MGMT - Interview - Part 2

by Marcus on Nov 20 2008, 06:00AM

In Part 2 of our two part interview with MGMT frontman Andrew VanWyngarden, we discuss new songs, watching a grown man sing naked on a horse and ending their world tour in Australia.

Has there been any chance to write any new stuff over the last 14 months?

Well I mean - it's been like a year now - but we wrote that B-Side 'Metanoia' that's 14 minutes long and recorded it with Dave Friddman too. And then we have lots of ideas but we haven't had time to like sit down and record them. So we're just waiting til we have a break.

And you've got something in the works with Kevin Barnes [from Of Montreal]?

Um. Yeah. I mean we started this kind've side project type thing...actually before MGMT signed. So that was the Spring of 2006.

Was that when you toured with them?

No that was after. It was just in that period where nothing was going on and no-one knew what was happening. We wrote like a few songs and it was pretty cool and we got really excited. And then things got crazy for both of our bands. So now hopefully we'll both be on a break in the New Year and we can play those songs again.

You played that show in New York when Kevin sang a song on a horse didn't you?

I came out during the encore and played a Nirvana song (laughs).

Were you there when they were getting the horse on stage?

We had just played at United Palace [with Beck] that same night and so I rushed over there. I was right outside the backstage door when there was a horse on stage. And then I saw the horse walk outside and all the craziness.

How do you get a horse on stage in the middle of New York city?

They kind've got this trailer up on the backstage door. And then put a ramp up to the top of the stage and he just rode up on to the stage (laughs).

Was there a sense of terror about the fact that it could just jump off into the crowd at any minute?

Yeah I think he was pretty nervous. He was also pretty much completely naked. (laughs).

It's a good mix. I think being nervous and naked...

On a horse.

...probably endears you to the crowd.

(laughs).

So have you ever been to Australia before?

No I haven't.

Do you know any bands over here? Or what you're getting yourself into?

(Laughs). I don't know too many Australian bands. I know the Sleepy Jackson. And um, Silverchair. I listened to them a long time ago. But in terms of knowing what we're getting into...it's kind've crazy like I can tell. I can kind've tell from the press we're doing. Like we're doing interviews with some super mainstream like, 'Top 30' radio stations. And so it feels like our record is definitely part of the mainstream there. But from the interviews it kind've feels like they don't really know what we're about. Like they maybe think we're an 'electro-glam' duo or something.

Well you know, someone hands them a CD and they press play and then ask you where you got your name from and they go on to the next ad.

Yeah (laughs).

Despite all that, the festival that you're playing, Meredith, should suit you really well. It's out in the bush and they have you know, lanterns hanging in the trees and everyone camps and...it's like having a party at your friends house if they lived on a massive farm.

That sounds great. I couldn't think of a better way to end the tour.

READ PART 1