Leslie Hall is good at a lot of things. Her band, Leslie And The Ly's, described as “deadpan hip-hop,” is girl pop meets Tim And Eric, with a sound kid-friendly enough to be invited on tour with Yo Gabba Gabba. Beyond that, she paints lovely pictures and actively speaks for the gem sweater cause. Her website features a gallery of the collection of mostly fan-sourced sweaters, which she names with a skill that should not go unnoticed: “Route To My Feelings,” “First Lady Manners,” “Cloud Grabber,” and “Flute Of The Virgin.” To tap into her thought process, we chatted with Leslie about naming her clothes. And other things. Leslie And The Ly's play tonight at Triple Rock.
The A.V. Club: First of all, why should one name one’s clothes? How does it help with your self-betterment?
Leslie Hall: Selling on the Internet, a name or title can really bring value up. Especially with power words like “thread count,” “dandy,” or “form-fit bravo.”
AVC: When did you start naming your sweaters? Did the first name come to you from God, your subconscious, or elsewhere?
LH: I was photographing myself in a variety of sweaters and I had to name the sweaters to name the photo. I was opening my mind and releasing the random words that one has. I was saying thing like, “Trickey trucky tra.” Genius or crazy—it worked.
AVC: What makes gem sweaters so special to you?
LH: I’m a crafter, but making one would be horribly time-consuming. I get them at Goodwill for less than five bucks.
AVC: If you had to make a naming engine for clothes, what variables would you plug in? What’s the clothes-naming version of figuring out your stripper name?
LH: Titles of paint colors at the hardware store. Those people are the real heroes.
AVC: What are some insults to yell at your clothes when they’re not cooperating or being bad?
LH: “Don't make me rip you up and make a rag of you.” “My shower is not getting any less soap scummy, you sure would make a fine grit.”
AVC: You wear a lot of jumpsuits too. Shiny ones. How might shiny jumpsuit names differ from sweater names?
LH: I’ve never named those. Way too majestic.
AVC: How can new parents use your naming tricks to give their kids bigger and better names than ever?
LH: Shut down your brain, close your eyes and get random with it. Say things based on nothing and relevant to all. “Rider, tease hawk, mean bra.”
AVC: Can you give us three baby name ideas?
LH: Philly, Pre-Pre, Land-ie. All these I’d name my own child.
AVC: Since you’re vegan, can you share what your favorite vegan snacks are in the midwest?
LH: Fake cheese and fake bacon. I’m like a regular eater but I’m not gonna get the cancer or hurt animals.
AVC: What about the Twin Cities?
LH: I still really don’t know what that term means. You people need to get over that title. Just say the city name already.
AVC: Do you also name snacks? Any good snack names?
LH: Only snack name I can think of is German Nacho Pals, which is tater tots with fake cheese on them. Okay, now I’m really hungry.