AE: Cool. It seems like you've been doing a lot of different stuff outside of
Tegan and Sara lately. Is that something you've always wanted to do, or have
opportunities just started coming up for you?
TQ: Yeah, I think primarily it's that. Hunter Burgan, a couple of years ago,
who played bass in AFI and played on The
Con, we started writing together. I spent a lot of time in L.A. working on
that project and figuring out what to do with that. I'm kind of like a yes man,
I'll say yes to anything.
AE: Do you have a name for it yet?
TQ: No, we don't actually. He has a side project called Hunter's Revenge, and
Sara is not into the idea of me putting Tegan in the title obviously, so a
working title for a long time was Tegan vs. Hunter, but that doesn't sit well
with Sara. I think part of us doesn't really want to have a band, but wants to
just write songs for other people. We're both so busy with our own things.
But I think the honest answer to why I do so many things outside Tegan and
Sara is that I feel like I want to explore other realms of music. I've toured
with Tegan and Sara for 10 years consistently. It just feels really nice to go
work with other people, especially with guy bands.
I just show up, and it's like "Sing with us!" It's kind of great.
I get to use a whole different part of me and a whole different part of my
brain. It's just a completely different atmosphere. It's also building up my
confidence to get on a plane and come to L.A. to work because I've been invited.
Tegan (center) with Against Me!
AE: It seems like you always have male band members. Is that something that's
conscious?
TQ: We don't change our band very often. We played with our original band for
almost five years... You'd
be surprised at how hard it is to find musicians. We have to find people that
live in the same city and that narrows things down a lot. The older we get, the
more difficult it is to find people, because the older they get, the more they
want to be paid. Even though we're growing with each record, it's not like we're
playing to 20,000 each night, so it's really hard. They all have families, and
our crew changes a lot more often than our band because they are a lot older
and have families, and what we pay, we pay out of our pockets so ...
We work with a lot of women like our designer, Emily, to our tour manager.
For every female I meet, I meet 10 men. We get asked a lot do we feel like
there's enough room for women in music. A lot of the time, you never meet
female engineers or record presidents, it's hard. I also feel like Sara and I
are a lot, like, we're enough girl for everybody. We have two girls on tour
with us right now, and so it's four girls, four boys, and we're so dramatic and
so emotional and we talk nonstop. It's always one of us saying, "I'm so tired,
stop talking!"
AE: Well, you've both brought
girlfriends on the road at different times. Do you feel like that's mostly a
positive thing?
TQ: I think for Sara it was a positive thing because Emy is such a big part of
Tegan and Sara. She was like the third band member. I used to tell people,
"Every idea I have gets voted down!" And they'd ask, "How do you
guys decide? It's just two of you.” And I'm like, "Nuh-uh!" She's so
involved. She really has a say in who we are and what we do, and is so invested
and puts us first so often and was so in it, that it's not uncomfortable. She's
such a part of us and what we're doing. For me, I haven't had that kind of
relationship yet. I don't feel like anyone that I've dated has wanted to be a
part of the organization in that traditional sense. I don't feel like I'd want
to put one of my partners on the payroll. I'm one of those people that like to
have my own thing going on, which of course, causes lots of tension and breakups
in my life. But that's good. I try at least once in every relationship to bring
someone out so they can at least see an idea of what it means to be in a band.
We don't party, we don't have alcohol in the rider, we don't bring fans
backstage. Mostly it's really boring and long and we sit around all day so we
can play for an hour. And for the people just watching and hanging out, it's
not that exciting because they don't get that payoff. We do this to get the
payoff and they don't get that. They have to be involved and I love including
my partners in what I do so I write songs about them.
AE: Do they get any say in what you're singing about them?
TQ: [laughs] They don't! I have a song called "When I Get Up" that I actually wrote in
bed. One day, not feeling very good and laying around, my girlfriend and I were
just hanging out, and I never played guitar in front of her, never wrote any
songs in front of her, we just weren't like that. I pulled out my guitar and
started f---ing around, so I started writing, "When I get up" and
made up a chorus line, and she's like, "Hey, that's really good! Hold
on!" She got up and got a piece of paper and a pen, and she wrote it down.
I was like, "Oh my God, that's so cute."
AE: That is cute.
