Speaker A
Nigh [music]. Who are you? Slater. Slater. Welcome to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Thank you.
Nardwuar interviews Slayyyter about her music, early life, band, stage setup, and vintage burlesque influences in Vancouver.
Key Takeaways
- Slayyyter's music and style are deeply influenced by her Midwest roots and diverse musical tastes.
- Her stage performances are highly theatrical with detailed setups and multiple costume changes.
- She has a strong appreciation for vintage culture, especially burlesque and old Hollywood glamour.
- Early experiences in bands and local music scenes shaped her approach to music and performance.
- Nardwuar's interview style brings out personal stories and unique insights into Slayyyter's career.
What the video covers
- Nardwuar interviews Slayyyter in Vancouver, discussing her early music experiences and influences.
- Slayyyter shares stories about her first gigs, including seeing Raven Simone and being in a short-lived band.
- She talks about her connection to the Midwest, including her unique fishing lure outfit inspired by Missouri culture.
- Slayyyter describes her full band setup and stage design, which resembles a backyard party with detailed props.
- She mentions costume changes and the stress involved during live performances.
- Nardwuar gifts her a vintage 1952 burlesque poster, which ties into her love for vintage burlesque and old Hollywood.
- Slayyyter discusses her admiration for Hollywood icons like Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich.
- The interview touches on her musical tastes, including influences from ska, garage rock, and bands like Sublime.
- Slayyyter shares anecdotes about her hometown St. Louis, including local music scenes and favorite food spots.
- The conversation includes personal insights into her creative process and stage persona.
Chapters
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Right off the bat, Slater. Raven Simone. Was that your first gig? Oh my gosh. I saw Raven Simone during like That So Raven era. She was like on a float at a parade in St. Louis.
Speaker A
How do you know that? That's crazy.
Speaker A
Well, you are Slater. We have to know. You are Nordvmar, so I guess that's how you know that, right?
Speaker A
Well, tell me more about that. Was that your mom bringing you to the gig? How did that happen?
Speaker A
My dad actually brought me and I was really young and I made a poster board, but I loved that. So, Raven, I love that was like my favorite Disney Channel show. And so, I went to see her perform.
Speaker A
And I also love the Cheetah Girls, so that was like a really big deal. Yeah, it was crazy. I remember she was on the float and like waving and I was like it was the first time I'd ever seen like a
Speaker A
famous person and I was really gooped. Did you go to a lot of after parties?
Speaker A
[laughter] Bas. Yeah. Basement parties. Yeah. I feel like in St. Louis in Missouri, everybody has like, you know, basements, unfinished basements or finished, but everyone would have parties in their basement 'cause like parents would kind of leave you alone or some people's parents
Speaker A
would be out of town and everyone would just like drink in someone's unfinished basement with like spiders and like, you know, random pipes everywhere and it would just be like teenagers going crazy really bad. You shouldn't do that.
Speaker A
There's a picture posted in a few places and I was curious, Ethan from St. Louis.
Speaker A
Oh [screaming] my god. Oh my god. Ethan from St. Louis. Ethan from St. Louis pointed out this band, the Zapados.
Speaker A
Oh my gosh. Yeah. I don't I was in a band for like 5 seconds. Um but just hold on for a second. SCA band.
Speaker A
I'M GOING TO CRY. YEAH. I Yeah, I I went through a big SCA phase and uh these were my two friends in high school um who I think still make music, but yeah, we were in a band. We didn't really we
Speaker A
did like one show and I like got really drunk and went crazy and I was like I don't know if a band is for me because I like I like to do everything like in my way. But they were all great and we were
Speaker A
practice at um we were practice at one of our friends house and it would just be like I don't know. I was like the only girl. I really was like feeling my like no doubt like oats I guess.
Speaker A
It says SCA. Were you SCA? Yeah, kind of. What was your set list? Did you do any covers?
Speaker A
Uh no no covers but I guess it was kind of like garage rockish SCA. But you do the SCA dance still like it's an amazing dance, isn't it?
Speaker A
No. Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. First of all, look how young I am. That is crazy. I'm like a baby.
