Whoa. Oh my god. I gotta catch my breath… Girl Talk is way intense.
Gregg Gillis from Girl Talk was cool enough to share (more than) a few words with us before his show at the always wonderful Palladium Loft. I’ve been dictating this baby on and off for the past few days, pausing only to eat small scraps of bread, cry, and drain the blood from my fingertips. Gregg is a mega-cool guy, by which I mean he says bad words every once in a while. If you happen to see him, buy him a brew-dawg for me.
The following interview contains profanity so DON’T READ IT NO MATTER WHAT.
*Major kudos to our DJ Zach Keenan for conducting the interview and snapping some pics at the show!*
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Radio UTD: Hey, whats up Gregg?
Gregg: Hey, Im so sorry about the delay. Were just out in the middle of nowhere and trying to find a spot to grab a drink and stuff. We literally had a lack of exits for like a half-hour straight.
R: Oh yeah? Where are you coming from?
G: Uh, were coming from Houston. I think were still about two hours from Dallas or so.
R: Cool. So how was your Halloween?
G: Oh! Halloween was really chilled-out. I flew into Austin and rented a car from there, um, a day early for the show. And Ive got a few friends at the college up there. We just chilled out, watched Predator and drank a few brew-dawgs.
R: [Laughs] Nice. I have to ask, are you still growing the beard out?
G: Ah, Im re-growing it. I had it going really well and I got my credit card and license stolen at a show in LA, which sucked and I had to it And I had to go through all this identification stuff in one day. And I was afraid they were going to have to take a new picture of me for my ID, because you cant get into Canada without a passport And I needed a photo ID And, uh This is a really long story for why I dont have a beard [Laughter]. So, I didnt want an ID with me looking really homeless on it, so I was just like fuck it, Ill shave it. But then I went to the license place and they just gave me a new ID with the same exact photo on it. They didnt even need the picture, which sucks, but Im growing it back out. I kind of have a beard in training right now.
R: Where did you get your Start doing all of these glitch mash-ups?
G: In high school I was in a noise band, and we did things where we would just make noise over pop songs, and things like that. So, when I first got a computer, I heard other peoples remixes like, Kid 606s Straight out of Compton remix, which came out in the late 90s, and I was really into that. And so, ever since I got a computer I just wanted to make experimental music out of pop music, and started doing that around 2000.
R: And did you carry it on into college?
G: Yeah, I started college around 2000. And then, pretty much all the main Girl Talk work, or like, the foundations were laid down between 2000-2004, when I was going to college in Cleveland, Ohio.
R: Case Western Reserve, right? What were you going there to study?
G: I studied biomedical engineering. I had a day job for a couple years after I finished school, doing engineering.
R: But no longer? Youve devoted yourself?
G: Yeah, I was doing both for a long time Like, Ive always been making the music, but it was never taking up all that much time. And then about last year things started to take off a little bit for me. But yeah, I was playing shows just about every single weekend, while holding down a job, which eventually just became overwhelming, so I quit in June. It was pretty relentless. I literally did around a hundred shows last year, while holding down my day job Like, every weekend and then some. Every Friday, I would hop on a plane and roll out somewhere to do a show Friday and Saturday, then hop back on the plane Sunday and be back at work by Monday.
R: Wow… During that time, would you describe yourself as more of a Jekyll and Hyde, or more of a Superman?
G: [Laughs] I think it was pretty Superman. I was definitely the quiet guy, just kinda chillin out at work, and I dont think they would have suspected anything like that, the nightlife, you know? I mean, I liked the job, but I didnt necessarily hit it off with any coworkers, like I was down with them, but I wasnt buds with them or anything. I kinda kept to myself, so I dont think anyone suspected me to be globetrottin, laptoppin and taking of my shirt.
R: Growing up in Pennsylvania, would you say you were a pretty big Dr. Jay fan?
G: Yeah, man, definitely when the Chronic came out. I dont know anyone who wasnt really down with that. I got into his NWA stuff when I was fairly little. I dont remember where I first heard of NWA, but I remember a friend of mines older brother having the tape, and I was stealing it and listening to it in the basement with headphones, and just being blown away
By just the vulgarity of it.
R: [Laughs] Well, its so good that you touched onto a point, but what I was really going for Doctor Jay. Yknow, Sixers, P.A., what?!
G: Oh! [Laughs] Not Dr. Dre, Im sorry! [Laughs]
R: [Laughs] Yeah, we went somewhere I was not expecting, but it was good.
