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Six Strings with… Mr. Agitator [V Is For Villains]


Okay this is one of those bands that I stumbled upon on one of my conventions that I sometimes go to and this was one of the highlights of the whole convention. I would like to thank Mr. Agitator for his time, I am hoping to bring more of the group "V Is For Villains" to you... though they all seem a mystery.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

- How did each character come to pass, by personal design or told these shoes you have to fill?

Mr. Agitator: I had a very strong idea of what I wanted to do early on. I designed the Mr. Agitator costume at my office where I was working at the time and it just mad sense to me. It was different but felt familiar. I have always like the Steampunk and Super hero image so I wanted to combine them but I wanted it to feel more like a style of dress than an exact uniform. Maybe to accentuate Villainy as a fashion. I know that Fallon Flynn was designed with Analise Rahn and I felt like the two of them knocked it out of the park. I think that it is important to understand when designing a Villain that you are going to inhabit that and that it has to be an extension of yourself or it just doesn't feel authentic. I love looking at the pictures afterwards because there is so much of our real personalities and interests in them. If one of our Villains ever decided to leave the group their Villain identity would go with them, you would never see someone else try to wear the Fallon Flynn suit, for example, unless he passed it on by choice to someone he selected and trained.

- Playing many conventions, do you all enjoy that world of comic books [who do you personally like], fantasy or roll play?

Mr.Agitator: I feel like we have a HUGE love of comic books and the culture. I think we each have on passion that we are stronger on than the other so it evens out. I am a HUGE comic book fan and still read when I can. Fallon Flynn is really into Video games, The Pulse Loves Anime and Veronica Jade is a Steampunk fan. I feel like we all dabble in these interests together and enjoy all of these worlds but we each specialize in one. That's a pretty cool thing ultimately.


- How do you classify your music style and what were each of you doing musically before "V Is For Villains"?

Mr. Agitator: I would say musically it is a blend of electronic, rock and industrial. I like to borrow from those elements in the pursuit of crafting a new form of musical entertainment. It is an all encompassing experience for me. "Evolve or Die" was written without the idea of costumes. I like to separate the music in that way so that the music can stand on its on two feet without the visuals. Before Villains Jon and I were in a band called Digital Mindy that we started and played on for almost ten years. I think I was 16 on our first recordings. I felt like this was the natural progression. Carrie was in a band before and partial during Villains called Counting 10 and Richard played in various Chicago bands.

- The response to "V Is For Villains" has been very positive and you have a sizable fan base... how does this feel your out of costumed lives and what are your normal lives like?

Mr. Agitator: I feel like the separation can be a stark contrast. I think Villains is a way to wear that side of yourself that you have to repress in the office or at work, or in most social situations. It is a way to express the underbelly that society doesn't want to see. It is a fun and liberating. I think that we are all just hyper versions of ourselves when we put on the masks. I want to go into a sports bar in full costume and remind everyone on a Saturday night to stop taking themselves so seriously. We are all ticking on the same clock so let loose and have fun. Stop worrying about judgment. I feel like we are all very level headed and fun people. We get along REALLY well, I feel like we are all more than friends we are family.


- All groups get asked what are their musical influences, so I thought I would ask what is your favorite television theme song and why?

Mr.Agitator: Good question. My favorite television theme is probably Batman: The Animated series. It is epic. My favorite film score is probably Inception, though I love the score for Meet Joe Black.

- Where do you go from here, please tell us about your perspective of the newest release and what is the future hold on additional releases?

Mr.Agitator: I am excited to start working on the next release. I am starting to understand what I want to say. I really want to push the limits of the current musical formula and see what we come up with. I think we are honestly just getting started. You haven't seen anything yet.


- Bonus: You can ask me a question or tell us something you would like us to know about you or anything you want?

Mr. Agitator: If you are in the Chicago land area on Friday Oct 26th, join us at The Hard Rock Cafe Chicago when Digital Mindy will open for V Is For Villains. Thank you so much for talking with us!!

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