Semi Precious Weapons: The InteReview

My Precious (That’s a misused LOTR reference, folks)
By Andrew Plotkin

Some bands were destined to live up to the hype. For the past two years, the self-professed “garage-glam heroes” Semi Precious Weapons have been championed by (among others) Tony Visconti (a legendary record producer who’s worked with Bowie, Morrissey, and T.Rex) and Alan McGee (an infamous mogul who helped launch the careers of Oasis and The Jesus and Mary Chain), not to mention the entire readership of the Village Voice (insert parenthetical phrase full of credentials here), who recently named SPW as NYC’s Greatest Band. On October 30, the world found out why, when We Love You, the band’s debut album which Visconti executive produced was released…FOR FREE! More on that issue later.

This band truly shines when performing onstage. Justin ‘Precious’ Tranter is a frontman in the truest sense of the word, and crowds are always more than happy to give him everything he seeks from them, whether it be their titties, their blood, or their voices in unison shouting “That’s Kunt” (the title of a track on We Love You).Aaron Lee Tasjan’s guitar riffs burst through the amplifiers and compel all those within earshot to exert as much energy as possible whilst they rock out. Bassist Cole Whittle runs amok, spitting Captain and Coke and flipping off the audience, sometimes as Tranter is dragging him around stage by his hair. Dan Crean pummels his drum kit with a seamless combination of technical prowess and reckless abandon, which often leads to splintered drumsticks flying through the air.

While preparing for the album’s release, as well as the ensuing blitzkrieg of shows, which saw the band play a week’s worth of gigs here in Gotham before they headed out for the rest of the US, thecheappop grabbed a quick word with Justin about the band, why they don’t want you to buy their CD, his battle with abstinence, and what it’s like to hear Paula Cole growl.

What can listeners expect from We Love You? j
Well, first I have a stunning little fake porn star girly moment, and then I scream bloody death. After that, they can expect 37 minutes of rock’n'roll! Amazing songs, unreal playing, and a whole lot of me singing about how beautiful I am.

You get an idea for a song. What’s the writing process like from that moment until the band considers it “finished”?
I say to Aaron “I have some cute lyrics, let’s write a smash hit”. He says “should it be fast or slow?” Then we consult MySpace to see what the kids are looking for and we write. No…I don’t know. It is pretty different every time. Sometimes it takes 12 minutes, sometimes two hours.

Your album is available for free at your shows and through your website. What prompted this decision?
We want people at our shows! End of story. With a billion bucks of corporate major label power backing bands, they can’t sell records, so why even try? The record industry is over. In two years, no one will ever buy a CD, or even an MP3. That’s why we are giving our record away for free. We just want as many people in the world to hear our music. So fuck it, give it away. Come to a show, buy a shirt, have the music for free!

Do you gentlemen have any unusual pre-show rituals?
Cole air fights. Dan flails his wrists about “warming them up”, Aaron sleeps, and I spend about two hours getting ready.

What’s the one question you get asked most after a show?
If my ass and teeth are real. Or how I get my leg over my head.

What’s better: having sex or playing live rock n roll music?
Playing live music. I am trying to give up sex.

You performed at the Marc Bolan/T. Rex 30th Anniversary Show. How was the view from that stage? Any great schmoozing stories?
It was at the Theater in Central Park, and the view was pretty kunt. Schmoozing…well Sylvain Sylvain (from the New York Dolls) told me he wrote us a song, and Jake Shears and I traded clothing. It was pretty gorge.

What was your first concert experience?
Well, it’s not very rock’n'roll but the first show I bought a ticket for was Paula Cole when I was like 14. Yes, “I Don’t Wanna Wait” Dawson’s Creek Paula Cole. But it was fucking stunning. She wore masks, growled, screamed, and sang her ass off. Actually it was kinda rock’n'roll now that I relive it.

A better understanding of why you are so fuckin’ amazing aside, what do you hope people will take away from Semi Precious Weapons?
That it is OK to feel fantastic about who you are, it’s ok to actually have fun, it’s ok to let go and be whatever it is you are.

Now that’s kunt.

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