G: Nah, actually, I was a big basketball fan growing up, but Pittsburg doesnt have an NBA team, so its kind of like
In Pittsburg youre supposed to hate anything Cleveland-related. Thats just the vibe there
But I grew up liking the Cleveland Caveliers. So I was a big Mark Price, Brad Doherty, Greg Ilo fan.
R: But now youre living
G: Im in Pittsburg, yeah.
R: is there anywhere youre thinking about moving to?
G: Nah, Im pretty pumped on Pittsburg. I dont know. I guess a lot of my good friends are from there, and its cheap, and cool, theres a lot of bands there supporting each other, and
Well, theres not a lot of pressure, you know what I mean? Ive been doing Girl Talk for a while out of there, and no ones trying to bite my style or pull of something similar, which is very comfortable. It seems like everyone that starts a band there is in their own world. And Im down with snow; I like to go sled-riding, you know? Things like that. So, Im pretty stoked on Pittsburg for right now.
R: Ive seen your t-shirts that say Im not a DJ. If youre not a DJ, how would you describe yourself?
G: I guess Ive always just considered myself and audio sound collage-ist. Like I said, I was really into Kid 606, and John Oswalt Negativeland, and those guys that work with pre-existing sound; doing remixes and things like that
and guys who had never been labeled DJs. So its just my background, Ive been doing this for
Seven years, and for six of those years no one really called me a DJ, because people understood more of
Where I was coming from, I guess? But now that its gotten a little bigger and broader, Ive sort of been lumped into a category Ive previously not been affiliated with, since thats the simplest thing
Its just the easiest way for people to pinpoint me
So Ive just considered myself a laptop producer or sound collage.
R: I know you touched on the sampling and all of that; about how much scrutiny are you under, with people saying that youre violating copyright laws.
G: Weve had no real legal problems. I mean, theres a thing called fair use, where you can sample without asking the artist for permission. Its funny when you put out an album with samples because the way people think about it automatically is: Aw, its illegal. Hes gonna get sued. But actually, its a grey area. If you transform a piece of music that doesnt effect the artists potential sales, the court can take a look at the nature of the work and deem that, you know, it falls under fair use and you may not actually have to pay royalties. So, surprisingly enough, weve actually had no problems. Its been an interesting topic of discussion over the years, but no ones really come after me.
R: How do you feel about working on a small label like Illegal Art?
G: Im fairly pumped on it. I mean, its one guy that really runs it, and Ive been in contact with him since I started doing this. And he put out my first two records, and all of my records are completely different, and hes been very supportive of the whole transition. And I like it, I mean, most of his releases pretty much made him no money, he just sells enough to potentially break even and things like that, and he supports that. He just really likes putting out fairly obscure music. We just kinda got lucky with the last album, Night Ripper, and people really took to it. I think we both had sort of this underdog mentality. We werent even shooting for that. It wasnt our goal for that album to get big or anything like that. We just do our best and wherever it goes, it goes. So just recently its been like weve put in years and years of hard work and dedication to releasing sample-based music, and it just worked out for us
But yeah, I love that label. Im down with everything they put out. And stoked to continue to work with them in the future.
R: Do you think that moving to a bigger label would harp on your professional growth?
G: Its bizarre for me, you know, when youre a band and you start doing good and people are paying attention, people just assume you want to transition over to a bigger label, but with me, the legal aspect is so complicated, so no one really wants to deal with it. I dont really have any aspirations to move to a bigger label, since Illegal Art is going their job, yknow? Doing what it does. I dont even think a larger label would be that eager to take me on for fear of being sued, whereas Illegal Art is dedicated to it. Especially nowadays, labels dont seem as important. You can put an album out on Myspace or Youtube and people hear about it. CDs are dying out a bit, in a way. I mean, Ill still continue to release albums, but having a label seems less important now than ever.
R: You mentioned Myspace and Youtube The internet has widely boosted your fame; Do you think, to the fans, its more about the music and the content there, or how you present it in the live show?
G: Um, I dont know. I know that the live shows definitely help to support it. But I think the album generated a lot of interest before people even knew I performed live. For me, its always about the albums. When I perform, its just a party, and a good time, and I dedicate most of my time to playing shows, but Im always presenting new material live, so playing shows is almost like a big process to see whats going to work on an album. So in the past year of always doing shows and playing new material, trying stuff out, I can look back and say this worked, this didnt, and this is what Im going to put into an album. So for me, the bottom line is just working towards these albums. Thats my big artistic contribution But I think the show works hand in hand with it You can experience the two in different ways. The album you can sit down with and study, to a degree, and pick it apart, and memorize and understand it, whereas a show is more of just a free-for-all.
