if you haven’t heard about girl talk yet, then you haven’t been keeping up with music news. gregg gillis (girl talk is really just gregg with his laptop) has been all over the place in terms of press, and he’s still gaining momentum. he released his third album, night ripper, on illegal art records in may, and it was my guilty pleasure all throughout the summer. not that it’s anything to feel guilty about - but indie snobbery must go out the window in order to appreciate the fun and humor of this mash-up album, and happily so, because it’s a blast.

the description of girl talk’s music on his myspace (i just dissolve helplessly into inadequate descriptions when i attempt it myself) runs as follows:

“[ night ripper] bangs as a continuous mix packed with wildly disparate Top 40 genres and eras. Current hip hop hits, soft rock radio standards, party classics, grunge masterpieces, R&B singles, glossy club-shakers, and rock anthems are all layered and pieced meticulously together into one non-stop celebration of pop and excess. This is easily the most comprehensive and exhaustive mix-type album ever made.”

even if this sounds like hell on earth to you, anyone that can seamlessly mix these genres together has my attention. all the fun and humor doesn’t have to be cast out of music in order for it to be awesome; sometimes, you just have to shake your ass. furthermore, mixing dirty south rap with beloved indie acts (neutral milk hotel! is this blasphemy?!) is just ballsy, and as i consider myself an authority on blasphemous musical mistakes, i have to say - this works. and with over 150 samples (10-20 per song), it is impossible to get bored, even if you’re cringing.

i looked forward to his houston show date for a month, and when it finally came last saturday (september 23), i was not disappointed. the room was packed, inebriation was in full effect, and all music snobbery was thrown out the window (briefly, mind you!) for one simple reason - to dance. and note: all those “indie” kids? they knew the words to every rap song, all the early 90’s pop hits, and beyond. don’t let them fool you. even snobs have to let go sometimes.

girl talk was also gracious enough to grant me an interview, and here it is, for your enjoyment.

superstarcastic: what bands, if any, have you been listening to non-stop?
girl talk: i’ve been really into nelly furtado’s “maneater” single; the synths are so solid. wolf eyes are playing in pittsburgh on wednesday, so i’ve been prepping up listening to their new one. it’s heavy. and i’ve recently become obsessed with peter bjorn & john. the new ludacris single is pretty good, but i think the intro samples upstage the whole song.

superstarcastic: who (or what) are your influences?
girl talk: that’s an impossible question, too many to answer! my first favorite song was poison’s “unskinny bop”, which was before i had a real concept of “bands”. my first favorite group was bel biv devoe. then i switched over to nirvana and grunge. simultaneously, i got down with all of the 90’s gangster music: dr. dre, ice cube, etc. at some point in early high school i got into indie rock and then into some straight avant-garde and noise stuff. but by the time i was 18 or so, i think i was just listening to anything.

superstarcastic: i’ve heard talk about you getting sued for using samples without permission…has anything come of that?
girl talk : nothing has come of that. just rumors, no problems.

superstarcastic: what books/publications are you currently reading?
girl talk: i haven’t read an actual book in awhile, just a bunch of science journal weirdo-type stuff for work. i also do magazines on airplanes, and i’m down with almost anything in hudson news.

superstarcastic: what makes you use a certain sample in your songs? how do you choose them?
girl talk: i basically sample songs that i enjoy and take bits and pieces i think will be able to work in a new context. it’s always easier to work with isolated parts, such as a drum solo or a breakdown or whatever, so i oftentimes hunt those sections down.

superstarcastic: your career seemed to explode out of nowhere…how’d that happen? are you living the life of excess yet (i.e. hookers n blow)? what was the turning point of your career?
girl talk: i caught some positive reviews, and then the ball just started rolling. i think i’m living the life of excess in that i work from 9 to 5 during the week, then go home and try to hang out with my girlfriend and do remixes for people, then every weekend i fly out of town to play shows. so it’s really excessive, but no hookers n blow.

superstarcastic: what’s the strangest music-related dream you’ve ever had?
girl talk: i have girl talk concert-related dreams on a regular basis. i really can’t think of the strangest musical dream i’ve had lately , but i had an insane fever this weekend and had some equally insane dreams because of it. in one of them, some genetic scientist from london was studying evolution and survival of the fittest type stuff, so he made about 100 pitbulls with wings and let them out in the wild to see how they’d survive. one of them flew down on some huge soccer game in a stadium and killed a player on live national tv. i think that dream was related to joey potter’s dog getting loose and killing a miniature hhorse this past week.

superstarcastic: where do you see girl talk going from here? plans?
girl talk: i’m really caught up in a bunch of remix work, so i think that should keep me busy for a long time. i’m always working with new material for live shows, so i have no concrete plans, but i’m going to just keep riding the storm.

superstarcastic: are you looking forward to the houston show tonight? because we are totally fucking awesome in houston, and we love you.
girl talk: yeah! i have a bunch of houston friends and it was great seeing all of them. i had a 101 temperature, could barely move, and was throwing up in my mouth the night prior to the show, but the people took the energy that i didn’t have and ran with it.

 

 

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