A.C. Newman knows how to cook up a catchy pop hook. He’s always sure to bake at least one infectious confection–sometimes a chirping melody, sometimes a buzzing guitar riff–into every song.
“The Slow Wonder,” Newman’s first solo album, is no exception. It continues where he left off with The New Pornographers, a group he fronts (under the name Carl Newman) with alt-country crooner Neko Case.
However, when we tracked down the 36-year-old Vancouverite, on the verge of his first solo tour, he was more interested in talking about credit card woes than sing-along choruses.
How’s it going?
Not good. It appears that I’m the victim of some sort of Visa fraud, which sucks because I have to go on tour in two days, and they just closed my account.
Are they going to overnight you a new card like they do in the commercials?
The woman was telling me that I could call Visa International and try and get an emergency Visa. But then she said I wouldn’t be able to get one because my limit wasn’t high enough.
Did you ask, “Don’t you know who I am?”
Why? So I could hear them say, “No”?
You were just featured in The New York Times. That’s famous in my book.
That was a bit perplexing, eh? I saw that and thought, “Why me?” But it’s nice of them to do it. It makes me look good to my family. “Hey, check this out. A full-page spread in The New York Times Magazine!”
So is this a bad time for an interview?
No, it’s OK. Getting interviewed is pretty easy. There are harder things. I much prefer it to heavy lifting.
What have interviewers been asking you?
Everybody wants to know the same things. Why the solo album? How is making a solo album different from making a New Pornographers record?
Sounds boring.
Yeah. I was just reading an interview online that someone did with me, and I swear that it was identical to the interview I had done five minutes before. “Songwriting isn’t rocket science.” I just said that!
If nothing else, interviews are good opportunity to talk about yourself without feeling too self-absorbed.
Exactly. It’s really true, isn’t it? And oftentimes all I do is complain about what’s going on in my life–like Visa.
A.C. Newman
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: The Bottom Lounge, 3206 N. Wilton Ave.
Tickets: $10
