The Mykki Blanco Experience

Why a Mykki Blanco interview?

Although he's been quite famous for some time, I only found 3 video interviews of Mykki and just a few more written ones. Thus, I decided not to bring up the overused topics of 'gay-rapper' and 'influences'.  l must say, l love the way Mykki puts Beyonce and GG Allin in the same sentence, bedazzling both underground high brow punkers and those with mainstream preferences.

Now, to get you into the context: last concert of a two-month European tour, 10 mins before soundcheck,  and a DJ whom i diagnosed with food poisoning (more on that below).

Mykki peeling garlic 

Mykki backstage is kind, polite, funny, he blends orange juice and raw garlic for his DJ (Dave) who had eaten raw meat the previous night in Milan.

I must tell you a few words about DJ Open1One, who, like a true method actor, had treated himself to raw unseasoned meat while trying to portray  most realistically possible a character from The Lord of The Rings (l noticed his disappointed look when l told him l fell asleep during LOTR). Anyhow, others would have called in sick, but he pulled through at the DJ table.. with a plastic bucket underneath.

DJ Open1One 

I really wanted to reference the title of this poetry book, therefore the interview took place in the  club bathroom :P During our conversation, Mykki gave us some very politically correct answers ( very "American" of him, may l add :) and  also some fun insights like revealing his guilty pleasures and sharing an inside joke.

At some point he mentioned to have gotten into fights in Norway and Sweden- that was pretty unbelievable to me, considering his imposing figure, l don't get who would pick a fight?

l was curious whether he feels he fits into this decade or he feels ahead of his time, and l found out that he doesn't romanticize other eras and is happy to have an audience nowadays, when people are more open minded. l was expecting such an answer, since l also think timeframes are not that relevant, and there have always been cool spirits and blah spirits.

The interview came to an abrupt end because Mykki was needed for soundcheck. We said our goodbyes and he left. This was around 8:30 p.m.

At around 2 a.m. he got onstage in the super-crowded, smoke-filled and stroboscope-crazy  clubroom.

The Mykki Blanco experience is a 'happening', it has lyrical moments, butt-shaking stripper-like interludes, true hiphop spoken word bits, pogo, voodoo, thanking the fan in the audience who tucked in the bra label, flipping people off, calling fans onstage to dance together. What l just described may seem a hodge-podge, a mixture of separate moments, but being there, l felt a very 'whole' performance, an extension of Mykki's persona/lity which i would describe through the dichotomy “let me entertain you - fuck you”.

watch interview here