Johnny Depp Channels Sunset Rubdown for Mad Hatter Role

If you've ever heard Sunset Rubdown -- the solo vehicle from Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug -- you know that the group is adept at writing psychedelic pop songs that stretch out, twist, turn and typically defy structural confinements that most musicians adhere to. As Pitchfork points out, it seems that Sunset Rubdown's musical logic has found its way into filmmaker Terry Gilliam's warped world. Speaking with the CBS Early Show, Johnny Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter in the forthcoming Tim Burton adaptation of 'Alice in Wonderland', revealed that the inspiration for his latest on screen character indeed came from Sunset Rubdown jams.

We're not particularly sure which songs appealed to him, but Depp did offer up this nugget: "I get musical inspiration for the characters. Like for example, there was a band -- actually, Terry Gilliam turned me on to this band -- called Sunset Rubdown. It was a great few songs on there that just defined the Hatter for me perfectly."

The interview also reveals Depp's fondness for the band Squeeze, but unfortunately he doesn't say whether or not 'Cool for Cats' inspired any of his past performances, or if it's just been his life's mantra. Because, you know, he's a cool cat.

In related news, 2010 should yield Wolf Parade's third album, the follow-up to 2008's 'At Mount Zoomer.' Word is that they've been hard at work and from the looks of their tour schedule, there could be some new material road-tested soon. They've scheduled a handful of Canadian dates this spring, starting April 1 in Quebec City.

Watch Depp's interview below.