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| Rob Weber |
Anyone who saw Girl Talk’s show on Saturday night knows just how energetic and lively his shows are. But, very few people know the man behind the stage name. Gregg Gillis is a 27-year-old college graduate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Reporter was given 20 minutes to chat with Gillis, and this is what he had to say:
Reporter: I know you have been asked this question a million times, but why the name Girl Talk?
Gregg Gillis: When I was starting to do music, I played with a lot of people who were just super borderline academic; they were serious people. That’s cool, but it felt a little forced and contrived. It was kind of a nerdy thing and I wanted to fuck with that. So I chose a name that sounded like a Disney Movie, something that would make people uncomfortable.
R: I hear you have a Biomedical Engineering Degree, how does that play into your music?
GG: It doesn’t anymore. Maybe [it does] in a general mindset. I used to sit in front of a computer 10 to 12 hours day, and now, I still do. It’s a similar process. It’s very meticulous and very detail-oriented, and it goes on to impact a bigger picture, which seems like the basis for a lot of engineering.
R: You have a ton of energy on stage, what do you do before your shows to get psyched up?
GG: I don’t really get psyched up. Tonight, [there were] a few of us on stage: me [doing] the music and the rest doing the visuals... We’ve played enough shows where we don’t really need to get psyched. We just kind of get mellow. We just chill out and listen to the Carpenters and stuff. Then when we get on stage, we kind of all transform to a
certain degree.
R: What are you listening to right now?
GG: This week I’ve been on the road a bit, but I bought the new Jay-Z and Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life Volume 2,” which is an absolute classic. I’m kind of revisiting that. I’m always listening to the oldies and Nirvana. [I’ve been listening to] a lot of Guided by Voices lately, a band I used to listen to a lot in high school.
R: So why did you invite everyone to come dance on stage with you?
GG: I think it’s because back in the day (for 6 years), I played on the floor or on a very low stage so I was right there in the crowd. I like to get people involved in the show and get into the crowd. I used to play at a lot of colleges and it would just be with everyone around me, more like a party vibe. I thought, “why couldn’t every show be like that?” … I think after having the house party thing happen for so long, I just wanted that feeling at every show. It’s not as lonely as being up on stage with a laptop by yourself.
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| Rob Weber |
R: How do copyright laws affect you using samples from songs that you legally have no rights to?
GG: It’s the fair use clause and it allows you to sample music without asking permission. If you look at the history of sampling, people think it’s illegal; but that’s not the case... If the music is transformed, doesn’t negatively affect the sales potentially, and is used for artistic use, then it’s legal... If you look on YouTube, there are a million artists doing my thing. [Remixes] can be better than the original and can have no interference with the sales of the original. Thus far, we haven’t really been challenged because a lot of people really see the potential in this.
R: You’re obviously pushing boundaries. Is that why you released your last album using a pay-what-you-want model?
GG: If you paid over $10, we gave you a CD. It’s the best way to get the album out to media and to people… It just seemed like the most efficient way to get my music out to the masses. I just wanted to tackle the issue that people can get albums for free online. I know you can get it for free, take it for free. With a lot of larger artists there is a whole chain of command. With us … we’re just trying to get our music out there. I couldn’t play here if the internet didn’t exist. There would only be like 50 to 60 people at this show, so I love people downloading my album for free online. I love people who buy the album at the same time because I buy a lot of albums because I think music has value.
R: Is there anything you want to say to RIT students?
GG: No bullshit. Honestly, when I played it sounded very good. I kind of expected a lot of tech students because I went to a school like this, but you guys really came out. I was not expecting this at all. Seriously, every artist says that same shit about how awesome a college show is, but you guys are real.
For more about the concert check out http://reportermag.com.
