The wife of a yachtsman from East Sussex killed off the coast of Thailand says justice has been done…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: boating. The blog is also related to: cheap boats.

The yacht of Paul and Rachel Chandler, currently being held hostage by Somali pirates, the Lynn Rival has been returned to the UK. The 38ft boat has been brought back onboard the Royal Navy vessel that witnessed the Chandlers ordeal. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Wave Night said they did not act, as they did not want to endanger them. First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said that criticism that the sailors onboard did not do enough to rescue the couple did a “disservice” to the crew. However in a report published in the Mail on Sunday it was reported that a source onboard said there were actually 20 Royal Marines who were equipped and ready to go. Though the marines mobilised twice on the deck of the ship, they were given the order to stand down. The pirates holding Mr and Mrs Chandler are demanding £4 million ($7 million) in ransom. Last week the couple were seen on film asking for help and saying they could be killed within a week if the ransom is not paid. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have repeated, “It does not make substantive concessions to hostage takers, including ransoms.” I continue to hope that the Chandlers ordeal ends soon and they are reunited with their families. Thanks for reading.

We all heard these nautical saying that help us remember weather warnings,the rules of the road and superstitious, sailors, seaman’s, fisherman’s, and boaters, all use them. Brought to you by:http://www.yachtinginsider.com/

1.Men and ships rot in port…

2.Smooth sea never made a skillful sailor…

3.One hand for yourself one for the ship…

Weather Lore.

5.When the wind is blowing in the East,
‘Tis not fit for man nor beast.

6.When the wind is blowing in the South
It brings the food over the fish’s mouth.

7.When the wind is blowing in the West,
That is when the fishing’s best!

8.No weather is ill, if the wind be still.

9.Seagull, seagull sit on the sand.
It’s never good weather when you’re on land.

10.When halo rings the moon or sun, rain’s approaching on the run.

For more yachting information click here:http://www.yachtinginsider.com/

Reference weather lore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_lore#endnote_low

Two Burmese fishermen and a 17-year-old boy are jailed in Thailand for murdering a yachtsman from East Sussex…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: boat equipment. The blog is also related to: boat picture.

This song gets me going. Makes me want to believe in love.

“I used to live in a heartbeat city, I swear I’d fall in love every minute on the street. You might be walking around the corner, and our eyes might meet…
Where you been darlin’ darlin, where you been darlin’ darlin’, where you been darlin’ – we’ve been holding this moment for you…”

Psychic City (Classixx Remix) – Yacht

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

On behalf of Maybach Entertainment & the Pure HYPE team, we would like to invite you to the “M20 Maybach Yacht Cruise Party/Fashion Show” ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 11TH. “MAYBACH ENTERTAINMENT” IS RENTING OUT THE PORTLAND SPIRIT YACHT FOR A LUXURY PARTY AND A FASHION SHOW OF A NEW “ME” CLOTHING LINE.

► THE FIRST MAYBACH ENT. ANTHEM SONG WILL BE OUT THE NIGHT OF AND WILL BE PLAYED AS THE FIRST SONG OF THE EVENT. DJ JUGGERNAUT WILL BE SPINNING TABLES AND ANDREW NELSON WILL BE PLAYING THE DRUMS TO COLLABORATE WITH THE BEAT. SO COME CHECKOUT THE FASHION SHOW, PARTY AND CRUISE INSIDE OF THE YACHT!

► PIERRE STEPHANE Will Be Filming For Maybach Ent. TV
PIERRE STEPHANE (MAYBACH ENTERTAINMENT TV)

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF MAYBACH ENTERTAINMENT TV ON BOARD THE PORTLAND SPIRIT.

Maybach Entertainment TV from Pierre Stephane

MAIN INFORMATION:

► BORADING: “At 10:00PM COMING BACK AT 2AM”

► LOCATION: SW Front Ave/Nato Pkwy & Salmon St. @ Waterfront Park near
The Salmon Spring Fountain.