TQ: In six years that was the only time we did that, but it was cool.
AE: Have you ever had a girlfriend that didn't like your band?
TQ: Yes.
AE: You have? What did they say: "I’m
just not that into it"?
TQ: I feel like the further along I get in my career, the more girls I meet
that don't necessarily not like my band, but say, "Oh, I've never heard
your band before."
AE: Oh, they're lying. They're totally
lying!
TQ: Honestly, it's just what I do. It's just my passion and my heart and who I
am, but you don't like it? That's cool. But the girl that I'm dating right now
likes my music.
AE: I'm sure you guys get a lot of
groupies or what have you trying to get backstage. You never hang out with any
of them?
TQ: No because most of them are 16, and I'm like, are you joking? Some of them
are like, "Tegan, will you please go out with me?" and I'm like,
"Oh my God, I don't want to go to prison. No way!" I'll tell you the
one thing I miss — I mean, I'm so proud and so glad about where we've
gotten in the past couple of years — but what I miss so much is being
able to sit at a table — me, Sara and Emy — and we would
sign things for hours. Nobody ever scared us, nobody ever got crazy, we didn't
even have security. Then I don't know what happened. Over the last couple of
years, I can't even tell you how many times we've gotten grabbed, kicked. I
just can't even go out anymore without security. There are teenagers grabbing
us, saying they've been standing outside for three hours, and it's our job,
like a million other jobs, so we can't just stand outside for hours, and it's
dangerous. That's the one thing I regret. The bigger you get, the less you can
connect with people.
AE: But you guys seem to do your fair
share of secret and smaller shows, too.
TQ: Totally, which is why we do small tours before each album comes out, not
just for promotional reasons but so we can spend more time and hang out. The
best thing is when I'm in the grocery store and two girls come up, and they're
like, "What are you doing here? What are you buying? You live here?"
The other day, I was on the bus in sweatpants and no bra, and these girls
were staring at me and asked me, "Why are you on the bus?" I'm like,
"I don't drive!" But I love that. It was funny.
In everyday life, it happens more and
more, but I love it because I interact with tons of people all day long who
don't know who I am, and then randomly I'll be at a restaurant and a girl will
walk by and ask if she can get a photo and all the people will be like,
"Who the hell is that girl?" and I'm like "Who the hell am
I?"
Get more information on Tegan and
Sara at their official website.
Tegan!!:-)
I've been waiting!!! Alas...but I gotta work..:-(
EDIT: STUDYING IS FOR THE BIRDS!!!
Yeah Tegan, it's on Youtube!!! Sara got ghetto with that girl (that's what they tell me "ghetto" means)
I think Tegan & Sara have the ideal amount of fame. Like when she said she could interact all day with people who don't know who she is (few I'm sure, at this point) but then someone could randomly ask for an autograph!!! That's awesome, It's how I feel it would be to be famous within this Afterellen community. You get to do what you love, have people love it and appreciate it, and still get to live your life without chaos...sounds awesome.
Btw, loved Tegan's performance of Hop A Plane/Superstar...hopefully at some point we can squeeze a little more "Superstar" outta the combo performance:-)
Also I think it's awesome that Tegan & Sara were ranked as one person...I really don't support any kinda Tegan vs Sara action, I think it's absurd, and I don't get it...I totally understand what makes Tegan hott, but I don't get, in a competitive nature, what makes her hotter than Sara. And anyway, they're a band, so shouldn't they at least be equal in that way? Like as a band wouldn't they have to be number???
And if Tegan reads these comments at all, please Tegan...please bring back the growl lol....bring back Tegan the Tiger, I miss her...I was watching this really old concert and I was blown away by the performance of "Don't Confess" and "I Hear Noises" then I just sat back and watched a bunch of old footage and the power behind Tegan's vocals used to be SO raspy and emotional!!! Wow...
I also wish Sara would perform "Trouble" again...that's a powerful raspy Sara track, also the only truely punk track I've heard by Tegan or Sara...Hop A Plane is pop/punk or something but "Trouble" is pure punk...love it!!!
Sara Q.: Hey girl wanna come over to my house? Cyndi Lauper got me a blender and I'm really good at making mojitos.
http://jusjay.blogspot.com
youtube video
Haha I know!!!
