Four months later, the hype dust settles and the towering Interpol monument still stands-the debut album of the year, Turn on the Bright Lights. A few weeks before their Dec. 9 Cat's Cradle show, Senior Editor Greg Bloom caught up with Interpol's drummer Sam Fogarino.
You just just got back from Europe, and now you guys pick up the American tour again. What was the difference in Europe?
Touring in Europe was really nice. Their whole way of doing things there is quite different. From the way they look at the art form to how they treat you... it's just a very different system of operation.
Why is that?
Because the grass is greener on the other side? I don't know, it's just age-old. There's more of a palate for something different. A lot of kids in America want something new, but the proportion to the number of such kids in Europe is quite small. Europeans are reared for it; I mean, the facilities are funded by the government. [Venues] are run like clockwork, with great service and sound systems. It's like pop music is state-sponsored. Here, it's spoon-fed and MTV dictates what people are going to like.
The new album has virtually all the songs you play on tour. Were all of them already set to go before you came to record an album?
Some songs are pretty new, some have been around since the band's inception. For us, a song is ready when it's ready. It has to go through the "Interpol process."
"Interpol process?"
Yeah, a song has to be approved by all four of us. It can be a very easy way of doing things, or very argumentative. At the end of the day, that's what makes Interpol Interpol, though.
And audiences have been receiving the material well?
It's just fantastic. Interpol aside, I've been playing music at different levels for a decade. This is the first time that I've walked onstage and connected with the crowd from the very first note. We have a great bond with the audience, and the energy is there.
You guys got pretty huge pretty quick; do you anticipate getting bigger?
I try to stay in the now and keep my feet on ground. So far the progression has been positive, and it's been going in the right direction-the next tour is going to be bigger. You do need growth since the band, as a unit, is something that is living and breathing and has to progress. Popularity is a whirlwind and if you hype on it, it can be a really scary thing and cause bad inertia.
For better or worse, you've been lumped together with this year's massive wave New York City band hype. How do you see yourselves within that?
Maybe this will give you a clue as to the excitement: We have three sold out shows coming up at the Bowery. That is a really good feeling. It makes you want to hug your hometown. We're definitely looking at a rejuvenation of New York bands right now; however, I get a little angry because there's been something going on there all the time, and the media just began to pay attention. But at least in this case there's something to support the attention. Still, there's always talent that goes unheard, the scary thing is what happens if it dies next year. These things happen all over the place.
Take Chapel Hill, for instance, or in the '90s when Seattle got big, whereas New York didn't. I guess I've got to thank The Strokes. They blew the door open-fortunately, there were people standing behind it ready to walk through. If I took you out on the town throughout the East Village, you're not going to find The Liars and the Yeah Yeahs Yeahs and The Strokes all hanging out at one bar. When it first happened it was like being in the eye of the storm: really calm, with madness all around.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.