Sunday, February 4, 2007, 05:15 PM
Q: What happened with the show with Radio 4 last time you were here?
Thomas: Well, no one showed up. That usually does it. I mean, people were there. We always have a good time no matter what. We’ll always put on a show and we’ll always have a good time. Sometimes when you’re on tour and you’re putting in so much time and you look so much forward to the way things are going to happen every night and you kind of have those duds once in a while. The other 20 hours of your day were in preparation for rocking and then you show up – I hate the duds. I can’t stand the duds.
Q: Was Radio 4 fun to tour with?
Thomas: Yeah, they were great. We’re nice guys. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing, but in our opinion there are no mean bands.
Q: I read you were born on the Isle of Guernsey. Do you visit there?
Thomas: No, I don’t even know why that made it into the bio. It’s kind of weird.
Q: Is it the one with the cows? Wait I am thinking of Jersey.
Thomas: Jersey is our rival. Jersey is like ten times as big. There’s the Jersey cow and the Guernsey cow, but have you ever heard of the Guernsey cow?
Me: I’ve heard of the Jersey cow. I’ve seen the Jersey caramel.
Thomas: Their cows are so sweet.
Q: On tour you have a hand clapper – he claps and plays keyboards, too?
Thomas: He doesn’t know how to play keyboards. He has a keyboard in front of him. I have all these laser sounds that I’ve created – I just program these different laser sounds into the sampler and he can press any button he wants and something is going to come out. That’s his keyboard ability. And he claps. But today, tomorrow and the next day will be the first shows we’ve ever not played with the clapper. He’s not here – he went to L.A. I don’t know how we’re going to do it – we’re supposed to be a five piece band. It’s totally weird. Luckily the stage is pretty small here.
Q: How was San Francisco? A madhouse?
Thomas: I guess when you tour with a band like Scissor Sisters and things are a little bit wacky already – SF shows were totally out of control. They were like shows I have never played before in my life. Pretty much the nicest crowd in the world, mostly gay. Tons of very large men dressed as women all over the place. At certain points audience members mouthing the words I love you with little tongue gestures. We had men’s shirts thrown at us while playing.
Q: Was that the first time that had happened to you?
Thomas: That is the first time. Scissor Sisters have this hula hooper guy in a tiny little thong – it was different than any show. Ever. And the after show party was even crazier.
Q: Are you having a party too?
Thomas: In Seattle? I don’t know. They never tell me. They tell me at the last second, like as they’re leaving. And then we (Small Sins) go and we’re like your dad. We’re at the gayest place of all time, trying to fit in.
Q: Dancing?
Thomas: We’re like, I can dance. All these sweaty dudes. I’m all about wearing my gay hat. Trying to fit in.
Q: Have you gotten a vest?
Thomas: You just have to take your shirt off altogether. It’s crazy, so much fun. They (Scissor Sisters) are the funnest band in the world.
Q: I read in RS they read a lot on tour?
Thomas: I haven’t seen them read. I’m sure they probably read, on their bus. I’ve never seen them reading while on the dance floor.
Q: Do you like dancing?
Thomas: I love dancing. I’ve been reading, more than ever.
Q: What have you been reading?
Thomas: I’ve just about finished DBC Pierre’s Ludmilla’s Broken English. It’s pretty good.
Q: Is it a heavy book?
Thomas: No, not really. I really like Chuck Foster. He writes for Spin. He has three books, they’re all really great. Short chapters – you can put it down for a week and then pick it up again and read it all day.
Q: Who made the decision to wear all white on stage?
Thomas: A friend of mine was wearing all white one day and she looked super hot and I was just starting rehearsals with the band for the first time. I was trying to think of things we could do – I just wanted to be unified somehow. It’s not like it means anything. I just wanted to look like one unit. That was just a cheap and easy way to do it.
Q: You must use a lot of bleach.
Thomas: The bleach pen is the best – the Tide bleach pen. You dab it on every spot that’s like really bad and then wash it in the Tide with bleach.
