450px|"I'm going to stay here, then. I'm not going to use it. I want to stay here with this guy and my boyfriend and my family." Sharin Foo (with Sune Rose Wagner) on solo time travel.photo: David Shankbone"We ’ re only two days in and we ’ re already fucking tired," says Sune Rose Wagner to David Shankbone as he walks into the dressing room at the Bowery Ballroom. Wagner and Sharin Foo comprise the Raveonettes, a group made for "nostalgists who long for Everly Brothers 45's and diner jukeboxes, the Raveonettes tweak "American Graffiti"-era rock with fuzzed-out surf-guitar riffs," said The New York Times. They recently left Columbia and signed with Fierce Panda because they felt constrained by their Columbia contract: "The major label system sometimes doesn't allow for outside "help" to get involved, meaning that we don't get to choose who we wanna work with. That can be a pretty terrible thing and bad things will surely come of it," said the band on their MySpace site. Originally from Denmark, both musicians live in the United States now. David Shankbone: No, I drank so much green tea today I am worried I am going to need to pee throughout the interview.Sune: At least you ’ re peeing healthy. Can you mix vodka with green tea?DS: I used to. How is the tour going? Sune: It ’ s good. We ’ re only two days in and we ’ re already fucking tired. But we ’ re in great spirits here. We ’ re leaving town tomorrow …we’ re happy. Sune: [Laughs] And that ’ s where we fit in, now! Freaks! Sharin Foo: Sounds like an interesting job. DS: A lot of the questions might be a little different than what you are typically used to; maybe that will make it more interesting for you, or less pleasant. One of the first questions I like to ask musicians is about the challenge to be innovative when so much has already been done. How do you not let that affect your output? Sune: Well, I don ’ t think we really think about it in those terms. When we started out we had certain guidelines for the music that would ensure that it would sound like no one else, and those were pretty easy to make. Things like don ’ t use a high hat, don ’ t use cymbals, don ’ t use certain things, play all the songs in the same key, do this and this, and that was really … DS: Was that your Dogme influence? Sune: Yeah. I don ’ t know what it was, I guess it was a really silly thing, but it worked and it was very inspiring and creative to work within those constraints, I guess. But they weren ’ t really constrains for us, it was actually really easy and simple, but I think it has a sound that I have never heard before. But like I said, I don ’ t really thin that we think … Sharin: I think it ’ s more that we are not scared of being blunt about what the references are in our music. For instance, if you look at our name, The Raveonettes, it ’ s a complete direct reference to The Ronettes and Buddy Holly Rave On. So, in that sense, we ’ re pretty clear about it. DS: You embrace it.Sune: Yeah, we like it. Sharin: Yeah, where the inspiration has come from. So it ’ s not like we have that fear of repetition.Sune: I think a lot of bands put a lot of emphasis on trying to be different, and then they make music that is soulless; it doesn ’ t get me anywhere.DS: It ’ s too self-aware? Sune: Yeah, what ’ s wrong with the three chords? That ’ s what music was founded upon, that ’ s what everyone from Hank Williams to The Ramones used those three chords. What ’ s wrong with them all of a sudden? Sharin: Yes. I think that what it comes down to is whether it strikes a chord in you and hits your gut, some kind of emotion in you, that ’ s really what we care about when we make music. DS: Since you are so upfront about your influences, you do still have unique sound. Do the constant comparison in the music media grow tiresome?Sune: I don ’ t care about it at all because if people compared us to bands that are really shitty then I would probably mind. But if they compare us to Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers, then I think it ’ s fine. You always need names for bands so you can tell people what they sound like. That ’ s fine. Those are good names … I really don ’ t care about it one bit.DS: Did you guys follow the Phil Spector trial? Sune: A little bit. I didn ’ t have any thoughts on it. It ’ s 50/50 DS: Knowing Ronnie Spector it must have been an interesting perspective to see it from.Sharin: Well, Sune knows her.Sune: I ’ m good friends with his daughter, and that was another weird perspective, really. Because that was more a sad perspective because obviously she was very saddened by her dad being on trial for murder. That was a whole different way of looking at it all of a