Break me off some Stereolab interview question ideas for sometime next week

The more serious take on this would be head on -- point out that a critical stereotype is that all the records have essentially sounded the same/they've only done the same thing over and over. What would they say about distinguishing what/how they've done over time, and what is the difference for this album in particular? (The potential problem here is the obvious loss of Mary, which is in some respects the elephant in the room for the series of interviews for this album.)

Umm, perhaps stick to the music. leave the merk raking to umm, err.. actually nobody...

are you really interviewing both Tim & Laetitia incidentally? it's been a while since they've done a joint one.

if it's Tim only, don't bother asking about lyrics, he'll just say "Oh, Laetitia writes those". you'll get most change from Tim by getting him to talk tech and about what musical influences shaped the new record. he's usually quite open about saying he's tried to to emulate a particular sound or a record he's been listening to. apparently, the starting point for the music on Sound-Dust was insects. I'd be interested to know if there was a particular theme underpinning the Margerine Eclipse songs.

having said don't ask direct personal questions, if you're interviewing Laetitia I would observe that "Hillbilly Motobike" and (Monade's) "Enfin Seule" on the face of it reflect a more personal element in her writing than perhaps anything hitherto. would she agree?

DK: Hey Tim, how ya livin’?

TG: Very well, thanks! Um, where are you?

DK: Vancouver.

TG: Hahaha!

DK: Heh heh, yeah. Okay, you might agree that after decade at it, and also in light of recent events surrounding the band, that Stereolab have reached a whole different terrain in terms of career trajectory and critical appraisal. How often do you think about how people are interpreting you? Or do you even bother.

TG: Well, I never have the listener in mind when I make music. What someone will think of it - that’s what comes after. I’ve never been interested in that. You don’t make music with that mission in mind. What comes out comes out. I’ve never known what a record will sound like so, you know, when some people say, “Oh, it’s very poppy,” - very this, very that; or very commercial, or not at all - well that’s the way it came out, and that’s what seemed the best thing to do at the time, you know?

DK: Yeah, so you think that people trying to decode artist intention is a mug’s game? Some might say you guys have hit autopilot with your signature sound and this is a bad thing, while many feel that they could do with absolutely nothing but - and everyone has their theories why.

TG: I think they often don’t understand what they’re talking about, unfortunately. Because people who say that tend to be people who never listened to us anyway. I think that the music is sufficiently varied, and, I mean, there are similarities about it because it mainly comes from the personalities involved. But at the same time, I don’t think all our records sound the same. I don’t this this record sounds the same as that record. They’re just records. Anyone who would bother to stick the pin more than a millimeter below the surface would realize it wasn’t the same. But at the same time, I tend to think of music as kind of … content and arrangement. I’m not interested in progression for it’s own sake. I feel it’s far better I think that I’m able to express an idea I feel very strongly about than second guess peoples tastes.

DK: Word. Now Tim, you’re one of the most legendary music collector nuts on Earth, and Stereolab are a band that inspires real dedication in this regard. Now that we’re living in a culture of online speed-listening and filesharing, do you think some of the romance has been lost in the ritual?

TG: [Laughs] It’s a different kind of romance, maybe, but I wouldn’t say romance is the number one reason - it’s being curious about things. I mean, personally, I like to see some effort on the part of the one making and the one listening. I like to feel the effort of what someone’s done. I listen to thousands of records and I’m able to absorb them quite quickly, but for some things, you need time to get them under your surface. If you just listen to it once and made your mind up, then you’re never going to understand very much about things, you know? Some music requires effort, requires attention, requires you to learn a new language - you can't have everything that comes at you judged by your criteria at that time; sometimes you must add things from what you’re listening to.

DK: Okay, on the topic of speed-listening, what three Stereolab tracks would you play to someone who’d never heard your stuff before but was really curious?

TG: [Laughs] That would probably…. Oh, I don’t know, what would I play? I would probably pick something very obscure, like a b-side or something. Um, “Fluorescences,” “Come Play In The Milky Night,” and “Harmonium.”

DK: You’ve recently been sampled by hip-hop acts like Busta Rhymes and Gold Chains, namechecked by the Neptunes, and done work with Common. What kind of hip-hop are you into, and what do you think of hip-hop?

TG: I think its one of the more interesting genres in in spectrum. I just like the stylistic nature of hip hop, I like the way the music is put together. The attitude is more similar to mine than rock music‘s. Its very forward, a different view of music, and that’s why I like it, because they’re not afraid to use anything, and I find that very refreshing, liberating. I mean my favorite record last year was by Pest, and of course, the Outkast LP as well.

DK: Whoa cool, I didn’t know that! Alright, the coda beats on Margerine Eclipse sound a lot like that disco-punk stuff the kids are into nowadays, and I’ve always thought some Lab tracks like “Infinity Girl” were crazy danceable by indie standards - what do you think of the whole indie-dance thing?

TG: Sorry, I don’t know that! What kind of groups of are they?

DK: Oh, uhhh, stuff like the Rapture, stuff like…

TG: Oh! I’ve heard of the Rapture; I don’t know WHAT they are though.

DK: [Laughs] Sweet…. Um, okay, there are some really great bands out there like Broadcast that are often compared to you, what do you--

TG: Oh, I love Broadcast! I don’t think we sound like them, but I love their music. I mean, we put their first records out, so we know them - I mean, they sent in their music on a cassette. It was brilliant then and it’s brilliant now.

DK: Okay, vocoders - yes or no?

TG: No. Too much.