MEN

Ever since Le Tigre called in a break in 2007, JD Samson has been focusing her energies on the art/performance collective called MEN. Joined by Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks Takahashi, they have just finished their run of UK shows. They might still remain unsigned but are packing in appreciative crowds for their finely honed performances.

Emma Tucker catches the band before their White Heat show in London for a quick chat.

How long have you guys been working on the MEN project?

JD: It’s been awhile but since 2007 I think under various different names.

So do you have an album out yet?

JD: No, not yet. Once we have a label, and we can think about how the distribution’s going to happen, we’ll know more about that, but not right now.

I see on your Myspace you’ve described yourself as an art collective, how does that influence your live performance? I’m guessing it’s a little different to your standard band?

JD: We’re really into our costumes, and we have some stage props that we’re going to use. Tonight it’s actually going to be a lot about protests and riots, and using that.

Ginger: And we really love our imagery.

I’m a big fan of Le Tigre and I just wondered if that’s finished now or if it’s something you’ll be going back to?

JD: Le Tigre was all about making original music. I mean, we all still love each other but we’re working on another project, so Le Tigre isn’t my priority right now.

To me MEN sounds a lot more dancey than Le Tigre, and I think I’ve seen on an interview you’re influenced by R n B music, is that the case?

JD: I actually think MEN is influenced by a lot of different styles, I don’t think I can identify a single genre that has influenced us.

What do you think about the whole zine and riot grrl culture these days? It seems like that’s died down quite a bit.

JD and Ginger: I feel like it’s still alive but in a different way. When we were in Brighton the other night, people gave us all these zines they’d made – so we had a collection of them. I think a lot of that culture has been commodified for advertising, but I feel like it’s still out there, just in a different way. Maybe more through the internet, and blogs.

Michael: I think the punk/queer movement has changed a lot since the time of zines, maybe it’s hard to pinpoint right now where that lies.

JD: Riot grrls are now grown up and they’re writing for magazines, and that’s really awesome because of what they write about. Everyone’s grown up but the movement still goes on, just in a different way.

Any favourite blogs?

JD: I don’t really read blogs at all, but I do really love this one called ‘Girlfriend is a Homo’, it’s sort of half Chicago half New York lesbian thing, and they only post something once every 3 weeks – that’s the only blog I ever read really.

There’s a Le Tigre song where you list out your inspirations, and it’s a long list of different women – are there any new ones that you’d like to add to that?

JD: Well we’re actually really influenced by the Talking Heads.

Michael: And I think women fronted bands, like Dance Yourself To Death.

Ginger: Another band is Motherland and they’re out of Berlin, and they’re really pushing the performance side of things.

So for your live show you use a Mac, with all the beats ready laid down?

We actually use Ableton Live, which is this really amazing multi-track performance tool, let’s you kind of operate everything separately. And we can play DVDs while we’re performing. Things have really changed since Le Tigre.

I remember hearing that Le Tigre used to use stickers for sounds – so you would know the cherry sticker would make a certain sound.

JD: Yeah, I used to have really bad dreams that people would want us to play actual tunes from music, and we’d all be like, sorry no, because everything was on a sampler or on the wrong notes.

I’m a big book nerd, I wondered if you had any favourite authors at the moment?

JD: I’m really into J M Coetzee at the moment, I read a book of his last year that I thought was great.

Ginger: I really like this author Samuel R Delany, and he was a young gay guy that wrote about New York, and sci fi.

Michael: I’d probably say the Dalai Lama – he’s got a lot to say.

Is there anything you want to add for London, any bizarre facts about yourself, anything London needs to know?

JD: We don’t have micro dicks. And we just want to have a good time.

Painting by Celeste Dupuy-Spencer