King of Conspiracy Interview: SXSW 2010

In the three short years they've been touring, King of Conspiracy have constructed quite a résumé in providing support for names like the Subways, Titus Andronicus and the Aggrolites, and sweating up stages from Paris to Tokyo. This Parisian punk threesome -- comprising Michael Destouches on guitar, Ronan Tatibouet on bass and Franck Couillard on drums -- have another short but aggressive European tour just before touching down in America for SXSW. Spinner caught up with Destouches right after their opening show in Paris.

Describe your sound in your own words.

I guess you could say we're kind of noisy ... a noisy punk band. A little bit of garage, but onstage we basically try to use our instruments to make a lot of noise. We like pop music as well, but we're not comfortable with the verse-chorus-verse structure of normal songs. We like to experiment outside of that.

How did your band form?

It happened pretty quick. Three or four years ago, I was looking for a bassist. I found Ronan through a friend, finished out the lineup with Franck, and we started touring just after four months of playing together. We basically got to know each other onstage.

What are your musical influences?

We like a lot of the same music. We're really into Sonic Youth. At the Drive-In, the Vines and Death From Above. There's also a Welsh band called Future of the Left -- they're doing a lot of things that we like. I think they've played SXSW a few times. We're kids of the '90s, so of course we're big into Nirvana. Ronan is really into punk, so we have a lot of those influences as well; the Dead Kennedys, all that stuff.

How did you come up with your band name? Who is the King of Conspiracy?

I've had this band name in my mind for a long time because I was a huge fan of Queens of the Stone Age. Somehow through them I came up with King of Conspiracy. I also think it kind of represents our direction. We see the music industry today as a kind of conspiracy we're trying to expose. To find the conspiracy against underground bands -- and trying to make it without being ... pretty. We're very political but not into politics -- and we try not to make that too obvious. We don't have the guts to be Rage Against the Machine, but I wish we did.

What's your biggest vice?

Junk food. Coca-Cola! Yeah, we're French, so you'd think we'd be eating really nice and fancy foods, right? But we're obsessed with junk food. Don't even mention Burger King, please.

What's in your festival survival kit?

We don't do too many festivals, but so far we've found you have to bring your own beer. This will be our first time playing in the US, but when you play in France or the UK the beer is so expensive you have to bring your own. Oh, and tacos. We've played the Great Escape Festival in Brighton – kind of a SXSW in the UK – and there is always Mexican food; we love Mexican food.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

My problem is pop music. Really, really bad pop music. I don't know why, but I love the band Paramore at the moment. Even if I hate the concept, and I hate the lyrics, I love Paramore -- I don't know why.

Beatles or Stones?

Nobody can beat the Beatles, but the Rolling Stones are more rock 'n' roll. I guess if we had to choose, we'd probably say Nirvana.

Global warming: truth or conspiracy?

Both. Unfortunately, this is part reality, but the conspiracy is that too many people are just talking about it now for their own self-gratification, and there's a difference between talking and doing. Since the recent climate summit in Copenhagen, the French government has really been calling on the people to do something for the environment. But the call cannot be made just to the people of a country: For anything to change it must be made at a global level.

Stephen Dilettoso is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.