Ghostland Observatory Can't Keep Their Pants On

Posted on Dec 17th 2009 4:00PM by Justin Jacobs

Dancing is supposed to be fun. For most people, aside from pre-pubescent boys who are afraid of girls, it usually is. It only would make sense, then, that those who create dance music would be fun folks as well.

The Texas duo of Ghostland Observatory, purveyors of crowd-demolishing dance beats, is willing to answer that call. Producer/programmer Thomas Turner and singer Aaron Behrens have been pumping out songs that beg you to dance since 2005, most effectively with 2008's pulsing 'Robotique Majestique.' For them, though, the real fun starts once the show is over.

"Our tours involve tons of clowning around in airports and hotels. All kinds of pranks," Turner tells Spinner. "We've learned over the years that the lighter you keep everything, the less tension there is. When we're doing sound check or when it's time to play, we're professional, but other times ..."

Those other times, it turns out, involve mainly laughter and nudity.

"We'll pull people's pants down on planes, in customs. I'm talking fully exposed, too. No pants-only," Turner says. "It's pants, underwear, full grab -- total exposure."

While Turner has no prank immunity from his band mate or road crew, he tries to be a step ahead. "They don't get me, because I wear a belt," he says. "If you wear workout pants to dress comfortably for the plane, they're coming off."

After a year and a half of on-and-off touring behind Majestique, Turner says he and Behrens will begin writing a new record in early 2010. For now, they're soaking up inspiration from places where the dancing is the wildest. Like, surprisingly, Alaska.

"They don't get many shows up there, so we brought some lasers and other crazy stuff," Turner says of a recent show in the Great White North. "As soon as we went on it looked like the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video. It wasn't the best soundsystem and there were little problems. I mean, I think Aaron threw up in his mouth at one point, but it's those raw shows -- they totally recharge our batteries."