Speaker A
So, this photo has been out there, I guess. Yeah. I guess they never took the Facebook page down. We didn't really make it very far as a as a band. So, I guess this kind of just is like, you
Speaker A
know, forever on Facebook, but you had fans, I guess. Yeah, we we had like we had two fans. So, this is the early SCA phase of Slater.
Speaker A
SCA phase. Yeah, it was SCA without the horns because we didn't know anyone who played like trumpet.
Speaker A
But how did you get into SCA? I don't know. I just I feel like in high school I listened to so much different music. Um I had like a Mighty Mighty Boss Tone CD that I really loved and I
Speaker A
loved Sublime. Sublime was like I guess that's more like I don't know if that's like SCA proper but like I loved Sublime so I would kind of just like listen to all music adjacent to that category.
Speaker A
Thank you Hunter. Yes. My stylist for the lures. Yes. Oh my gosh. Actually, I I got those lures online.
Speaker A
Yeah. Can you please explain that Missouri style? Yeah. Fishing lures. So, I just wanted to make like a fishing outfit and I ordered a bunch of fishing lures online, removed the hooks, you know.
Speaker A
Yeah. Finagled them onto a pair of shorts and then the rest is the rest is Lala history.
Speaker A
Now, what made you think of that? Um, I think honestly just like my my album lends itself to so many caricatures of like Midwest people and like portraits of the Midwest and I just I always think it's funny when dudes are like holding
Speaker A
like a picture of a fish. Like I have so many friends from my hometown that like their Instagram is just like fish after fish after fish and I wanted to make a fabulous version.
Speaker A
What's your stage setup like? Like tonight when we see your stage setup, it is full band. Full band. I have a house. It's kind of like a backyard party similar to what that band, I guess, would have been doing at a at a
Speaker A
house party, I guess, but it sounds a lot better. And the house, is it detailed? Because I saw some pretty neat photos.
Speaker A
Yeah, we have a cooler, we got a a street lamp, we got a clothes line, we got a truck, we got smoke, we got plants, we got it all.
Speaker A
Yeah, I saw the clothes line in England. Is it the same thing? Same clothes line, but we have our house this time. It was hard to get the house there and back too fast.
Speaker A
You had shirts hanging from the clothes line? Yeah, shirts. Were you afraid to bump into it?
Speaker A
No. Actually, one hit me in the face when I walked to stage on at the first show at uh Reading. So, that's funny. It like kind of hit me and I went, "Whoa." Yeah.
Speaker A
Who else is in the band? Who else could get hit? Who else could? So, Mike Robinson, our incredible drummer. Uh Jake, who plays bass, he's amazing. He's also from St.
Speaker A
Louis. And then, um Haven is the guitarist and he's also incredible. So, and I feel like we've kind of had rearrangements of the band. people, you know, are booked for other things here and there. So, for Coachella, uh Dan was
Speaker A
our guitarist and my friend Austin who works on a lot of my music, he also was playing bass. So, I feel like now we're kind of like solidified as like the fab four, you know? [laughter] And what about you, Slater? Costume
Speaker A
changes. How many are there? Will there be fishing lures? Maybe. I guess you'll have to see. But I I think I'd do like three costume changes, three outfits, just cuz like, you know, even with a band, I got to
Speaker A
have a little a little showgirl showmanship, you know? Is that hard? Yeah. No one. It's It's really The most stressed I ever am in my life is during a costume change backstage. Like I don't even know what goes on. I black out.
Speaker A
It's the only time I really am like ever like to like, you know, like if something's not like working or like clipping, I'm like, "Ah, we got to get the shoe on." I have a gift for you, Slater. an
Speaker A
original 1952 poster of Lily St. Seir. Oh my god. And check out, if you read from the top, what does it say?
Speaker A
Ladies, have you heard about her? You have wondered about her. This is so rad.
Speaker A
And then bottom it says, "First lady of strip te's in glorious color." Oh my god.
