Star Apps: Phantogram
Electronic rock duo Phantogram is named after an optical illusion that makes 2D images appear 3D, but the talents of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter are plain to see and hear. I chatted with Carter about the twosome's most recent album, "Voices," the meanings behind some of their most heartfelt lyrics, keeping their almost 20-year friendship alive, and his favorite apps.
Catch Phantogram on tour.
(Credit: Timothy Saccenti)
On both of your albums, the name Lucy keeps coming up. Who's Lucy?
Lucy is an imaginary character that we made up. When I was writing "When I'm Small," there was a rat infestation in the barn we were recording in. We started writing about one of these rats crawling around the walls, and it just became part of our lyrics. There's definitely multiple meanings to the lyric, so it's not to be taken literally.
I imagine that you brought the character back because she remains important to you. Will she be back for the third album?
I always liked how the Beatles had recurring characters. In "Glass Onion" John Lennon sings about the walrus. I thought that since "Voices" is a continuation of what we do as artists, I just wanted to shake hands with "Eyelid Movies" with the opening of the record, like here's the next thing we're releasing. So it's a tip of the hat to the first record.
A lot of your lyrics tackle pretty heavy issues. From where do you draw your inspiration?
The lyrics definitely come from a darker place, but generally when we write, they're about real-life experiences. Our songs are pretty much about the basic human condition, and life, love, and death -- just the complexity of life, really.
The song "My Only Friend" sounds so incredibly personal. I took it to be about a friend who dies of cancer.
Yeah, it is a deeply personal song for both me and Sarah. It's about a relationship, but I would prefer our listeners to connect lyrics to their own lives. I always liked listening to songs and having my own interpretation and adaptation of what those lyrics meant to me. There were times I'd read an interview with an artist I might like, and the artist would explain a song, and it was like now every time I hear this song, I'll be thinking about the artist's real meaning, which kinda ruins it. Then again, sometimes it's cool to know what a song is about, like "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed, which is about heroin and is very powerful.
You have a track called "Bill Murray." What keeps him so relevant?
I just think Bill Murray has become an archetypal figure in people's lives, and there's just something about him that everybody loves. There's a humanity that anyone can relate to. In his acting he explores all the emotions in life, serious and comedic. He is the character that everyone can see some of themselves in.
Fall in love with Phantogram:
What makes a male-female duo like Phantogram so compelling?
What makes it interesting is that it makes a lot of music feel more complete. It has the spectrum of masculinity and femininity in it, and I think that's compelling to a lot of listeners.
You and Sarah became friends in junior high school?
Yeah, we knew each other most of our lives. We went to nursery school together. But in junior high we became really good friends. We've been friends for 18 years now.
What's so amazing about Sarah?
She's awesome. She's funny and has a great personality. She's the person who everyone loves when they meet her. There's just something about her that people are drawn to. It's really hard to dislike Sarah Barthel.
What drew Sarah to you?
I've heard her in interviews say she always thought I was a really cool dude. We're into a lot of the same things. Artistically we're like psychic twins with a very similar vision of what we wanna do. We have similar personalities.
It's always hard to travel, even with your closest friends. How do you keep things peaceful on the road?
I'd be lying if I said we'd never fought. There are definitely moments on tour where things can be very stressful. But people are surprised by how well we get along. We rarely fight, and we're grateful for what we do. We constantly remind ourselves how cool and interesting of a life we have together, and that keeps good vibes going.
The film "When Harry Met Sally" suggested that a straight man and woman could never have a purely platonic relationship. What are your thoughts on that?
I definitely see that it's possible. I've had girlfriends that have had a problem with it and didn't really understand that I could be that close to Sarah without something physical going on. I think it's that we know each other for so long, so she's like my sister. I have a real biological sister, but she's like my second sister.
After 18 years, Phantogram members Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel have certainly debunked the When Harry Met Sally myth about male-female friendship.
(Credit: Timothy Saccenti)
What is your favorite social media app?
My personal favorite is Instagram. Sarah handles our Twitter account, and I hardly post anything on Facebook. I love Instagram, because a picture is worth a thousand words. I love looking at pictures of other people's lives. I just find it a lot more interesting than getting their opinion about something. I don't give a s--- what Justin Bieber has to say about anything on Twitter. So why should people care what I have to say? But bands that I like, I like to see what they're up to.
What are your top five mobile apps?
1. Instagram, because on tour it can get kinda lonely, so I can see what friends and family are up to.
2. I just downloaded the iMPC app. It's a beat machine, so I can make beats on the road a lot.
3. Spotify for sure.
4. iBooks, so I can download books on the road.
5. Master Tour, so I can see what I have to do, such as if I have an interview like right now.
