I don’t think they were particularly happy with it, but they would never have said anything. They’re super cool, but I could tell they didn’t particularly like it. I think their girlfriends tried to make it more apparent by their facial expressions, perhaps. I was in such a place that I didn’t give a fuck what anybody thought. I was just trying to reclaim my own life. Because, when you become successful, there’s just so much restraint involved in a funny way. The record company and management all feel like they’ve got a lot to lose, and in the end, I just wanted to rebel against it – like, I’m not your performing monkey. I’m not a machine that goes out there and makes you money. I felt aggressive. It’s like when you rebel against your parents.
You’ve referenced films in past looks like Belle de Jour in “Tell Me Where It Hurts,” and you had a definite Brian De Palma moment in the video for “Bleed Like Me.” What’s visually inspiring you now as you gear up to promote the new record?
Mostly female fine artists. There’s been a death of alternative music over the last 10 years. You know, I was always inspired by alternative musical characters whether it was David Bowie, Siouxsie Sioux, or Patti Smith, and I feel those kinds of figures have been pushed to the background. So the women that I looked to for inspiration all came from the art world. Frida Kahlo, Francesca Woodman and Louise Bourgeois have been a massive influence on me over the last few years. Marlene Dumas – and always Patti Smith. I guess they’re my girls.
The song that made my friends crazy on every mix-tape I ever gave them was “Deadwood.” You have a slew of B-sides that were as strong as album tracks. Are there any plans to release them?
I don’t know if we will ever release them, to be honest. We left it alone because contractually they’re tied up with our labels. It just became really complicated, so we said fuck it and streamed it on our website. We’ve always wanted to do a B-sides record, but we just don’t know if it’s worthwhile at this point.
Ok, I’ve got a nerdy question…
I love you being a nerd! So cute.
Scale 1-10 – how rad was it to get to be a liquid terminator?
10. Overloading 10. As I mentioned earlier, my mother was dying when I was doing that TV show “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, and anybody who has ever lost anything or anybody knows what that feeling is like when you feel completely helpless. So, to go to work every day, drive my car into the old Warner Brothers lot where my heroes like Bette Davis made movies, park my car, and go into this whole sci- fi fantastical world
