Fresh from waking up before Starfucker’s sound check at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago, band founder Josh Hodges gave melophobe a minute to talk about the tour, their upcoming album, and how much he loves Courtney Taylor-Taylor.
melophobe: So you’re in Chicago tonight. How’s the tour going for you guys?
Josh Hodges: Going really well – it’s been really fun. This is the first tour that we’ve ever toured w/another band (The Octopus Project) that has a draw, and they’re really cool people. We’ve toured around the U.S. three times and this is the first time we’ve done that, and it feels really good to tour with another band that has their own thing going on.
melophobe: I’ll be at your show back in Portland next week – how good does it feel to return home on the tour, even if it’s just a stop before you guys head out of town for more shows?
JH: I think it’s kind of a teaser, because I by then, will be happy to be home, but then we have to drive to San Francisco the next day. We’ll definitely try to get some good food while we’re home, because there’s not always the best stuff out here.
melophobe: Ha! Understandable. Now, there’s been shake-up w/the band’s name over the past year, but you’ve reverted back to Starfucker – do you feel like that name’s here to stay?
JH: For now, but no, we’re gonna change it in like a week – probably to Recess Time. We’re not sure, though – we’re gonna build a pinwheel and put all these different names on it, then we’re gonna build an online version of that, cuz Keil’s (Starfucker drummer) a web designer, and then we’re gonna have people just click it and spin it. And whichever one gets the most, we’ll take that. We’ll probably get back to Starfucker next year, before the album comes out, and then we’ll change it again after that, probably.
melophobe: Is there a reason you like to change you name so much?
JH: It’s too hard to commit. I think it’s just our generation; I don’t know how to commit to anything.
melophobe: Do you think that it causes any separation from your fans?
JH: I don’t know, but I don’t think so.
melophobe: Starfucker always felt like a pretty appropriate name, though, and kind of lent to your identity – did you feel that way at all?
JH: Yeah, well the project always started as a joke, and I think having a stupid name, and changing it, and always fucking with it, is just another way to keep it not serious for us.
melophobe: Your latest 7”, with the single "Julius," was just released, & the band’s next full-length is coming out next year – are you still working on it? Or is it in the final production process?
JH: Yeah, we finished all the recording before we left, but we still have some mixing to do, so we’ll have 8 days to finish it when we get back (to Portland), and make our deadline.
melophobe: I’ve read that there’s going to be a little bit different sound for you guys on this album; can you tell me about that?
JH: It’s just a little bit higher production, I think. I mean, I still do most of the recording the same way I used to, which is in my room, but then now we’ve been working with this guy Jacob Portrait, who’s worked with the Dandy Warhols and with the Mint Chicks. He runs Old Wave records, and recorded Wampire and Guidance Counselor’s albums, and is just a really good dude and he has a whole different skill set with for that kind of shit, and it’s really nice to have around. He’s actually on tour with us right now – he just came out to do some of the big shows with us, in New York, and Chicago and places like that.
melophobe: I saw you used the Odditorium (The Dandy Warhols’ music studio) to finish "Julius" – did you know The Dandy Warhols at all, or is that place more accessible than you’d think?
JH: Jacob knows them, but I’ve never met them. I’d love to meet them, because I grew up listening to that band. I don’t think anyone else in Starfucker knows about them at all, but I really liked them, growing up. He’s (Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Dandy Warhols lead singer/guitarist) definitely influential, and is really good at writing hooks and poppy lines and stuff. I really want to meet him and hang out, so I keep telling Jacob that, and he’s like, “Yeah, you’ll love him – he’s a weirdo! He’s great!”
melophobe: By the way, I thought it was pretty awesome that you guys had your song "Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second" used for a Target commercial last year – how’d that end up happening for you guys?
JH: I think that someone at Wieden + Kennedy (Portland ad agency), who made the commercial, was a fan, and they pitched it to Target that way, with that song, and they got attached to it. But then they found out our name was Starfucker and they were like, “Ah, no no no, we can’t do that.” So they (Wieden + Kennedy) were like, “But doesn’t it fit this commercial so well?” And Target was like, “Yeah, I guess you’re right, okay, whatever.” I’m fucking glad that happened, because that definitely paid the rent for a little while.
melophobe: Do you think that gave you guys a bit of fame?
JH: It’s hard to tell. I see people making comments about it on the Internet, like, “Yeah, I found out about them from that Target commercial,” which is cool. I was just talking to Jacob about how we grew up in the ‘90s, and how it would’ve been really hard to have been Starfucker in the ‘90s. Without the Internet, people wouldn’t have known us so easily, and we would have been permanently underground. I mean, we are, still, but I feel like we’d only have a quarter of the people that know us. Obviously, the Internet has changed everything, but it’s fortunate for us.
melophobe: Do you see the Internet as a total positive?
JH: Mostly positive, I think, but I wouldn’t say it’s totally positive. I mean, I’m a little bit leery of technology, in general, but I also think it’s awesome.
melophobe: Now, do you think you’ve gotten more notoriety from your band’s name, or things like your stage presence, where you guys often wear dresses to the shows? Or is it your music that really gets people’s attention?
JH: Ya know, I have no idea. I think there’s something about that kind of success that’s a mix of things. I think it’s partly quality, which you can’t really define, and then the quality of all those things you mentioned, but it’s also just partly luck, and timing. It’s like any kind of relationship, or something. I think I’m just pretty lucky, is what it comes down to.
melophobe: Well you put on a great show, too, and I can’t wait to see you guys next week. Have fun tonight!
JH: Cool, thanks!