Thursday, August 11, 2011
Franz Ferdinand: Interview
Franz Ferdinand
by Stuart Berman, posted February 3, 2009
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos orders the mussels while drummer Paul Thomson opts for the steak tartare at a pre-gig dinner in a Toronto bistro-- a suitably elegant and intimate environment in which to discuss the Glaswegian indie-pop pin-ups' nocturnally themed third album, Tonight.
The new album arrives nearly three and a half years after its predecessor, You Could Have It So Much Better-- not exactly a Guns N' Roses-scale hiatus, though in the mad-fer-it world of British pop, that's a potentially career-crippling length of time to spend off the cover ofNME. But if Tonight's more exploratory nature reveals the benefits of a more relaxed recording schedule-- marked by flirtations with experimental electronica, acoustic folk and even metal-- the band's original mandate still stands: to bring intelligent, glamorous pop music to the masses, an ethos that makes their more brow-raising maneuvers-- like debuting songs in video games, or collaborating with rap superstars-- seem perfectly logical.
The new album arrives nearly three and a half years after its predecessor, You Could Have It So Much Better-- not exactly a Guns N' Roses-scale hiatus, though in the mad-fer-it world of British pop, that's a potentially career-crippling length of time to spend off the cover ofNME. But if Tonight's more exploratory nature reveals the benefits of a more relaxed recording schedule-- marked by flirtations with experimental electronica, acoustic folk and even metal-- the band's original mandate still stands: to bring intelligent, glamorous pop music to the masses, an ethos that makes their more brow-raising maneuvers-- like debuting songs in video games, or collaborating with rap superstars-- seem perfectly logical.
interview with Franz Ferdinand
The world of pop needs some advice, luckily, indie life gurus Franz Ferdinand are back to tell us what not to... whatever. Yay!
TOTP: When is it appropriate to be more stupid than you are?
Alex: There's a very simple rule in life to just be yourself. Just be straightforward. When you pretend to be more intelligent than you are then you're going to end up in a nasty mess very quickly. And there's something a little bit embarrassing about pretending too be more stupid than you are as well.
TOTP: So Franz Ferdinand won't ever reinvent themselves as a comedy art-rock band?
Alex: It's essential that you retain a sense of humour. You've got to be able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously, no matter what you do. That goes for anything you do in life. But it doesn't mean you have to invent a comedy character to do that with though. But I quite like Goldie Lookin' Chain, I think they've definitely got a sense of humour.
Franz Ferdinand
Biography
Franz Ferdinand is a Scottish rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, in 2002 and played an important part in the post-punk revival of the 2000s. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals).
The band first experienced chart success when their second single “Take Me Out” reached #3 in the UK Charts, followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which entered the UK album chart at #3. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, “Take Me Out”, “The Dark of the Matinée” and “This Fire”. The band has also received several Grammy Award nominations.
The band is named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose assassination played a crucial roll in first World War. After seeing a racehorse named Archduke Ferdinand win the Northumberland Plate in 2001, the band began to discuss the Archduke’s name as a possible name for the band. Ultimately they decided upon the name because they like the alliteration and sound of the name and the reference the assassination of the Archduke.
- Discography
Franz Ferdinand (2004)
You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
The band first experienced chart success when their second single “Take Me Out” reached #3 in the UK Charts, followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which entered the UK album chart at #3. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, “Take Me Out”, “The Dark of the Matinée” and “This Fire”. The band has also received several Grammy Award nominations.
The band is named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose assassination played a crucial roll in first World War. After seeing a racehorse named Archduke Ferdinand win the Northumberland Plate in 2001, the band began to discuss the Archduke’s name as a possible name for the band. Ultimately they decided upon the name because they like the alliteration and sound of the name and the reference the assassination of the Archduke.
- Discography
Franz Ferdinand (2004)
You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
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