By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
September 5, 2003
Courtney Taylor-Taylor is the lead singer for the Dandy Warhols. But get him in a conversation about remodeling and architecture, and you’d swear the guy was an architect or an interior designer–one who peppers his sentences with liberal doses of the “F” word, that is. On tour to promote the band’s new album, “Welcome to The Monkey House” (Capitol), Taylor-Taylor had a thing or two to say about his new Portland studio, the delights of touring and his method for preventing freakouts.
What you do during your time off: I like to stay home in Portland, Ore., with my girlfriend. Portland is the f—— most happening city.
Best advice you ever got: Some very well-off friends told me to buy property.
My latest acquisition: I just bought a quarter of a block and put all my money into remodeling it. It used to be a f—– up machine shop. Now it’s our studio, clubhouse, lounge … everything.
Designing man: I designed the whole thing myself. For two months, we worked 24 hours a day straight through and never locked the doors. There was always someone coming in to work on something.
House appearance: You can see some of the rooms in our video for “We Used to Be Friends.” We have this lounge where every object in it is metal gray–we call it the Gray Room.
Favorite object in the building: Hmmm. I like this sofa I designed. It’s 14 feet wide and 9 feet deep. It’s perfect to lie in and watch movies with friends.
Last good movie you saw: “Gangs of New York.” We played it on this 10-foot movie screen a friend donated.
Store we’re most likely to see you in: Believe it or not, Home Depot. I’m always there looking for material.
When you’re 64: I’d like to end up in a house with some nice land. I’ll get rid of this property one day and quadruple my money.
The best thing about being you: It’s really super fun being me right now. I have a lot of great friends.
On touring: As much as we love our clubhouse, touring’s pretty awesome, too.
Your theory about music: Everyone needs music, no matter how happy you are or how bad your day is going.
A song you wish you wrote: I could never write anything that could supplant [Bob Dylan’s] “Lay, Lady, Lay.”
What you do when you’re freaking out: I think of the worst-case scenario–that I’m starving, have to pee, have a back or neck injury and am unemployed. Then I think about what my real problem is and it’s never so bad by comparison.
People don’t know that: I’m really excitable about things. I’m predisposed to anxiety.
Relatively speaking: [Bandmate] Brent DeBoer and I are second cousins.
Favorite author: Ayn Rand is amazing. She teaches you that real success is earned.
Bite the hand that feeds you: I quit caring that Capitol Records doesn’t give a s— about us. They’re really unfashionable men stuck in the pop ’90s who worry that our records don’t test well. And then they’re on our side two years later when our record gets huge.
