Interview with Panic At The Disco - english version

Interview originally appeared in the PLEASURE SNOW MAG . Issue 72 . Interviewer: Arabella Bartsch

Panic At The Disco - But Its Better If You Do - Live

Punk76: May you please introduce yourself to our readers with your name, age and function?
Spencer: I am Spencer, I am 20 and I play drums. Brendon: I am Brendon, I am also 20 and I sing. And I play Guitar and I play Keyboard sometimes.

Punk76: I read on the internet, that you started out in Las Vegas in 2005 as a Blink182 cover band? May you comment that please?
Spencer: We were not really a Coverband, we never played any live gigs, we just put some songs together and played some songs of our favourite bands when we were 16 years old, so. Brendon: And those were pretty easy song to learn on guitar.

Punk76: Does Las Vegas have a strong Rock scene?
Spencer: No, but we don’ t really know what’s been going on there for a while cos´ we were busy writing and being on tour. It’s kind of hard to keep up but when we’ve been signed there wasn’t really much. There weren’t that many venues and much good bands playing or that much interest. So we skipped that section as a normal band.

Punk76: Are you visiting Wikipedia and read things there about your band or change things?
Brendon: No, it’ll put you in a bad mood, cos u can’t change those things, u know? Spencer: And u can’t change it over and over again. It’s just weird.

Punk76: When I listened the very first time to your old record (A fever you can't sweat out), your voice totally reminded me to Patrick Martin Stumph, who is the singer in Fall Out Boy. I recently heard a new song from your upcoming album “Pretty odd” and I felt reminded to P. M. Stumph again. Did you ever hear such comparisons before?
Brendon: That’s funny. Yeah, I heard that one before. I guess I just don’t know what to say...

Punk76: When you started to put your songs on Myspace a lot of people showed strong interest in your music. How did the music thing (label/contract) started and how did you met Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy then?
Spencer: We were friends with Pete for a pretty long time. We just recorded a couple of songs and put them online and had shown him a link to our songs. So he came over the link, liked our songs and got in contact with us, came to Vegas and basically wanted us to sign a contract. We were friends with Pete for a pretty long time. We just recorded a couple of songs and put them online and had shown them a link to our songs. So he came over the link, liked our songs and got in contact with us, came to Vegas and basically wanted us to sign a contract.

Punk76: We already reviewed your record, just when it came out on Decaydance. Warner re-released the record again. How came that?
Spencer: We put our first record out on a indie label with a low budget and then we did a lot better than we expected and everybody expected and then it naturally happened that we could - or that they would allow us - to go to a major record label.

Punk76: Do u like it beeing signed to Warner Records?
Brendon: Yeah! Spencer: Yeah, they would let us our creative ideas and I don’t even know if they had heard anything from the record before it was finished. And we would just say: oh yeah it’s done. So it not a normal label relationship. We have more creative control than some of the bad stuff u hear.

Panic At The Disco - Live at the Honda Civic Tour

Punk76: Please describe shortly the evolutionary steps that you made as small Rock band, that covered Blink songs, to a well known Rock band.
Spencer: Well, we met Brendon, he joined the band as a second guitar player, Ryan was singing, then Brendon sang on some songs and we decided that he should be the singer of the band. Then we recorded some demos and signed a contract with Decaydance and started touring in a van. Just the 4 of us with one of our friends. Then we did a video and they started to play out songs on the radio and on MTV and shortly after we did our first headlining tour in summer 2005. And so the whole thing was getting started...

Punk76: In 2006 you gained the MTV Video Music Award. Your videos are always pretty weird, or even mystic sometimes. What is important for you to show/ reveal in videos?
Brendon: We want to be visually stunning, u know what I mean? We want to be more than just a band playing in a warehouse. All the band videos are in the rain or in a warehouse with fire. That’s awesome but u know what, we decided that we can’t follow. We thought about some concepts that would be cool for our songs. There wasn't really a agenda but lukily we've been really happy with the 2 videos we’ve done out of the record. We get more and more happy with the stuff we do as we go on. We’re just trying to make it better than in the last video we did, I guess. Spencer: Yes! (smiles)

Punk76: So who comes up with ur video ideas?
Brendon: It’s been different, the first video was 50/50 between us and the director and there was a video we came up with the concept. It’s half and half, and we go back and forth with the director. We could have had the worst video shots in the world, so we ask the directors to give us different video ideas is not good we have to do it again.

Punk76: What’s the difference between the first and the second record?
Brendon: We were influenced by different music, some bands and influences and also we used a different style of recording, we recorded to tape which a lot of people don’t do anymore and we recorded live together which sounds more like a band I guess. It just sound like someone is really playing it. On the first record we were for what ever reason we were really pushy to make it to the production and had something which was less perfect.

Punk76: And what bands influenced you for the record?
Spencer: I guess any bands. We have probably a 100 records on our ipod. U can’t just say 3 bands. But u can look on our ipods if u want. We don’t really follow a guideline how we write our songs. Brendon: We like to listen to a lot of classic stuff. Spencer: The main inspiration is to try something different, you can't categorize if it's rock or punk or pop, u just want to write songs and the goal is to try different stuff and stay creative.