It’s 18 TO ENTER 21 TO DRINK. THE BAR HAS A LARGE ALCOHOL MENU. FOOD, SODA’S, AND ENERGY DRINKS WILL BE PROVIDED AS WELL! FOOD AND ALCOHOL ARENT INCLUDED WITH THE ENTRY FEE.

► PRICE: $20 dollars in advance, Or $25 at the door. $150 for a VIP tables which includes a free entry to 6 people.

**** This Party is limited to 475 people, try to buy your tickets in advance or show up early to guarantee your entry!****

TO BUY THE TICKETS PLEASE VISIT www.Maybach-Entertainment.com

Or Contact Mr. Maybach at 971-998-4522.

HURRY UP AND BUY YOU TICKETS NOW!!!!!

HYPE the MC
HYPE the MC (Pure HYPE)

DJ JUGGERNAUT

WE’RE HAVING 6 BIRTHDAYS ABORAD

COME AND ENJOY THE PARTY!!!

Nationally 1 in 12 persons age 12 to 15 are vulnerable to violence, approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18 and the dropout rates of high school students is 9 percent.  Norfolk, Va is no exception to these statistics.  In keeping with enVizion’s mission to mentor our youth and also the City of Norfolk’s commitment to revive our community, enVizion is proposing the 1st Annual Teen Summit; Envision Success.

The Summit will be tentatively held April 3, 2010 at the recently opened Norview Community Center located at:

6380 Sewells Point Road

Norfolk, VA 23513

Teens attending this Summit will be given the important tools needed to encourage success and the training concept will be based around life skills.  Local volunteer organizations will be facilitating this event.   Teens from the ages of 13-18, will be given presentations on a variety of topics.  They are currently compiling lists of resources to better define this program.

They plan to not only supply the teens with life skills but also invite local after school organizations, ie. YMCA, Yes America, Defy, Community Athletics, 4-H and more.  This will give teens and alternative to going straight home from school into the local community and possibly being captured by the negative influences that pollute our local communities.

Registration for this event will be online via envision website.  Additionally, registration will be available at the Norview Community Center, including the day of the Teen Summit.

A yacht belonging to a British couple kidnapped by pirates is returned to the UK on the Navy ship that witnessed their ordeal…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: boat jobs. For a different topic see fun soup recipe. The blog is also related to: boat history.

Quinta é a nova sexta e sexta é dia de reunir amigos em festinhas em casa… Mas sábado a cidade volta a pulsar com força total e o que não dá é para ficar parado com os eventos e djs que estarão arrasando por aí!

Nada como começar a noite no Boutique Bistrot, dos queridíssimos Rafael Taveira e Amaury Gurgel. Um belo e colorido drink que combina perfeitamente com o verão, junto de companhias queridas. (infos 11 33840670)

boutique bistrot

Siga para o  Smirnoff Experience 2009, que conta com 13 atrações de tirar o fôlego e já promete, antes mesmo de acontecer, de ser a melhor atração desse ano que está terminando.

Impossível perder YACHT, Joe Goddard, James Murphy e Pat Mahoney. Sem contar a brasileiríssima Stop Play Moon da fofa da Geanine, que faz qualquer um remexer. ( http://www.smirnoff.com.br)

Não pare a noite por aí e siga para o Hot Hot. A querida e amiga Cuca Pimentel estréia sua noite por lá e prometeu, sem poder divulgar, que várias atrações do evento da Smirnoff estarão lá.

Como boa curiosa, não poderei perder e é para lá que eu vou conferir!

A gente se encontra na pixxxta!

It was one of those holes in the wall, a place you’d never notice unless someone deliberately pointed it out. A grungy basement with little décor, reminiscent of an abandoned warehouse, perfect, one would say, for a rave party. And so, the ambiance immediately brought back grand memories of parties past where Goths, artists, punks, posers, hipsters, candy ravers, Old-skoolers, Junglists, Emos, outcasts and other liberal eccentrics could gather to dance the night away…

which is exactly what I did.

