“Our Latin American fans have a greater emotional sensitivity”

It is not usual for the drummer of a band to attend media interviews. Vocalists or guitarists always speak, but percussionists usually go about their work with sticks in polite silence.

In this case, Sam Fogarino of the New York trio Interpol makes the exception. Consulted by the low profile that his colleagues usually show, he laughs but rehearses a response. “I think a lot of drummers fall into the role of staying behind everything. But One thing unique about Interpol is that we all consider ourselves songwriters., we are all capable of writing a song, regardless of the instrument we play or not play”, he maintains. “And besides, I can’t keep my mouth shut,” she adds.

The band premiered a few months ago “The Other Side of Make-Believe”, his seventh studio album, and has everything ready to return to Peru with two presentations: on Tuesday, November 15 with Arctic Monkeys and on Wednesday, November 16 alone. Double chance to enjoy its energetic display of post punk.

–The new album was written remotely, as the three members of Interpol were in different cities during the pandemic. Was that felt in the final product?

I do not think so. Or at least not intentionally. The truth is that writing it from a distance was more than anything a way to escape from the situation. But it is not that it was something special, because at the end of the day everyone was in the same situation. In fact, the pandemic was much harder on most people than it was on us. We had no reason to complain or lament. We just composed songs and we were lucky to still be alive. That is a position of total privilege. In what perhaps did affect a certain part of the album is that it made it more hopeful in terms of the lyrics. Even so, I would be glad that whoever listens to it does not feel it simply as a portrait of the pandemic, but as something more.

–This 2022 also marks the 20th anniversary of their first album, “Turn On The Bright Lights”. Did you keep it in mind during the composition? Is the passage of time one of the themes of the album?

I don’t know if it becomes one of the songs on the album, but it is something that started to hit us, definitely. Suddenly you realize that the first album is 20 years old and you say “wait, it’s a long time”. I think that’s the point: that the passage of time becomes very evident. But we can’t help but feel very lucky that the band is able to continue working in its third decade. It is a blessing.

–Have you wondered the reasons why you have such a strong fan base in Mexico? Is that repeated in other places in Latin America?

I have come to the conclusion that in all of Latin America they have a greater emotional sensitivity. And that is seen in their daily life, something that we love. Their empathy, the way they give back, is incredible. That is something that I think does not happen in the United States or in the United Kingdom, where people can put their love in their pockets and play at being disinterested. In Latin America, fans are not afraid to love what they love. And for me, as a musician, there’s nothing like having an audience that responds in that way. In Peru itself, in the couple of concerts that we have had there, people have been absolutely crazy. You can not ask for more.

–The drum sound is especially important in a genre like post punk. Do you feel that in Interpol you have been able to express yourself in a way that you would not have been able to in another band?

Absolutely. I think everyone in the band understands how percussion influences a song. Whether it’s when you take it out a bit or when you give it more prominence… What I feel is that the drums have never been a secondary sound in the band. And I couldn’t be happier with it. Let it be understood that it is not a simple filler, but something as important as the voice.

–And how have you gotten along with that ‘post punk revival’ label? They agree? Or would they prefer not to be associated with it?

The truth is that we never try to revive anything. I just felt comfortable just being in a band that had that depth, that played rock but explored atmospheres at the same time. And although I understand that the ‘post punk revival’ was widely discussed at that time, I don’t think we were reviving anything. When reference was made to other bands of the time with similar sounds, we just felt like we were in really good company of course. The ‘revival’, it seems to me, happens simply because a new younger generation appears listening to something and reflecting on the past. And surely more will come later and we will pass the post. As for the bands that pioneered post punk, one can simply take off one’s hat. And if there is any kind of association, I don’t think it’s negative.

–On their tour of Latin America they will play at the Primavera Sound festival in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. What do you think that some of these big festivals, like Lollapalooza, rock is being relegated to genres like pop or urban? Is it just a generational issue?

Yes, I think that’s something a little difficult to understand, I’ve never fully understood how curatorship is done or how these big festivals are put together, if on one side you have Robert Plant and on the other Jay-Z or what do I know I… Sometimes it seems that they lack a clear focus everywhere. But maybe that’s what people want, I don’t know. Lollapalooza is already a bit older on the scene, it’s always been there; On the other hand, Primavera seems to me to be a little more risky. It’s a good question, actually. I don’t think I have a completely clear answer.