Punk76: “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” – comment that please.
Brendon: That's a rhyme from a movie actually. The movie closer. Just a line of a movie. One night when we worked on the first record Rain came home from the movie and told me about that line and so I watched it too and thought: all right that’s a cool line. Nothing personal, just a quote from the movie.

Punk76: Panic has become a super-sucsessful band in about 2 or 3 years. What do you think where does all the hype about your band comes from?
Spencer: Probably because of our good looks. Brendon: No, I don’t know why the fans like what we do but they do so that’s good. I don’t know how to explain, we didn’t really know what happened so years later we could see our success in the game. We could write the songs we wanted, there is no reason why they liked it I guess. It was in how heads, I don’t know why we were writing it like this but it made click and we said we should keep it like this and people liked it. Just some weird band. We are all weird.

Punk76:So what do u think about those people, sitting outside waiting for u and travelling with u all the time.
Brendon: That’s awesome. Spencer: That the most amazing dedication I’ve ever seen. It’s overwhelming. We really appreciate everything what happened for the past few years and what we obtained. We defiantly owe them a lot.

Punk76:And do you talk to those fans then?
Spencer:Yeah, we go outside, talk to the kids and sign stuff for the people waiting for us.

Punk76:A few younger bands, that come out got already influenced from your music, for example Mayday Parade or The Dangerous Summer. Do you feel glad, or do you even wonder, that you – as a young band – already influence others?
Spencer:Yeah, that crazy, I didn’t even realize that there were these bands coming up. There are influenced by us? Wow! Brendon:Well we’ve just come up 5 years ago so that’s kinda surreal, so they are influence, really? Punk76: I mean their music sounds a lot like your's. Check out all those new bands, like Mercy Mercedes, Mayday, The Summer Set and others. They really share your style.

Punk76: Panic has become pretty influencial and important band in the music business. Can you say, that people or ex-girlfriends or family members try to come back, now that you become popular? Does someone is even trying to grab a piece of your cake?
Spencer: [laughing] Kind of. Brendon: [laughing] Occasionally, u’ve get a third removed cousin coming up asking u yeah, so u still know me. Spencer: [laughing] But usually they just ask for a ticket for a show they don’t usually ask for more than that. Brendon: [laughing] Yeah. Spencer: We don’t have people coming back, just because of the band. Brendon: That’s funny.

Punk76: You already played a gig in Germany in 2006. When you returned home, your bassplayer Brent Wilson left the band. Any comments about that?
Spencer:You know he realised after the tour, that the band had become more like a job. And it became what we wanted it to so we needed somebody in the band who was on the same page as the band and somebody who would make a conscious effort to creatively push the band. And then we got Jon and we like him so it’s all good.

Punk76: You´re headlined the american HONDA CIVIC tour. You even designed a Hybrid Honda Civic car. May you comment that?
Brendon: [laughing] We did. Spencer: [laughing] Well, for the past 10 years when they did a Honda CIVIV Tour, the band designed the car and then they give it away to a fan and then he can drive it on the round and come watch the show. A 100 people get their own car key and one by one tries their key and the one which suits can drive off. The Honda Civic tour is really cool cos we are getting really into making sure that we would be a part of their message, be more …and make sure that we are more… what’s the word? Brendon: Ecological! [laughing] Spencer: [laughing] Yeah. Brendon: Yes, ecological awareness. And the car that we designed is a hybrid car and it’s a change for the Honda civic. We didn’t really know where to start with, they helped us and we are sending the message. And we had the cars on the tour.

Punk76: So what kinds of car are u drinving?
Spencer: I can’t drive. Brendon: Me neither.

Punk76: What are your lyrics about? Would you even dare to sing about pollution and about saving the earth, or even about politics?
Spencer:Well, you can't really say but not now, it's not really the band I guess.

Punk76: By the way, do you feel engaged to save the earth and the enviroment?
Spencer: I mean, it’s an important subject, that needs to be taking care of. But we don’t feel like we have the solution to the problem. And we know it’s not gone be 4 guys in a band are able and “Save the earth” by just saying it. Brendon: No matter we are just a band, musicians, no revolutionists. Spencer: We just know that there has to be a bigger effort on a bigger scale than just that celebrity and politicians care about it, I guess.

Punk76: This interview will appear in a Snowboard Magazin. So, what do you think about that and which sports do you prefer?
Brendon: Wow, I’ve never done snowboarding but surfing and surfing is fun. And I skateboard a lot at home. Punk76: Well, if u can do this, snowboarding is even easier. Brendon: Well, it’ll be a piece of cake then, cool. Punk76: And what about you? Brendon: No, I don’t do many sports.

Punk76: Do you still enjoy doing interviews? Do you still think, that interviews are still important for such huge bands, like yours?
Brendon: I think personally, it’s definitely still important for us. Spencer: Yeah, I mean, we like doing interviews but it depends on the questions.

Punk76: What is the most absurd thing you have heard about your band?
Spencer: I don’t know. Brendon: We were actually asked if we were homosexual that kind of stuff.

Punk76: Where do u see urself in 10 years.
Brendon: I don’t know maybe still in the band. 10 years is a long time.

Punk76: Can you imagine yourself with a family, house and a car?
Brendon: Yeah, definitely. Sure. I like to have kids. Spencer: I will stay on the beach and write tunes.

Punk76: Any last words for the European readers?
Brendon: Thanks for reading about us and liking us.

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