Quickly falling for the beats of YACHT and White Rainbow, my mind, body and soul fully immersed into its euphoric vibrations. I thought to myself, this is the s***…Armin Van Buuren can wait another day. The switch was definitely worth it as this was a once in a lifetime performance of music soo inimitable, I could only describe as being parallel to its written definition: a fusion if you will. If you’re still not getting me then go to Urbandictionary and type in the world YACHT. Its meaning as endless as is its predecessors, Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans.

At first glance, their polished appearance and attire emit the look of luxury. Like the 1^st definition (from Urbandictionary) white suit and peach split hair dress a clean faced gentleman and its partner, a simple but elegant form fitting black skirt over tights. They wield you to be part of an exclusive party in YACHT.

Then go to definition 2, 6 and 7 and perhaps the band wanted us to interpret it as the feeling(s) we get when involved in various methods of piping hashish. It is that of pure bliss amongst a sea of turbulence. And with every song presented there grew an intense hunger for more. Undoubtedly this was confirmed by the crowds chanting “encore, encore, encore!” Other definitions (such as no. 8 & 9) are a little dubious but either way, you can see why I still have a hard time defining this band.

Topping their music, they also brought high energy with funky, bold body movements. Sometimes, a complacent jolt of the arms or a twist of the head, their dancing too reminded me of a well choreographed electronic dance picnic. After a few songs to start off the crowd, someone brought out a vegan cake for Claire’s birthday. Sharing this special moment (and delicious cake), we felt like close friends. The night continued with more great hits, Summer Song, and Ring the Bell. My favorite part was during the lyrics of Psychic City (Voodoo City), ‘Hang around baby we’ll be baking a cake for you,’ when they began throwing handfuls of cake and causing a slippery yet well received mess on the stage’s dance floor. After their main show, they also did some mixing w/ White Rainbow during which handfuls of courageous fans scurried to request photo ops with them, causing a rush of fans later on and more dancing.

On that note, I guess what I appreciated the most (in a country where stardom means exclusivity and untouchable immortality) was their laid back persona, making it easy to exchange a few words and smiles. I could see why people love them and will continue to do so in greater numbers.

*Note: See a preview of YACHT in my videos bar.

Por Juliana Gomes

} Dia 28 de Novembro, sábado, vai rolar o Smirnoff Experience @ São Paulo.

O festival Smirnoff Experience traz o conceito das famosas Squat Parties londrinas que são festas de música eletrônica em locais improváveis e revelados apenas dias antes do show. O local escolhido para a edição de São Paulo é um terreno vazio na Vila Leopoldina próximo ao Ceagesp, com um espaço megalomaníaco, serão três palcos e passagens secretas.  o festival receberá atrações nacionais e internacionais.

O Smirnoff Experience receberá atrações nacionais e internacionais. As atrações internacionais serão o alemão Move D, com o seu techno intergaláctico e o duo dos americanos James Murphy e Pat Mahoney, do LCD Soundsystem, Joe Goddard do Hot Chip também dará o ar da graça no festival. Não poderiam faltar os americanos Derrick Carter um dos nomes mais famosos da house e John Tejada com seu leve toque de techno. O  duo Yacht é outra atração imperdível.

Os melhor da música eletrônica nacional estará na festa também, é claro. O DJ Renato Cohen vai inovar com o set de disco house, Max Underson aparecerá com o seu depp house e techno, não poderia faltar a banda Stop Play Moon. DJ Mau Mau, não poderia faltar nessa festa com o seu electrohouse, assim como Gil Barbara, Ana Flávia e Renato Ratier.

A proposta do evento é juntar o melhor da música eletrônica e da tecnologia a uma atitute subversiva o que vai gerar uma experiência inesquecível e única.

It was the perfect evening. Good friends, blue skies, cold cider, interesting conversation, minimal bruises, not much shouting…

You see, I’m learning two languages in New Zealand: Māori and sailing. Yachting has its own vocabulary and style of communication. Mostly shouting, that is. At least, that’s what it feels like when you’re first learning and don’t understand the words yet.

