A Band You SHOULD be Listening To….

…If you don’t already. Their name? Chester French. I was introduced to the band a few years ago, thanks to one of my high school favorites, Chuka Ugwu-Oju. Max Drummey, half of the Chester French duo, is Chuka’s friend. It was actually Max who kept me entertained while I was out in Massachusetts interviewing for what would end up being my first post-college job, news reporter at WGGB-TV. Instead of hanging out with fellow seniors and taking part in the whole “farewell-to-college” thing, Max went to the music studio… and I tagged along.

Anyway, almost 2 years later, I had the opportunity to interview the band while they were in LA, opening up for Lady Gaga. We talked for a good 18 minutes. Unfortunately, less than 2 minutes will actually make it on TV when the piece airs in mid-April.

Highlights that may-or-may not make into 84 million homes next month?

• They kept emphasizing how they were two “totally normal guys, doing totally normal things.”
• When told they were doing something different than your standard Harvard grad, Max sarcastically suggested how most just slip through the cracks. I chime in saying, “Or invent Facebook.”
• Speaking of…they invited Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, to their San Francisco show. He said he couldn’t make it because he was in Chicago. I then inform them that he was on Oprah. Once again, they point out “a totally normal guy, doing totally normal things.”
• They have plans to take over the internet, and eventually the world. Their dictatorship would be peaceful, or well, “totally normal” — cotton candy, ferris wheels, a monorail. I tell them it sounds like Disneyland. They quip back, saying there would be no turkey legs, or Frontierland.
• Said doing music is a means of making money so they can buy food (they realized they couldn’t spend the rest of their lives living off the dining hall.)
• Would love to work with Right Said Fred. They’re not too sexy.
• I was fed a banana by them, and in turn, fed them grapes. Not very G-rated.

• And at the end…we hugged, Max jumped in the shower, and well… it was a little awkward.

Outtake clips coming soon…

P.S. just for Chuka…When asked to choose between late-night dining options Felipe’s and Pinocchio’s, they both chose ‘Nochs.