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young life. As did other interesting touchstones, like W.A.S.P.’s underrated heavymetal masterpiece The Last Command. “It’s
one of those albums that – if you go back
and listen to it now – it’s still balls-out and
really heavy,” he says. “But as I got older
and became a teenager, I started getting
into the hardcore scene, and I found all
these other bands that I fell in love with.
And I was so into that, but not necessarily
the music – even though I was a fan of the
music – but it was also just going out to
shows and seeing people live. Something
just hit me so hard at that time – I was so
hungry for that kind of epiphany to happen, where I could just find a world and be
like, Oh, I want to be a part of this!’ And
that was one of the first moments where I
knew I wanted to play live shows and be in
a band and start doing that.”
Now, Urie can easily – and sincerely –
throw in a Mike-Love-versus-Brian-Wilson
lyrical reference in “Crazy = Genius” without having to explain his myriad reasons
for loving The Beach Boys. “There’s such a
fine line between crazy and genius,” he
says. “And I got that revelation through
this writing process, because I sit on that
fence. I teeter back and forth like Humpty
Dumpty, just waiting to see which side I
fall on. Is it crazy? Is it genius? Is it too
much? Is it not enough?” that’s the one
downside of becoming a one-man band, he
says. “You never really know, and the
prime example of that is Brian Wilson.”
For now, he’s content to be a Frank
Sinatra for the new millennium. He first
became aware of the smooth crooning
approach as a kid, watching Alfalfa warble
on The Little Rascals TV program. Then he
saw it pop up again in the film Who Framed
Roger Rabbit?, and in a Disney program
called Fun With Music, that featured stars
like Billy Joel. “So then crooning was really on my radar, and I just fell in love with
it as much as I could at a young age,” he
says. “But then as I got older, I had a whole
new appreciation for it, where I wanted to
learn more about it, I wanted to study it.
And I still would like to properly study
crooning and jazz singing, because it’s so
different from what I’ve been doing for the
last decade – rock singing.”
And if – God forbid – a guitar string
breaks, or the microphone short-circuits
during a Panic! at the Disco spectacle, Urie
can most likely serenade the faithful until
the problem is remedied. Or possibly tell a
joke or two. “There have been a couple of
times where I’ve had to do that,” he snickers, in closing. “And I don’t know if my
banter has become more of a commentary,
but I’ve started to interact with the crowd
more, to the point where I’ve started to do
‘crowdwork,’ like a comic would. But it’s
nowhere near as funny. That’s the thing –
I’m a musician first, and a comedian….
never! I just can’t do it. I’m not that person.
But God, do I appreciate those comedians!”
Appearing 4/17 Purdue University, Elliott
Hall, West Lafayette, IN; 7/10 Hollywood
Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL.
Countryside, Milwaukee & Palatine
Sat. April 9
Holiday Inn
Countryside
6201 Joliet Road (Rt.66)
Countryside • 847-409-9656
Show Hours: 10-4pm
Sun. April 10
Serb Hall
5101 W. Oklahoma
Milwaukee, WI
10am-4pm
march
2016
illinoisentertainer.com
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