Monotonix are going to rock the Biltmore Cabaret tonight with one of their notoriously raucous stage shows. And if you've seen them during any of the several stops they have made in Vancity, then you know what I'm talking about.
I had the chance to bother Yonatan Gat with 11 random questions a few weeks ago. Here's what he had to say.
Monotonix does not mean "man with much hair" in Hebrew. But it could.
Who am I speaking to and where are you right now?
You're speaking to Yonatan Gat and I'm in NYC.
You've played Vancouver before.
We played Vancouver many times. Mostly at The Biltmore but once we did a DIY show in a basement full of crazy kids.
Vancouver is very pretty at night. I like the vibe, and we get a great audience in Vancouver. After one of the shows we did at Biltmore actually, in late 2008, I remember we talked about quitting playing shows because the show got too wild and we couldn't really play and possibly nearly died.
What can people expect from your stage show? The word is they are pretty insane. (The word "chaos" gets thrown around a lot.)
I don't look at it as that chaotic, but it's definitely different than every day life. I think it's a good chance for people to forget about their jobs and mortgages, or heartbreak and bounding social situations, and just do whatever they want to do for an hour. It's hard to explain...
Canadians have a reputations for being polite and sometimes even conservative ... can you change that with your show?
I think Canadians proved to us that they're not really like that.
They would be less in your face and loud than Americans after the show, but during the show they can go crazy with the best of them. Some of our most memorable shows were almost destroyed by the hip Vancouverians, students from Halifax, Toronto jocks and Edmonton farmers. All lovely people that agree to come see us play and make it amazing for us every time we're back.
What is the craziest show you've ever played? What happened?
I think a place called Wrongbar in Toronto. The audience smashed our gear so we had to take them outside and play some drums with them. Then Ami got on top of a street sign and mooned, just as the cops showed up and wanted to write him a ticket for exposure. The venue proceeded to lock everyone including us outside for 5 minutes because they were afraid of the cops. That's how the show ended.
It seems like pants come off onstage a lot ... what is up with that?
Like the ancient Greeks, we celebrate the male physique.
Any pre-show rituals for you guys?
Just some stretches.
The collective amount of hair between you three is enormous. You may be the hairiest band in rock and roll playing today. I wonder about what the shower drain looks like after you have a go. Any beauty rituals you care to share with people of Vancouver?
Unfortunately having long hair means having to maintain it.
We all take 30 minute showers every day and use very sophisticated conditioners.
The highest of holy days, Yom Kippur, just passed. I atoned for many of my sins. Did you? What were they?
I was at a dinner party in Brighton England. A girl from Switzerland was dancing with 7 hats on, there was a legendary English 80's punk musician called "The Shed" there, and a bonfire. This is how I repented for my sins this year.
It's an interesting day though. It's very beautiful in Israel because there is an unwritten agreement that nobody drives a car. So all the roads are empty. Kids take their bicycles to the Highways and go visit their friends in remote suburbs. There's no TV so everyone's just walking in the street. It's pretty great, I miss it.
I don't speak Hebrew but am wondering if you can help me out. There are Hebrew words for "beautiful" or "pretty" to describe a woman, but I couldn't find anything similar to describe a man. But there are lots of Hebrew or Yiddish words for "loser." If some hot Juden walks by what could I shout at him to get his attention?
Tell him his mother is on the phone.
If I was wandering through a desert (or a forest, in Vancouver) and a burning tree or bush were to command me to go and see your show on the 11th, what exactly would it say to me to convince me that I must attend?
It would say you need to stop your wandering and familiarize yourself with one place.
True, men were hunters-gatherers years ago. But ever since agriculture, or even greed kicked in, we've been sitting in the same place, trying to make the most out of what we have.
That place should be Biltmore Cabaret the night Monotonix and Ty Segall are playing.