R: Speaking of internet sensations, how was the show in Minneapolis with Tay Zonday?
G: [Laughs] I was pretty weird. When that came up
I knew I had heard the song, Chocolate Rain, but I really didnt know the deal, and Dan Deacon, who I was on tour with, was really pumped on it. I guess he requested that Tay play with us
And so, one day our booking agent just called me up and said hey, do you want that Chocolate Rain guy to play? [Laughs] And I was like what guy? I really didnt know the deal. He told me Dan was pumped, so I kinda agreed to do it. I had no idea it was such a big deal. All of a sudden people were calling me up strictly to do interviews about Tay Zonday [Laughs] It was cool. I think it was a little intimidating for him though, just because he played inbetween Dan and I, and people get CRAZY for Dan, people just go BUCK WILD. And then people continue to dance for me afterwards, which is a pretty solid one-two punch. I think it was a little tough for him, just because he doesnt necessarily make dance music
And I dont really know that he normally attends concerts or shows or anything like that
So he was definitely a little stunned by the level of insanity; All these sweaty drunk people ready to go nuts. It was definitely interesting, and a good learning experience for him, I hope. I hope he continues to do well with it.
R: What do you think the longevity of internet radio is? You hear a lot of fuss these days about people wanting to shut down internet radio, or hike rates way up because of copyrights.
G: Uh, yeah. I dont really keep up with internet radio all that much. I love all sorts of radio though. I dabbled a little at my job and got into office radio a little bit, or internet radio, but I hope it sticks around. Music is changing so much, and all sorts of radio is shifting around and just
Being weird. I really listen to traditional FM radio a lot. And I cant really say whether or not internet or traditional radio is a fading fad or what, but it seems to me that internet radio has been striving quite a bit lately. I just hope that it remains free… I mean, I dont really want to have to pay to get on the internet to do anything.
R: Do you prefer to play large festivals like Bonnaroo and Virgin Fest, or smaller club shows?
G: I really like small shows. But I like em all, you know what I mean? Before Coachella and Bonnaroo, I was worried it wouldnt go over that well, just because I hadnt played anything that big, but I really loved both of those shows; theyre some of the most exciting shows Ive ever done, but in general, I like to be interactive with the audience and allow people to get on stage. The last show with Dan Deacon was kinda weird since we werent used to playing big venues and then all of a sudden theres security guards and barriers between the stage and the audience and all that
And I always try to push a house-party vibe at the shows, and thats tough when its some super-club thats really expensive to get into and its really nice and you dont want to spill a drink or anything like that. So I got excited when I saw the venue tonight (the Loft) and saw that the capacity was 300 people. I was pretty psyched about that. I mean, I feel by now that I can do any size show and itll come across alright, but my comfort zone is in smaller shows. A 300-capacity venue sounds perfect for me.
R: What has been your most fun performance? I saw a clip of that Montreal Jazz Festival that you single-handedly turned into a
You know, that block party-dance party?
G: I wouldnt say that that was the most fun, but it was definitely one of the most unique shows. Thats a good example of playing a big venue where theyre very uptight about security and set times and everything like that. And it was great, because there were these guys in Montreal doing a movie about copyright that Im involved with, and Ive known for a number of years. So they kinda came up and we talked about doing a set at Coachella and having a wireless setup, but it didnt really work out there, so we talked about doing it again at the jazz festival since the streets are just full of people and theres parties on every block and things like that. So those guys from the movie really hooked it up; we had a crew of like twenty people, and they rented a generator and had this wireless setup. They really took care of it all. It was nuts, you know, we made plans to meet and I parked and got out, and those dudes were nowhere to be found. I was like oh my god, its not going down, and all of a sudden I heard this lawnmower sound from across the block, and it was the generator! And we just got it plugged in and got it started, and it was really awesome and distorted and raw sounding in a cool way, and everyone came outside and we passed out sparklers, confetti, and we all just crammed into this empty lot and jammed for like fifteen, twenty more minutes. It was great because those few minutes were so much more enjoyable than the previous show was up on a giant stage when I didnt have that house-party feel at all. It was such a good example of how good a small show can be better than a huge one thats a little bit
stiff, like in a fancy club. Its just better for me when everything is just raw. That one was weird, but I wouldnt necessarily say it was the most fun. Its really hard for me to pick just one show. Theres really no way to compare Coachella to the show tonight; theyre both cool in their own separate way.
