Some bands entertain their audiences with their music, and others manage to do so with their stage antics. The Black Lips are an anomaly ? they do both.
In years past, this Atlanta, Ga. quartet has gained considerable attention from music critics at Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and even The New York Times for its unique brand of ?flower punk,? a blend of late-?60s hippie-pop often filled with deconstructed punk choruses. But the bulk of the Black Lips? notoriety derives from their shocking onstage performances, which, in the past, have included members making out with each other, peeing on fans and performing unspeakable acts on a helpless chicken.
Yet the publicity concerning the band?s unique stage demeanor doesn?t even faze the members of the Black Lips. In fact, guitarist Ian Saint Pe told The Badger Herald during an interview that the band actually embraces this attention.
?I think any press is good press, and as long as you want to write about the band, go for it,? said Saint Pe. ?If you want to come to the show to see us kiss, or if you want to see us, ? play some good tunes, come on out, you know it doesn?t matter.?
Saint Pe explained, however, that these raucous shows aren?t performed solely in the interest of the media. According to the guitarist, they are meant to distinguish their unfinished live noise from the more polished sound found on their albums.
?Rock ?n? roll is made to be played raw, have imperfections, it?s real. If you look at, like, the human face, it isn?t perfect from one side to the next, you know. Imperfections are what make a woman beautiful or a man beautiful. Imperfections ? it?s what?s real.?
The Black Lips will be bringing their untainted music to Madison this Friday, performing a full set at Der Rathskeller in the evening and making an in-store appearance at Madcity Music Exchange earlier in the day.
Referencing the band?s lengthy touring schedule, Saint Pe said, ?We do it for the kids. The Black Lips are the people?s band ? you can quote me on that.?
For those unable to witness the band in action at either of their two Friday performances, the Black Lips? back catalog also provides live recordings for listeners to sink their teeth into. The most recent, Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo, brought the foursome to a tiny bar in Tijuana, an unusual choice compared to other bands? overseas or arena recordings.
?We thought it would be cool to have it in Tijuana instead of like L.A. or New York,? explained Saint Pe. ?[There was] lots of tequila. ? There was a drug dealer in the back room. It went down awesome.?
Yet, for some reason, critics at numerous media outlets doubt the originality of this recording location of Los Valientes, claiming the album served merely as an outlet to popularize their live antics. But, once again, Saint Pe is unfazed.
?There?s always gonna be non-believers, but you know what I say? Fuck ?em. You can quote me on that, too.?
