Feeding frenzy

Photo: John Sturdy

Meeting Chicago’s beloved trash punks Mannequin Men for lunch at Taste of Chicago seemed like the perfect setup for a painfully punny article about a “hungry” band ready to “eat up” competition. But soon after being overwhelmed by the sensuous sizzling of grills, bubbling of stew pots and hissing of deep fryers, we spit out any plans for journalistic tomfoolery. It quickly becomes apparent that if there’s one thing these perpetually joking rockers take seriously, it’s eating.

Walking around the gluttony festival with three quarters of the band (drummer Seth Bohn dined elsewhere) reveals a group of friends far more eager to pontificate on ethnic cuisine, greasy local joints and leftovers than music. They seem eager to hit the road on their upcoming tour as much for the regional junk food as meeting raucous fans, laying out a buffet of anticipated gastronomical conquests.

“We’re going to Montreal this time,” bassist Miles Raymer, 32, declares with a mouthful of red beans and rice. “They have the best poutine.” Guitarist Ethan D’Ercole, his mouth stuffed with jerk chicken, mumbles, “Spam grinders in Philly are really good.” Vocalist-guitarist Kevin Richard, 27, works on a rib sandwich as he expresses loyalty to his favorite East Coast snack treat: Tastykakes. Wearing a mock-serious face, the publicist-by-day then sternly declares, “If you’re going to ask about our place in the garage scene, we think garage rock is going down like a funnel cake in hot oil. So we’re jumping ship!”

The fried-dough analogy may be a stretch, but there’s truth to it. The quartet has never fully embraced the “garage” tag. “Critics didn’t have anywhere else to put us,” D’Ercole, a 35-year-old music buyer for Reckless Records, says with a shrug. “So that’s where we ended up.” The Guns N’ Roses–mocking Lose Your Illusion, Too (“It was the least worst title we could think of,” Raymer laments), the band’s third LP, serves up songs about rocky relationships, massages, spending all your money on smokes and general ennui in a smorgasbord of indelicate pop styles.

While the new one demonstrates slightly broader dynamics than their previous albums, Mannequin Men have little interest in reinventing the wheel. Raymer, a music critic for the Reader, notes, “The wheel works.” They embrace rock clichés, joyously obvious riffs and shameless, snotty faux-English vocals. Yet they offset the intentional dumbness with clever hooks and, more significantly, a surprising wholesomeness. Heck, they work off those Tastykakes on tour by playing Frisbee and soccer before shows—not exactly a commitment to the self-destructive rock & roll lifestyle.

Richard’s good looks might help the Men go beyond the garage ghetto, but the band’s biggest appeal to a broader audience is its sense of humor; one bratty track is titled “WTF LOL.” Though Lose Your Illusion is far from a novelty record, D’Ercole describes it as “funny the way watching someone trip over a curb and almost fall is funny.” The band clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously. “My mom gave me the best compliment we’ve ever gotten,” Raymer says. “She told me that when she listens to our record, it makes her crack up.”

Paper plates clean and food tickets depleted, the trio starts to exit Grant Park, but not before reminding me that hungry fans should show up early for the record-release after-party at the Metro on Friday 10. “Free pizza for the first 200 people,” Richard beams.

Speaking of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ favorite food, the band ends our interview by baking up another food analogy for its fresh record, unanimously comparing the studio creation to Little Caesars’ infamous five-dollar pizza. “It’s like a Hot-N-Ready,” Richard declares with a broad smile that seems as inspired by warm memories of budget meals as self-satisfaction with his own wit. “It’s for the masses, it’s cheap, it goes down easy, and it’s done in five minutes.”

Mannequin Men celebrate the release of Lose Your Illusion, Too at the Metro Friday 10. The album is out on Flameshovel Records.

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