Vive la difference

While all the headlines and hype this side of the Atlantic go to Strokes, Interpol, Radio 4, ARE Weapons etc., New York magazine very deservedly called Yo La Tengo “the most dearly treasured New York rock band of the last decade.” Meanwhile, USA Today, a publication not usually associated with championing the avant-garde, opined that YLT were “one of rock’s last true visionary bands.”

Like Minnesotan geniuses Low, Yo La Tengo also have a married couple in their ranks – frontman and former music journalist Ira Kaplan and drummer and vocalist Georgia. The singing female drummer immediately prompts the Maureen Tucker and Velvets comparisons.

“I don’t mind, I’ve listened to hell of a lot of VU during my life,” the affable Ira affirms over a phone line from his Hoboken, New Jersey home, which incidentally was covered by nine inches of snow at the time of our conversation despite it being a sunny April afternoon here. “Somewhere lately named our inspirations as Sun Ra, Velvets and Neu! That is fairly accurate,” he agrees.

So accurate, indeed, is the Sun Ra reference that YLT covered the Arkestra classic free jazz protest ‘Nucleur War’ last year for an EP release.

“We had been doing the song live for almost a year,” Ira explains. “We had a plan to do three different versions – a trio version, a big band version and a version with a children’s choir. We started playing the song when we were getting ready to do shows in October 2001. So it became one of the first things we needed to work out as a band – what our response, mood and feelings were concerning recent events. It seemed a very natural and appropriate direction. So we’ve played it ever since.”

Regular visitors to Ireland, Yo La Tengo are back round our way for a HGE date in the Ambassador. Ira has no idea of what the show will be like, as they’ve never played straightforward set lists.

“I think it’s part and parcel of that rock cliché of not being able to remember what city you’re in,” Ira laughs. Has that ever happened to YLT? “I don’t think so, although I frequently forget what day it is,” he admits. “There is that famous American radio blooper where the name of the President of United States was forgotten back in the ’30s so ever since they never announce the President’s name, it’s just “Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States of America…” So you won’t catch me saying “Hello Dublin!” when I’m in Leeds or whatever. I won’t risk that kind of catastrophe”.

Did Ira ever do a Julian Casablancas? When the geographically challenged Strokes singer played the Olympia, he announced at the end, “Its sooo great to finish our UK tour in Dublin!”

“I did that once but luckily not onstage, it was a conversation at a bar later that night,” Ira sheepishly confesses. “I’ve not made that mistake since! Its because we are all taught that it is all part of the British Isles. We’re very simple people here. We can’t handle all those names!”