I know!!! I was waiting for you to respond!:-)
Tegan: That's such a good song Sara. I think that's really impressive that you wrote that.Sara: Don't talk, hey, hey...my wife...I want to give her credit for writing that song.
Tegan: Rihanna?
Sara: She's a fine fine woman
http://jusjay.blogspot.com
I totally put it up too and
I totally put it up too and I was in the row right behind the girl!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KR6qcl90_4
you're the one that got all
Yay
This interview was awesome, I couldn't wait for it. I especially loved the little yawn aside.
Tegan Rocks (literally)
Cute
That was so cute :)
Tegan is a gem.
Indeed
Good interview, love Tegan))) So Tegan and Sara will have a totally new band and producer for the next album? That's interesting, can't wait for them to go to studio)))
http://www.myspace.com/1kiloofbrains
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1333585854
http://www.reverbnation.com/1kiloofbrains
Tegan rocks
Tegan is so real. and by real i mean realatable. except much more awesome than reality.
i want to go to their ATL show SOOOO bad
Very nice
It's almost two in the morning, I'm on the verge of pulling my first all-nighter of the year while listening to Tegan and Sara and on that one little break I take I find this wonderful interview. Trish you're so damn lucky getting to talk to Tegan, great interview.
Wish I could catch one of their upcoming shows but they're all a bit of a drive away. It sucks that the girls don't get to bond with their fans as much as they used. I've definitely noticed lately that fans have really gotten kind of scary when it comes to meeting the people they admire.
No driving, that's the way to go Tegan. I love it. And the yawning bit was cute.
___//♫♪ let your girlfriend do what your boyfriend can't
hmm, interesting interview
i like the different topics you touched. I am really excited to hear songs from Tegan's side project with Hunter as I heard that it is electronic music and I just wonder what kind: deep, soft, instrumental, with lyrics (as the lyrics seem so important when playing as Tegan and Sara, I think) ...? Cannot wait to get an audio sample.
when it comes to relationships, I think it is so true what she says that everyone needs their space and their own thing. But the partner should be interested and open to trying new things. And having someone who does a different form of art than you do and to be able to work together and combine those two at times, that is awesome.
Hehe, I was also one of those thinking: why are Tegan and Sara both on no. 67? Did they really get the same amount of votes? It's actually not that important (as I don't really care for lists like that anyways) but they are still two individuals and one might like one or the other better for whatever reasons just like one prefers certain other band members, actors, news speakers etc. Ahem, why did Tegan actually mention that she was ranked higher on other lists than Sara?? I hope she really is just bemused by this and those lists ...
"But say...
Oh, I've never heard your band before."
lulz
This was a cool interview. I've learned what not to do at a Tegan and Sara concert, no grabbing, kicking, gum throwing, no flipping them off, no asking Tegan out and risk sending her to ~prison~...I think I can manage that, if I try hard enough.
This was great!
I was really looking forward to this interview and I'm so happy it's on the site now. I thought it was a great interview. Not another one full of those cliché questions we all heard so many times before.
Thanks so much!
tegan!!
great interview...so much fun
I already have my ticket for their concert in LA in october.
can't wait. In case u guys haven't watch this yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1gA9IZoths
so much fun
awww
such a nice interview!!!!! thanks AE!
tegan and sara is by far my favourite band.. and i'm glad that one of my favourite sitea mentions them so often.
and tegan.. she's just amazing!
bring on the sara!!
Cool
Great questions Trish.
Great questions Trish.
That middle finger video definately is on youtube. My roomate showed it to me. It's a little hard to hear, but it's pretty funny.
That was a great way to
That was a great way to kick off the Monday for me!
I want some Sara interviews now. Love that girl. I don;t know if anyone has seen the con dvd where she talks about going home to "work on my dance songs." when do i get to hear these dance songs?
"When you stop talking, you start communicating." - Joss Whedon
Cool
I totally agree with Tegan...when they first started I got to see them (many times) at the smallest places in Toronto and met all three original band members...it was awesome.
And now they're SO popular, which is fantastic for them. When I'd see them, I'd always leave a concert saying, "more people need to know about them." And now it's been so many years since my first T&S concert and when I see them now at much larger places and with much younger people, it makes me miss the old days.
K, now I just feel old..
