In what’s becoming an annual tradition in Chicago, Lollapalooza boasts more than 100 shows in nine areas over three days in Grant Park. The bands are big and small and hail from Illinois, Sweden and everywhere between. Naturally, we couldn’t talk with everyone. Here are a few excerpts from interviews with the acts who bothered to call (or e-mail) us.
Ezra Furman & the Harpoons
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, PlayStation stage
How did you come up with Ezra Furman and the Harpoons as a name for your band?
There’s still a lot of all this controversy about the name. We wonder if we should have been just The Harpoons or something. It’s too difficult to change it now.
The reason it started that way, the other guys were in another band, and they would get in fights over whose songs to do. So they said, let’s start a band with this guy Ezra. We’ll only do his songs and put his name in the band’s name so we don’t stray from the mission or fight with each other again. And the Harpoons, that’s from “Moby Dick.”
Joe Pug
3-3:45 p.m. Saturday, BMI stage
What’s on your iPod right now?
I’ve been listening to a lot of one Beck album named “Sea Change.” I guess I’m sorta late coming to that one, but I’m glad I finally found it. There’s this band out of D.C. called These United States. And, this band out of Canada called The Sadies. They’re great.
Weirder question: What’s in your pockets?
Let’s see, I got some earplugs, a pack of Canadian cigarettes with a picture of a diseased lung, a passport, an envelope full of cash and a couple Canadian loonies [dollar coins].
Lykke Li
6:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Citi stage
Describe your ideal fan.
David Lynch.
Santigold
5:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday, PlayStation stage
What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you on the road?
Last week in Istanbul, our driver [after swinging on my tour manager] pulled his [manhood] out at me because I stuck my middle finger up at him.
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend
4:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Chicago 2016 stage
Last summer, you played Pitchfork in Chicago. What did that teach you?
Pitchfork is very different than other festivals, even in terms of the bands that they book. I remember I was surprised — I thought it might be a little less friendly of an audience because it’s got a reputation for really hard-core music geeks with strong opinions. But … everyone was dancing in the mud, getting all hippied up. I think any time you get a large group of people listening to music, there’s bound to be a similar sense of community and fun.
