Guess who else wasnt expecting Brooklyn psych-pop act MGMT to receive multiple Grammy nominations on Wednesday night?
It was a complete surprise.
Do you think you have a shot at winning?
Credit: Jon Bergman
ANDREW VANWYNGARDEN:My instinct would tell me that Black Eyed Peas will probably sweep everything.
They, like, own the Grammys.
I dont think the Black Eyed Peas have that going for them.
The other category youre up for is Best New Artist.
If you had to pick a Best New Artist, who would it be?
All the bands that I think are new arent new.
It would be cool if a band like Beach House or Grizzly Bear got some recognition.
But I dont know.
You guysappeared on the kids showYo Gabba Gabbarecently.
It was really fun.
We taped it a long time ago now.
It was a wild taping session.
We got to throw cans of paint all over this giant white wall and dress like neon psychedelic Vikings.
They built this crazy boat set.
We got to record this song that they wrote.
I smile every time I watch that video.
Youre featured on Kid Cudis new single,Pursuit of Happiness.What was it like working with him?
It was kind of a weird night.
On the way to the studio, the news came out that Michael Jackson had died.
When Kid Cudi got in, we and his manager were the ones to break him the news.
That kind of cast a shadow over the session.
It was a real casual thing.
There were reports that you might be collaborating with Jay-Z.
What happened with that?
We were on board to do this track for Jay-Zs last album.
We came up with a beat and a chorus, and it ended up that they didnt use it.
Maybe we can do something in the future.
Hows your next album,Congratulations, going?
Were going up for the last mixing session on Sunday.
About two weeks later we should be done.
What can you tell me about what the album will sound like?
For people that just know our singles, its going to be a big change.
Its a pretty natural progression.
Its really catchy and really honest and heartfelt in a good way.
We dropped some of the irony that you’ve got the option to find in our earlier songs.
Do I have that right?
[Laughs]Yeah.
Its kind of a novelty song, almost, on the album.
Originally we wanted Brian Eno to produce just that track.
We thought that would be crazy, if he produced a song called Brian Eno.
That didnt end up happening.
I become his apprentice in a way.
He teaches me the alchemy of writing a pop song.
Then I run away in the end.
Did you actually reach out to him to produce it?
I think we did.
We emailed his manager or something.
I dont think he knew who we were.
It probably would have been weird anyway.
But Im excited for him to hear it.
I read that you might be doing some recording with Paul McCartney afteryou opened for him.
We opened up for him in Boston and met him.
[Laughs]We havent talked to him since then.
I dont know if its going to happen.
I think he does record a lot, so its not completely out of the question.
What was he like when you met him?
He was real happy, making jokes.
He had a cool accent.
It was like a split-second meeting.
Hes a pretty nice guy.
Anything else youre into lately?
I really like Werner Herzogs new movie,Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Hes one of my favorite directors.
Nicolas Cage is in a lot of great movies that I like,Wild at Heartand a few others.
For whatever reason, hes really good at portraying a corrupt, drug-addicted cop.
Xzibit is in it.
I dont know how it’s possible for you to go wrong with this movie.
talk Taylor Swift and more after the Grammy nomination special
Photo credit: Jon Bergman
