the result was absolutely insane... So here is the article that I did for The Union Weekly (and an mp3 of the interview)
mp3:
http://boomp3.com/listen/c17od9u9p_p/ManMan.mp3Man-o y Man-o
Up close and personal (kinda) with Chang Wang and Sergei Sogay of Man Man
By: Allan Steiner
Let me set the scene for you. It’s about one o’clock in the AM. Man Man has just put on a fantastic two encore set at the small club known as the Echoplex. The entire crowd is hot and sweaty, The band is sweatier. They take a bit of time to cool off a little and have a couple of drinks before coming to talk with me. The interview that followed is nothing short of brilliant, and that is all I will say. So without further ado:
Union Weekly: First of all, could you guys introduce yourselves?
Chang Wang:I’m Chang Wang
Chang Lee: I’m Chang Lee
SS: I’m Sergei Sogay, cuz I’m so gay. Am I not correct?
CW: Yeah
UW: OK, so how did you guys meet?
CW: It was in a bathhouse
SS: All fours
CL: Tokyo… Little Tokyo
CW & SS: Yeah.
UW: Is that when the band was formed?
CW: So to speak
CL: Did you know, We’re staying in a hotel that has heated toilet seats?
UW: Really…
CL: Yeah, I mean really… my god.
CW: It’s really calming. Like I kind of wish I had heated toilet seats. I would just hang out all the time.
SS: Toto… They’re made by Toto.
CW: Toto the band.
[laughter]
CL: I spent three hours in the bathroom today.
UW: Really…
CL: On the toilet
CW: We have a bidet
UW: Alright, well then, that makes sense.
[laughter]
CL: Yeah. I was just washing my fucking asshole all day long
[at this point a security person asked us to move to somewhere else. We headed backstage to continue the interview. On the way, Chang Lee bailed, but that’s cool because I’m pretty sure he’s not actually a member of the band]
UW: OK, so you’re sound. How’d you find that sound, because it is very distinct.
CW: Here’s the thing. It’s like how come you never see Sara Palin’s baby’s face?
SS: [laughs], that’s pretty funny.
CW: No Really. Seriously. You know it’s a baby, but what does it look like? Does it look like John McCain?
SS: Maybe a little bit.
CW: Maybe a little bit. I mean he’s 85
SS: 98.
CW: 75
SS: 72
UW: Wow.
CW: Yeah, so there you go.
UW: Alright. So, um… You guys use like a ton of different instruments (or some might even say are toys) on stage. So, do you guys have a favorite experience going into an instrument shop or anything like that?
CW: One time, we were on tour um, I saw a man get hit by a car, and he exploded like a pińata.
SS: And we recorded it
CW: Yeah. Yeah. It’s on the last record actually. In the first 5 seconds of ‘Whalebones’
UW: Really?
CW: Why would I lie to you?
UW: Well, I’ll have to check that out.
SS: New York City.
CW: It happened in New York City. It happened in uh… it happened in Queens
SS: That’s in New York City
CW: Yeah. Do you know that… I feel I can share this with you…Did you know that Billy made out with an african american transvestite midget when we were in Buffalo, New York?
UW: No.
[I should note here that Billy is Chang Wang’s real name, which makes this statement all the more impressive]
CW: Lips Locked. Ass Grabbed, Maybe more… This is actually real. Everything else might have been a lie.
[laughter]
SS: I don’t think so though.
UW: When did you decide that you wanted to make music.
SS: I think I was 2 years old. My dad got me a starter drum kit.
UW: Like one of those first act kits that they sell at Costco?
SS: You had one?
UW: No. But I always wanted one.
CW: Do you know any kids who had a ‘My Buddy’?
SS: I had one, We’ve talked about this before. [CW starts singing ‘My Buddy’ jingle] He used to spend the night all the time.
CW: That’s creepy
SS: What about ‘Kid Sister’
CW: I had a ‘Kid Sister’ and it’s mouth was hollowed out.
SS: Cuz you fucked it.
CW: Cuz I loved it.
[laughter]
SS: Exactly.
UW: Is there anything that you guys are listening to right now? … like, Music-wise specifically. [laughs]
SS: There’s this band called Man Man…
CW: I like listening to Kimbo Slice beat the fuckin’shit out of people… I just download the YouTubes.
SS: Have you seen the video of the guy who thinks his abdomen is indestructible, and Kimbo Slice punches him once and the guy pukes?
CW: It’s incredible. He gets $100 to stand there. Have you ever seen “Shake that Bear”? That video will redefine you as a human being.
SS: Like “2 girls 1 cup”?
CW: Different. It’s a different kind of soullessness.
UW: Do you have a strangest on stage experience?
CW: I got an inverted boner.
UW: Really…
CW: Yeah. It was fuckin’ bizarre. I can’t explain it.
UW: Do you remember what show that was at?
CW: Yeah. It was an all boys prep school… Gary Glitter was playing on the stereo. And uh, yeah. It was very spiritual.
SS: I remember that… When you walked outside and you told us all about it, you said that peeing was a weird sensation because you felt it inside your body.
CW: I actually sat down to pee that time, and I peed out of my belly button, because the boner went back into my stomach.
UW: See. I’m not that great with anatomy. So really? That’s how that works? Wow. I had no idea…
SS: Wait you don’t know where the belly button is?
UW: What?
SS: Yeah, you said you were bad with anatomy
[laughter]
CW: Have you ever eaten a placenta? You can actually fry them up. Only once have I ever eaten a placenta. It wasn’t my own. [laughter] They’re supposed to be good for you. But yeah, I went on a family vacation to Asia. Well, the Philippines specifically. And in the Philippines you can eat a duck embryo in an egg, it’s called Balut, or you can buy a child’s placenta, and they fry it up like at a people shop, you know like at a placenta shop. It’s very strange.
UW: What’d it taste like?
CW: Like chicken… I actually got to see a picture of the kid whose placenta I ate.
SS: I’m sure it was a generic picture. I’ve gotta be honest, they pulled the same picture for the guy before you.
CW: But it was delicious.
UW: What do you guys do in your spare time?
SS: Masturbate. Beyond that?
CW: I watch.
UW: What’s the last band you saw live?
SS: I don’t remember his name. He wasn’t very good.
UW: Alright. That should just about do it. Do you guys want to add anything else?
CW: Have you ever worn sweatpants?
UW: Yes.
CW: Did you get a sweatpants boner?
SS: That’s a good one. That’s a good question.
UW: Um, I have. Yes… Dammit, now I have to print this.
[laughter]
CW: Yeah. You’re not the first.
