Talons aiguilles, baskets fluos, lentilles de couleur et tatoo manucure. Avec ou sans jupe, ça n’a jamais été aussi facile d’être une fille qu’à Taipei.
Ils parlaient de respect, on a vu des hommes au regard transparent couler sur les jambes lisses et pâles d’adolescentes en goguettes, des gogo danseuses sans culotte ni appréhension, une surenchère de plastique sur la pudeur d’une île mondialement ignorée.
Peu importe si les contours sont flous, si du glam à la pute il n’y a plus de pas, si leurs mœurs vacillent sous la chaleur d’un spot, si elles se maquillent à la graisse de baleine et si la couronne Anglaise pleure son motif écossais : tout est fait dans une douce tolérance, et sans jamais perdre la face. A Formose, sur fond de pop sucrée, les lèvres ourlées de l’Orient baisent les lois du bon goût.
Nathalie Portman’s Shaved Head ou comment faire de l’électro-rock (mais ne dites pas ça devant eux, ils ont horreur de ce terme) sans se prendre la tête. Cette bande de Seattleites (oui, oui, c’est comme ça qu’on dit, j’ai vérifié) se joue des codes en distillant une musique festive, colorée et diablement efficace sans prétention autre que de faire danser l’audience. Textes équivoques et riffs de synthé imparables ponctuent “Glistening Pleasure“, leur premier album, parfaitement maîtrisé et comportant déjà une véritable signature. En sus de tout cela, ils sont suffisamment cools pour nous accorder une interview (Luke, chanteur-guitariste-clavériste-compositeur s’y colle pour le reste du groupe).
1- What was the watchword when you started Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head?
Have fun, dance ’till you pass out, eff the haters.
2- What are your influences?
Love, magic, radio pop, Of Montreal, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Daft Punk, good sandwiches, blankets, looking at the stars, The Unicorns, The Zombies, kittens, French accents, Weezer, and No Doubt, among other things…
3- Why music?
It’s easier than film and makes your booty shake more.
4- Tell me about your creation process, who composes? Do you start with a global idea of the song?
It’s usually me in my bedroom studio plunking on a synthesizer and adding drum beats. Then Shaun and I will come together and hum to the song playing on repeat until we come up with a vocal melody. The lyrics come from the feeling or vibe that the song gives us. The songs have a mind of their own and we just go with it.
5- If you were a music critic, how would you describe your music?
“Best band ever. I must retire now because nothing will be better than this.”
6- What makes you better than the other bands?
Cooler fans. Maximum love.
7- Which song would you have dreamt to write?
Oh, man I think about that all the time. Anytime I hear a good song.Recently it was the beginning of St. Exquisite’s Confessions on the new of Montreal album. Maybe also Love Lockdown by Kanye West. I think we could do it better… sorry Kanye!
8- What your mums think of what you do?
Ha, they love it. I think they are proud.
9- What are your guilty pleasures?
It’s hard to feel guilty about any pleasures when you’re in a band called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head and your album is called Glistening Pleasure… but here we go: Ashlee Simpson, Taylor Swift, The O.C., Cat videos on YouTube, neon colors.
10- Favourite drugs?
M-U-S-I-C
11- Which others bands do you feel close to, musically speaking?
I guess we’d be kind of musically close to bands we are influenced by. Maybe also bands we love and have toured with like CSS and the Faint.
12- Three words you like?
Baby, y’all, pedagogy
13- Three words you hate?
Electro, hipster, responsibility
14- What’s your favourite place to chill?
By the pool in Malibu with our friends Paris and Lindsay.
15- Do you plan gigs in France?
France! We love France! Right now there are very tentative plans to come to France in the Summer of 2009. We’ll be there as soon as possible. Cross your fingers!
La chanteuse la plus cool du moment, Anita Blay aka Thecocknbullkid est un petit sucre. Non contente d’être jolie, élégante et talentueuse, elle se révèle extrêmement disponible et répond aux questions avec ce petit humour britannique qui fait son charme. Produite par le génial Joseph Mount (cerveau de Metronomy) et par le duo franco-suèdois Radioclit (producteurs entre autres de MIA et Santogold, il y a pire comme carte de visite), ses chansons mélancoliques mais légères, electro mais pas vraiment dansantes comportent une signature unique, dûe à son éducation musicale variée (elle aime autant Missy Elliott que Morrissey ou Abba). Miss Anita Blay est le bling-bling guest de la semaine.
1 Introduce Yourself
Hello, I’m Anita Blay or you may know me as Thecocknbullkid.
2 Describe your music
Pop!
3 What are your influences?
Pop, Madonna, heartbreak (not the band, the intangible emotion), vices and Morrissey
4 Why music?
I don’t know but we seem to work well together.
5 Three words you like?
Love, douche and haberdashery. (mercerie)
6 Three words you hate?
Nice, nice and nice
7 Favourite drugs?
Erm, life?
8 Favourite place to chill?
My room, under my duvet watching Curb your Enthusiasm. Easy.
9 Where does your name comes from?
It’s an old english phrase , which means ‘to bullshit’
10 What your mum thinks about what you do?
My mum is Ghanian. Ghanian parents only ever want to see their kids in the medical profession.
11 What’s your guilty pleasure?
Lots!
12 Tell us about your meeting with JC de Castelbajac.
He’s fucking amazing. And one of the few designers that are genuinely into music. He was dancing like a maniac in the front row of my show at Showcase. He’s wicked.
13 Any scoop about him?
He’s hot!
14 Who’s the worst bitch, according to you?
There are many. But I can be a bitch at times so I can’t point any fingers.
15 How do you express your bitchyness?
If i let it build up it gets ugly. I hold grudges too much, it’s a bad trait. Also I get jealous a lot. Jealousy is awful, really ugly. But on a positive note, it makes me very competitive and I like winning so that’s good.
16 Which question would you like to be asked?
What do you know about polar bears?
17 What would you answer?
Polar bears are patient hunters and can often wait a whole day to catch a seal for it’s food. But a polar bear can live off one seal for an entire week. No I didn’t google that, I just like polar bears.