Speaker A
Cuz you love burlesque, etc. Love burlesque. I love I love vintage burles. could watch for hours like mo like old videos or like super eight or whatever it is of just like burles dancers like old found footage you know
Speaker A
what I mean I just I love the costumes and everything this is so incredible and she was in a couple movies with Betty Paige and also she is from the USA but she became really famous in Montreal Wow Montreal
Speaker A
Canada here we are and we're here we're in Canada but this really is from 1952 check it out like it really is oh my god thank you so much. This is so cool. This is like This is going to look
Speaker A
so cool in my like house. Like I'm obsessed with this cuz you had mentioned you've seen a lot of movies like with Betty Paige, etc.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. I actually just watched the Betty Page documentary a couple months ago and I feel like they they Yeah, they mentioned her in this, I believe.
Speaker A
And you love the like Rita Hayworth hair. Yes. Old Hollywood. I'm an old Hollywood girl. I have a big portrait of Marlene Dietrich in my apartment. I love I love Hollywood history. I love, you know, all of that.
Speaker A
Was it hard to get a portrait or where'd you get the portrait? It's like a print. Not really like a It's like a print of her.
Speaker A
Where'd you get it from? I l
Speaker A
Thank you. This is so cool. for slay tur quote Mr. DJ making moves for a living cannibalism.
Speaker A
Yes. And when I think of that I think of the cramps and I also think of Britney Spears.
Speaker A
Wow. Those are two things you'd never think would be in the same and [clears throat] you bring them together. How does that happen?
Speaker A
I I just listen to everything. It's something only a girl could do, you know.
Speaker A
But how did you get into the cramps? I I guess it's just like over the years I really love exploring different kinds of music. I feel like I didn't really listen to the Cramps until maybe I started living in LA. Maybe like an ex
Speaker A
showed me them or something, but I I feel like that kind of psycho Billilly world of music, like when you're in LA and you're like driving out to the desert with your friends, it's like a good soundtracking for it. And I just
Speaker A
love their style and their album covers like the, you know, they were they were the the coolest. So I think they just inspire me a lot. There's like a there's like a lot of showmanship that went into their like stage presence and the
Speaker A
costumes and the album art and everything. So, and then from the Cramps to Britney.
Speaker A
Oh, yeah. Well, that's just like that's like the number one since day one for me. You know what I mean? But yeah, because in the olden days, nobody would like the Cramps and Britney. But you don't care. You go for everything.
Speaker A
Yeah. I think maybe my voice just gives everything a bit of a Britney touch cuz she inspired me so much when I was young. I feel like I have kind of like a similar a lot of people compare our
Speaker A
vocals a lot. So if I'm trying to make something that feels a bit more cramp style, I have like the Brit, you know, it it'll come off a little Britney because of my voice, I guess.
Speaker A
But records though, like your mom has a signed Dennis Wilson LP. She does. Pacific Ocean Blue. Yeah.
Speaker A
So records are in family. You like records? I love records. I have all of her records. I have collected a fair amount of my own. I remember when I moved out of my house, I like I begged her. I was
Speaker A
like, "Can I please take all your vinyls?" And of course, she's like, "I'm not going to Yeah, I'm not going to use those again." And I have like a, you know, Oh, no. Do you have the Dennis Wilson
Speaker A
record? I do. I do. I do. That's totally awesome. Yeah, it is. It's pretty cool. RIP.
Speaker A
The Gossip. I love Yeah. The band with Beth. Oh my gosh. Beth Ditto's vocals. I feel like she's one of the greatest vocalists ever of all time.
Speaker A
How did you discover them? Funny enough, iTunes free single of the week. Heavy Cross was the free I used to find and love so much music through iTunes free single of the week back when that was a thing. They've discontinued
Speaker A
it because no one's really like buying per song on iTunes anymore. But I remember that was the free single of the week and I was just oh my god the song Heavy Cross. I have memories of listening to that on my iPod and just oh
Speaker A
my gosh her voice soarses. You know the Uklid. Did you ever go there for records in St. Louis?
Speaker A
I sure did. Uklid and Vintage Vinyl I would frequent a lot with my friends.
Speaker A
Yeah. What do you remember getting there? Wow. Or did you just hang out on a Saturday?
