Devendra Banhart is a character. He's one that while i'm not an obsessive fan over his music I read every interview I find by him. I just love his insights and the absurdities he comes up with. One of my favorites is an interview in a hotel featuring him and Linday Lohan, who just happens to be a fan of his music. That interview would be here. I had honestly forgotten about Linday's illfated jaunt into music. However after reading this interview she's now a total enigma to me. Devendra's story about his first song being about a Venezuelan tradition where family members get plastic surgery on their pets to make them look more like themselves is also...interesting. Before I get to the song i'm posting, i'm going to do a few more entertaining interview tidbits.
From the BBC:
Can you tell me about what you're performing tonight?
I'm playing a song called "The Guacamole Shakedown". It's about Del Taco and Taco Bell finally getting together and stopping this fighting that's been going down in East LA for the past ten years. I'm really proud I've written it and I'm really happy I'm been invited to come here and play it today.
And my personal favorite (yet this time something legitimate) from this source:
Can you tell the story about Sammy Hagar and the Sushi Bar?
My thing with Sammy goes back, it goes way back. I played a show at a sushi restaurant and Sammy was there. I'd play anywhere man. At that time I didn't like to play guitar as much. I'd play a capella and screech. I was doing my screech and people were trying to eat their spider rolls. So he had one of his people put on a Van Halen CD really loud to drown me out. I jumped on his table and kicked the spider roll in his face. He jumps up and tries to hit me with a tequila bottle. I dodged that and started pulling at the fucking weird cornrow on his face, pulling it back, and he's trying to stab me with his Ray-Bans. I'm elbowing him and trying to light him on fire. He's wearing this weird hemp thing that was pretty flammable. He got lightly seared. If you look at photos you can see the scarring. He had a chain wallet on, which I used to try to cut the circulation on his leg. But it's still going. There's more episodes to it, but that's the first episode. Other things have happened.
Did he get any shots in?
He punched me in the clavicle. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting. He did try to hit me in face with a bottle of tequila. I have nightmares now about tequila.
What brand of tequila was it?
Sammy Hagar's brand, Wabo Cabo. He carries that and Van Halen CDs around.
Amazing. The first song is from Devendra's last album Cripple Crow and has a funny story behind it. So in the middle of recording this album one of Devendra's friends said something like: Man...Starbucks is going to eat this album up. They're definitely going to play this in the stores. Now this frightened Devendra- the thought of his delicately crafted music being diminished to that of background noise for yuppies to talk over and sip on their overpriced blended coffee drinks to was a frightening one. He then proceeded to write a song that would guarantee that Starbucks wouldn't play it. Thus "Little Boys" was born. It's actually my favorite song off of Cripple Crow, as it works as a two part song with a laid back two and a half minute intro that perfectly segues into the almost Motown-esque second part via a fabulous bassline. The song is also unbelivably catchy with the "I see so many...Little boys I want to marry" chorus likely to awkwardly be floating through your head long after the song has finished.
Devendra Banhart - Little Boys
"Life is tough
And love is rough
For the men who just can't seem to ever get enough
The days go by
And the women come and go
So many that you decide to get rid of your front door
So you don't have to hear
Them all disappear
You just sit and you wait
Staring at your empty plate
And you can say, I'm a lonely sailor
Rocking gently on my dream
'Cause I can have it all
But I don't want it all
And live like I never, ever, ever tried
I just never been fully satisfied
Just to tie a little shoelace
And to share a sleeping bag
And I look ahead to the day
When I look back at all the fun that I've had
But still, but still, but still
I see so many
Little boys I want to marry
I see plenty
Little kids I'll get to have
Even when the moon goes out
Even when the sea dries out
I still see so many
Little boys I want to marry
I'll see plenty
Little kids I'll get to have now"
Next comes "This Beard is for Siobhán" from his 2004 album Rejoicing in the Hands, a fantastic record. The song is a delight and just flies by. The more rocking end is a great touch. Like many Devendra songs, this one is quite addicting. I definitely put this one on repeat before.
Devendra Banhart - This Beard is for Siobhán
"Now because my teeth don't bite
Ican take 'em out dancin'
I could take my little teeth out
and I could show them a real good time
A good time a good time
A real good time"
Live video of Little Boys featuring a little boy doll (hah!)
Amazing performance of This Beard... Live at Spin
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow @ Amazon.com
Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands @ Amazon.com