R: Any word on that Of Montreal remix?
G: Yeah, I started doing it a while ago with a friend of mine. Its like a side project thing where were doing remixes for people. And Of Montreal remix I was just kinda doing as Girl Talk and doing it sample based, and I started working on it and I passed it by my friend, and he started touching up a little bit and helping me out to the point where I just decided we should just do it together as Tre Holdem(?). And anyways, we finished it up like a month and a half ago and submitted it to the label
But they were kinda liking a certain version, and we were liking a certain version, and then while I was on tour I forgot to email them for a while
But hopefully itll be out really soon because I was really pumped about it. We just never really finalized which version we were going to use. But its pretty cool, theres this band called Dr. Hook from the seventies, and we cut up a Dr. Hook track and made the Of Montreal track all disco-ey and fun.
R: Some people Ive talked to refer to your experimental glitch mash-ups as a gimmick. Do you have a response?
G: I mean, everythings a gimmick, you know? To me its just music. Im not even doing anything thats too glitchy anymore, Im focusing more on sound collage. In my mind its still very similar to the hip-hop I grew up listening to, Im just taking loops and samples to create a beat, and lump everything together to make something new. Samples are just another instrument, in my mind [Phone call drops]
R: Hello? Greg? Aw Geez. [Reconnects]
G: Hey, Im sorry about that, man, my phone is a piece of shit [Laughs]
R: So, its not an iPhone?
G: [Laughs] No, man. Its funny, phones change so fast these days. Mine looks really 2005.
R: Oh no!
G: Yeah, you know. Its funny, I played this private party for some rich kid out in LA; like a sweet 16 party kind of, a couple weeks ago. At the end of the show, the kid just busted out his iPhone to get an autograph on it, and then all of a sudden, like EVERY kid had a brand new sidekick or an iPhone, and they all wanted their phone signed. And I was just like: you kids have NO IDEA what kind of phone I have. It was really emberassing. [Laughs]
R: Thats when you just swipe one out.
G: [Laughs] Yeah, I should have stolen one.
R: Do you practice? If so, how exactly does a practice session go?
G: I guess its not as much practice as it is preparation. When I perform, all of the loops are like, isolated, so whenever you hear changes, its like me clicking my hand. So, I do rehearse those and I guess I practice them
But a lot of the material Ill play tonight and on tour, Ive been playing for a little while, and whenever I get a minute to listen to new music, Ill substitute in a small part when I can, you know. Piece by piece. I may work for a few hours and change thirty seconds of a one hour set, you know what I mean? If I change one minute of a one hour set every weekend, and I do that for a couple months, all of a sudden, theres like big chunks changed. And thats kind of how I work. When Im putting together the changes, its always hard for me to find a combination I like and figure out the keystrokes so it works out live, it takes a while for me to get it down even once I know what I want to do. So, I do rehearse and practice, but I dont really ever go through the whole set, I just focus on small individual parts that are all brand new.
R: Just out of curiosity, what program do you use?
G: Its called Audiomulch.
R: Cool Ive never heard of it, but Cool Good product plug, too. [Greg Laughs] I was on stage with you at Virgin Fest and I remember the crowd being pretty crazy. How much stage dancing is too much?
G: Im pretty comfortable with whatever, you know what I mean? I want people to have a good time. I mean, a lot of times I think theres too many people up there for dancing, but its kinda just whatever people are into, you know. I want people to have a good time as long as I can still click my mouse. You know, Ive had shows where you cant even move and its just shoulder to shoulder, and sometimes people like that, to just bounce up and down. Other times, people need a few feet to bust out their moves and whatnot. Personally, I like to dance, so if I were attending a show, and the stage was too crowded, Id rather be out in the crowd actually dancing. Im fine with anything as long as Im not gonna pass out from exhaustion. Sometimes its pretty extreme and Im just crunched in there, but Im happy to go through that if everyone is having a good time. I mean, I like shows where the stage is lively, but the best shows are when I get the back to get lively. I mean, almost every show the people on stage are ready to get nuts, but its a rarity when the entire place is like Going off, you know?
R: For sure. Actually, touching back on Virgin fest, I still have your sunglasses.
G: Oh, man. You gotta break em out tonight.
R: Oh yeah Ill definitely have them on tonight, the hot pink and black ones. Yeah, so Ill see you tonight, thank you so much for the interview.
G: Oh, man. Thank you guys. Sorry for the interruptions. Im gonna go ahead and blame it on your state. [Laughs] Stop by and say whats up tonight.
