The Dandy Warhols have always been a band I love but often forget that I love. That isn’t to say they are a forgettable band, it’s just they have yet to reach a certain status that keeps them in the forefront of my mind at all times. Whenever a song shuffles through iTunes, however, I immediately listen to nothing but The Dandy Warhols for weeks on end. There are enough sweetly sad tunes to keep me pouring through my failed relationships and there are more than enough upbeat songs to allow me at least an hour’s worth of uninterrupted solo dancing in my apartment. Whenever I go through a breakup I have to stop myself from sending said ex “We Used to be Friends.” I have known people who do heroin and it is as passe as Courtney claims. I’ve felt Godless at times and have pretended to have a moment or two with Nietzche. The Dandy Warhols have something for every feeling and every moment. Last year marked the thirteenth anniversary of Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (dear God, we’re old) and to celebrate they recorded the entire album again, start to finish, and are taking that show on the road. I had a brief but lovely chat with Zia about what it’s like to still be around thirteen years later.
It wasn’t intentional at all. I don’t know any bands that think 13 years ahead. We didn’t realize the significance of the numbers until around the end of 2011. Which is when we realized we needed to celebrate the 13th Anniversary of 13 Tales in 2013. The 13,13,13 Tour baby! That we managed to get a killer live album out of one of the last shows of that tour is just amazing.
Everything sounds just as lovely now as it did then. What’s it like revisiting an entire album 13 years later when you are clearly not the band you were then?
Our live shows have always had a few songs from each album so several from 13 Tales have always been with us. The tough part with those is that we’ve made arrangement changes over the years. Going back and learning the album versions was a little tricky for some. The ones we’ve never played live were almost easier because there was no unlearning to be done. It was a wonderful experiment and I wish we had toured more in 2013.
Does it feel a bit like wearing a sweater that is now too snug, or is it more like an old comfortable sweater you really missed wearing.
Well…. I guess it was like a dearly loved sweater that needed some patching. After a little TLC it became good as new!
Are you just playing this album during the tour or can we expect other old favorites and perhaps a few new favorites?
Touring that album in 2013 was very different for us. What we’ve always done is play a few songs from each album. Sometimes leaning heavily on the new album but not always. This time around we’ll be doing the same with a couple new songs that have yet to be released.
What is different about touring now versus 13 years ago. Have things calmed down a bit? Earlier bed times perhaps? Tea drinking vs. beer drinking?
Things have definitely calmed down a bit. We still have plenty of fun, rowdy times but they are few and farther between than the old days. Something that has become a daily tradition on the road is Pete’s Chunkies. He throws fresh fruits and veggies into an OK blender that makes a chewable smoothie. It’s how we all get our servings of fruits/veggies/fiber all in one go.
Why aren’t you coming to DC? Please come to DC. I’ll pay you myself.
This tour is meant to hit the spots we missed last year. That doesn’t mean we won’t tour US again before the year is out though. Fingers crossed!