sudden. She ’ s coming tonight, actually. I don ’t know…. I know he has been throwing around guns for ages, so if a gun went off I wouldn ’ t be surprised. On the other hand, why would he kill someone? I don ’ t know. I have no idea.DS: Dogme influenced you guys early on, does it still? Sune: It ’ s still there, a lot actually. Sharin: But I think it ’ s more of a subconscious, integrated thing. It has become an integrated part of how The Raveonettes sound. Initially it ’ s what created the sound and being more aware of the tools and the creative process as a Dogmeist, and the rules. But now it ’ s just what happens automatically. We tend to gravitate more towards the minimal sound and very simple things. Sune: We don ’t’ think about it. It ’ s like if I write a song at home I don ’ t think it has to be in B flat, I just play in B flat. That ’ s just a starting point, and I don ’ t think about it. DS: Are you more inspired by things in nature or man made things?Sharin: Probably more man made things than nature … Sune: YeahSharin: People are sort of man made things too, I guess.DS: Sure; made by man. Sharin: Don ’ t you think Sune? Sune: Yeah, I probably prefer man made. Sharin: Are you talking musically or aesthetically? DS: It ’ s an open question.Sharin: I don ’ t know. I think with the Raveonettes there ’ s a lot of inspiration from man made things … DS: Like cities vs. mountains. Sune: They are all good in certain ways. I use them all in different ways. Nature doesn ’ t really inspire me to be creative, it just inspires me to relax and feel good about myself, which is a good thing, too. I need the city and that kind of life. On America DS: Sune, you went through a period where you got really tired of LA and New York and traveled around the United States. What did you find when you traveled across the country?Sune: It struck me how different the country was as I went south and north, and towards the middle. It just struck me how really, really different it was. Even when I was driving up to Canada once to get my visa, I rented a car from here and I was barely an hour outside of New York City everything changes so dramatically. The way people were, the way people looked at you in a “ Who are you, stranger? Get out of my town …” kind of thing. It was so strange.DS: How did you react to that? Sune: It always frightens me a little bit. I never got comfortable. I never like it when people are annoyed with you because of the way you look. It just seems so dramatic. I don ’ t walk down the street and see a person and get so upset. I don ’ t know where that hatred comes from, or that mistrust of strangers or whatever it is. I could never understand it and that ’ s why it makes me uneasy. Sharin: Although you find that everywhere, including in Denmark, very much so. Sune: Yeah, but we ’ re talking about the States here, Sharin! I ’ m sure you can find it in Africa, too! [Laughs] No, but seriously, people used to always tell me, “ Oh, don ’ t go down south, they are all racist, ” blah blah blah. I had the best time in the south; people were so hospitable to me. Everywhere I went they were like, ‘Oh, you come from Denmark? That ’s great…I’ ll give you this for free! ’ And when I go north, people treat me like I ’ m crazy. It ’ s so weird, so strange. So I guess the answer to your question is that I was very surprised at how different it was from place to place, and then I started understanding when the election came up and people were voting Democratic here, Republican there, it all made sense to me all of a sudden. I was like, “ Oh, I see, those are people who never leave their state, never leave their town …” DS: Did you find the blue states more hospitable than the reds states?Sune: It ’ s a little bit of both, I would say, but people ’s attitude… same thing with 9/11. People were like, “ That happened in New York, there ’ s no terrorist coming to my town and we hate Muslims anyway, and they are not even welcome here. ” They have that really brutal attitude some times; it ’ s really racist and crazy. Also because it is such a religious country in such a crazy way, so it ’ s a very interesting country to travel in.DS: Do you think the religion adds an element of beauty or a fearful element to the culture? Sune: Fearful element! They have all their God fearing … Sharin: It really depends on which kind of religion and which kind of place … DS: The kind practiced here, the kind of Christianity found here. Sune: Yeah! Sharin: The extreme within the religion here in the U.S., that can be a little terrifying, I think. But religion can also add a lot of purpose to people, and when they have purpose they can be more balanced and open-minded. I