Ask A Rocker: The Teenagers' Quentin Delafon

I love trash, and there's no better kind than trash with a sense of humor. The Teenagers, a band of London-based Frenchmen who are playing the Black Cat tomorrow night, play a laughable scuzziness that has wormed into my heart like a cardiac STD. "Feeling Better" is 3.5 minutes of catchy self-aggrandizement and "Starlett Johansson" is an obvious ode to stalking a certain husky-voiced actress.

Their finest moment is "Homecoming," a he said/she said account of an Englishman fucking his high school aged-cousin. Its chorus is, respectively, "I fucked my American Cunt/ I love my English romance" and contains the Englishman's romantic assertion of "Just like I like it/She's got nice tits." Their music is half John Hughes cheer and half spoken-word nastiness. They might not exist in six months but I'm happy they're here now.

I roped their frontman, Quentin Delafon, to answer some questions over email. And I must say that I appreciate his candor.

The New Gay: How would you describe your sound? How is it different from the actual '80s sound that inspired it?

Quentin Delafon: It's French sleazy pop.

TNG: What sets you apart from the seemingly endless number of indie bands in existence today?

QD: Technically we are French, based in London. And for the rest, our songz [sic] are much better.

TNG: Where does your band name come from?

QD: That's where we are stuck in our minds, you know. We don't want to grow up 'cause it sucks.

TNG: As Europeans, what are your feelings on visiting the American capital? Anything you want to do while you're here?

QD: We are proud and we are going to do our best to be good French ambassadors so that our president is proud of us. [Editor's note: This will hopefully involve doing one of the Bush twins.]

TNG: Your best known song has "cunt" in the chorus. Have you gotten any shit for this?

QD: Some but its ok, nah? We honestly didn't know that it was SO bad. Now we know.

TNG: What kind of balls did it take to write "Feeling Better," a song with your band's name as the chorus?

QD: 6 balls. Not more. not less.

TNG: Have you heard back from Scarlett Johanson?

QD: Not yet but it would be cool!

TNG: Why should we come out and see you at the Black Cat?

QD: 'Cause we are ace... and Michael Szpiner plays the bass topless. Priceless.

The Teenagers play the Black Cat Wednesday, May 7, with supporting acts DJ Will Eastman and Team Robespierre. Doors open at 8.