Māori war canoe in Bay of Islands

There’s halyards and sheets, starboard and port, leeward and windward, gennakers and spinnakers and genoas, and my personal favorite, the vang. You have to figure out quickly why “coming about” means you could soon have a bruise on your head or what to do when everyone’s yelling about a “lazy sheet.” And in the world of the sea, everything is relative to the wind. For instance, I’m still struggling with the concept that make a right-angle turn has two words for it – tacking and jibing – depending on how the boat is changing relative to the prevailing gusts. That’s like trying to give someone driving directions relative to the nearest mountain – if the mountain liked to jump around a lot and change locations.

Why is a girl from land-locked desert highlands suddenly struck with sailing? You’d think I would have already picked it up in Seattle, if I was so keen, wouldn’t you? My only real explanation is that, well, it’s just what people DO in Auckland. Here in the City of Sails, there are approximately 135,000 yachts and launches – that’s 1 boat for every 10 people in a city of 1.3 million people. Keep in mind that a sailboat generally needs more than one person to take it out, and that means LOTS of opportunities to get onto a boat.

50 cent coin

Sailing is in the psyche, here in the “Land of the Long White Cloud.” After all, that’s how everyone got here up until the 20th century. Don’t let the image of a slim Māori war canoe fool you. They didn’t paddle all the way here from their Polynesian homeland. They flew before the winds in a double-hulled voyaging canoe, balancing on the high seas with sails and an outrigger. The first European ship to land here, Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavor, is memorialized on the 50-cent coin. Even air travelers are reminded that good winds matter here, when they drive past giant white metal sails at Auckland International Airport.

Yes, the most popular sport to watch in New Zealand is rugby.  But Aucklanders’ favorite sport to DO is sailing. Not surprising, then, that I showed up and was signed up for a local yacht club before we even moved into our apartment. We have our all-around sportsman fellow American, Bryon, to thank for introducing us to the Richmond Yacht Club. Lest you hear “yacht club” and think we’re walking around in summer whites and tut-tutting with a bunch of wealthy boat-owners, you have to understand two things. First, “yacht” really just means “sailboat.” Even better, the word comes from the Norwegian word jaght meaning“fast pirate ship.” I love that! Second, RYC draws a pretty down-to-earth, even somewhat blue-collar crowd. We know boat owners who are firemen and builders and university professors, but no corporate moguls or trust-fund heirs. Hell, there isn’t even a dress code for the post-race prize givings!

Tall ships at Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

Didn’t I mention that most of our sailing is races? Ah, well now perhaps you understand some of the shouting. And the bruising. We got started with RYC’s Friday Night Special race series, where they let rank beginners (i.e. me) onto a succession of different yachts over the course of 8 evening races. The first thing you learn is how not to get hit in the head – or knocked overboard – by the boom.

For you beginners, the mainsail is attached to the mast going upwards and the boom going parallel to the boat’s deck. “Coming about” is when the boat is turning sufficiently for the mainsail to change from one side of the boat to the other. The boom is that huge metal rod going over your head very quickly. DUCK! Oh, and scramble to the other side of the boat while you’re doing this!  Since you’re not very important ‘cause you don’t know anything, you generally don’t get to do this in the recessed cockpit where you can just bend down a bit. You have to climb over the top of the cabin, banging yourself on every metal bit sticking out. And you’re on a keeled boat that tends to, well, keel over at 45 degrees to the water, so you need to do this at the right time so you don’t end up trying to climb up the boat to the high side. And try not to sit on any of the lines or get in the way too much, eh? That’s the first day.

