Kaki is King! (Or Queen, Rather)

Kaki King’s “secret” show at the Living Room last weekend wasn’t. Nor was it really a show. “It was so our sound guy could mix us,” explains King. “The whole point was to get the sound right and hear ourselves in a room, because we’d been in a rehearsal for so long.” So it was more of a “secret rehearsal” for close family and friends to prepare for King’s tour, which kicks off this week. And, apparently, the press wasn’t supposed to know. Oops. Nevertheless, after strumming a set of ethereal songs from her new album, Dreaming of Revenge, and screaming a cover of “Fashion Tattoo” by German noise band Bubonix, the 28-year-old guitar virtuoso and former subway busker sat down for a chat. After the jump, she talks about the album, unrequited love, and Sean Penn’s Into the Wild, all the while navigating lower Manhattan in a rental car with passengers Maria Porcaro (the best friend), Sara De Castro (of the aforementioned Bubonix), and, um, the press. 

BLACKBOOK: Where did the title Dreaming of Revenge come from?

KAKI KING: The title was by Gauguin. The entire quote was, “Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.” And I find it to be so funny, and so tongue-in cheek, but maybe that’s just me. Maybe it’s just because I like Morrissey. Although I’m not a vengeful person whatsoever—I don’t really have vengeful plots or wish them upon anyone, but maybe someone’s wishing revenge on me.

BB: Do you have any apprehension about performing these personal songs live?

KK: It is personal, but it’s also universal. “I don’t wanna go, but I can’t say I’ve had a good time,” isn’t necessarily about a relationship. It can mean a lot of things.

BB: Do you have a favorite song on the album?

KK: It changes, but I love “Montreal.”

[At this point Maria Porcaro tells the story of how she and Kaki met a few years ago at the Mercury Lounge, where Kaki was working, and then later the same day at the Blue Man Group, where Kaki had just gotten hired for a second job.]

KK: You’re leaving out the crucial, crucial information!

MARIA PORCARO: What?

KK: That I had a huge crush on you for the first week!

MP: That’s because everybody thinks I’m a lesbian.

KK: And then I was walking you home, and you were like, “Yeah, my ex-boyfriend… ” And I was like, “Ex-boyfriend? What?”

MP: I’m sure Kaki has had more boyfriends than I have.

KK: But then we became best friends.

BB: Okay. Matt Hankle is a pretty amazing drummer. Where did you find him?

KK: I always ask myself, What the fuck is he doing playing with me?

MP: We all worked together with Blue Man Group. He’s a metal drummer.

KK: He’s also a jazz drummer. He plays in Chicago and Mamma Mia! He’s like a Broadway dude. And he’s also a badass rocker, but then when things need to be simple and straight, he can do it.

BB: Besides Bubonix, who are you listening to right now?

KK: Mademoiselle K, constantly. New Order. And I listen to a lot of Missy Higgins, just to sort of laugh. She’s so honest and earnest and eager and nice. She’s like the biggest-selling artist ever in Australia, but no one has any idea who she is here.

MP: They either think she’s really cute or really ugly. I know a lot of Australians who are like, “Whatever.”

KK: That’s because everyone wants to hate once you get to a certain level, but she’s fucking awesome!

BB: Do you feel a certain responsibility, as a public persona, to be a role model?

KK: I think it’s important to never say anything that might steer someone down the wrong path—saying something like, “Oh yeah, drugs are cool! Throat cancer is rad!” I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth, but I don’t feel like I have any responsibility to lead.

BB: Tell me about the first time you spoke with Sean Penn about scoring Into The Wild.

KK: It was interesting…

MP: He doesn’t have a cell phone, right Kaks?

KK: He does, but he doesn’t have a computer. He types his scripts.

BB: On a typewriter?

MP: I know, right.

KK: Here’s how it happened: I am friends with Tegan and Sara, I played on their record, and Sara and I had met each other online, but we didn’t really know each other. So I was going to play in Montreal and they invited me to dinner beforehand. I get a call an hour beforehand and it was Sean Penn’s assistant. And she says, “This is Sean Penn’s assistant and we’ve been doing some work on this movie and we’ve been thinking about your music, and Sean would like to speak to you. He’s going to call you in about an hour or so.” And I was like, Okay? So, basically, I was going to dinner—and it could have been anyone, but it just happened to be dinner with a bunch of people I had never really met—and I go in and say, Nice to meet you everyone. Sean Penn is about to call my phone, so I’ll be right back. And right then, my phone rings and he was exactly like you’d imagine him.

BB: Do you intend to work on film scores again?

KK: I am doing another film, actually. My friend Joe [Leonard] is making a film called How I Got Lost, and I’ll be scoring that film. It’ll be independently put out and going to festivals. Hopefully it’ll have legs, but you never know. It’s a long process. You have to strike a balance between doing your own music and doing films. So far, I’m happy to be able to do both.