AVC: One of the lines in that song that always gets a laugh is "We'll do what Mary and Joseph do / Without the kids." What is that, exactly?
AC: Well, I guess it was pre-birth control when they were doing their thing, so they probably made immaculate love.
AVC: And that's what you want to do?
AC: [Laughs] Make sweet, sonic, immaculate love.
AVC: You use a lot of Christian iconography, both in your name and your lyrics. Are you a religious person?
AC: I grew up around a lot of various religions, so it's a part of my consciousness in a way. Everything from heavy Catholicism to followers of Indian spiritual masters to Unitarian universalists—all in one family. Though the family aspect was stronger than any particular dogma.
AVC: Are you mocking the faithful?
AC: Oh, mocking is such a harsh word. But I think anything that you can't poke fun at is a little too precious.
AVC: What's more precious than God's love?
AC: [Laughs] Sweet, immaculate conception.
AVC: Speaking of religions, what was your experience like with The Polyphonic Spree?
AC: Yeah, speaking of religions. Although, there was no "sign here" kind of thing with The Spree. It was more of a happy commune. We didn't sacrifice any babies.
AVC: Though it does come off a bit like a cult.
AC: I think cults are probably a little less scary. To me, it's scarier that 25 people would wear robes and jump up and down and try to convert everyone to happiness than a Kool-Aid suicide.
AVC: Actually, it was Flavor-Aid [at Jonestown].
AC: Was it really? I'm fascinated by Jonestown. It's pretty amazing, someone having that kind of charisma—and it still happens in micro and macro forms—to convince a whole gaggle of people to kill themselves. Or put on robes and jump up and down. That takes a very charismatic leader.
AVC: Did you feel pressure to be happy all the time in that band?
AC: For me it was happy to the point where it turns maniacal. Where a smile becomes a really creepy grimace. I enjoyed that.
AVC: Speaking of giant ensembles, any stories to share from your recent tour with The Arcade Fire?
AC: I think that because The Arcade Fire has been a band for a while and really have that chemistry on stage, they also have really great chemistry on the Whirlyball court. They totally mopped the floor with us. It was abysmal.
AVC: What's Whirlyball?
AC: Whirlyball is only the most awesome sport on the planet! It's like bumper cars plus lacrosse meets basketball. Meets beer.
AVC: Was there a reason you toured with a band this time around, other than needing a team for Whirlyball?
AC: I wanted to give the songs a run for their money, to see if they stood on their own without a lot of accoutrements. It made more sense—and it was easier, too—to go out alone and see if these songs could get in a couple of fistfights and still be standing.
AVC: You cover Nico's "These Days" in your set. What is it about that song that you like?
AC: The mood of it is a real departure from the things I do. I like that contrast. Also, I'm a bit of a vagabond—a person who loses time and space because you don't know where you are—and it captures that sentiment. It's really grounding.
AVC: Who were some of the people that influenced you? Was Nico one of them—or ["These Days" writer] Jackson Browne, rather?
AC: I've always wanted to make music like people write plays, so I was inspired by writers as much as musicians. I was a lusty kid who loved Tennessee Williams. Sexy plays. [For musicians] there are so many that it's hard just to say one. Certain things, like the first time you hear A Love Supreme, you're floored. It takes whatever you were listening to and blows a hole in it.
AVC: You surround yourself with nice people—John Vanderslice, The Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens—but is there a dark side to you we don't know about?
AC: Everybody's got a dark side, but mine doesn't include being around people who are mean. I like to deal with my dark side in a creative way, and just sing about killing people instead of actually doing it. [Music] is kind of a strange business, and it's too weird of a job to have mean, conniving people around.
AVC: What's something about yourself that would surprise other people?
AC: I have a phobia of checking voicemail. I watched a lot of TV as a kid, and everything is, like, you're gonna get kidnapped, or somebody's gonna die, or killer bees are going to take you out. I'm a very anxious person. Checking voicemail is like, "When's the other shoe going to drop?" I'm always afraid it's going to be terrible news I don't want to hear.
AVC: Most people I know don't leave tragic news on voicemail. They'll just call you back.
AC: [Laughs] I guess you're right. That would be pretty amazing, the idea that they would leave tragic news and then not call back, like it's not urgent enough. I guess it is kind of a silly phobia.