Cooling my heels on the Coastal

It gets better. Really! For instance, we newbies get to spend plenty of time relaxing on the rail with our legs hanging off the boat where one can admire the view, chat with fellow sailors, wave at or taunt other boats, and listen to the experienced crew discuss strategy. If we get bored, we can admire all the bad sailing puns in the boat names: Prawn Broker, Knighthawk, Xtsea, Deep Throttle, Aquaholic …

The best part, though, is when you actually start knowing what you’re doing. Even the shouting becomes kinda fun then. The first time I started to feel that way was on the 2009 Coastal Classic in late October. The Coastal is a long-distance sailing race that starts in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour and terminates at Russell in the Bay of Islands. We were lucky to get invited onto Peppermint Planet, owned by brothers’-in-law Rodney and Peter. Realistically, I think Chuck was invited and I somehow managed to tag along.

We showed up on the dock to discover that Peppermint Planet had no less than eight crewmembers. This seemed like a lot of bodies for the number of jobs aboard. As one of the least experienced, I was pretty sure I was destined to be “rail meat”, i.e. ballast that does what you tell it to. I was feeling a bit blue, since I was hoping to do something useful and learn more. Chuck spoke up and volunteered me to run the keys, which meant learning a whole new set of skills. I was thrilled!

The keys w/ Auckland skyline

Little did I know that I was signing up to be the eye of the shouting storm. Rodney and Bryon quickly explained which lines went through the keys, how they worked and what problems to watch out for. I should point out that there are no “ropes” on a sailboat. Every line has a special name. Woohoo! More vocabulary! I eventually worked out that most of the keys control lines that go up and down. Phew! Means I don’t have to think about the sheets, which pull the headsail back and forth horizontally. That doesn’t stop me from starting every time someone says to do something with the sheets, fervently searching the keys to find that they’re not listed and finally remembering they’re not my problem.

Peppermint Planet

You’ve probably heard that old adage that describes flying as “hours of boredom interrupted by moments of stark terror.” That pretty aptly describes running the keys. You’ve not really needed much of the time. But when it’s time to change the headsail, to take better advantage of the winds you’re getting, it’s panic time. There’s lots of shouting and gesturing coming from several people at once. Often, you can’t hear them as their voices get lost in the wind. Oh, and apparently everyone on the boat has a slightly different term for the SAME damned line! Who knew that “uphaul” was the same thing as “toppers,” which is marked as “topping lift” on the key itself? And there’s an outhaul and a downhaul to remember, too. Yeah, it all makes sense when you sit down and work out what everything does. But during all the shouting and boat tipping and hauling on lines, that all goes out the window.

What I’m saying is that it was AWESOME! I mattered! I was doing something that actually affected the boat! And, I could spend some time in the cockpit, where the under-boom scrambling was less painful. The bruises on top of my bruises breathed a sigh of momentary relief. And I was learning the whys behind all the words and shouting. Very cool.

Rodney aboard Peppermint Planet

It was a thrill to get to know the crew better, too. We were an international mix of people of quite varied experience. Our nimble Kiwi skipper Rodney kept us in good form, only occasionally doing his angry Rumplestiltskin impression when we’d really mucked something up. Sailing queen “Skiff” originally from Portsmouth, England, kept the headsails trimmed – and showed how great it is to have some clear female communication onboard. One of three professional sailmakers onboard, Brendan remained almost imperturbable running the mainsail. Charlie from Rarotonga saved me from being the newest person aboard, as this was his 3rd time on a sailboat. He spent the entire time grinning ear-to-ear or grinding on a winch whenever Skiff yelled, “Trim, Charlie!” When not working the bow, slim eighteen-year old Jay told us about his experiences growing up on sailboats in Spain and the Bay of Islands, while our buddy Bryon put up with Rodney’s jibes about being better ballast than the rest of us because of his large frame.

The race was lovely. The sun was shining the whole time, and we had a lovely wind pushing us up the coast most of the way. Most boats were flying their spinnakers, which made the start line a many-hued rainbow of colorful kites. The weather was so spectacularly beautiful that some crazy kiteboarder was racing right behind the record-setting winner, Alfa Romeo. He made it 261kms, only giving up when the wind gave out near Russell. We made our own record, finishing in 14 hours 7 minutes.

