Uninhabitable Mansions

I remember last year when I first received an email from Uninhabitable Mansions that I was quite intrigued by such a name and such a gathering of different artists.

The email was sent by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, meaning some members (Robbie & Tyler) started this new project. It was even more exciting when I got to see some other names, like Chris Diken, from Radical Dads or Annie Hart, from Au Revoir Simone. I will not forget to mention Doug Marvin from Dirty On Purpose, but I didn't really hear anything about this band, ah.

Anyway, back to the point. What a name for me, poor French guy that I am. I pretty much never managed to pronounce the name. I'd rather go for "U.M.". And U.M. is more than a band, it's also an art collective. Just go on their WWW and see what I am referring to (read about "The Killer At The Beach, awesome project). The NY-based collective is basically over active and their first album is delicious. And you can listen to it entirely on their website.

We caught up with Chris, while he was working on his double corks in Mt Hood (he's a lifetime skateboarder and snowboarder) and Annie joined us after her slalom training to do a Storytelling with us.

Pics by Kate Ehle

Your first car (or bike) (or paraglide, but I doubt about this one...)
Chris: Around the time I got my second bike, I was pretty excited about Motley Crue. This was probably during the Dr. Feelgood era, although I likely revisited Girls, Girls, Girls around this time as well. I would play the tapes on a boombox, which would sit nearby as I pedaled around in the driveway. I'm pretty sure it encouraged some risky maneuvers.

Your first trip ever with friends
Annie: Modest Mouse Lonesome Crowded West and Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. Armed with my friend's grandmother's ancient car, my two friends and I headed West on our summer vacation. We were also armed with boxes full of cassettes. So many cassettes. We'd listen to Devo when we were going through Akron, Ohio, and put on NOFX when we were crossing the Bay Bridge. But every time I was driving, I'd put on these two tapes I had, that were blended together with XO by Elliott Smith. They formed one long continuous line of thought and feelings and to this day I have no idea which Modest Mouse album is which. I guess there's nothing more appropriate than listening to albums about road trips and urban sprawl and changing while you are out discovering the world on your own for the first time.
Chris: During snowboarding day trips way back when, I used to listen to a tape of the Soup Dragons album Lovegod. I found out about it because a couple songs from the record were used in a Burton video from the same period (the early '90s, I believe).

HOLY SHIT.

Your graduation
Annie: "Mo Money Mo Problems" was on pretty constant rotation everywhere in my hometown when I graduated. That was the song that never died, although Big Punisher certainly did. In fact, I still hear it constantly on the radio, and it never fails to bring me back to my scandalous summer after graduation and my hilarious and gossipy circle of friends.

Your last hangover
Chris: My last hangover was on January 1, 2009, and the song it conjures is that old Scottish chestnut Auld Lang Syne. It was going through my head all day while my head rested on the kitchen table.

Your first time you flew out of USA
Chris: I always listen to Mogwai on long flights. It drowns out the engine noise but isn't distracting enough to prevent me from reading.

Your last weekend
Chris: Tom Petty — "Yer So Bad" from Full Moon Fever. I'm going through a bit of a phase.