"Although I didn't write this song, it spoke to me in a way that made me feel as if it was my own story,” Brandon said. “I found myself playing it over and over again in my bedroom, remembering situations that I've been through.”
Check out the video for yourself below.
I’m wondering where, or how you got the name “Starchild”? Or, “Starchild and the New Romantic”, I guess.
I got starchild from George Clinton songs I listened to when I was younger. That’s where I first heard it, when it was first incepted in my mind. So when I decided to try and work at being a recording artist it was one of the first ideas i had for the name.
Thinking about George Clinton in that context— is that someone you feel you are trying to emanate as an artist?
It’s not necessarily about wanting to get there, be there— it’s more about a feeling, and also setting a bar. I don’t get nervous too often when I perform, but when I do it’s only because I am conscious of that bar of excellence in performance. And I am always wanting to be in accordance to that.
I feel like that’s true of any artist or creative. Or human. If you’re thinking about trying to be someone else you’re setting yourself up for feeling failure— but it can be beneficial if you’re focused on being inspired by the spirit or ethic of someone’s success. What about the New Romantic? Where did that come from?
It’s less specific… If Starchild is an essence, a lineage, a history, a feeling— the New Romantic is the aesthetic. And not in a degrading way— sometimes it’s the band, sometimes it’s the sentiment, the sound...
You do have a pretty focused aesthetic. What’s your relationship to the color red? I see a lot of red. I mean, you’re wearing all black today but overall you seem pretty set on red.
It’s kind of the spirit of this record. And this time. This era. So I always want to be specific about that. When I play songs, or chords, sometimes, they have colors to them, and that’s the color of this album. Not that I am synesthetic, though.
What do you do before you go on stage?
I don’t know, just breathe maybe?
I bet you’ve seen some good pre-show exercises though, I know different bands have their own methods of motivating themselves before going on stage.
I did see Beyonce hold a chair pose.
Are you nervous about tonight? It’s a big deal— album drop, listening party…
I don’t know if I am nervous about the show, I think I’ve just got nerves for life. I had an audition this morning for a play.
Wow, that’s a lot— an audition, album drop, show, and you’re touring with so many other musicians. How is that possible?!
I try and focus not on the quantity, I try to focus on the younger part of myself that always wanted to be doing this at this age, and just try and remember that constantly but that kind of takes a lot of energy, and sometimes you just kinda get tired.
My favorite quote is, “remember when you wanted what you currently have.”
Exactly, that’s really poignant.
How long have you been working on this album?
About three years. I worked on it pretty slow and deliberately.
Are you going on tour?
I’m trying to figure it out. I’ve never really like set up one before, so I’m kind of green about that. I don’t even know how it works, I’m trying to figure that out.
Are you still going to be doing work with other bands?
I don’t know we’ll see, I’m not too sure. That’s kind of the thing, as a session musician and touring musician, work kind of just comes in. I just want to be available to it, stay open to it.
How do you decide to spend your time? Is the goal to get to a point where you’re doing your own thing?
The goal has always been to be working consistently and to be able to sustain my life by doing art and the things I’m good at. The more I focus on trying to pin on like what is the “ideal moment” that is success, I’m not focused on the journey, and I’m already losing.
1. You are right.
2. Always tell the truth, because when you lie you have to build an entire version of the universe in your head proving what you are saying is true. Then you have to maintain that universe until the day you die. Having too many alternate realities will fragment your personality.
3. Learning to excel in scenarios where you are totally miserable is essential to Becoming Great. Equally important is to one day wake up and decide to never do anything you hate Ever Again.
4. The hypothetical jokes you make are your genius ideas that you are afraid of being judged for; make a rule that you have to do them all. If you say out loud, “man, this party blows, I should totally get on the table and pee-pee on the ice sculpture,” you now have to do that. Not every impulse is The One, but getting comfortable with following through with them anyway will make you brave.
5. Doing things you say you are going to do is like taking a syringe full of self-esteem and injecting it straight into your arm veins. (Arm veins? Sure.) ALWAYS do what you say you are going to do. Even if it’s tiny or huge, takes a minute or takes years. Your ability to trust yourself is The Whole Thing.
6. God existing is way more interesting than God not existing. Be a Good Man. Try to go to Heaven. Find meaning in everything because Nihilism is so, so boring.
7. Delusion is a really nifty and potent drug. Pick the version of reality that is the most interesting and blow it up to its largest extreme. Live in that. You get to decide what is true; you are the one who is right.
8. This matters maybe most of all and maybe more than anything. If you work at a strip club in the United States of America, you are probably hired as an “independent contractor” rather than an “employee”. In many states, this is a labor law violation because “dancing” is not considered a “special skill” under California state law, or most other state laws. You are owed ten thousand dollars as a mislabeling fee plus all of your wages. No matter what they had you sign, — even if you signed an arbitration agreement promising not to sue — it is just meant to scare you. All of it is void because they hired you under illegal terms. Suing is very easy and they will probably settle for less outside of court. It kind of takes a long time, but all you have to do is go in and sign a few pieces of paper; it is not traumatizing and you make money. So if you quit or are fired you should immediately call the law offices of Robert Starr and Adam Rose, who are the only law team specializing in Exotic Dancer Rights. In order to settle, I HEAR, you will have to sign a NDA promising to never tell anybody about what happened. But all of this is information that I have COME UPON RANDOMLY through WORD OF MOUTH. You know? Sue.
9. Wake up in the actual morning.
10. Technological and emotional shortcuts are a trap. Drown in your horrible ugly feelings and do everything the long way. You do not get a prize at your funeral for having done as little as possible while being alive. It isn’t about what you can get away with.
11. Important advice I got from my friend Ember Knight was to think of decisions as the part of a game show, where you know what prize to expect behind door one, and it is fine. And behind door two, is either nothing at all or everything. Commit to picking door two every single time; it will usually be nothing, but one day it will be everything.
12. How to know if your art is good: if a child wouldn’t like it, it is bad.
