The Fearless Vampire Killers are back on home soil and touring around the country to support the release of their new single “I Won’t Stay Too Long.” I caught up with the band’s lead guitarist Al Marx to chat about the song, their time on the road, and their plans for global domination.
I caught up with you guys last year before the release of Batmania. What’s is like to have the album out in the public sphere?
It feels pretty good. It’s kind of like being married for a few years then finally buying a house. Or maybe it’s more like paying off the mortgage. You decide.
Your sound really takes me back to a lot of the music my dad used to play me as a kid. Who did you listen to in your formative years?
Many different things from rock operas to folk. People often think we only listen to ’70s rock which is just not true. The sound-set we use is just a result of our influences whilst learning. We just focus on writing good songs and the rest falls into place. The colours Van Gogh used are not really important; it’s the painting you look at.
“I Won’t Stay Too Long” is the new single from your album Batmania. What was it about that song that made you want to release it?
It’s a fun song, and we’ve personally always found it quite funny. I suppose when we decided we wanted to release another track as a single we wanted to put out something a little different.
As it’s one of my guilty pleasures, I was impressed that your song “With For You & Me” will be featured in 90210. How did that come about?
I guess they must have liked it. That’s actually the best thing about this whole situation: finding out which of our friends has a closet fetish for 90210.
Is there anything else happening on the international front?
Funny you should ask. “I Won’t Stay Too Long” has just been selected as the theme song for the U.N. general assembly. They won’t pay for it of course, but we are getting a gift pack of U.N. t-shirts, mugs, and some depleted uranium which I’m sure will come in handy.
For now you’re focusing on what’s happening at home, with a national single tour next month. Are you looking forward to getting back on the road?
It’s always good to play to people who wouldn’t ordinarily see you. I think we play better when we’re interstate because deep inside you want to validate all the effort, and I think that helps us justify our odd lives.
The tour chugs along at a fairly frantic pace, with Brisbane one day and Melbourne the next. How does that suit you?
I’ve always sported a slight Mad Max fantasy, so yeah, certainly. The road is love, the road is your friend. Be wary of gyro pilots bearing gifts.
There’s obviously a lot of time in transit. How do you amuse yourself on the road?
We have wicked senses of humour and the longer you’re on the road, the more depraved it gets. As a group we can be quite alarming by the end of a tour.
I’m sure being up on stage makes all the travel worthwhile. What do you love most about playing live?
You’re absolutely right. I just love live music. It doesn’t exist as anything tangible and once we’ve stopped playing it’s gone. Standing on stage playing your songs must be the best drug in the world.
After this tour wraps up, what’s next for The Fearless Vampire Killers?
We’ve been siphoning off Fearless funds for a number of years to the Chinese Space Program, so all things running smoothly, we plan to be the first band to broadcast a gig from the surface of Mars. Then we’re gonna find us some of that Martian gold.
You can catch The Fearless Vampire Killers at the following shows.
10 March 2012 – Plus One, Adelaide
16 March 2012 – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
17 March 2012 – The Toff in Town, Melbourne
Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water
2 March 2012 – Spectrum, Sydney