Get Loaded In The Park 2011: Darwin Deez Interview

Gigwise continues the countdown to this year's Get Loaded In The Park festival in London with an exclusive interview with Darwin Deez, who will headline the Gigwise Arena at the festival.

Here the singer chats about his plans for the festival, what he's planning for album number two and the importance of having a sense of humour.

You perform pretty extensive dance routines at your live shows. Which take longer to create, the songs or the dances?

“Well, extensive, I don't know...a minute-thirty tops. The songs for sure.  They can take up to 3 months.  A stage dance - complete with custom edit or mash-up - usually takes a half a day.”

You’ve got a big UK following, do you feel there’s an element in your music that taps into a particularly British sensibility?

“Yes, for sure. The British pop sensibility is highly attuned. It's not a coincidence that the poppiest band in history, The Beatles, was British. I consciously tried to make this album as catchy as hell and I think the Brits have responded to that the most. The people, not the awards show.”

Your debut album was recorded on your laptop, do you have any grandiose plans for recording the follow up?

“The laptop thing is a misconception. That sh*t was made on a tower PC - and it was a POS.I threw it out on the street last month. No grandiose plans. Just planning to hire some help with the mixing next time.”

Who would be your dream producer and why do you think they’d get the best out of you?

“Hmm...Quincy Jones?  He's got great horn licks and made the funkiest danciest record of all time with MJJ.”

Darwin (the scientist) gave science a huge insight into the process of evolution. Who in your line up would win in a ‘survival of the fittest’ situation?

“Currently Miles is the most physically fit. And fit in the British sense. He's what you'd call a fittie.  He's hot. And he'd win, procreation-wise and hunter-gatherer-wise.”

Your music is often concerned with the mysteries of the universe. Which planet do you think Darwin Deez would go down best on?

“I don't know if you've noticed, but it's really going on down here. My guru Meher Baba says that only on planet Earth does spiritual involution take place--the process by which we advance toward the conscious realization of the unity of all life.  Freaky, hey?”

How important do you think humour is in art?

“I tend to think of them as separate.  Although Antony and the Johnson's type stuff tends to strike me as a bit too serious, so maybe there is a place for a bit of humour in serious art/music.”

You seem cut out for festival crowds. What’s your favourite thing about playing festivals?

“I love to bop around on the extra large stages.”

Your going to be playing Get Loaded in London this year. How have you got on with the city in the past? How does it compare to New York?

“I dislike London's curvy streets. I can't navigate it for shit and I hate that.  I'm fiercely independent.”

Who’s been in your headphones recently?

“Rick James, Rick James, Rick James!"

Get Loaded In The Park takes place at Clapham Common on June 12 and will be headlined by Razorlight. For more information, check out the Gigwise Festival Guide.