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Getting to know MGMT
By Amira Hashish, Evening Standard 20.05.08MGMT's Time To Pretend first came to our attention thanks to TV show Skins but Ben Goldwasser gives us an insight into the past, present and future of his and Andrew VanWyngarden's quirky band...
How is the UK leg of your tour going?
It's amazing. We have been to Glasgow, Dublin and London. London even had a couple of days of sun for us last week. People keep saying the weather's never usually that good here.
Will you be in the capital for a while?
We are leaving on June 13 to go back to the US and play live on Late Night with Conan O'Brian. We are playing a couple of other shows over on the West Coast there and then coming back and finishing the UK tour.
Have you had a chance to explore London yet?
We have done some fun things like going out to clubs. Of course, we've seen Big Ben. I have only had one afternoon to really explore the city though. I like being lost and walking till I find something familiar.
Do you enjoy the lifestyle that comes with touring?
It gets frustrating if you are just sitting on a tour bus and never get to experience the places you visit. The only outlet you have sometimes is to go out and party after the show and that gets really unhealthy. So we are trying to change that. I couldn't see myself doing it all the time. All Andrew and I talk about is how we want to keep recording. We have always thought of ourselves as more of a studio band. We are having a lot of fun playing live but we need to write more songs.
What has the reaction to your live music been like?
Our last show in Dublin was crazy. A bunch of people got up on stage with us. Everyone knew the songs. It was so nice. We just played Coachella Festival in the desert, which was really fun. It was the biggest crowd we have ever played for.
You were originally called The Management. Why the change?
We changed it because there was another band that was using the same name as us. I like this name better anyway.
How would you sum up sound?
We don't really fit into any genre specifically. Our sound changes all the time. Our next album probably won't sound anything like this one. We have been talking about how we want to spend some time writing and recording in Jamaica and that would definitely influence the album.
Do you have a musical background?
Yes, music has always been part of my life. My grandmother was a music teacher and my grandfather was music professor. Both my parents played instruments. I play piano.
So has this encouraged you to be experimental with your music style?
Definitely. My friends and I would play some crazy stuff in high school. It wasn't the best music at all but we definitely liked to experiment. Andrew and I both studied music at university. That's where we met and there was lots of experimenting there.
How did the record deal come about?
It was really random. We had an EP out in 2005 and there was an intern at Columbia Records who knew people who put the EP out. He passed it along to the A&R desk. We had never sent our demo or anything. Getting signed was totally unexpected.
Did it take a long time to put the album, Oracular Spectacular, together?
A few of the songs are pretty old, dating back to 2005. But the rest took two or three months. Andrew and I play and write everything on the record. Making it was a pretty slow process. There were a lot of days when we were stood around trying to think of something and nothing would ever come.
Was there ever any other career option?
I was thinking I would like to try something along the lines of social work. It would be hard but really satisfying. I would like to go back to school some day.
If you could be anyone/anything else for a day who/what would it be?
I would like to be a dog. You could just run around and wag your tail. I don't have a dog but I want one. We have been speaking about how it would be fun to have a touring dog but it would be a pretty big burden. I grew up with a lot of animals. I am from the country, just outside New York. We had a dog, goat and cats growing up.
Do you miss the country life?
I miss the open fields etc. Once you have been on the road so much and are only hanging out in cities you appreciate it more. We played a show in this little town in the Netherlands recently. So we hired bikes and got to ride around in the country. That was fun.
*MGMT will play the Astoria on May 21. Oracular Spectacular is in stores now.
