Karen O Promises 'Sucker Punches to the Gut' in Upcoming Psycho Opera

If we had a better handle on our gambling problem, we'd bet good money that Karen O's "psycho opera" is going to be a touch weirder than Paul McCartney's new ballet.

In a statement, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman shed some light on the upcoming production, which will kick off on Oct. 12 at Brooklyn, N.Y.'s St. Ann's Warehouse and run for eight performances. "I have a pretty good idea of what the psycho opera is about but I wouldn't dare try and put it into my clumsy words," O said. "I'm hoping to create an original live experience, it should feel like a psychedelic ride laced with catharsis.

"There is emotional cost to our narrative so we're aiming to engage the audience, this piece isn't aiming to be all about spectacle or abstraction though there is good helping of both in the production. It's aiming to have all the good stuff of escapist entertainment with a few sucker punches to the gut along the way. I'm in the camp that needs to discover and take risks, sometimes it's with the promise of something special and new, sometimes it's to stay awake, either way it's much more stressful with all the uncertainty but worth the pain in the end."

Produced by the Creators Project, the opera will feature songs by Karen O, direction by Adam Rapp, musical direction from YYYs guitarist Nick Zinner and N.A.S.A.'s Squeak E. Clean (who's also Spike Jonze's brother). Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer Brian Chase will also contribute, as will actress Lili Taylor, producer/musician Money Mark and members of the Greenhornes and Raconteurs.

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