Sunset at Bay of Islands

So, I’m learning to understand and even speak this new language, bit by bit. Sailing isn’t exactly a democracy, but there are often multiple voices putting their oars in on what oughta happen next or, more often, “what the heck happened there when everything went to custard?” It’s been fantastic to finally understand what all the chatter is about. And Rodney’s let us know that we’re now “expected” on the more hardcore Wednesday night race series.

I’m finding myself part of a community I never expected to join. Last night, Peter showed me how to pack the spinnaker properly. As we started, I thought he asked me, “Do you have a clue?” After a heartbeat, I realized he was talking about the lower corners of the sail. And as I grabbed the clew, I realized that I felt like the answer to the question I thought I heard was finally “yes.”

See what it looks like at: Coastal Classic 09 by jocuteca

Want to know about something specific about New Zealand? Leave me a request for a blog about it!

Building a yacht is one of the most satisfying things you can do – if you’re interested in yachting and yacht design, that is. And I guess you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t serious about it. But recently I discovered that although building a yacht is great fun, it gets even better if it’s a yacht that you’ve designed yourself.

Insight

Firstly, you’ll find that it gives you a whole new insight into the technicalities of yacht construction. When you’re following someone else’s plan, you just put things where they are because that’s what the plan says. But when you’re designing a hull, you put things where they are because you’ve developed an insight into the design and that’s where you think they will be most effective. The same goes for shapes and sizes. It’s the difference between a blind man following a handrail and a sighted man boldly striding out on his own into new, unknown territory. There’s just no comparison!

Flexibility

Secondly, you get flexibility. Following someone else’s design means that, if you want to achieve the right end result, you have to follow their instructions to the letter. If you don’t, you’ll end up with bits that don’t fit where they should fit or that don’t match up with the other bits that you haven’t changed. If you draw up your own yacht design it yourself you can modify your design as you go along.

Check and go

Not that I’d recommend it, but sometimes, as you proceed with your build, you’ll suddenly come up with an idea for an improvement or a realization that something could be done better. In that case you can go back to your yacht design and re-jig it as necessary. Check the hydrostatic and drag calculations to determine the effect of your changes, and carry on. Improving as you go.

The key to all this is having the software to realize your yacht design and develop it as you work through the construction phase. The average Joe could never have afforded such software in the past but fortunately for us there’s now software that will enable you to do all this and more for just a fraction of the price that it used to be.

Ever yacht owner needs a staff, and with a staff you will need Yacht Crew Insurance, as well as Luxury Yacht Insurance.

[Photo credit: Dakota Fine, BYT]

If there are two things we here at ATG love, it’s music and DC.  When we get the opportunity to talk about both in a post, you know we’ll take it.  For that reason I’m proud to announce the birth of the Blisspop blog.  For those of you don’t hail from our nation’s capital, Blisspop is the project of DC’s resident/favorite DJ, Will Eastman.  The man hosts dance parties year round in the DC area under the Blisspop banner, bringing along some of his favorite bands and DJ’s along for the ride.  Now that Blisspop’s made a home for itself on the interwebs, you can keep better track of what Mr. Eastman’s up to as well as snag exclusive downloads from other artists that carry the Blisspop spirit.  Below you can check out Classixx’s remix of Yacht’s “Psychic City”, one of the latest features on the new site.

MP3: Yacht – “Psychic City” (Classixx Remix – Fabio Pop Dancefloor Rework)

If you find yourself in the DC area this weekend, then go and check out Blisspop’s next party over at the Black Cat this Saturday, November 28th.  Yes Giantess will be showing some love with their own DJ Set along with Will, so you don’t want to miss it.

CHECK OUT THE BLISSPOP BLOG.

Love,
Adrian

A Hull-based yacht damaged in a collision with one of its competitors is to continue taking part in a round-the-world race…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: used boats. The blog is also related to: boat dealers.

At the 40 WATT CLUB in ATHENS, GA members of CHAIRLIFT jabbered with me behind stage.