All I can say is, congrats Tegan and Sara...your ever-growing success is totally deserved.
Tegan!
!were you the cadet???
Were you the cadet?? last night that she met a cadet (guess she meant security huh?) and she asked her to pretend that she was arresting her lmao!!!
Sara Q.: Hey girl wanna come over to my house? Cyndi Lauper got me a blender and I'm really good at making mojitos.
http://jusjay.blogspot.com
fantastic
fantastic. they do have the best hair, truly.
Great interview.
And seriously, Tegan is so adorable. ^.^
"Hi, I'm Chandler. I make jokes as a defense mechanism."
Ah Tegan!
Few things:
Great interview
It wasn't your typical "Tegan and Sara"(sans Sara), Good questions, great answers. I was laughing throughout.
"There is homophobia in every corner and pocket of this world, but at the core ... you just love someone and want to make mixedtapes for them" -Sara Quin
Great interview... and a great idea!
I just watched the Annie Leibowitz ‘American Masters’ on PBS- can you imagine what she could create with Tegan and Sara? hmmmm...
That would be amazing...lets
That would be amazing...lets call Annie up.
I'm thinking a Whoopi in the milk bathtub sorta thing.
Tegan Rain Quin: dork
Tegan Rain Quin: dork certifiable.
Good on ya Tegan!
I've been debating on
I've been debating on whether or not I should see them this tour. This interview just made up my mind.
I'm loving all the music features on AE this week.
:)
Can't wait for the show
Yey tegan! so cute;) i bet
The Video of the "finger girl"
Hello Tegan and Sara fans!!
Here is the video Tegan was talking about in the interview.
I took it at the Indianapolis show in May.
Tegan and Sara are very gifted performers and their live show is awesome, and had they not intervened the whole concert would've been ruined for me. So thank you ladies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KR6qcl90_4
That was very cool:)
Tegan Quin rocks!
http://sarasdarkness.blogspot.com
I Cannot wait
I can not Wait to see Tegan and Sara in Md, and Pa.. w00t. who knows ill bring my bass and jam with them..
i wish*
Tegan Quin Interview = Amazing!!
Amazing interview!! Trish you always ask such interesting questions. Tegan and Sara is like my favorite band ever, and they are the first band I've ever said is my favorite band and truly meant it. They are amazing period. That being said, I have a huge crush on Tegan. She seems so down to earth. If I met her at a concert, I wouldn't be one of those crazed fans. I'm not exactly old yet, but sometimes I feel old. Especially when I heard about those crazy 17-year-olds at the concerts. They make me feel really old.
I've never been able to travel to see Tegan and Sara live. They haven't played the upper midwest area yet, or at least not near me. I would totally drop everything to see them if they came to Minneapolis or Omaha (the closest big cities).
Does anybody have a link to the youtube video where Sara flipped off fan at a concert. People said that moment was posted on youtube, but I haven't been able to find it. What would I search for it as??
~Serenity Rainbow~
"Be the change you want to see in the world"
Video
Here is the link to the video I took. It was at the Indianapolis show in May.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KR6qcl90_4
Enjoy!!!
Thanks!!
Thank you for giving me the video link!!
~Serenity Rainbow~
"Be the change you want to see in the world"
That's really too bad
About the over zealous fans. Kicking? Really? Who pays to go to a show just to kick the band?
It doesn't totally surprise me though, I've heard some pretty creepy things online.
It's just upsetting cause those crazies gotta ruin it for the rest of us.
"Some of them are like, 'Tegan, will you please go out with me?' and I'm like, 'Oh my God, I don't want to go to prison. No way!'"
^favorite part.
:)
Oh, and a happy belated birthday to Tegan and Sara!
Their birthday is the day
Their birthday is the day before mine!! ;)
~Serenity Rainbow~
"Be the change you want to see in the world"
Well then!
A happy belated birthday to you as well!
:)
Hey is that picture of them
Tegan!!
this was a really funny and intersting interview!
i like that so many topics were covered.
those girls are so amazing that all i can do right now is just congratulate them! i'm so happy to have their music in my live.
Oh! i really love the
Oh! i really love the interview. It was different , really good. Nothing to do with it but i really want to see t&s in live! but its kind of a dream because they're never gonna come here :(
tegan is sooo down to earth.