The Now sound

>> The Lapse are poetry in motion

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

The Lapse, the duo of Chris Leo and Toko Yasuda, was born from the ashes of indie darlings Van Pelt. Shortly after completing their second album Heaven Ain't Happenin', Yasuda left the band while Leo chose to continue, delivering his oblique lyrical pearls. Check out this loaded poetic doozie: "The Taiwanese and their golden toilet seats/Where the muff, the minge and the fanny meet." What the...? The Mirror caught up with Leo while he was on tour in Italy.



Mirror: You have been called the "poet laureate of rock." How do you come up with your lyrics?

Chris Leo: I never stop working.

M: Your longtime collaborator Toko Yasuda has left the band. Is it weird to perform without her?

CL: Toko was a longtime collaborator of mine, but we played with each other sporadically over the years. I'd toured and released a bunch of records without her before. It's not weird playing without her. Our relationship was more offstage than on.

M: Was it hard maintaining a relationship with Toko while being in a band with her?

CL: High highs, low lows.

M: With all the care you seem to have for your lyrics, have you ever considered tossing your hat in the spoken word ring?

CL: What is spoken word, exactly? I wish I could be paid to just talk. I'll get on that one day, but wrapping these words in music is part of the point. It's like, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, there's this happening--but there's always also this. Y'know, if my humility isn't always apparent in my text, I hope at least music always keeps it there.

M: Will the next record be a lot different without Toko?

CL: It will be a lot different--period. Heaven was the first true collaboration I'd done with Toko, but it was my fifth album. I didn't have any time to get too comfortable with the situation.

M: You are currently playing with Adam Wade [Shudder To Think, Jawbox]. Are you enjoying working with different collaborators now, or are they merely hired musicians?

CL: Somewhere in between.

M: Do you know why it's so hard for you to keep the same lineup in bands?

CL: Ha. With the Lapse, I never tried to have a permanent lineup. I don't want one. I do, however, love writing and playing music with anyone else. Anyhow, permanent schmermanent. I'm talking about right now.

With Kiss me Deadly, Spengler and All Chrome at Barfly on Friday, Jan. 19, 9pm, $5