Wax Mannequin a.k.a Chris Adeney is a bit of a musical chameleon. His creative tunes range from outlandish and theatrical fist pumpers to poignant jazzy folk to swirling indie-pop. Wax Mannequin plays the type of music that some elitists might love to hate: easily likeable tunes with proficient musicianship fit for classic rock radio, college radio or your mom's car radio. Add to that a bigger-than-life stage presence that not only has been captivating audiences for almost a decade, but that also belies his underground status as a serious artist. Despite the ostentatious self-labeling as the 'œPresident of Indie Rock'?, Wax Mannequin neither seems humble nor apologetic for his antics, nor is he unforgiving for the superb delivery of some of the best music ever to escape the dreary trenches of Hammertown.

SO, MR. PRESIDENT OF INDIE ROCK, YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE CURIOUS AS TO YOUR WHEREABOUTS AND DEALINGS OF LATE. WE DEMAND A STATE OF THE WAX ADDRESS....

I like when people call me that. Sometimes I feel like I've mostly turned into someone else. That name did what it was supposed to do. I like things that make me feel special. Badges, pins and slogans. Sometimes lying to people makes them feel good. Especially when it's friends lying to each other and everyone agrees to the lie. Then everyone feels good, even though there are still lots of problems going round. Pretend leaders, lies and the collapse of pretend empires. All very timely.

DO YOU EVER RECEIVE ANY FLAK FOR YOUR GRANDIOSE DISPLAYS OF ROCK AND ROLL PERFORMANCE? DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING IT?

Lots of people are getting it and lots of people aren't. That's inevitable. Most people get that what I do is funny and absurd in a way, but some find it hard to understand that it's also fundamentally very serious -- that it's about both at the same time. The new record is very careful in this matter. Fussy-pants folks react against the grandiosity because in the past, lousy and evil things usually came from grandiose displays. I'm trying to say that this needn't always be so. One time I got a hateful internet stalker who saw me perform on a Hamilton cable-access station. His name was Matt. He started posting horrible things on my message board and I got all spunky and insulting with my retorts. Then things just escalated. So I thought I'd see what would happen if I took everything that he was saying at face-value. I assumed that he was the one great, dark enemy that could undo everything I'd ever done -- that he could broadcast my fears and insecurities. He could crush my spirit and convince me and everyone that I was a sham -- the same sham that I sometimes feared myself to be deep inside. I told him how I was feeling, he got scared because he didn't really think that he had this power and he didn't actually want it. He suddenly calmed down. Our hateful, meaningless argument turned into a useful conversation about music and art. I think we're both different people because of the fight.

A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM, HOW'S THE RECORDING COMING ALONG? ANY INTERESTING TIDBITS FROM THE SESSIONS TO REPORT?

Recording is going very well. This new record is definitely the best thing I've ever made. The new music brings together the sorts of quiet, complicated things that I used to put on my older albums and the louder things that I've been known for lately. We recorded all the bed tracks at a semi-abandoned studio called Orchard. It's funny cause I wanted to call the record Orchard, then Steve, my recording fellow, told me where we were recording. Psychic! My radiator froze up in the cold. Also, Aidan Campbell plays the drums. Mark Raymond and Adam Fogo play bass. Really, really good musicians. This Wavelength show will be the Toronto release for the first of two EPs.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THIS NEW SLAB OF WAX?

1: funny/sad
2: loud/quiet
3: best/worst
4: fancy/simple
5: yes/no
6: up/down
etc.

by Mike Perreault