Watch the Stars of ‘Broad City’ Interview Sleater-Kinney
Last week in the basement of New York City’s Ace Hotel, Broad City‘s Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer interviewed the trio of Sleater-Kinney, a band the comedy duo credits as the reason their show exists in the first place.
Following Tuesday’s release of the band’s post-hiatus album No Cities to Love, NPR has made available a full video of the intimate, 90-minute event featuring the five women conversing candidly – and often hilariously – in front of a 150-person audience. Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss were in good spirits as they answered questions from Jacobson and Glazer, Twitter and the audience members.
“There is kind of an inevitability to this band,” said Brownstein when pressed about Sleater-Kinney’s new record. “It does feel like something that exists partially outside of us.” Specifically, Tucker and Brownstein noted the push from Brownstein’s Portlandia co-star Fred Armisen and Tucker’s husband once the band hinted at creating more music together.
As interviewers, Jacobson and Glazer were comfortable playing the parts of both superfans and astute critics, weaving between playful improv and serious questions about tour life and the ways the band’s music acts as a feminist statement. Though Jacobson occasionally tripped over her words, she always played it for laughs and, unsurprisingly, the two didn’t shy away from questions about the role of feminism in the band’s music (though Glaser did offer a rolling-eyed, faux-apology to the men in the audience when the topic came up).
“Phase one [of Sleater-Kinney] was a lot more confrontational,” remarked Tucker on the band’s attitude before their hiatus. Though they feel they’ve toned down the intensity of their earlier style, Sleater-Kinney still consider their sound as rough and edgy as ever.
“I feel like this record sounds desperate,” commented Weiss. “We’re just exploding.” Following the easy flow of conversation between all five women, Jacobson and Glazer culled some questions from their phones, which included Twitter followers and a “surprise” text message from Broad City executive producer Amy Poehler. After the comedian asked if the band would play “Little Mouth” at her funeral, Brownstein remarked that, ideally, Poehler would live forever.
Additional reporting by Cady Drell