Speaker A
I don't know. I feel like we would hang out. I feel like I would get a bunch of different things. There's like things I would buy not really knowing what it was, which was always fun cuz then you'd
Speaker A
kind of discover like I remember I got like a Frank Zappa album and I like wasn't super familiar and then I was like whoa this is like life-changing [ __ ] This dude's crazy. And I really and I loved it. And then I would, you
Speaker A
know, things that were out at the time like I remember um like Inner Speaker by Tame and Paula that was like some like all my like skater guy friends would be like were really early on like the Tame
Speaker A
and Paula train. So they were like, "Oh, you got to listen to Inner Speaker and like Lanerism and blah blah blah." It was like before Currents came out and they like would show me that. So I had that vinyl.
Speaker A
I have a gift for you. Uh Lady Tron double LP. Wow. Oh my god. Wow. Excellent. And if we turn this double LP over and look at track number 15, what do we see on track number 15?
Speaker A
17. Soax remix. Soulwax. I always say the Sax remix is sometimes better than the OG song.
Speaker A
And your DJ, does your DJ play Soul Wax, too? He does. Owen Jackson loves Soul Wax, my brother.
Speaker A
And what can you say about Lady Tron and Slater? I They inspire me a lot. I feel like the vocal is so almost robotic, but it's just kind of like indie electronic excellence, you know? I feel like this
Speaker A
kind of era of music, Ladyron specifically, really inspires me a lot in my music.
Speaker A
Yeah. And that is actually some clear vinyl. A double vinyl for you. Wow. Clear. Let me see. Nice. I love Ooh.
Speaker A
What sort of Slater vinyls are there? There's a lot. I've made a lot of vinyls in my day. Like any colored vinyl?
Speaker A
I do. I love a transparent like color. Yeah, like this or like like I think I made like a hot pink translucent for my mixtape. I have a bunch. Working on some now. Coke bottle clear. [laughter] So that's a gift for you. Some Lady
Speaker A
Tron. So much. Thank you, Lady Trron. Oh my gosh, this is so thoughtful. Thank you.
Speaker A
The Frenchie. The Frenchie at the gramophone. Gramophone. [laughter] Took me a sec. Yeah, got it. The gramophone.
Speaker A
What is that? It is a sandwich that's awesome. And even more awesome than the Frenchie sandwich is they have a macaroni and cheese with red hot riplets, which is a St. Louis hot barbecue chip crumpled up on top. And when you're drunk, it really
Speaker A
hits, you know. Lion's Choice. Gorgeous. What's there? What would you have there? It is like an elevated Arby's.
Speaker A
[laughter] It's like a roast beef sandwich fast food place, but it's really good. And yeah, it's like only in St. Louis, but I've been I have gone there since I was a kid. Love it. Love you. Love you.
Speaker A
Lion's Choice. Joyous Deli. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Hot salami sandwich. Is that what you'd have?
Speaker A
Yeah. Really good. Really high cholesterol item, but really good. And Ted Drews. Oh yeah. That's like the crown jewel of St. Louis. You can't leave. Yeah, Ted Drews is the best.
Speaker A
What would you have there? I think I would get just like a like It's an ice cream frozen custard.
Speaker A
Yeah, like they do concrete. I think I would get like a peanut butter concrete or something like vanilla ice cream and like a little peanut butter. Yeah.
Speaker A
St. Louis Treasure Isles. I've been there. Yes, that's great. What were you looking for? And what have you got there?
Speaker A
I anytime I vintage shop, I always look for something like nothing boring. Like I like the kind of like funkiest thing you could find. So like any kind of like little sequin shoes, anything with a little sparkle, a little rhinestone. I
Speaker A
love vintage costumes. I feel like there I got this like sweater that's really itchy, but it's like uh like the th It's like vintage, but but it's it's like knitted from this kind of like metallic like Do you know what I'm talking about?
Speaker A
That really like itchy like not mohare, but metallic like spiky sweater. What year do you think it's from?
Speaker A
Probably like the 70s or 80s. Probably the 80s. Just from describing it, I'm like that's definitely an 80s item. They were going crazy with the textiles.
Speaker A
What do you think about the pound stores? It's like we buy by the pound.
Speaker A
Like there's a Goodwill pound store. What do you think about that? I love I love doing that. You have to be really in the mood cuz that's a whole day. That's like wear your gloves and like have a whole day. There's like
Speaker A
Goodwill thrifting and then there's like the bins. That's like the bins. Like you really like have to sort. And I'm a little I I prefer a bit of like a curated vintage store. I don't always have the time to like really dig
Speaker A
through, but every time I see people's stories online where they're like, "I found this really rare like McQueen thing, blah blah blah." And I'm like, "No, you didn't. There's no way." But, you know, sometimes they do.
