20 Questions with… The Chap

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Dirty electro indie-pop. Where would we be without it? Well, we wouldn’t have The Chap that’s for sure! Their debut album is due out shortly, so what better time to get the band to answer our equally sordid 20 Questions. You’d never guess they were fans of ELO, but then that’s why we’re here!

1. Describe your sound in 3 words.
Fun and Interesting. Phew, easiest one first!

2. What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
ELO – Out of the Blue. High Wycombe library were selling some of their records, and I loved the cover with all the space ships and stuff. And when I got it home, the music was pretty good too!

3. What’s the best cure for a hangover?
Eating as much as you can. It distracts your body.

4. What’s on your rider?
Wet wipes and no cheese.

5. How do you get ready for a live show?
We have a special chant about how much we’re going to rock, and complicated handshakes and high-fives we can do while jumping up and down.

6. What’s your favourite song to play live?
I think the set closer – Now Woel. It’s pretty easy, but you can really rock out. You know the set is over and you’re really pleased. Either because it’s been awesome or because there’s no one in the audience and the sound is horrific and you want to die.

7. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Generally, guilt is highly unnecessary. So maybe not feeling guilty about anything is my guilty pleasure?

8. Who would win in a fight, a stoat or a goat and why?
Is this a question about football?

9. Who’s your favourite new band at the moment? Tell us a bit about them.
Dirty Projectors. If their sound is good, they’re the best live band around at the moment. It’s the classic formula – beautiful quiet bits and really agressive loud bits. Only you’ve never ever imagined it could sound like this. Raw, to coin a phrase.

10. Who would play you in a film based upon your life?
Walter Matthau. Is he dead? OJ Simpson might be good. Or Ernest Borgnine.

11. Dead or alive, what 5 acts would you have play with you at a festival?
Supertramp, Dirty Projectors, Sonic Youth, Deerhoof, Omar Souleyman. Probably invite Kasabian too, but only so we could drown them.

12. If push comes to shove, what is your all-time favourite album?
Velvet Underground – The Banana one

13. What’s your most memorable on the road story?
Saturday night, driving into Leuven (home of Stella Artois) en-route back to London. There’s a roadblock, they’re breathalysing everyone. Our friendly Belgian cop approaches the passenger side and asks the passenger to blow into the tube. I’m waving and pointing at the steering wheel, but the cop only notices too late. He’s committed himself, and he’s not interested in acknowledging his error. Passenger gets the green light and a key ring for the inconvenience. Drive on, crying with laughter.

14. If your life flashed before your eyes, what would be the highlights?
I have a really bad memory – probably just the events of the previous week….

15. What’s the best piece of advice someone has ever given you and did you take notice?
Errr how boring can I be here? Is this supposed to be entertaining? I mean, at my first school they went on about Do As You Would Be Done By. Everyone needs room for manoeuvre, but this is a hard piece of advice to beat. I mean, if I was Kasabian, I would expect someone to drown me. I think that’s the conclusion.

16. If you had to leave a body part to science, what would it be?
I’m dead, right? What do I care?

17. What’s the best book you’ve read and film you’ve seen in the last 6 months?
I really enjoyed Behind the Glass – a book about famous producers’ approach to making hit records!
And Johannes and I watched a great short movie by Werner Herzog about those american dudes who sell cows at auctions. Really wanna see this new Klaus Kinski movie they’re showing here in Berlin about his Jesus Chris obsession or something.

18. What three things could you not live without?
MacBook, Tea, Aqueous Cream.

19. Tell us a fact about yourself we probably don’t already know.
I’m a master of the egg – fried, scrambled, poached – I’m your man.

20. And finally, we’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
Anal Cunt – You Look Divorced
Beatle Barkers – Ob La Di Ob La Da
Carly Simon – You’re So Vain
Dirty Projectors – Police Story
ELO – My Blue Sky
(Theme – The alphabet)

Links
The Chap [myspace]