don ’t know…. Sune: I like the televangelists a lot. It ’ s really entertaining for me to watch a show like that; it ’ s really just like Benny Hill and you watch it and can ’ t believe it. It ’ s so far away from anything I ’ ve ever known. And they talk about Islam being a dangerous religion but you look over here and it ’ s just the same! It ’ s the same thing.DS: They just aren ’ t in madrassahs … Sune: No, it ’ s so crazy; it ’ s fascinating. On death DS: If you could choose your own death, how would you die?Sune: Oh, man. Sharin: I would just like to go to sleep one night and not wake up. I ’ m definitely scared of pain and diseases; I wouldn ’ t want to wither. Sune: I ’ ll go with Sharin.DS: You wouldn ’ t want to experience it? Sharin: No way. Sune: No. DS: What is fearful about it?Sune: It ’ s because if you are a creative person it ’ s the fear you can never be creative again. It ’ s a terrifying feeling. I don ’ t like it all. I think about it sometimes, where I think about, “ One day you are going to die, you are never going to be here again, you ’ re never going to do this …” and a whole weird feeling comes down through the body. It ’ s the only experience you can get when you think about death. It ’ s a crazy feeling, but obviously something draws me to it sometimes to experience to really get into my mind frame and think, “I’ m really going to die, I ’ m never going to be here, I'm never going to get up again, I'm really going to die! ” It’ s scary.DS: Especially at a young age, but if you are creative and have an imagination, it makes it that much scarier. Sune: But I had a near-death experience when I was in Hawaii. I almost drowned, and I came to a point where I accepted my own death. So, in a way now, when I think about death, that comforts me a little bit, even though it was such a scary experience at the time, it comforts me a little bit that you can actually accept your own death and actually feel comfortable about it. Because I wasn't frightened at the time. I was basically just comfortable that this it, you know, that this is the end. And I was very relaxed, actually. So I guess that's pretty cool. Sharin: Were you? I would probably be... Sune: No, at that point my body just gave out, I was completely relaxed and I was just like...that's it.
450px|"I'm going to stay here, then. I'm not going to use it. I want to stay here with this guy and my boyfriend and my family." Sharin Foo (with Sune Rose Wagner) on solo time travel.photo: David Shankbone"We ' re only two days in and we ' re already fucking tired," says Sune Rose Wagner to David Shankbone as he walks into the dressing room at the Bowery Ballroom. Wagner and Sharin Foo comprise the Raveonettes, a group made for "nostalgists who long for Everly Brothers 45's and diner jukeboxes, the Raveonettes tweak "American Graffiti"-era rock with fuzzed-out surf-guitar riffs," said The New York Times. They recently left Columbia and signed with Fierce Panda because they felt constrained by their Columbia contract: "The major label system sometimes doesn't allow for outside "help" to get involved, meaning that we don't get to choose who we wanna work with. That can be a pretty terrible thing and bad things will surely come of it," said the band on their MySpace site. Originally from Denmark, both musicians live in the United States now. David Shankbone: No, I drank so much green tea today I am worried I am going to need to pee throughout the interview.Sune: At least you ' re peeing healthy. Can you mix vodka with green tea?DS: I used to. How is the tour going? Sune: It ' s good. We ' re only two days in and we ' re already fucking tired. But we ' re in great spirits here. We ' re leaving town tomorrow ...we' re happy. Sune: [Laughs] And that ' s where we fit in, now! Freaks! Sharin Foo: Sounds like an interesting job. DS: A lot of the questions might be a little different than what you are typically used to; maybe that will make it more interesting for you, or less pleasant. One of the first questions I like to ask musicians is about the challenge to be innovative when so much has already been done. How do you not let that affect your output? Sune: Well, I don ' t think we really think about it in those terms. When we started out we had certain guidelines for the music that would ensure that it would sound like no one else, and those were pretty easy to make. Things like don ' t use a high hat, don ' t use cymbals, don ' t use certain things, play all the songs in the same key, do this and this, and that was really ... DS: Was that your Dogme influence? Sune: Yeah. I don ' t know what it was, I guess it was a really silly thing, but it worked and it was