Speaker A
What about antique malls like in St. Clair? Love an antique mall. I love old stuff.
Speaker A
I love old dolls and weird old bird cages and things. Yeah. A season of records for Slater. It's been a season of records, hasn't it?
Speaker A
Yeah. Like, it's really been a season of records. And I have a gift for you. A record. A season of records by the St. Louis Blues.
Speaker A
Wow. Wow. from 1981. It's a spoken word record all about the St. Louis Blues seasons of records.
Speaker A
Oh my gosh, that's insane. First of all, my dad would freak for this. Um, I haven't spoke to him in a minute, but I might have to like text him a picture of this cuz he would be like, "Oh, well
Speaker A
that I actually know the guy who recorded the vocals on that." He like he's obsessed with sports.
Speaker A
Have you been to L St. Louis Blu's games at all? Ah, the year that we won the Stanley Cup, I went to one of the playoffs games that we won with my friend Ferris in St. Louis. It was
Speaker A
crazy. It's St. Louis is one of those sports cities where like some cities like you win a game and everyone's excited in the streets. Sometimes it's like real riot crazy. People were going crazy and it was awesome.
Speaker A
So, that was pretty fun. Yeah. I was unfortunately in LA when we won the Stanley Cup, but maybe who who knows, maybe this year they'll they'll bring it back home and maybe this year you can sample it because it's all spoken word. So
Speaker A
80s so it probably sounds like old and like fried and cool. Yeah. Amazing. Like it's all spoken word. So maybe something to slip into the Slater repertoire.
Speaker A
I would love that. I love the blues. Go blues. Go blues. Go Cards. This is so cool. By the way, sure. No problem. And here you are in Canada. You love Canada. Sad Boy.
Speaker A
I love Canada. Yeah. Sad Boy. Yes. She's incredible. She was like so fun to watch perform. I love her. and Goldie Bout.
Speaker A
Yes. Oh my god. Sex paranoia and Baby No Money. Baby No Money. Is he from Vancouver?
Speaker A
Yes. Canada. Oh, amazing. And turning the tables. That podcast. Yes. I love them. Connor and his dad.
Speaker A
I'm doing it. Yeah, I'll be seeing them later. Amazing. So, shout out to them.
Speaker A
Shout out them. They I love the watching their reaction to my album like made my day. Loved it. quote, "Latex, car lights, Hollywood is paradise." Paradise. And I have a gift for you. And you mentioned kind of like wall hangers.
Speaker A
Well, here's a wall hanger for you. Wow. We have right here from 1958 the swing states, but it's for a wall hanger to hang on your wall cuz at the top we have California.
Speaker A
So, that's what I thought. It'd be good to help decorate your place. This is so cool. Yeah, I love the This is like a very 50s font. I love this.
Speaker A
It's kind of like a jazz record. You can listen to it. But I thought it's so cool the artwork. You can just hang it on a wall.
Speaker A
This is very cool. And I like the blue. I also I love jazz. So like I can't wait to listen to this.
Speaker A
And so does no Missouri, but still California. Do you cons Midwest special here? You know.
Speaker A
Do you consider yourself Am I allowed to say you're from California, too? Now I would I'm not I'll never be from but like I would say it's a second home. I love LA. I've lived in LA for about 5
Speaker A
years. I feel like California has a special place in my heart. I wouldn't say I'm like properly Californian because you have to be from there to be such a thing. But I am a Midwest girl that loves Hollywood. So that is my
Speaker A
that's my story and I'm sticking to it. And you're not afraid to go to Hollywood parties and talk to people, are you?
Speaker A
Oh, no. I'm so afraid. I don't I hate it. No, but you go up to people at Hollywood parties, don't you?
Speaker A
Too. Yes. After after a few drinks, I'm a little too social and I've learned my lesson.
Speaker A
Hey, there's Paul McCartney. Yes. Oh my god, I'm a punisher. But you're not afraid. A lot of other people would be afraid.
