If the world needs one thing, it’s more explicitly leftist variety shows. Well, OK, maybe there are a few other things it needs more than that, specifically, but the point is that we aren’t particularly well-furnished with entertainment that provides us with music, comedy and tips on punching Nazis. But! Step forward The Sundae Fantastique Show, a new YouTube series that looks to fill exactly this void. The show describes itself as a “monthly musical talk show and activist rally,” and we’re delighted to premiere a clip from its very first episode: a song called “Sovereign Nation,” featuring the eponymous Sundae Fantastique along with Alex Levine of Brooklyn punk stalwarts The So So Glos.
Here’s the video, along with a short Q&A with Sundae Fantastique (aka Carrie-Anne Murphy) herself!
Flavorwire: First and foremost, who’s in this video? Alex is from the So-So Glos, but what’s Sundae Fantastique’s story?
Carrie-Anne Murphy: Sundae Fantastique is my fabulous alter-ego. I am currently the singer for the band Huh but you may know me from my bands Bad Credit No Credit or Clapperclaw. Alex Levine, as you know, sings and plays bass in The So So Glos. And there’s the band, who we’ll discuss soon.
How did this project come together?
I was invited to do a bit on Mindtroll’s Holiday Special (currently up for a B Free Award, which is the public access equivalent of an Emmy) [and co-written by our dearly beloved former Editor-in-Chief Judy Berman, by the way! – Ed.]. I guess it went well because when I was chatting with [Mindtroll members] Zane Van Dusen and Ellen LaVeyra and mentioned I had a dream of this talk show, they quickly and assertively made it come true. So Zane is producing this thing, Ellen is directing, and I called on trusted friends Carter Yasutake and Talisa Chang to help me with music writing and content. I managed to land my ideal first few guests — Alex Levine, the rapper Prince Harvey, and Rebecca Davis, an activist with Rally and Rise.
I like the jazz/cabaret-y aesthetic. To me it evokes the Weimar Republic, which seems… appropriate, given what’s happening in America right now. Is that something you were aiming for?
Thanks! This aesthetic has been a reference point for a lot of my previous work, but it feels especially appropriate at the moment. I’ve been thinking a lot about how my grandparents’ and their parents’ generations coped emotionally with those ugliest parts of humanity probably shocking the hell out of them in the World Wars. Granted, we aren’t in a World War (yet), but you know, a few months ago I thought that maybe this country could get to a point where we could seriously discuss things like reparations and curtailing police violence.
I’m still holding onto hope for that, but WOW, even within my own family I’ve been shocked at some abhorrent views that have been boldly expressed. Such ugliness hiding in plain view. It’s truly shocking to anyone who tends to however foolishly assume the best in their fellow man. So I found myself drawn to The Judy Garland Show . It was filmed in the ’60s but starred someone I very much associate with WWII aesthetics. I’ve been wondering what the show would be like if everyone involved was attempting to be *woke* while still maintaining that lovely and perhaps vital sense of escapism and humor. I adore the format of Judy’s show, how in love with all of her guests she seemed, and her evident joy in collaborating with them.
Who’s in the band?
There’s Carter Yasutake on trumpet (Midnight Magic, Bad Credit No Credit, LCD Soundsystem), Matt Parker on sax, Morgan Wiley on keys and beats (Midnight Magic, Tippy Toes, Hercules and Love Affair, LCD). Carter is writing the bulk of the music and I’m doing lyrics and melodies (Alex helped with “Sovereign Nation”).
Tell me about the outfits you’re wearing. Are the pink hats you’re both wearing an Alex n’ Sundae equivalent of the MAGA hat?
Ha! I was going for more of a hot pink Fidel Castro vibe. The dress was a vintage find. Alex really nailed that combat boots and suit combo, didn’t he? Hot look, in my opinion!
If you COULD declare yourself a sovereign nation, what would it be called?
Hmm. Maybe Jazzistan. Or The People’s Republic of Fart Jokes.
Do you have suggestions as to other things we could do to Nazis if punching them isn’t gonna be possible? Pieing them, maybe? anything else?
In the song we suggest scalping them (since we’re anti-gun), or calling their moms. I think that having fabulous parties to which they’re not invited is also a pretty sick burn. Nothing bugs a fascist quite like a good party.
How often are you releasing episodes, and where can we watch them?
We’re shooting for monthly episodes. Stay tuned to our Facebook for date announcements and our YouTube channel for full episodes and clips as they arrive.