Interview with Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon is a musical artist like no other. Though he employs a gargantuan deck of esoteric and homespun electrical devices, his musical production remains very accessible. This is partly due to the man’s utter lack of pretension about his craft as well as his willingness to be approachable to his fans. In anticipation of Deacon’s forthcoming album Culture Bully’s Jon Behm was able to ask a few questions of the artist for this week’s installment of Five Questions.
Jon Behm: On the road you have been known to use an iPod shuffle for the recorded tracks that you need – isn’t that incredibly frustrating to have to use?
Dan Deacon: Contrary to popular belief the shuffle can play a play list in a set order, just like a CD player. its nice and compact, it has no screen so it doesn’t ever “freeze” or lock up. It handles heat and humidity really well. In 2009 I’ll be touring with an ensemble of percussionists and others playing electronics. I’ve been playing as a solo act for so long, it’ll be nice to play with live people again. Playing along with tracks can become graining sometimes.
JB: What can we expect this year from your new release, Bromst?
DD: I hate expectations. They are the death of experience.
JB: You are a member of the Wham City! arts collective – is living with them sort of like a Real World for incredibly creative people?
DD: It’s like the a animal hospital run by hurt children with emotional problems.
JB: Do you ever have fun with your ring modulator (i.e. leaving messages on people’s voicemail in the voice of a killer robot, or anything like that?)
DD: I do have fun with my ring modulator but not in a playing hilarious phone pranks kind of way. A pitch-shift pedal is better for that.
JB: Being somewhat of a celebrity from Baltimore, do you ever schmooze with John Waters?
DD: Nope. I get asked that all the time. It’s like asking you if you see Prince all the time. But now i must know, do you? I guess a lot of my friends have seen him out at bars but I’m just an unlikely duck. (editor’s note: Jon Behm does, in fact, see Prince all the time)
Dan Deacon “My Own Face is F Word” [MP3]
Dan Deacon “Walking To Work Happy” [MP3]
Man, I am so psyched for the new album. I’ve seen Mr. Deacon a couple of times over the past few years, and he is always marvelous.
Yeah, the one and only time I have seen him live was one of my top shows of the year last year. He really packs a lot of energy into his shows