Theft of the Dial: Paul Banks of Interpol
by Mark Wheat
February 21, 2019
Formed in New York City in 1997, Interpol have enjoyed increasing success during the course of their 22-year career thus far. "I think it's like a lot of businesses," says Interpol singer, guitarist and lyricist Paul Banks. "I don't know if I want to say you're only as good as your last record, but in a sense, you are. You never want to start losing the interest [of fans], especially not of your core fan base. So I think there's always pressure to stay good and stay sharp."
Paul Banks joined Mark Wheat in the studio for a Theft of the Dial, a series at The Current where we let one of our favorite musicians take over our radio station for an extended period of time to play songs that inspired them or are rocking their world right now.
A genre of music that has rocked Banks's world since he was a teen is hip hop. "I feel like as a lyricist, it makes sense to me why I love hip hop so much," Banks says. "And then I think you get these producers within the genre — there are these amazing producers making beats and kind of changing what sonics are and what music is. And I feel like that is just part of the genre — it's really renovating what we hear, and I love that."
Use the audio player above to listen to Paul Banks's playlist and to hear him talk more about the music he's chosen, both from his own band and from other artists he admires.
Playlist
Interpol, "The New"
6LACK, "Never Know"
Big Sean and Metro Boomin, "Savage Time"
Lil Wayne, "Used 2"
21 Savage, "Thug Life"
Future, "Rocket Ship"
The Walkmen, "The Rat"
Interpol, "Fine Mess"
External Links
Interpol - official site
Banks & Steelz - official site
