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One time while we were on the road, we stayed at the house of this kid who seemed to be a very sensitive and shy kid. The next thing you know, when we went to sleep, this kid had put his balls on Chang Wang's forehead.
-Honus Honus |
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Let it be acknowledged that Six Demon Bag is aptly sequenced for music that derives from Man Man's stylistic knack. "Sequencing is definitely an important thing," states Honus. "It took some planning, it was frustrating at times, but it came together and I'm glad that you're pleased," he tells me. "It was recorded in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia in an un-air-conditioned place with a sweatshop next door, above, and below, with a soundman who almost died halfway through it. We took him to the hospital, and then he helped us finish our record. Now he's a recluse who speaks with no one and is growing his nails as long as he can. That is a true story," he affirms.
Man Man - Whiskey in hand |
The inspiration of the album's title is a mini-yarn as well. "Sergai had a nosebleed and woke up with the idea. He pitched it to us, and he thought it was a pretty good idea. Initially, we were going to name the record Mouth Wang, but it didn't fly with our label because they didn't like our cover shot, which was a close-up of an open mouth with Chang Wang shirtless and playing the saxophone on a cavity-ridden tooth." Cougar then reached into his book bag and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. "Oh shit, the Makers Mark has hit the table," Honus declares as our interview is interrupted for a few circle rounds of swigging.
With so many critics quick to point out the mild cabaret-sounding infusions in their sound, it comes natural to me to inquire whether any of the members have had any experiences in the performing arts at all in their lifetime to which Honus replies in a raised and stern tone, "Absolutely fucking not! We're called Man Man." It's at this juncture in our interview that I inquire as to the origin of their band name. "'Violated Old Woman at Home' was already taken," he shrugs.
Cougar - Man Man |
Man Man began to raise more than a few eyebrows in 2004 upon the release of their debut album The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face. Early 2005 saw them touring with the likes of The Arcade Fire, whose fans Honus described as "very, uh... sensitive," as well as a round of dates this past spring with the Fiery Furnaces. "Their fans are very receptive. The Fiery Furnaces are very kindred spirits because they're fucking weird and they write very idiosyncratic songs. We have much respect for that band." Honus even shares an odd tour tale. "One time while we were on the road, we stayed at the house of this kid who seemed to be a very sensitive and shy kid. The next thing you know, when we went to sleep, this kid had put his balls on Chang Wang's forehead."
The three most noticeable facets of Man Man's energetic live shows are their all-white stage garb, mostly consisting of t-shirts and short shorts, the tribal battle paint on their faces, and their reluctance for banter amongst the crowd between songs. This November sees them taking their romping live shows on a tour of Europe where they feel like they have an audience waiting for them "in theory."
Man Man |
In the time between the two albums, Man Man went through a couple of lineup changes into which Honus won't delve, citing its lack of importance as well as having seen a shaman. "It was a bad idea all around. I regret it, and I take it back. It fucked me up. End of story. I saw him in the Philippines. That's a third-world country. I was misinformed. It ought to be a funny story, but it's not."
As for what's next on the horizon for Man Man aside from touring, a third album is in the works. With no ballpark figure yet as to when it's to be released, Honus assures that half of it is written and shares his vision of it. "We're a band of people who all stumbled into this accidentally. If anything, we've got no particular interest in becoming some fucking 'rock' band. But who knows? Maybe on our next record we will be a rock band."
MAN MAN TOUR DATES
10.06 | Casbah | San Diego, CA
10.07 | Modified | Phoenix, AZ
10.08 | The Launchpad | Albuquerque, NM
10.09 | Winchester Building | Lubbock, TX
10.10 | Opolis | Norman, OK
10.11 | Hailey's | Denton, TX
10.12 | Emo's Alternative Lounging | Austin, TX
10.13 | Spanish Moon | Baton Rouge, LA
10.14 | Club Downunder | Tallahassee, FL
10.15 | The Social | Orlando, FL
10.16 | Cafe Eleven | Saint Augustine, FL
10.17 | Common Grounds | Gainesville, FL
10.18 | BottleTree | Birmingham, AL
10.19 | Drunken Unicorn | Atlanta, GA
10.21 | Gspot | Baltimore, MD
10.27 | Vlissingen | De Piek, NL
10.28 | the Social | Nottingham, UK
10.29 | The Musician | Leicester, UK
10.30 | Night & Day | Manchester, UK
10.31 | Sammi Jo's | London, UK
11.01 | Club 3voor12 Radio | Amsterdam, NL
11.02 | Doornroosje | Nijmegen, NL
11.03 | W2 Den | Bosch, NL
11.04 | Tilburg 013 | Tilburg, NL
11.05 | Rotown | Rotterdam, NL
11.08 | Vera | Groningen, NL
11.10 | Ekko | Utrecht, NL
JamBase | Philadelphia
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