very inspiring and creative to work within those constraints, I guess. But they weren ' t really constrains for us, it was actually really easy and simple, but I think it has a sound that I have never heard before. But like I said, I don ' t really thin that we think ... Sharin: I think it ' s more that we are not scared of being blunt about what the references are in our music. For instance, if you look at our name, The Raveonettes, it ' s a complete direct reference to The Ronettes and Buddy Holly Rave On. So, in that sense, we ' re pretty clear about it. DS: You embrace it.Sune: Yeah, we like it. Sharin: Yeah, where the inspiration has come from. So it ' s not like we have that fear of repetition.Sune: I think a lot of bands put a lot of emphasis on trying to be different, and then they make music that is soulless; it doesn ' t get me anywhere.DS: It ' s too self-aware? Sune: Yeah, what ' s wrong with the three chords? That ' s what music was founded upon, that ' s what everyone from Hank Williams to The Ramones used those three chords. What ' s wrong with them all of a sudden? Sharin: Yes. I think that what it comes down to is whether it strikes a chord in you and hits your gut, some kind of emotion in you, that ' s really what we care about when we make music. DS: Since you are so upfront about your influences, you do still have unique sound. Do the constant comparison in the music media grow tiresome?Sune: I don ' t care about it at all because if people compared us to bands that are really shitty then I would probably mind. But if they compare us to Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers, then I think it ' s fine. You always need names for bands so you can tell people what they sound like. That ' s fine. Those are good names ... I really don ' t care about it one bit.DS: Did you guys follow the Phil Spector trial? Sune: A little bit. I didn ' t have any thoughts on it. It ' s 50/50 DS: Knowing Ronnie Spector it must have been an interesting perspective to see it from.Sharin: Well, Sune knows her.Sune: I ' m good friends with his daughter, and that was another weird perspective, really. Because that was more a sad perspective because obviously she was very saddened by her dad being on trial for murder. That was a whole different way of looking at it all of a sudden. She ' s coming tonight, actually. I don 't know.... I know he has been throwing around guns for ages, so if a gun went off I wouldn ' t be surprised. On the other hand, why would he kill someone? I don ' t know. I have no idea.DS: Dogme influenced you guys early on, does it still? Sune: It ' s still there, a lot actually. Sharin: But I think it ' s more of a subconscious, integrated thing. It has become an integrated part of how The Raveonettes sound. Initially it ' s what created the sound and being more aware of the tools and the creative process as a Dogmeist, and the rules. But now it ' s just what happens automatically. We tend to gravitate more towards the minimal sound and very simple things. Sune: We don 't' think about it. It ' s like if I write a song at home I don ' t think it has to be in B flat, I just play in B flat. That ' s just a starting point, and I don ' t think about it. DS: Are you more inspired by things in nature or man made things?Sharin: Probably more man made things than nature ... Sune: YeahSharin: People are sort of man made things too, I guess.DS: Sure; made by man. Sharin: Don ' t you think Sune? Sune: Yeah, I probably prefer man made. Sharin: Are you talking musically or aesthetically? DS: It ' s an open question.Sharin: I don ' t know. I think with the Raveonettes there ' s a lot of inspiration from man made things ... DS: Like cities vs. mountains. Sune: They are all good in certain ways. I use them all in different ways. Nature doesn ' t really inspire me to be creative, it just inspires me to relax and feel good about myself, which is a good thing, too. I need the city and that kind of life. On America DS: Sune, you went through a period where you got really tired of LA and New York and traveled around the United States. What did you find when you traveled across the country?Sune: It struck me how different the country was as I went south and north, and towards the middle. It just struck me how really, really different it was. Even when I was driving up to Canada once to get my visa, I rented a car from here and I was barely an hour outside of New York City everything changes so dramatically. The way people were, the way people looked at you in a " Who are you, stranger? Get out of my town ..." kind of thing. It was so strange.DS: How did you react to that? Sune: It always frightens me a little bit. I