Born in New York City in 1984, Ezra Koenig studied English at Columbia University before becoming a teacher in Brooklyn. In 2005/6 he formed indie rock band Vampire Weekend, of which he is lead vocalist and guitarist. Since their 2008 eponymous debut album, the band have released three more, including 2013’s Grammy-winning Modern Vampires of the City and this year’s Father of the Bride. Since 2015 Koenig has presented a fortnightly radio show, Time Crisis With Ezra Koenig. Vampire Weekend play London’s Alexandra Palace on 13 and 14 November.
I’ve been loving this podcast about the band Phish. They did a lot of interviews with the guys in the band, and there’s so many cool little stories, so you get a window into the amazing live culture they’ve built. Their musicianship is on another level: they never do the same show twice. There’s a sense of excitement, for them and their fans, to go out and try something risky. As somebody who spent years off the road and is now getting back into performing live again, and finding a lot of joy in it, I am really devouring this stuff.
2. Art
Whether Line, Fondazione Prada, Milan
I saw this in the summer; they had set out rocking chairs for everybody to watch this strange piece of work. It’s a multimedia video installation by Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin, who bought a piece of land in rural Ohio then made this fictional film about a cult-like group of people living in and developing the land. At first you’re struck by the intense editing and how surreal it looks, but then you start to really be moved by it. It makes you think about ideas of place, ownership and borders. It’s an appealing mix of absurdity and heaviness.
Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington have created a whole universe around this. It started as a goofy satire of movie review shows and has become almost a satire of life in modern America. It’s about the relationship between these two characters, who represent two awful sides of human behaviour: one is a pompous rightwing guy, the other, who at first seems like an unfairly maligned sidekick, turns out to be an infuriating, narcissistic nerd. It’s weird, funny, but also very real and deep in a way.
I was really struck by this documentary from the Obamas’ production company. It’s the story of a closed down automotive factory in the midwest that gets a second lease of life when a Chinese auto-glass firm opens its first factory in the US. At first everybody’s excited, but then there are serious issues in terms of whether or not the employees can unionise, health and safety – things like that. It’s a really interesting portrait of some of the issues facing a lot of working people right now – and it doesn’t bode well for the future.
Like everybody, I’ve always liked Elton John and his music, and I just burned through this book. I loved his vibe: he’s very quick to point out his flaws, and always seems aware of the contradictions of his life – his working-class origins are contrasted with the glamorous life he went on to lead. He talks about his close relationship with his godchildren. Some are famous, like David and Victoria Beckham’s son, and some you don’t know, like the son of his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, a former sanitation worker from Chicago. I found it very funny and moving.
This is a really interesting compilation of country and country-influenced music from Africa. I’ve always known that country music is a global phenomenon and appreciated by people all over the place, and I could hear certain similarities in guitar-playing from the south of the US and from sub-Saharan Africa. But what I never really heard was what people might call African country. There’s a song on here called Concert Fever that really struck me: it’s really cool and vibey, and I hadn’t heard anything quite like it.
