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If you like your rock stars considered, intelligent and articulate with a semiotics major thrown in for good measure, Damian Kulash could be your man. One quarter of Chicago's Ok Go, he's (not surprisingly!) part of a band with a post grad knack of deconstructing those bombastic rock/pop anthems that you'll only grudgingly admit to liking, before neatly re-assembling the sum parts into bundles of sophisticated, day-glo unit shifters.
Sat reading The Guardian as he enthusiastically greets Gigwise on his immaculate tour bus, the immediate whiff of cleanliness and good living without the merest suggestion of tobacco, alcohol, narcotics or controversial comment being entered into the equation suggests this isn't gonna be a Libertines-esque rollercoaster ride into rock n' roll's black hole. But if you're after perceptive, thoughtful musings on the nature of the music industry beast (Damian's favourite subject) you're going to be more than adequately catered for here. First up, the current garage rock love-in with Detroit V's his native Chicago.
"It's so funny that everyone cares about Detroit over here. I love the White Stripes, but Detroit hasn't traditionally been that vibrant a scene. At least for the last 20 years anyway. Chicago's great .. there's tons and tons of stuff going on in Chicago and its one of the only towns in America where people go to shows all the time. At our first concert there were 300 people there and that was only half the club! Had we been in New York, our first show would have been like 15 people or something. Y'know, everybody's in a band and that's what you do on a Friday night."
Although distinctly proud of the Windy City where he, Tim Nordwind (bass), Dan Konopka (drums) and Andy Duncan (keyboards/guitar) first formed Ok Go in 1999, Kulash agrees that the roster of Touch and Go and the avante garde post-rock musings of Tortoise didn't exert a massive influence over the fledgling group.
"Musically none of them were a big influence. Most of what we drew influence from was what we grew up listening to, not what we were listening to at that particular point [1999]. It's hard not to be affected by the scene in some way, but I can't say there were specific sounds or people".
Perhaps not apparent when soaking up their polished self entitled debut album, you can see later whilst mingling amongst the crowd post gig and in the clear emphasis on their not being an insurmountable boundary between band and fans, the 'communal scenes' that most influenced Ok Go.
"I'd say its more the Washington DC scene in the 90's that we were influenced by because that's where me and Andy grew up. At High School all we listened to was like Dischord records (Fugazi/Minor Threat). And to a certain extent, the Manchester scene over here coz Tim was really into The Stones Roses, The Inspiral Carpets and The Happy Mondays. So there's a little bit of that in there. And then there's a lot of pop stuff, y'know, we listen to a lot of Queen, the Cure and Cheap Trick. That kind of stuff".
So the Queen revival gather's pace, with yet another acolyte spreading the gospel according to Messrs May and Mercury! And what better a homage than to wholesale pillage perhaps THE most recognisable intro of all time ('We Will Rock You') and slap it proudly at the top of bona fide chart smash 'Get Over It'. Have they been surprised with the songs success in the UK?
"In a way its just great luck! Who usually walks into a situation where their songs all over the radio and TV?. We're just pinching ourselves, y'know. But it also seems to be people responding to things more because they're paying attention to it [Get Over It]. Because they listening to it. That's not how things get done in the United States".
Somewhat surprisingly, given that Ok Go are signed to major labels both in the US (Capitol) and the UK (Polydor) and in possession of a distinctly radio friendly sound that he readily admits "isn't that different", Kulash is quick to rile against the stagnant US, Radio Blandsville driven market with records chosen by "white, male focus groups". He likes the 'build em up, knock em down' culture in the UK that, he argues, keeps things fresh.
"The Press is much more hyperbolic here. Everything is the biggest thing that ever was, which in some ways is a good thing because everyone's a little more excited about everything. In the States it's on much more of an even keel".
Clearly enthused to be playing an all ages Sumo with garage rockin' titans The D4, he leaves us with a re-affirmation of his commitment to the fans despite that nagging doubt that it may be all about selling as many records as possible within their 'window of opportunity'.
"I'd rather play to 1000 kids who buy a record every week than 3-5000 people who mostly have 9-5 jobs and are there because they think it will impress their girlfriend. We want to develop a fanbase that will understand what we're doing and care about what we do next, grow with us as we grow and last over the years".
