An interview with Japandroids

Brian King, lead singer and guitarist of Japandroids, talked to me about London. his favourite record and where their awesome name originates from.

Where does the name Japandroids come from?

There was no inspiration for the name Japandroids specifically. As a matter of fact, it was more of a compromise that neither one of us were particularly excited about. Originally, Dave wanted to name the band ‘Japanese Scream’, which is from a Kings Of Leon lyric, while I wanted to name the band ‘Pleasure Droids’, which is a reference to the pleasure droids in the movie Blade Runner. Neither one of us liked the other’s name, and we found ourselves at an impasse. Being the diplomatic hero that I am, I decided to simply combine the two names into one singular name: Japandroids.

How does London compare to other cities you have toured?

London audiences are without question our best audience within the United Kingdom. When I tell them to get wild, they generally do. We always look forward to playing London for that reason. With respect to other cities from around the world, it is a bit unfair to compare one against the other, as what you’re really comparing are the social and cultural differences between peoples. For example, the Spanish audience and the English audience are inherently different as the ritual of how one reacts to live rock and roll music is rooted deep in the history of the people and their way of life. Therefore, you can’t say ‘Barcelona is better than London’ or things of that nature. It is just different. See? Diplomatic hero.

Was Celebration Rock worth the three year wait?

When you factor in that we toured for almost two full years behind Post-Nothing, it is really more of a one year wait. At least, I can’t help but see it that way. I certainly think it was worth taking our time to record an album we were proud of, andI don’t regret the resulting wait in the least. If we could have done it faster, believe me, we would have (for a band like ours, there is no incentive to have such gaps between albums). Nevertheless, the reaction from our fans seems to be extremely positive, and I think as time goes by, our decision to take the time we needed to write and record this particular album (rather than expediently shitting out a mediocre follow-up) will be seen as rather responsible.

What is it like being a two person band on the road?

More or less like backpacking around Europe with your girlfriend or boyfriend. More or less, anyway.

Very romantic!

To finish off with, in a short butsweet manner, what is the best record you have ever bought?

Nighthawks At The Diner (Tom Waits, 1975)

Much appreciated Brian.