Who the devil are Last Man Standing? Apparently they're "absolute bliss". They're also a "self-help group that nobody could help".
And, last but not least, they're a band. We caught up with lead singer Max Vanderwolf to discuss music, the MySpace phenomenon and his tragic stumble towards his own demise. That's right, he's what your grandmother used to call "a bit of a one".
Last Man Standing are brand spanking new to most people, so how would you describe the band in five words?
"In five words? Well, how about I top all your records and we do it in two: absolute bliss.
"
And how would you describe the album False Starts And Broken Promises?
"Um, I would describe the album as a series of tragic events that you can amuse yourself with."
Do you have a favourite song from the album?
"Well, you know, each song is like one of your children - you're not allowed to choose favourites. If you do, one will commit suicide and another will have a huge inflated ego from being the favourite child. If you treat your songs well, they'll treat you well back.
They'll take care of you when you're an elderly, decrepit old f**k, so I really would have a hard time picking a favourite, in other words."
There's a song on the album called 'Dean Street Stumble'. What's that all about then?
"'Dean Street Stumble' is another tragic tale. It's about the typical Soho character that so many of us have known in our lives..
.somebody who's turned their talent for self-destruction into a completely desperate dead-end, somebody who's turned their life into a bit of a carnival and a tragedy. What was at one point quite fun and amusing for the friends, what was once a party, has turned into a sort of nightmare.
The song follows the trail of somebody - in this case somebody I knew - whose whole constitution dictates that they sort of outlast the others around them. So it's the story of the demise of friends who aren't made of the same stuff, until finally this person is on their own. It's their path to hell.
"
Are you still in touch with this tragic character?
"Well, there was a parting of the ways. Actually the person this song is about is still going.
I would say the band was sort of born out of a lot of tragic personalities with various neurotic disorders and addictions. It was a self-help group that nobody could help. It was from this sort of environment that this music was born, and so that's why you have songs like this and 'Ball Room Floor'.
Really all the songs on the album are about some degree of self-destruction."
So who are your influences?
"They're broad.
There's a massive list of them on our MySpace page, which has been ridiculed!"
Oh really..
.
"Again, you know, I hate to be vague, but if you treat your influences well, they'll treat you well. If it turns out that you only love Joy Division, chances are you're not going to be a very interesting band.
Sure, we love Joy Division, but do we want to rehash Joy Division? No. (But) if you're a huge fan of Joy Division and Hank Williams, maybe you'll have something.
I think it's important to always be listening and always have your ear out for things that connect with you...
You might suddenly find yourself listening to Indonesian court music (and) if you combine that with Hank Williams and Joy Division you've got something that's original and unusual. We really have a broad list of influences. I can tell you what people compare the band to; I can tell you what sort of things people say.
In some cases, those aren't even the things that most influence me. I do keep hearing certain bands and artists that people mention."
So who do people mention then?
"People mention things like The Bad Seeds and Calexico and people mention more cabaret things like Alice Cooper and David Bowie. People mention Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht; people mention Tom Waits, and people mention things like Neil Young and Crazy Horse. People mention Zappa as well.
All this is very strange, because some of those things are earthy, American-derived forms of music, but the others are from a very European cabaret tradition. I'm not sure how these things fit together but I have a feeling somewhere in that tension is what makes the band sound original to some people."
Where would you like to be in a few years' time?
"None of this can bring anything good - this is all a tragic stumble towards my own demise. Having a rock'n'roll band in this day and age is about as relevant and well thought out as putting a gun to your head. Actually, that might be even more well thought out.
"
Why?
"Because telling somebody you have a band is a little bit like telling someone you just bought shoes. Well, everyone's got shoes.
It's like telling somebody you ride a bicycle, although riding a bicycle is probably more interesting. I just think we've hit a point where everybody and their grandmother has a MySpace page about their band, and it isn't really that interesting any more. There certainly isn't a kid under the age of 16 who doesn't have a band.
What's also changed is the experience of discovering a band is no longer. It used to be that when you discovered a band, it was your band and you owned it. But now it's just a click and it's yours.
You want to know about a band that's got a bit of a buzz? You want to know what Last Man Standing is? You just go to MySpace or find them on lastmanstanding.
co.uk. It's all yours for the taking: you can listen to about five seconds of music and then you have an idea of what the band is.
Then you leave, never to return, but you can still say, 'Hey, I know what that band is'.
So do you think music has become too disposable?
"I think it's become too accessible.
I don't know if it's quite disposable. I'm not sure it's any more disposable than when Motown was releasing singles. It's a hit factory situation, but it definitely doesn't take anything to find out about bands any more.
It used to be quite a struggle, but because of that you felt quite rewarded when you found something you could identify with. I think all that's probably gone now. "
Have you picked up a lot of new fans from MySpace?
"Mostly it's been from seeing us live, or hearing from other people who saw us live."
So do you consider yourselves to be a live band?
"Yeah, it seems we are.
We've played a lot of high-visibility gigs, and we've been on tour with a lot of good headliners. We've been on tour with Polyphonic Spree and George Clinton and the Violent Femmes so I think those have helped us..
.I guess I can't say if people are discovering us through MySpace in a huge way. I still have my doubts about the effectiveness (of MySpace) - though I've talked to other musicians who swear by their experiences online - but we are quintessentially a live band, and it's an amazing live show.
Even though you can see some of that on the web, it's something you have to witness, and I have to say that is something that's not changed. People are still going out at night and seeing bands and they are putting their musical passion into the live events. That's something that I think is quite healthy and hopefully will remain.
I don't think the web will ever replace that."
False Starts And Broken Promises is out on April 16.
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