Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig, and Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend

The second-half of my two-part interview with Rostam Batmanglij – the producer / co-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist of Vampire Weekend; that clever college band that has grown into so much more.

Rostam and his band-mates, Ezra Koenig (co-songwriter / lead singer / guitarist), Chris Baio (bassist) and Chris Tomson (drums), are appearing in Las Vegas, this Wednesday night, at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort. 

Rostam Batmanglij (Photo: Nanna Kreutzmann)

Now, picking-up where we left-off, yesterday…

ShulmanSays:  So, are you in a relationship?   

Rostam Batmanglij:  Not currently

SS:  Would you like to be?  (I’m not volunteering, as I’m engaged…),  but is it something that you are looking for, in the future? 

RB:  I would say I am a relationship-person.  Yes.

SS:  And eventually kids?

RB:  Yes, actually.  I am looking forward to having a family.  (laughs)  A traditional husband and kids, and all that.

Rostam Batmanglij

SS:  Now, between being a musician, Persian, and gay – with which do you most identify?  And pardon me if this is an intrusive question.  

RB:  Actually, I think that’s a very valid question.  I’m personally interested in the ways that different aspects of my identity intersect with each other.  I think that in 2010, I have the privilege of not being required to narrow my identity.  I don’t feel like I have to make decisions.

Vampire Weekend

SS:  So, you find it liberating.

RB:  Yeah!  I think that in the past, people were forced to take a narrower focus.  I’m proud to be gay.  I wouldn’t want to be any other way.  I’m proud to be of Iranian decent.  And to play music, too.

Vampire Weekend

I understand that there are people who have felt obliged to say “I’m a musician.  I want to be treated as a musician, and not a gay musician.”  And that’s a type of activism, in itself, but it’s not how I am.  I don’t think about those things.  I did at one point, but I don’t dwell upon them, anymore.  I feel pretty comfortable with myself.

SS:  Were you “out” while in school, amongst your friends and band-mates?

RB:  Uhm, I think I was pretty open.  I don’t know that I would’ve identified as “gay” yet, but I was open about who I was, and who I was interested in seeing.  Yeah, I was open.

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SS:  This one comes from my fiancé...  If you had to pick one of your band-mates to make-out with, who would it be?

RB:  (laughs)

SS:  And feel free not to answer…

RB:  (laughing harder) That’s not fair…  That’s totally unfair.

Rostam Batmanglij

SS:  He was all “His band-mates are really hot, so find-out who he’d make-out with first!”  And I was like, “I don’t know if I’m allowed to ask that, but I will…”

RB:  Well, someone once said about Vampire Weekend, that we were lucky, because any of us could be the “the good-looking one” – so that’s gonna be my cop-out answer.

SS:  You have somebody in mind, though, don’t you?  You just don’t want to get in trouble. 

RB:  (laughs again) Really, I don't.

Vampire Weekend (Photo: Wendy Lynch Redfern)

SS:  Okay – so, what’s your favorite thing about being in Vampire Weekend?

RB:  I think the creative process.  Making records, talking about the ingredients we want to include; and then the surprises that pop-up along the way when we’re actually doing the writing and recording together.  There is an element of unpredictability, you know?  There’s a feeling you get when you hit upon something or stumble on something or pull something out of the air – and that’s my favorite part.

Rostam Batmanglij

SS:  When did y’all know that you really had something?

RB:  That’s hard.  When we played these literary societies in school, they were in these old buildings.  There would be 30 people, and then we’d play again a month later, and there were 150 people there, and the floor was shaking in this 200 year old house.  This was at Columbia, up on 114th Street; and I think what we realized at that fairly early point (when we had 150 people jumping up-and-down), was that the audience was made-up of more than just our friends, and we’d been able to capture other peoples’ imaginations.

Rostam Batmanglij (Photo: Amrit Singh)

SS:  Vampire Weekend really attracts a diverse audience; and while you’ve been pigeon-holed as “preppie rockers” or “African-influenced Ivy Leaguers” if one took the time to look around the audience at one of your concerts, and it’s not all guys in Top-Siders.  It’s really cool to see the range and variety of people at your concerts.

RB:  And it’s strange to us, how people get sucked-in.  And really little kids, too.  It’s amazing how much little kids know, today.

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SS:  What’s next?

RB:  Settling down in one place would be nice.

SS:  And that's a perfect way to wrap-up.  Thanks Rostam!

RB:  Hey!  Thank you for the questions.  I think they were way more thoughtful than the usual…

SS:  Well, then I sincerely thank you (and mean it).  So, safe travels, have fun on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and I’ll see y’all on Wednesday!

Vampire Weekend
with special guests Beach House and The Very Best
Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort
Wednesday, September 29th
8pm
www.palms.com/pearl

Get into it!