Any interview that starts with a quote from Dr. Dre is destined for greatness. Although it’s hard for them to escape their iPod commercial fame, Chairlift is proving they have more to offer than the poppy sweetness of Bruises. Patrick, the rhythm behind the band, started the interview and soon we were joined by Caroline. Our talk took us from a desert island with a stereo to dinosaur debates, and although my questions were “too easy” for Patrick, both he and Caroline were great fun.

Anytime you guys are in Austin, I’ll scrounge up some harder questions for you.

Full Transcript: (Audio)
Patrick Wimberly: Before we start this, can I just read a quote from Dr. Dre?
Ethan Silverman (Tour Manager): She already started it.
PW: Can I use a quote from Dr. Dre?
Nichole Bennett: Let’s do it.
PW: In 1993, Dr. Dre said “Everybody has something they can do in the studio. I can take a fuckin’ three year old and make a hit record on him. God has blessed me with this gift.”
NB: So, I’m Nichole, and I’m here in Athens, Georgia at the 40 Watt Club with Patrick of Chairlift.
PW: Hi.
NB: We were just starting off with a Dr. Dre quote that we are all still recovering from. I guess to start us off, if you could kind of describe the story of Chairlift would it be a pop-up book or would it be a graphic novel?
PW: Oh definitely a pop-up book. That’s an easy question.
NB: Would it have pull tabs? Like interactive pop-up books?
PW: Yeah. There would be pictures of us dancing. There would be pictures of us meeting each other, with big smiles on our faces.
ES: I picture a pop-up mountain with a chairlift with the two of you sitting on it.
NB: With a little wheel to make it go around?
PW: This is Ethan, he takes care of us on the road.
NB: You guys have a pretty varied sound. For most people who have just heard the iPod commercial, they get this “Bruises” poppy sound. But you’ve really got more of a darker sound as well. How would you say it all ties together? Or how would you describe your sound to a five year old? Or maybe that three year old that Dr. Dre was hanging out with?
ES: Patrick is really good at talking to three year olds.
PW: First off, I’d like to say that I really like three year olds. “We’re in a band called Chairlift, and we play songs for dancing and for having fun. And for exploring your own mind.” We did play a show recently for a bunch of three year olds, and they got up on stage and danced. It was really cute.
NB: So, if you could take five albums on a desert island…
ES: On a deserted island?
NB: A desert…well, you can have your friends.
PW: Do I have a stereo there?
NB: Yeah, you’ve got a stereo.
PW: I would take Sexuality by Sebastian Tellier because I can’t stop listening to it. What else would I take?
ES: You would take a Rolling Stones record, but I don’t know which one.
PW: I would take a Led Zeppelin record. I would take III.
NB: Three of them?
PW: No, I would take the third one. That’s only two. I would take Abby Road. That’s kind of like a standard. I would take the new YACHT record. I don’t have it yet, and it comes out July.
NB: Hopefully you’re not deserted by then.
PW: Yeah, hopefully I’m not getting deserted on this island until after July, and the YACHT record comes out. And one more: I would make a new one and take it with me.
NB: Just take a blank disk with you.
PW: Yeah, I would record it on the island.
ES: Just bring a four-track.
PW: And I would call it All Alone.
NB: What is your favorite dinosaur?
PW: This is another easy question because I would take the…wait. If I could take any dinosaur to a desert island, it would be a brontosaurus.
ES: I would take the new YACHT record.
NB: My favorite dinosaur is the new YACHT record!
PW: Next question.
NB: So you guys are touring. What is the most annoying thing about touring? You guys just came from Austin, and you are zooming around.
PW: The most annoying thing about touring is…
ES: All these free drinks we get.
NB: Oh, how terrible!
PW: No, that’s not that annoying.
ES: It’s being in cool places but not spending much time in them.
PW: Yeah, that’s it. It’s not having enough time in areas that you want to spend time in.
NB: Do you ever read press or reviews about yourself?
PW: Never. Some other members of our band do, but I never do.
