Interview with Chilly Gonzales

Last month I was able to have a chat with musician, comedian and all-round entertainer Chilly Gonzales. Currently jetting around the world promoting his latest foray into film-making and putting the finishing touches to a new album, I caught him in the airport waiting for a flight. The latest string Gonzales has added to his extensive bow is film directing. Ivory Tower is the name of his self-funded debut film featuring fellow Canadian musicians Tiga and Peaches, the soundtrack to which was recorded by Gonzales himself and released last year. Excited by the prospect of seeing Gonzales and Tiga’s comedic genius on the silver screen, I began by asking him about this.

Hi Chilly, first things first; when are we going to see a release of Ivory Tower in the UK?

There’s of course going to be a DVD release coming in September so right now it’s being distributed to certain countries and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for an actual theatrical release, but it’s pretty tough out there for a little movie with a lot of heart. But it’s done great in festivals and everyone who’s seen it seems to really like it so we’re pretty pleased.

For those who haven’t heard of the film, describe it to us in a couple of sentences.

We’re calling it an existentialist sports comedy

Well we’re calling it an existentialist sports comedy. It’s a story about two chess playing brothers, but they’re Canadian chess players and nobody really knows what that world is like, so we decided to sort of invent it. It’s pretty much modelled after classic sports movies like Dodgeball and Blades of Glory, and it’s got a great comedic performance by Tiga and a great dramatic performance by Peaches.

How did you find writing and producing the film?

I think producing is probably the most fun and the part that I’m the best at. I mean first of all it was my money so I wanted to carefully structure how it was being used and deployed. But the idea of putting up funds every day and making compromises, I really love that part and the military operation mindset you need to make a movie. A lot more involved than making an album. So it was great. Writing was essential just because I needed it. It was the only way I could actually act in the movie is if I actually wrote the part myself ’cause I’m not a real actor. I was also able to hide things in the roles for Tiga and Peaches that would get them to that core acting truth moment ’cause none of us are trained actors.

I imagine it must have been a lot of fun. So is this something you see yourself doing more of? Could more films follow?

Well I don’t know if I have that many stories left, that story I told in Ivory Tower is pretty similar to the one I’m telling on stage and in my songs anyway. Albeit with a more fictional twist and the whole chess thing instead of music but it’s essentially the same theme you know, the idea about competition and expression and all that stuff, it’s all the stuff I’ve been talking about anyway. The part I played in the movie is kind of like the artist that was in me that I had to kill in my 20s you know? And in a way, if that ‘guy’ had ever actually continued to exist he would probably be a lot like what I played in the movie: a kind of crazy undisciplined dreamer. Luckily I killed that part of myself back then.

So as a musician, what’s next? You’ve done so many varied pieces of work, is there something entirely different that you’re going to do or can you see yourself going back and doing another piano album, say?

Well right now I’m putting the finishing touches on a new album that’ll come out this summer, which is an orchestral rap album that is slated for the end of June, and that was a way to [get down] all the verbal stuff I’ve been doing. [There are] a couple of songs that are what I would call ‘piano rap’ that you hear in the Ivory Tower album. It kind of takes that a little bit further to its logical conclusion and once I do that, I’ll pick up the next move.

It’s very powerful stuff, definitely my most supervillainous album yet

So I’m generally looking ahead not much more than that because I like to see how people react. And this is based on really applying myself and travelling a lot in England, the British Isles, America, Canada; doing as much as I can in English, in my language. That really awakened me back into wanting to do a rap album, but a rap album that fits my station, [which] pretty much means a 60-piece orchestra at this point. You know it wouldn’t really work for me to have a bunch of dusty beats and rap on them you know because I’m not that kind of rapper and so the orchestra was the next solution. It’s very powerful stuff, definitely my most supervillainous album yet.

Haha, I’m sure that’ll be used as some sort of caption. Logistically, how do you work with and compose for a 60-piece orchestra?

Well it’s done by computer because it has to be rhythmically on point; I’m going to be rapping on it and you can’t take the risk [that] they’re going to be a bunch of limp-wristed classical musicians. My brother did all of the arrangements for the orchestra, he’s a film composer called Cristophe Beck and lives in Hollywood. It was mostly up to him and we just made sure that what we wrote was pretty simple stuff. I’m trying to get them [the orchestra] to get the concept of a head-nodding beat, and I think some of them got it. They’re all Eastern European so they’re not that far off head-nodding compared to some cultures; the Poles can be pretty funky.

With a phone battery about to die: Finally Chilly, pies and pastry-based goods are very important to us in England, so what would you say is your favourite pie or pastry filling?

Favourite filling for a pie or pastry? Can I choose money?

Erm, yeah why not, I don’t know how well that’d come out of an oven but sure.

Well no, just when people generally say I can choose the answer to be whatever I want, generally, if you just say money, it pretty much answers every question.

If you put it like that, it makes so much sense. Well thanks very much Gonzo, it’s been great to chat to you.

The brilliant soundtrack to accompany the forthcoming film is out now and his new single from it 'You Can Dance' is out 28th February. The track 'Never Stop' has recently been featured on the iPad commercial.