Did you know that Alexei liked Constitutional Law in college and Kom is a secret country music fan? Read the mtvU interview and get the 411 on Kom and Alexei.
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Alexei and KoM, a.k.a. Fly Gypsy, are this week’s guests in the mtvU Hot Seat where they tell us all about themselves, and answer our burning questions.
1. Tell us about your craziest touring experience.
Alexei: A couple of months ago, a band that we hired in Houston demanded more money than what we had already agreed to the day before the show and refused to go through with the gig unless we paid up. We sent them off with a few choice words and had to scramble to find a new band and get the show rehearsed and tight in less than 24 hours.
KoM: We were in Jamaica shooting the video for “You” and everything that could have gone wrong did. We ended up shooting scenes on our last day on the island while on the way to the airport to fly back to the States. We were doing outfit changes in the van, speeding to locations, running to the markers, shooting the scene, and then back to the van to wipe off the sweat and do it all over again. We got to the airport just in time to make the flight . . . it was nuts!
2. What type of college class would you’d most want to take and why?
KoM: I would want to take a class on Hip-hop. I know it’s offered at some colleges. It would be interesting to study the evolution of this mutli-billion dollar industry, from street corner ciphers to corner office empires.
Alexei: I loved the second part of Constitutional Law, dealing with individual rights. It covers the struggle for many of the rights we now take for granted, from protection from discrimination on the basis of race or gender to freedom of speech and the right to privacy. Really wanted to take Human Sexuality, but could never make it work with my schedule. Get college credit for talking about sex – what’s there not to like.
3. What city in America is the most fun to visit and why?
Alexei: New York with all of its magic. It has a pulse no other city has and probably the most diverse population of any city in the world with a lot of character. Chicago … could walk its streets for days. Beautiful architecture, great parks, the lake. And for all of us from North East, Miami holds a special place to escape the cold winters on weekends when there is no time for the islands.
KoM: I LOVE Anchorage Alaska because it’s so unexpected and random. It’s just like any other city in “the lower 48,” as they say up there, but all the non-indigenous folks, military or not, have a story about how they got there. Los Angeles and Toronto remind me of New York. I also love Dallas, Houston. Atlanta is sexy. And I LOVE New Orleans — so much energy and color in that city, it’s ridiculous. I’m an East Coast kid but I love the South. I love anywhere where the ladies speak with that slow drawl and got that country swagger.
4. What’s some of the best advice you were ever given?
Alexei: Don’t compromise who you are to fit in or please others. And wear multiple layers to make it through cold Russian winters – can’t underestimate that one.
KoM: In 7th grade, assistant principal Mr. Silverman told me, “If you want to fly with the eagles you can’t walk with the turkeys.” I been shooting for the sky since then.
5. What’s in heavy rotation in your MP3/CD player right now?
KoM: I like to study the game so I force myself to listen to the radio. So I get my dose of Lil Wayne and Jay-Z and look at the direction these cats are going in. Other than that l got the new Mos Def in the deck, Wale, and some country music when I want to get my cowboy on.
Alexei: K’Naan’s The Messengers, Robin Thicke’s Sex Therapy: The Experience, Sara Tavares’ Xinti, and any tidbits and live versions of songs from Damian Marley and Nas’ Distant Relatives project.
6. The last good book you read or TV show you’re addicted to.
Alexei: Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns — apart from being a beautiful story, it shows the human side of all the fighting that has been going on in Afghanistan, beginning with the Soviet invasion in the 80s, through warlords and Taliban in the 90s, and, ultimately, through the U.S. occupation over the last 8 years. It’s both tragic and hopeful. Don’t have a TV, but do watch Jon Stewart, Colbert, and Amy Goodman online occasionally.
KoM: Obama’s The Audacity of Hope. I like to learn about people before I form an opinion on them. That book gave me good access to how Obama thinks. He is just a different type of hustler. I don’t watch much TV, but I got hooked on The T.O. show for like a weekend this summer. Dude is a real character.
7. What’s the first concert you ever saw – how was it?
KoM: My first concert was a Roots concert. They came to my high school on the humble. The show was actually in the cafeteria. My first for real concert I can remember was a Buju Banton show with a live band and that was dope!!!!
Alexei: Growing up in Russia, my parents took me to a million shows, none of which I remember. As for my first Western artist, it was either Oasis’s Morning Glory tour or one of the Roots’ Okayplayer tours. Loved them both. Barely got into the Roots show. The club was to capacity and they weren’t letting folks in, tickets or not. I had broken my toe and was on crutches at the time, so they felt sorry for me and let me in.
8. What are three items you can’t live without on tour?
KoM: My Blackberry, my Bluetooth (I hate holding the phone while I’m talking on it), and my guitar. Playing my guitar helps me relax when I get a lil’ overwhelmed by the grind.
Alexei: My iPhone with all its apps, comfortable linen pants, and sleeping pills for long transatlantic flights
9. Who are your major musical influences?
Alexei: The Fugees/Lauryn, Nina Simone, Nirvana, Mos Def, Damian Marley, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Radiohead . . . I could go on for days!
KoM: Fly Gypsy — them dudes are pretty nice with it. Bobby Brown was a major . . . sike! Black Thought is one of the dopest human beings to ever rhyme — dude is a musician with the flow. Eminem, Rakim, Buju Banton is a genius. Meatloaf…for real. Universally good music of all genres from jazz to reggae to rock have all been major influences on me.
Any random messages or tips you’d like to give to mtvU watchers?
Alexei: Pick up our album Change for a Dollar, don’t sleep on The Vodka & Rum Mixtape, and brush your teeth often.
KoM: Tell everyone to tell everyone about Fly Gypsy. We are the new dope. Tell your programming boards that you want to see us play at your school. Check out flygypsy.com for free goodies and exclusives. Thanks for voting us the winner of mtvU Freshmen. The comments were crazy! Our fans go hard!!
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