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But thats hardly where Interpols story ends.
But it was sort of funny, because it would be, like, Booger fromRevenge of the Nerds.
And like, some secondary character fromRoadhouse.
I have a Miguel Ferrer fromRoboCop.
Some minor character fromDonnie Brascomade it in there.
I have the main dude that Sylvester Stallone arm wrestled inOver the Top.
Thats one of my favorite paintings.
The evil scientist fromHoward the Duck.All these things that were in my youth, these sort of figures.
The idea is that character actors are able to exude so much with just an expression.
And then you get the cinematic lighting.
Behind him is some dude with this, like, epicHighlanderhaircut.
Full mullet, aviators, and hes Charlies bro.
Who has these paintings?I have all of them.
Do you mind if I smoke?
Lets talk aboutMarauder what headspace were you in when you were recording it?
Or many headspaces?Yeah.
Thats a good question.
I think that we were in a very good place in terms of our band dynamic.
That, to me, seems to have been the focus for the creation of this record.
So I was kind of trying to enjoy my bandmates and enjoy the process really consciously.
And I think it worked.
I think that was in the spirit of creating this record: just being positive.
We dont have meetings ahead of time saying, Lets write a record that sounds like this.
Daniel brings in a series of guitar progressions and we just build them.
But those arent things we discuss as a committee.
I think Sam is maybe the only one of us who can speak on his intention.
Has your relationship to your voice changed over time?Yeah.
I came from a school of thought where like, Bob Dylans a writer, not a singer.
Leonard Cohens a writer.
Even Neil Young Id put into that, or Beck.
And those are all people who are my favorites.
And Im not that, Im over here.
Im just some guy who yells and has lyrics.
So wed be in rehearsal, and when I wrote the melody, I could sing it.
I wouldnt write something that isnt in my range.
But Id find that by the third time we did the song, I couldnt sing it anymore.
Or the next day Id get to rehearsal and say, I cant sing that song.
Its so weird, whats happening?
Im more of a trained singer; Ive got five extra notes at the top of my range.
Which is something Im inclined to do, or I would have never had that problem.
Obviously I was trying to go places.
In a nutshell, yeah, I think Ive changed a lot as a singer.
Even in the sense that I take myself more seriously or try and approach it as a singer.
Which I literally didnt even do before.
So youre drinking more tea these days?Mmm … sometimes I drink like … no.
Sometimes if you get a little phlegmy theres remedies.
Gummy bear tea is good.
But Haribo gummy bears have glycerin.
So if you boil some of them down, you have glycerin for your vocal chords.
But I think all that shit becomes psychosomatic, or a placebo effect.
OnMarauder, your lyrics are a bit more forward-facing, or more direct, than in the past.
And if the language is a little esoteric, that, to me is not to obscure meaning.
It was a way to convey something that required that sort of language.
So its not like now I want to show myself at all.
Then, there are other moments on the record that are for myself.
I still certainly get a kick writing for characters.
Like, The Rover is not a personal song.
Thats a character that Im envisioning, and Mountain Child is a version of me via a character.
But I just think its where I am right now as a writer.
Im wondering what that interplay is like to you.Hm.
Maybe thats why the language is different this time, theres more of a Zen there.
Theres, like, a sense of accountability and responsibility, but you cant just self-flagellate.
I think theres also a sense of distance: Yeah, Ive made these missteps and errors.
But such is life.
And such life will continue to be, insofar that I am not yet the ideal version of myself.
Ive learned from some of these mistakes, but I probably havent learned everything Im supposed to learn yet.
I think theres a tension between a sense of where maturity and youth are kind of blending.
And luckily, youre still tapped into the youth part.
So it doesnt just feel like a memoir thats totally retrospective and introspective.
It has that little bit of inner joy.
But its still not actually taking all the joy and the risk and the uncertainty of where youre going.
How did you get to that point?I dont know.
Which is like, the greatest antidepressant that Ive ever encountered.
To just sort of … get out there[makes running motion with arms].
So youre jogging?Sweating.
I do boxing, I surf.
And when you go into something like an athletic pursuit, or if you took up salsa dancing.
Like, you havent sucked at anything since you were like 15.
Adulthood is often characterized by staying in comfort zones and having shit under control.
And then toughing that out?
Its youthful for your brain.
The rewards of being an artist, who the fuck knows what they actually are?
Which, in a long-term way, allows me to stay not jaded as an artist.
Can you tell me about the album artwork and the circumstances under which that was taken?Yeah.
Do you know about the photographer [Garry] Winogrand and [Attorney General Elliot] Richardson?
Yeah, thats a historic moment.
Paparazzi photos, I wanted that on the cover.
Which is another place that movie stars went but more in the Bogart era.
And theres black-and-white paparazzi photos of these people in a fine restaurant, with zebra-print banquettes and shit.
And it was like, cool.
We didnt set out to have a politically charged image of a guy resigning under Nixon.
And we settle on that image.
And Interpol has the right people around us for cool unexpected shit like that to happen.
This is the second time youve brought up paparazzi photos since weve started talking.
Why do you think youre drawn to them?What was the first time?
When you were telling me about your paintings.Oh yeah, Charlie Sheen.
I mean, thats a great question.
Its very specific, its nothing like paparazzi today.
Im talking black-and-white, interesting people with that flashbulb photography.
I dont know, theres something exotic and classy and beautiful about it.
Im not talking about schlubby telephoto photography of people leaving the gym with a smoothie.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
