What was the inspiration behind the character Gustafer Yellowgold?
It was all a fortunate series of accidental connections. I had a cartoon character with no surroundings, and a bunch of weird cartoonly songs all sung in first person with no particular character in mind. When I went through my absurd song catalogue, I found "I'm From The Sun" was so blaringly perfect for this character, I couldn't really believe I hadn't thought of putting it together before.
What does it mean to "Keep it Yellow"?
"Keep It Yellow" means keep a Gustafer-like attitude: Stay curious, mellow and generally excellent. And smash cakes... mellowly!
Of all the places a creature from the Sun could settle on Earth, why Minnesota?
The navigational settings in Gus's Sunpod were set to "COLDER" and "GREEN".
The band walks the line between adult and children appeal. What is it about the group that connects with a range of ages?
The best kid's stuff that has stood the test of time is the stuff that's been geared towards adults, but is highly accessible and attractive to kids. I think the trick is to make something pretty complex seem simple. I tend to use a lot of cartoonly images lyrically, but there's the sadder undertones that I think the older folks latch onto.
In the spectrum of today’s pop music, where does your band fit in and what does it offer that the industry might be lacking?
If I had to choose, I'd say it might fit along with The Flaming Lips, The Shins, maybe Beck and the Polyphonic Spree. Those bands I mentioned all have a fun and organic feel to me. That’s what I hope we bring to the table. A naturalness and freedom while still keeping it catchy and singable. What I'm attracted to in new music today is the stuff that sounds like a group of guys in a room playing music together, instead of a group of producers and Swedish pop-smiths with demographical diagrams, pitch-correctors and pop-culture barometers. Woah, that was a lot of hyphens!
How do you get into the mindset needed to write stories like "My Dragon" or "Green Bee"? Is this an expression of your own inner-child?
The less I think about the process, the better it comes. There's a place of purity where if you can tap into it, you get the best stuff. When I wrote those, I lifted the barrier and just wrote for myself or even just to give my friends a laugh. And I seem to gravitate towards the absurd and cartoonly songs where the characters cry. Oh, man I hope no therapists are reading this....
The group is compared to Dr. Seuss and The Beatles. How did these play into your own childhood?
Seuss loomed large in my room for sure. I was the youngest of three with a twelve-year span among us. So by the time I was born there were stacks of a lot of cool books and records around. It's also how I developed my affection for 70's soft-rock.
How does the audience’s energy differ when opening for acts like Polyphonic Spree or playing at coffee shops in front of families?
The energy grows with bigger numbers. Joy and laughter are contagious fortunately. For the bigger shows I tend to be more general with my between-song set-ups, since it would kinda kill the show to take the time to hear the names of every person's pet!
With your first DVD out this past March and a growing appeal world-wide, what’s next for Gustafer Yellowgold?
DVD 2 is near completion! Nine new video/songs, and I'm really excited to expand on the first set. There's so much more to tell. The next one rounds things out a little more. I expand on some characters and introduce some new ones too. Beyond that, the possibilities are really endless. Gustafer can go anywhere really. That's the great thing about doing this... It's not just my latest band... It's a whole new world of music and pictures, headed by a pointy-headed yellow guy who loves to smash cake!
<lst>Gustafer Yellowgold plays Saturday, June 2, 11 a.m. at Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave., Vienna. Tickets: $8. For more about Taylor and Gustafer, visit www.gustaferyellowgold.com. Visit www.jamminjava.com for venue details.