JUST FOLKS
Freak Scene
A new photo book tracks Devendra Banhart & Co.
“You’re not born with slick shoes; someone has to help you pick them out,” writes Lauren Duko in the introduction to her new book, Family (Chronicle, $35). For the 24-year-old photographer, that person was freak-folk star Devendra Banhart, her best friend since high school. “She’s my little sister. She’s only cool because of me!” Banhart says, laughing. “ Obviously that’s a joke. But like any big brother, I played her a lot of bands.” He also introduced her to a lot of them, which led Duko to document the extended community of artists she saw forming around the charismatic singer-songwriter. From 2006 to 2008, she followed
Banhart as he toured with the likes of Vetiver and Joanna Newsom. She also trekked to the studios and homes of his friends, including Vashti Bunyan, Espers, and Bat for Lashes, capturing strikingly intimate images of performers out of the spotlight. “When I got the rst advance copy, I went to Devendra’s house and a couple people in the book were there,” says Duko . “We were looking at it like it was a scrapbook or a family album. And then it hit me: Oh no, there are kids pre-ordering this in Japan right now!” ABIGAIL EVERDELL
LISTENING IN
What was the first album you bought with your own money? Vanilla Ice’s To the Extreme, but let’s not put it all on me. Plenty of people were into the Ice Man. It’s not like Vanilla Ice sold ten records, and I’m one of the ten people that bought it. We all got fooled. I just happened to be at the age when it was the rst album I bought. Who comes after Prince on your iPod? Prinzhorn Dance School. They’re a DFA group. I like the song “You Are the Space Invader.” Whose T-shirt do you proudly wear? I have an old DJ Shadow shirt that I bought at a show in ’ 99. There were only three
of them made and I got one of them, and now any time I meet a girl who’s a DJ Shadow fan, they o er me sexual favors in exchange for it. But it’s just such a cool shirt that I can’t give it up. So no. Don’t even waste your time. What’s the last album you paid for? Disco Italia: Essen-
tial Italo Disco Classics 1977–1985. Name one group that should never release another song. New Boyz. You know that song “You’re a Jerk”? It goes, “You’re a jerk / I know / You’re a jerk / I know.” They can’t top that. When you take it to the next level like that, you should probably just stay there and try not to crash
and burn. What was the last concert you went to? I went to
see TV on the Radio at the Glass House in Pomona [California].
Sean Paul got onstage with them and did a couple of verses dur-
ing “Halfway Home.” The crowd wasn’t into it, but I thought it
was awesome. Give me a playlist from your iPod. I have
a “Hip-Hop Party Mix” I play on the Parks and Recreation
set to annoy [costar] Rashida Jones. It’s got “I’m the
Shit” by DJ Class and “Diddy” by Diddy. We usually end
up having a little dance party outside our trailer. What
song have you put on a mix tape to get a girl to like you? Every mix tape needs to start with “True”
by Spandau Ballet. I‘d just give the girl the Discman and be like, “Listen to this rst track, and then do whatever your body tells you to do.” That’s usually
how it went down. Name an artist you take
credit for turning your friends on to. No
matter what I say, I’ll sound like a douche.
Everyone will be like, “Oh really? You’re the
guy that turned people on to Bone Thugs-
N-Harmony? Really?” PHOEBE REILLY
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: TOM MEDVEDICH; JEFF KRAVI TZ FILMMAGIC; BEATRICE T; SGRANI TZ WIREIMAGE; FAYESVISION WENN.COM; BRIAN RASIC REX FEATURES; ROGER SPOONER RETNA UK; RICHARD YOUNG REX FEATURES
40 JULY 2009 WATCH EXCLUSIVE VID EO AT SPIN.COM
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