is a selfish process that comes from within and should never be messed about/tailored whatsoever?
“A good suggestion is a good suggestion. If the comment is about the show itself then I tend to listen. If someone has something to say about the songs, then I ‘zone out’. Although, a friend of ours recently had a suggestion for a different arrangement to one of our new songs which was great.”
3. Your influences are from both sides of the Atlantic; what attracted you to the Brit music and in particular of such vintage?
“The Beatles.”
Draw of the luck
4. What’s been the highlight of your year?
“Hanging out with Paul McCartney at The Four Seasons (hotel) in Beverly Hills. A friend of ours (Rusty Anderson) plays guitar in his band, so we had the honour of going to the after-show party. There were only about twenty people there in this tiny suite. Free drinks, free food, and Paul McCartney. It was magical.”
5. What’s been the downer of the year?
“Not talking to Paul McCartney.”
6. Aside your album, what CD/s made you salivate this year? And, why?
“There aren’t too many new albums that got me excited. I really like Beck’s new record. The songs are great. It’s always the song that makes me excited, and I haven’t heard too many great songs this year. Every single I’ve heard from the new No Doubt record has been great. I really should get that CD. ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ (by Pink Floyd) seems to be stuck in my CD player. We might cover ‘Breathe’.”
7. Has it been a good year for music? (The Strokes, The White Stripes, Liars, The Vines, The Datsuns)
“It’s good to see rock bands being played on the radio. I think that all of those bands have been over hyped by ‘the machine’. It’s not the bands fault. I mean, the Strokes are a good band with good songs. That’s it. I don’t think any of these new rock bands are saving rock and roll. But who could? When someone says to me, ‘You’ve got to hear this band, they’re AMAZING!’, I’m always disappointed. I expect to hear the next Led Zeppelin or something...”
Already blue
8. Green Day have an online petition against the Iraqi war; has Rock still gotten the power to influence and change people's lives? (Or it is just a corpo-manipulation to extra-profit by applying logic that any crap will sell as sufficiently hyped?)
“Hmmm. I think any intelligent person speaking truth and reason has the power to influence and change people’s lives. If you’ve got those things, plus celebrity, then you’ve got a good chance to get your point across. I haven’t seen the Green Day site. It’s great that they’re trying to use their influence for something like that. If they really started to cause a stir, I wonder how long the corporate machine would support their right to state their views.”
9. Is Rock an appropriate medium to address political/social issues?
“Why not! If anyone from any walk of life wants to try and inform me about something that affects me, then by all means they should try. The problem is, no one is saying shit. Wouldn’t it be great to turn on TRL and hear Justin Timberlake say to millions of kids, ‘Homeland Security is harmful to you as an individual, and here’s why…’?”
10. New Year’s message/advice to ‘G-Dub’ (Prez ‘Dubya’ Bush)?
“We’re on to you.”
11. Some scientists have concluded that human evolution has peaked; is that a reason to be cheerful or get depressed and look for a therapist?
“I don’t know if that’s possible. History has shown otherwise. If it’s true, than you should enjoy life just the same. What can you do, right? But it’s not true.”
12. Finally, a really mundane enquiry: what’s behind the band’s name?
“The truth is, I’m sworn to secrecy. I would be kicked out of the band if I told you. And that’s not good for business.”
My theory is that it is a reference to a TV-set that goes part-faulty and only two colours are received; this happened to me when I was a student and was too impecunious to fix it for years… Surreal experience when one’s (viewing) reality is two-tone instead of full-colour… Anyway, life ain’t what others tell you but what you experience, an individual’s live-through.
SashaS
10-1-2003
The Green And Yellow TV’s album ‘Record X’ is available now on Records Records (import)
|
|
|