never got comfortable. I never like it when people are annoyed with you because of the way you look. It just seems so dramatic. I don ' t walk down the street and see a person and get so upset. I don ' t know where that hatred comes from, or that mistrust of strangers or whatever it is. I could never understand it and that ' s why it makes me uneasy. Sharin: Although you find that everywhere, including in Denmark, very much so. Sune: Yeah, but we ' re talking about the States here, Sharin! I ' m sure you can find it in Africa, too! [Laughs] No, but seriously, people used to always tell me, " Oh, don ' t go down south, they are all racist, " blah blah blah. I had the best time in the south; people were so hospitable to me. Everywhere I went they were like, ‘Oh, you come from Denmark? That 's great...I' ll give you this for free! ' And when I go north, people treat me like I ' m crazy. It ' s so weird, so strange. So I guess the answer to your question is that I was very surprised at how different it was from place to place, and then I started understanding when the election came up and people were voting Democratic here, Republican there, it all made sense to me all of a sudden. I was like, " Oh, I see, those are people who never leave their state, never leave their town ..." DS: Did you find the blue states more hospitable than the reds states?Sune: It ' s a little bit of both, I would say, but people 's attitude... same thing with 9/11. People were like, " That happened in New York, there ' s no terrorist coming to my town and we hate Muslims anyway, and they are not even welcome here. " They have that really brutal attitude some times; it ' s really racist and crazy. Also because it is such a religious country in such a crazy way, so it ' s a very interesting country to travel in.DS: Do you think the religion adds an element of beauty or a fearful element to the culture? Sune: Fearful element! They have all their God fearing ... Sharin: It really depends on which kind of religion and which kind of place ... DS: The kind practiced here, the kind of Christianity found here. Sune: Yeah! Sharin: The extreme within the religion here in the U.S., that can be a little terrifying, I think. But religion can also add a lot of purpose to people, and when they have purpose they can be more balanced and open-minded. I don 't know.... Sune: I like the televangelists a lot. It ' s really entertaining for me to watch a show like that; it ' s really just like Benny Hill and you watch it and can ' t believe it. It ' s so far away from anything I ' ve ever known. And they talk about Islam being a dangerous religion but you look over here and it ' s just the same! It ' s the same thing.DS: They just aren ' t in madrassahs ... Sune: No, it ' s so crazy; it ' s fascinating. On death DS: If you could choose your own death, how would you die?Sune: Oh, man. Sharin: I would just like to go to sleep one night and not wake up. I ' m definitely scared of pain and diseases; I wouldn ' t want to wither. Sune: I ' ll go with Sharin.DS: You wouldn ' t want to experience it? Sharin: No way. Sune: No. DS: What is fearful about it?Sune: It ' s because if you are a creative person it ' s the fear you can never be creative again. It ' s a terrifying feeling. I don ' t like it all. I think about it sometimes, where I think about, " One day you are going to die, you are never going to be here again, you ' re never going to do this ..." and a whole weird feeling comes down through the body. It ' s the only experience you can get when you think about death. It ' s a crazy feeling, but obviously something draws me to it sometimes to experience to really get into my mind frame and think, "I' m really going to die, I ' m never going to be here, I'm never going to get up again, I'm really going to die! " It' s scary.DS: Especially at a young age, but if you are creative and have an imagination, it makes it that much scarier. Sune: But I had a near-death experience when I was in Hawaii. I almost drowned, and I came to a point where I accepted my own death. So, in a way now, when I think about death, that comforts me a little bit, even though it was such a scary experience at the time, it comforts me a little bit that you can actually accept your own death and actually feel comfortable about it. Because I wasn't frightened at the time. I was basically just comfortable that this it, you know, that this is the end. And I was very relaxed, actually. So I guess that's pretty cool. Sharin: Were you? I would probably be... Sune: No, at that point my body just gave out, I was completely relaxed and I was just like...that's it.
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