Q&A: (Adam Green)

His work deemed as "pure genius" by Rolling Stone magazine, New York native Adam Green has no reservations about singing what's on his mind.

The 23-year-old founding member of the Moldy Peaches secured a record deal with the label Rough Trade as a teenager. The group that started out as a music duo, the other half being Kimya Dawson, took an indefinite hiatus in 2001. Since then, Green has created music as a solo artist.

Green's career in music strays somewhat from the family calling in the field of science and medicine in which both of his parents are doctors and his brother is an astrophysicist.

Green's father is a clinical professor of neurology at Columbia University, and his mother is a psychiatrist and works at the Museum of Natural History. Green is the first person in his family who opted out of attending college.

Green recently recorded his third solo album, "Gemstones," on the Rough Trade label. He and his backing band played the songs live with a Wurlitzer, bass, drums and guitar. His backing band comprises members of the group the Gnomes, which is opening for Green during his current U.S. tour. Green wrote the songs while on the road touring and would practice them during sound check.

The album is significantly stripped down compared to 2003's "Friends of Mine" with its layer orchestrations that feature a string section. It was on the 2003 work that Green received mainstream attention on MTV with the surprising hit song "Jessica" inspired by pop star Jessica Simpson. On the song, Green takes a few jabs at Simpson by examining the shallowness and trickery of show business.

Over the years, Green has gained a worldwide following in countries in Europe, along with Japan and Canada, and has toured with Badly Drawn Boy, The Strokes and Ben Kweller.

Rough Trade released the album last month and Green will perform at the Troubadour in West Hollywood to support the work this Friday, April 8.

The Beach Reporter talked with Green about his life in New York and about a recent "Dateline" interview in which he talked about his hit song "Jessica" for a segment on the Simpson sisters.

The Beach Reporter: You mention the subway a few times on the new album. Has it been a good source of inspiration for you?

Adam Green: Yeah, the subway is definitely a class thing. There is only a certain class of people who ride the subway. You're never going to see people from an upper class on it. Everyone kind of has to be clumped together in close proximity checking each other out even if they don't want to. I guess there is something kind of sacred about it. But it's a terrible way to travel, I mean, people aren't supposed to be traveling underground with rats. But at the same time, I'd say, how do you guys live out there in L.A. without one? New York is a street culture - tall buildings, the subway where I used to play guitar, a lot of strangers and fine women - and the place where people congregate is outside and strangers talk to strangers all the time. You meet people, it's not like people are driving in their own car and listening to their own radio.

Do you think you could see yourself living anywhere else?
I don't think so. I mean, I'm not a fan of the winters here, but I like the 24-hour aspect of New York. Just knowing that I can get some Oreos at four in the morning makes me happy.

Where do you live?

I live in Brooklyn.

You seem to kind of make fun of the band the Beachwood Sparks on one of your songs. What are your thoughts on this group?

(Laughs). Well, I will say that I'd see their CD lying around the office and I fell in love with the name, it's so evocative.

You seem to have no qualms about writing anything into your songs. Do you consider yourself an intense songwriter?

Well, I think it's important for a song to have depth. I don't settle on a song until I feel like I can sing it comfortably. The truth is that my songs are more about feelings than events. So, it's more about when I have an emotion that I want to express I try guiding it into music, making sure that it's presentable. The raw emotion isn't enough to make a song, for me. I need to find a way to fit that emotion into a form that is palatable to people and becomes something they can digest.

You recorded all of these songs live, which is a much different approach from your last album.

Yeah, I wanted to do something different on this album and I also wanted kids out there to know that you can make something nice out of not that much. So, you don't need all that much stuff to make a record. Last time I did my album with a string section that was more expensive. I just figure you can't do the same thing all the time because it gets boring.

You make reference to prescription drugs a few times on this album. Does that have anything to do with the fact that everyone in your immediate family is somewhat involved in the medical/science field?

Yeah, my parents are both doctors so I've grown up around drugs my whole life. I used to draw doodles on my dad's prescription pad. So I know about every kind of drug.

I heard you did a 'Dateline' interview that somehow relates to Jessica Simpson and her sister, Ashlee. How did that go?

Interesting. They wanted me to say all of this stuff that I didn't want to say. They kept on trying to get me to sing the song for them and I just didn't feel like it, but I think it went all right.

I think it's even more interesting that 'Dateline' finds the popularity of the Simpson girls as having news value.

Yeah, that's what I said to them. I asked everyone there if anyone could name a song by Jessica Simpson. There were about 10 people in the room and no one could, so I asked why they were even doing it. I asked the woman who was interviewing me if she could name a song and she didn't even know. It's just this false hype generated by publicists. Even if 5 million people bought her record, does it make it important? If 5 million morons buy crystal clear Pepsi does it make that product important? If a thousand smart people buy something, I think it's more important than 5 million morons buying something. I see this kind of hype a lot. I've gone to concerts where there really wasn't anyone there and it sucked, and I've read the review of it that said it was packed and that girls were going crazy. It happens all around you and when you read something you should always be cautious because there is a lot of money in faking it these days.