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An Exclusive Interview with Thomas Mars of Phoenix

French band Phoenix has had an exciting career thus far releasing 4 albums of ’80s inspired pop gems. Their sound is becoming unmistakable, partly due to lead singer Thomas Mars’ humble yet wild vocal style. Recently, Art in the Age had the chance to speak to the charismatic lead singer about the band’s excellent new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, his take on tangible music and art in an ever increasing digital world and more…

Going back in time a bit. How did you settle on the name Phoenix?
Honestly we can’t remember. We lied so much about this, we lost the truth…

Were there names you considered before choosing that one?
Yes, I remembered liking a lot of Italian names.

I think your last two albums have been really fantastic in terms of pop sensibility and depth. I’m curious. What is the song “North” from the album It’s Never Been Like That about?
It’s an exile. We were recording in Berlin back then and “North” was really the soundtrack of our journey there. It’s the first take and it was a the end of a very long day.

Let’s talk about the new record. Did you use a different songwriting process this time around? A different recording process?
No not really. We are maybe more aware of what seems to work better for us. We also try to go for odd/unusual things, that we usually don’t like at the beginning, by working for a very long time. When our egos and bodies are tired we come up with something more unpredictable.

How has it been playing these newer songs live? Were there certain challenges this time around?
We want the songs to be more vulnerable so that they can change shape and be filled with different emotions every night we play them. The new songs are our favorite to play live and people seem to want to listen to them the most, which is the best gift they can give us.

I have read that the song “Lisztomania” was inspired by the mania surrounding Franz Liszt, a rock star in his day.
What are your thoughts on the 1975 film starring Roger Daltry and Ringo Starr?
I didn’t like that movie so much…I like the artwork though!

You mentioned in a previous interview that the album title Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was intended to be child-like or bratty. Were you reading or listening to anything in particular at the time that helped inspire this idea?
There is a book called “Mozart in the Jungle” that my girlfriend was reading at the time and I fell in love with that title. I find it even more striking when things are not supposed to match but they have no other choice when two worlds collide.

Like most bands, social media seems to be helping you guys connect with fans more directly and helping you to build stronger
relationships with fans. Do you see any down-side to these outlets in regard to the music industry or pop-culture in general?
One should be careful not to reveal everything. Mystery and mystique are a crucial element in the aesthetic experience. But it’s great to get rid of all the intermediaries distorting the message.

You guys seem to do a lot of stuff on your own terms. How do you see the future of the music industry shaping up in the wake
of the new DIY mentality? Are there any business models that you think are working or could work in the future?
We do not have a global vision of the future, but we’ve always believed that if you want to offer some kind of truth, you have to be self-sufficient. In terms of industry, we love this period of chaos. It reminds us of the ’60s when their weren’t as many rules. It’s a blessing for unorthodox and atypical artists and bands.

How do you feel about things, specifically music, becoming more and more digital and less tactile like they used to be?
Some objects have magical properties. That’s what I like about vinyl records…some of them are like talismans

When you are not writing/recording/touring, what do each of you like to do in your spare time?
A lot of things, but in an obsessive way. We are very monomaniacal. For one month Branco could be reading books about Italian terrorism, while I practice Croquet with Christian and Deck watches the Tour de France.

You guys have some great photography work on your blog. Have any of you considered an exhibit? Perhaps a group show?
Thank you! No exhibit yet, but who knows…

What’s next for the band after tour? Are there any new projects in the works? Tell us some secrets…
We still don’t know what’s next. We do have secrets but they can’t be revealed yet…

Thanks to Thomas for taking the time out to speak with us. You can grab a free mp3 from their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix below and buy the full-length now from Amazon. For tour dates visit the band’s MySpace Page.