NB: If you could replace your arms with anything, what would you replace them with?
PW: Other arms.
NB: Other arms?
PW: Because I need my arms. They’re important to me because I’m a drummer. I would replace them with Al Green’s. He’s got nice arms.
ES: You should replace them with another drummer’s arms.
PW: Well, maybe if I had his arms, I could sing that well.
NB: Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?
PW: Crunchy because it has peanuts in it.
NB: What is one question you wish interviewers would ask?
PW: I wish they would ask…Are you going to ask this one in your next interview?
NB: Yeah, maybe. And you can answer it if you like. If it’s good, I’ll steal it.
PW: Probably not. I’m not that good of an interviewer. I would ask me on this desert island…
NB: With a brontosaurus running around.
PW: …I would ask “What would you name a brontosaurus if you had a brontosaurus on a desert island?”
NB: That’s a good one.
Caroline Polacheck: I’m just going to hump into this interview
NB: Sure.
PW: Caroline is here.
NB: Caroline just arrived.
CP: Is this for radio?
NB: This is for college radio.
CP: I should not have said hump. Hi guys, I’m Caroline. I’m in a band called Chairlift.
NB: Thank you for joining us. Well, we should probably catch her up on the important questions. Mainly, what is your favorite dinosaur?
CP: Definitely a pterodactyl.
NB: That’s a good one. Let’s see, I guess the only other good one is: If you could replace your arms with anything, what would it be?
PW: I take that back. It would be Stevie Wonder’s arms because he can do everything with his arms.
NB: This is true.
CP: So it can be other people’s arms?
PW: Anything counts. I would put one hairdryer on one of your arms.
CP: I would probably have a giant snake coming out of one arm…
PW: And a hairdryer.
CP: No. Wait, yeah how will I dry my hair? Well, the snake can be trained to hold a hairdryer. In its mouth. It would be really long. It would be way longer than an arm size. It would go from here to there. But it would learn to coil for transportation purposes. And then the other arm would be some kind of moving light show with speakers in it.
NB: I’d want to hang out with you. Party time, Caroline’s here. If Chairlift had a catch phrase, what would it be?
CP: We have so many. “My dude.” “It’s on.”
NB: What is the most embarrassing CD in your collection? Or are you not embarrassed by anything?
PW: I’m not embarrassed by anything. I have music that people say I should be embarrassed to have, but it’s not embarrassing.
CP: I have some CDs at my mom’s house that are pretty embarrassing.
NB: Do you guys prefer performing in bigger venues or smaller ones?
CP: I like playing in place with good sound and good lights because that affects the show more than size. Playing in an intimate place and the lighting is really moody and the sound is really spectacular and submersive. That makes for a good show.
NB: I asked him earlier: Do you read reviews about yourself?
CP: Yeah, probably more than I should. Less and less. I think it’s interesting. I don’t take it all to heart. It’s like throwing a ball back and forth. It’s interesting watching your reviews consistently change. Like if all of them are saying the same thing at one point in time and all of them are saying another thing at another point in time, then it’s like “Okay, that’s a legit point you made.”
NB: I was talking to Matt of Matt and Kim last night and he said “I want more haters.” The more haters you have, the more people are paying attention. It changes the way I thought about criticism.
CP: To me the most brutal thing isn’t press because you can take that with a grain of salt, but for me it’s live videos. It freaks me out to see myself play live.
NB: What can we expect to see from Chairlift in the future?
CP: Probably Aaron, Caroline, and Patrick. A lot of those people.
NB: Those three.
CP: Yeah sometimes instruments….sometimes clothes.
NB: I will let you guys go grab dinner, but I have one more question: If you were any animal, what would it be?
PW: A monkey. Easy question.
NB: He was ready. He needs harder questions next time.
PW: Next time you come back why don’t you challenge me a little bit, okay?
CP: I think I would be a killer whale. It seems like it would be fun to be a whale.
NB: That would be really fun.