Robertson's Barenaked and on the road

By KRISTI PALMA, The Eagle-Tribune, March 5th, 2004.

Ed Robertson, known for his quirky hair and quick lyrics, is one of the front men in the humorous folk/pop band Barenaked Ladies. He co-founded the band with singer Steven Page in 1988. Since then, BNL has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The band released its sixth studio album in October, "Everything to Everyone," and is currently on tour. Before a Manchester, N.H., show this week, Robertson took a few minutes to talk to The Eagle-Tribune about bizarre fan requests, karaoke tips and chimpanzee postcards.

Q: A ritual you perform to calm preshow jitters?

A: I just kinda dance around. We don't have a set ritual. We just put on loud music and make each other laugh.

Q: What's it like being given a key to a city?

A: It's very handy if you ever need a place to stay. It's good if you ever need money, 'cause you can get into the banks.

Q: Who was your last chimp postcard from (they get them regularly)?

A: A fan. It was us enhanced on the computer to look like chimps. They had extended our features to make us look like chimps. The startling thing was it didn't look like they had to do much.

Q: Weirdest request by a fan?

A: A guy who had just broken up with his wife and asked, "Can you leave a message on my wife's voice mail? She really hates me right now and if you leave a message, maybe she'll take me back."

Q: Did you do it?

A: (He shook his head quickly) No.

Q: Karaoke tips for fans trying to sing your hit "One Week?"

A: It's deceptive, that song. It's not that fast. It's just words like "refrigerator"—you can say "refrigerator." It's not that hard. Go for it, I say!