They come out spotless.
Cool – that’s a good tip for my white clothing. I hardly ever buy anything white.
Thomas: It is after labor day.
Q: The bass is my favorite instrument – though you play all the instruments on the cd why did you choose to play it?
Thomas: I guess it’s the one instrument that’s constant. Everybody else has to make certain changes while they play. I can concentrate on singing – in my old band I used to play bass as well so I am used to it. Most of the music is very melody based and if the vocal’s not right then nothing else really matters.
Me: I’m not trying to sound like I am sucking up but your voice is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard – it’s like another instrument.
Thomas: Really? I hate to disappoint you but live I sing everything an octave up. Doesn’t that blow the whole cover? I just like it to be more energetic.
Q: You recorded part of the cd in your parents’ basement?
Thomas: A little bit. I moved around a lot. I didn’t have much equipment at the time. I hadn’t gotten as nerdy about recording as I would become this year. When my parents went on vacation I totally converted their house in to a studio. But that was really only two or three weeks of the process of a year. Later I moved to various rehearsal spaces. These days I am a little bit more secure. I have my own space and a lot more junk. At the time though it was like wherever would have me.
Q: Was it a cleansing cd to make?
Thomas: It was definitely the first music I ever made that was completely just for me. When I first started recording and I had quit my other bands and I was kind of considering not being in a band again and not really trying to put out records. I’m a little older, maybe I should try to find a real job one day. I just started recording music purely for fun and not to play for any body. Like reading a book or playing video games. I really like the process of recording music on my own, it’s my hobby. It totally changed the music as soon as I started doing it for myself. I played it for a couple of friends and it got out really fast. People wanted to give me money. That job thing was all just a dream. It made me look at music in a whole new way and learn a lot of different things about myself.
Q: Such as?
Thomas: What I like in music. Not trying to impress any body, except yourself. I could do really silly things, and I like them. Like the keyboard solo on It’s Easy is pretty much the silliest piece of music ever, but I really love stuff like that. In bands before I would never take chances like that. Somebody might think that’s lame or whatever even thoug I really liked that and your tastes become really streamlined. You don’t have to worry about anybody saying no, whereas sometimes when you’re in a band with other dudes and you have a musical choice that’s a little bit risky it can kind of go either way. Someone’s gonna veto it every time. I know there’s obviously a lot of great music that’s collaborative but for me it never really worked out for some reason.
Q: Stay? Is it a farewell song?
Thomas: No. It’s about wanting to have a relationship with somebody without wanting to have sex with them. I guess I just haven’t had that many female friends that I didn’t want to have sex with. Sometimes friends who are beautiful people, who happen to be women and I love the relationship that I have with them, but . . . I’m not the right guy for you, we’re cool. Find a real boyfriend, cause I’m going to be on the road all the time anyway so why would you want me? I want you here all the time but I don’t want to have sex with you.
Q: Devo was mentioned in your bio. You’re a big fan?
Thomas: I love the Devo. I actually only own one Devo record, which is phenomenal, which is Are We Not Men, We Are Devo.
Q: Have you seen them?
Thomas: No.
Me: I saw them a couple weeks ago.
Thomas: Was it the new Devo?
No: Devo.
Thomas: I hear they sent out some kids. Devo 2K or whatever.
Q: What’s next for you?
Thomas: We’re co-headlining with a band called the Little Ones. I think they do well in California so I think they’ll headline there and then we’ll headline the rest of the country.
Q: And you’ll headline here.
Thomas: I think so. I like Seattle.
Q: What about how you fit in with Canadian music. Do you feel separate?
Thomas: Yeah. When other people are doing really well around you, you tend to step it up. When there’s a lot of success happening in your circle, it just feels more possible. There’s a certain confidence to get it done in the first place. It makes you feel good to see these other bands doing well and you feel like you can do well.
Me: And compete with them.
Thomas: And compete with them.
Q: What bands would you like to tour with?
I really love Spoon. This band called Starlight Mints – they’re from here? They’re great.