Vampire Weekend say: "Don't hate, self-educate!"
(Credit: XL)
“It would be rare that somebody would write something really over the top about a band they loved and people would be like, ‘Oh, you know what, I don’t like that band but that’s really cool that you feel excited about somebody,’” says singer Ezra Koenig. “They’re more likely to be like, 'This band fuckin’ sucks!’”
For now, the fans grossly outweigh the haters (Vampire slayers?). Based on their EP “Blue CD-R” and the Columbia University graduates’ eponymous debut album, Vampire Weekend has earned scores of accolades for its bouncy, Afro-pop-injected indie rock.
Koenig notes that all the buzz in the world doesn’t mean the band is living the luxe life yet: “Nothing even close to it.” He’s currently more focused on spending the group’s tour cramped in a minivan with the rest of the guys. While walking outside his apartment in New York, Koenig talked about Internet debates, Vampire Weekend’s alleged resemblance to Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” and their more literal connections to Art Garfunkel.
The hype about you guys is crazy. What are the most extreme things you’ve heard, positive or negative?
A lot of people, when they write about you in a positive way—when you haven’t put an album out yet—it’s just a speculative thing where it’s not enough just to say, “I heard this band’s EP. I really liked it." Instead you have to say, “This band is going to be huge!” And I think people automatically can resent that. If anything, the only bad press I see are people being like, “Come on! This band is not that exciting.”
Are you sick of the constant Paul Simon references?
People are always bringing up the “Graceland” comparison, which sometimes we feel is overused. And it’s weird to have your whole band compared to one album.
Do you have more in common with Simon or Garfunkel?
You know, Garfunkel went to Columbia, which is where we went. He lived in the same dorm I lived in my freshman year. So I feel a connection to him that way. I like his song “Bright Eyes.” It was like his one solo hit that was on the soundtrack to this movie, and recently I got pretty into it. But obviously I think when you look at the whole career, Paul Simon is a pretty interesting person. They each bring something to the table. Garfunkel has cooler hair. Definitely.
How unfair that people only mention Simon then.
It’s funny that you say that. After I started getting into that song, I was thinking it would be pretty funny if we covered it or something, and we’re just like, “Yeah, we’re pretty hardcore Garfunkel fanatics. We’re really into his solo work.” Which is not bad. There is some good stuff in there.
Would you rather spend a weekend with a vampire or a month with a werewolf?
I’d rather spend a month with Teen Wolf from the first “Teen Wolf” movie. I just like that one. He’s kind of like a laid-back party dude. So I think I’d go for the whole month to really get a sense of his life.
Is he more fun than Count Chocula?
Yeah. One vampire I kind of like is Kiefer Sutherland in “Lost Boys,” which is from a pretty similar era, but he’s a bad guy. Teen Wolf is just a high-school student struggling with life issues. I think I can relate to him more.
What would be the best part of being a vampire?
I guess the best part would be being able to turn into bats and fly because we’d probably be able to get places a lot faster and not have to be on the highway so much.
So, have people brought garlic to shows? You know, just in case?
No, not yet. In Europe we got some garlic hummus backstage. That was pretty good.
Vampire Weekend show off the latest in preppy fashions when they play the El Rey on Thur., March 20
