Clockwise from left: Dave 1 and P-Thugg, the sexiest pop duo since t. A. T.u.; Dave 1 blesses the crowd—with funk!; “Gosh darnit, where’s the poutine?”
Chromeo
Once the cheering stops and crowds file out, it’s time to unwind. Here, Montreal’s electro-
funk goofs let us tag along for the festivities.
It’s Devil’s Night in Gotham, and an Arab and a Jew are in a church. This is not the setup for a borscht-belt joke: The Montreal-bred duo Chromeo—keyboardist P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel, the Lebanese one) and guitarist/singer Dave 1 (David Macklovitch, the chosen one)—are playing a pre-Halloween party at Judson Memorial Church, a 117-year- old house of worship that is currently flooded with naughty nurses and slutty vampires. After 45 minutes of
talk-box vocals and kitschy come-ons, the Laurel and Hardy–esque pair head down to their subterranean dressing room—actually a basketball court in the church basement—and hash over the gig. “The sound sucked; it was way too echoey,” moans P-Thugg. Not that the crowd noticed: For the encore of “100%” (a Hall & Oates ringer from their latest CD, Fancy Footwork), Dave 1 invited the crowd onstage. “I played the whole last song with a girl’s hand on my ass,” he says. “Afterward, she said, ‘ Thanks for letting me touch you there!’”
When the pair emerge from the
church at 2 A.M., there are about
15 folks waiting to hang, including
two teen girls from the Bronx who
call themselves “superfans.” “After a
show, I’m always starving,” says Dave
1, hopping in a taxi for the ten-block
ride to a late-night diner/bar/lounge
called Coffee Shop (“I don’t walk,”
explains P- Thugg). The entourage
commandeer four banquettes and
dig into eggs, french fries, and mac
and cheese. Sated and relaxed, the
duo start to mouth off and defend
their turf: ’80s cheese rock. “All those
bands that critics love—you know,
the Clash, Joy Division, Pavement—
they’re so overrated,” says Dave 1.
“I’d rather listen to Rick Springfield
or Hall & Oates. Why do people think
Pavement is better than Phil Collins?
That’s racist!” Given that both acts
are Caucasian, that seems unlikely,
no? “But Phil Collins sounds black!”
Dave 1 shouts back, with a toothy smile. Good luck defending that point, dude.
> Last Call It’s after 4 A.M. and the band’s spirit is drooping. Despite the let’s-get-freaky vibe of songs like “Bonafied Loving,” Chromeo aren’t quite the party animals one would expect. Offstage, P-Thugg is a freelance accountant in Montreal, and Dave 1 is currently working on a PhD in French literature at Columbia University; in four hours, he’ll be standing in front of a college class, teaching them French grammar. “After the show, I got an e-mail from one of my students,” he says, showing a snapshot on his Treo. “It had a photo of me onstage and said, ‘This is why my homework won’t be perfect tomorrow.’” Is that an excuse that Professor Macklovitch would accept? “Hell, no. I’m getting up at seven o’clock to prepare for class. So can he.” MICHAEL ENDELMAN
References:
Archives