Speaker A
No, but like I feel like I have like a white trash St. Louis zestiness about me where I'm like, "Come on, we got we got and then I'll go do it and it's really bad." And I feel like it's
Speaker A
But how do you know it was bad? Like what instance was bad? Wasn't that bad? I think that that I kept super brief. I was so drunk. I forget what I said. I was like I was like I said something really weird. I
Speaker A
was like, "You're a really good dad." I don't know. And then I walked away and he was like, "Oh, thank you very much." So like I feel like it wasn't as bad in my head as I thought. I just feel like
Speaker A
you shouldn't do that. You have to like you have to like keep your cool at like these like these celebrity events.
Speaker A
Slater, tell me about Yes, Omu. Oh my gosh, he is in like insane. One of the best producers. Um, incredible DJ, too. But we've done a couple shows together. We've like worked here and there on things, but I've known
Speaker A
him like since the beginning of my career, really. But he's like the sweetest. I still keep up with him on tour. I haven't seen him in the longest time, but I hope he's doing well.
Speaker A
And Sam from St. Louis. Oh my god. Sam, my one of my best friends. Yes. He's the vocal on Broke [ __ ] that says, "I ain't no cowboy. I'm a [ __ ] hillbilly. There's a [ __ ]
Speaker A
difference." Yeah, he's the best. How did you discover that? Like, how do you discover him that he'd be good for that?
Speaker A
He We met through a mutual friend, my friend Mikey. Um, and he's this chef in St. Louis. He he is just like an amazing chef. And we've become friends where uh this place called Writes Tavern, which is like a restaurant under the
Speaker A
group that does like Louis and all these like really lovely, beautiful restaurants in Clayton. Uh and he is just like the [ __ ] coolest. And I feel like over the years through co through everything like he will just
Speaker A
like FaceTime me here and there and we have these deep talks about life. Every time I have a problem, he's like he's like a like a oracle. I can like call him and he like will drop some knowledge
Speaker A
on me and be like lady blah blah blah blah blah and like say something really profound and it always helps me.
Speaker A
How did you discover nice the band Nice? Oh my gosh, they're amazing. I had an ex who showed me them and introduced me to Emily, the lead singer, and I went to one of their shows uh a couple years ago
Speaker A
and they were they just incredible. Her vocal is insane. My stylist Hunter is also really good friends and and styles them from time to time. Styles Emily. So yeah, they're like one of the coolest bands in LA. Love
Speaker A
Last Platinum Vintage. Yes. Yes. I think I just ordered from them actually. What's your order?
Speaker A
I don't remember. I would need to check. That's great that you don't remember. I have a I have a Yes.
Speaker A
That means you're doing well, aren't you? No. It means I have online shopping addiction.
Speaker A
You know what it means if you don't know. That means that's great. Like it's not always. Not always. You can get into a lot of I got in a lot of trouble and I've ordered a lot of things in my life
Speaker A
that I don't remember. [laughter] Really? Like what? I don't know. Oh, I always just like I just love vintage and I'm always like searching for I feel like I that's something I need to like discover in therapy. I'm like always searching for
Speaker A
something new that I like don't need but I want it cuz it's new and I'm like you know.
Speaker A
Are you looking for anything? I'm always looking for something. I'm always looking for a twirly dress. I love like a silk chiffon twirly bias silk bias dress. I'm always looking for the blue marine 2002 uptown girls dress.
Speaker A
If anyone ever finds that, please contact me for the love of God. Slater, anything else to add to the people out there at all?
Speaker A
Um, I don't know. I I love you, Vancouver, and I am so excited to be here and thank you.
Speaker A
Oh, no problem, man. Why should people care about Slater? Why should people care? They don't have to. I don't know. I'm I'm nice.
Speaker A
Well, thanks so much, Slater. Keep on rocking in the free world and do Yeah.
Speaker A
Yay. [screaming] Yeah. I could do this all day. Whoa. He's really good at freezing. This is actually kind of crazy. Oh my gosh.
Speaker A
[music] [music]
Topics:NardwuarSlayyyterinterviewVancouverMidwest musicskaburlesqueold Hollywoodstage setupcostume changes
