An Interview with Faux Real
Words by Sarah Morrison
Photo by Audrey Del Piccolo
In the summer of 2018, Franco-American brothers Elliott and Virgile Arndt merged their unique artistry to birth a new project entitled Faux Real. The duo quickly gained critically acclaimed recognition for their avant-garde performances and quickly took the music community by storm.
Today, Faux Real reveals their much anticipated self-titled debut EP. The pair have been very good at keeping those away from phone quality audio and ensuring fans get the best listening experience possible. With every single released being just as infectious as the last, you are guaranteed to bop your way through all five tracks.
What was ‘Magic Waffle?’
Our very first garage band, with two of our middle school friends. We chose this particular name because the initials can be read upside down, which is crucial when you are writing them on a skateboard. We met once a week and wrote anthems, in a garage. Fortunately, we never made it onto a stage.
The pair of you were in separate projects in the years prior to Faux Real. Why did it take you so long to connect and start working on something together?
We had to work up to it. As brothers and friends, we have always been making things as a duo but had never thought to put a name on it. Everything we’ve done until now has been leading us to conduct this project together. In a way, the birth of Faux Real was probably inexorable and definitely accidental.
Elliott is also a director and photographer, does this play a huge role in the way you approach keeping that creative control within the Faux Real videos and press photography?
As a unit, all our skills are pooled in order to be used to their maximum potential. Of course, Elliott’s background in the visual arts is used to impart maximum Faux Realism on its disciples. We are firm believers in the DIY ethos, but also devotees of DIWABOOP - Do It With A Bunch Of Other People™. It is not so much about creative control as it is about creative impulse. The execution then follows naturally according to time and resources available.
What does the term ‘Faux Realism’ mean to you? How would you explain that to someone unfamiliar or newly listening to your music?
Faux Real is the musical seesaw
The yin-yang yeehaw.
The flamboyant flaw
The avant-garde mardi gras
The up-beat chainsaw
The anti-rock outlaw
The catch-phraseria
Free Freak Gumbo Yaya
Rude crude and raw
Crow caw and claw
Bear growl and paw
Who is ‘Ferguson Videostar?’
Ferguson Videostar is our spiritual leader, our teacher, our moral compass, and our tour manager. He is also a briefcase that contains all the necessary items to run a live Faux Real show. We can be seen travelling with him through most moments of our lives.
What gave you the idea to use ‘Augmented Karaoke™, in your live approach?
We gave ourselves this idea after trying out different things, and realizing that this approach not only made us look like self-obsessed karaoke singers, performing our own songs, but also seemed like the easiest way to justify suggestive hip movements, absurd choreography, all while wearing fringe and hoops on stage.
In a time where oversharing and exposure is such a large part of building a fanbase, you’ve chosen to go the opposite direction and release minimal music while hiding all live phone YouTube video/audio. What made you both come to the decision to have that layer of secrets?
We wanted to overshare and to expose ourselves in front of a live audience, for the most part. As with many aspects of this project, the secrecy of it was accidental. We just thought doing things in the “wrong” order might be exciting, and it has been.
The EP is co-produced by Jay Watson (GUM / POND / Tame Impala), and he also takes on some percussion duties. When did you meet Watson and how did you get him to jump on-board?
We met through our ex-manager. Jay was at the end of a world tour at the time, and running a very high fever - which clearly explains why he agreed to jump on board. He was a real pleasure to work with, and provided brilliant ideas during the sessions.
I also read that Jamie Terry (POND) took on some mixing work as well. Is that true?
James Ireland (drummer of POND) mixed the EP, and Daniel McNeill provided additional mixing duties.
In your own words, what does it mean to be ‘Method Musicians™?’
In the same way that method actors embody every aspect of the characters they wish to personify, we chose to embody the ideal characters we had in mind for Faux Real. As the shows go on, and the false realities crumble, our off-stage wardrobe became as necessary as the on-stage wardrobe, and the slightly robotic and mildly unpleasant tone of speech we are using in this interview has now taken over our family dinners too.
A lot of your touring plans for the year have been put away due to everything that’s going on in the world. Due to the nature of building your fan base off of word of mouth from live performances, does that bring any sort of fear when it comes to the release with the EP?
There is no place for fear when you are dancing frantically.