Nardwuar’s appeal isn’t just that he does crazy research on the artists he interviews, but that even the artists in question are shocked by the depth. It’s enough of a trope that he has a canned answer when artists ask how he knows something: “You are ____, we have to know!” Not Chappell Roan. In his latest interview, posted December 16, Roan is entirely unfazed by Nardwuar’s research. “Battlefield Mall,” he says as a prompt, naming a childhood-favorite mall of Roan’s. “What do you wanna know?” she asks. “That’s where I spent all my time.” Honestly, it’s kind of a nice vibe they get going, even if it isn’t as bombastic as when he asked Ugly God about Young Hermit Crab. Roan directly and calmly answers his questions, confessing that, for example, she was unique as a teen and never stole from the aforementioned mall. She just sips tea and vibes out, talking about camp (as in drag queen, Susan Sontag camp) and camp (as Interlochen, the summer camp she went to as a teen).
Related
