The Utah rock band Neon Trees has built a successful fan base with a string of hit albums. The band's first single "Animal" climbed the charts quickly, with "Everybody Talks" on the next record doing well again. Both were featured on the television show Glee.
The line-up includes Tyler Glenn, Chris Allen, Branden Campbell and Elaine Bradley and the name stems from the light up trees on the In-N-Out Burger signs.
The new record Pop Psychology dropped last month, complete with a slew of new colorful videos.
Glenn came out of the closet publicly this past March in Rolling Stone. Windy City Times got the opportunity to talk with him about it before he landed in Chicago.
Windy City Times: Hi, Tyler. Where did you learn your moves in these live performances?
Tyler Glenn: They have developed over time. My parents had me in ballet from ages 4 to 12 so I had that classic training when I was little, but then I never explored it or anything past that young age.
I think since we have been playing bigger stages I needed to find movement and I started doing that stuff. When I first started doing those moves the band asked me where all of it comes from and even made fun of it a little bit. They didn't really get the new me. I was just trying to find my place onstage as an entertainer and that is what it has become, so that is that!
WCT: It is enjoyable to watch. How do you not get hurt by the microphone cord when you are swinging it around your neck?
TG: I know. Probably twice I almost wound up choking. Most of the time it is okay. I don't know how much more of the swinging I am going to do because we have switched to cordless mics. It is kind of disappointing. I think we need at least one moment with the cord!
WCT: Are there certain music artists that you have admired for their live performances?
TG: Michael Jackson was my first superhero, rock star guy when I was young. I fell in love with his energy and type of performance. How Freddie Mercury commanded the stage is always inspiring. Gwen Stefani is another one, so a blend of them. Karen O. from Yeah Yeah Yeahs has always rocked me, too.
WCT: You wore one of Gwen's outfits in your "Sleeping With a Friend" video.
TG: Yes, I wore a L.A.M.B. suit in her line that was coming out in our new video. I didn't even know she was aware of it then she retweeted the photo. I definitely had a fanboy moment. I usually don't have those that often but I flipped out a little bit.
WCT: Do you have a stylist that puts you in these outfits?
TG: A lot of it is me and a lot of it is the band. For events we will hire someone to dress us all up but most of the time it is just us. For this tour coming up it is some stuff that I found in shops or had my mom make.
WCT: I look forward to seeing what you will wear. Is the name of the new album Pop Psychology inspired by personal issues?
TG: I had the name right after a month of doing therapy. I still am in therapy now. The first few weeks were brutal. I found out a lot about myself and did a lot of crying, which happens, but through that darkness comes a light. I started feeling happy and whole again. I knew we needed to start writing for the next record and we were touring. I didn't want to take off from touring. I remember we were on the Maroon 5 tour and I thought Pop Psychology sounded really cool and sounded like a defining era title—sort of like Violator for Depeche Mode. It might be something where people say, "Oh, I saw them on the Pop Psychology Tour." I thought it sounded neat, and went with the theme and vibe of the record we were making. I think the title came before the music. That was really different for us.
WCT: Did it make it a more personal record? Songs like "Voices In the Halls" are a different sound for you.
TG: There have been introspective moments on every album, but this one came from a place where I was pretty broken. Because of its evolving in the year before we recorded it, I think it ended up becoming a celebration. The record, thematically, it is on its own in that way but, sonically, it is the most upbeat record we have put out as a whole. It is interesting in that way.
WCT: In the video for "I Love You ( But I Hate Your Friends )," what was the pink stuff they poured on your head?
TG: It was Pepto-Bismol! You are the first person to ask about that. [Laughs]
WCT: That is what I guessed, so I win the prize.
TG: It was disgusting and it stung your eye really bad when it got in it.
WCT: What has the reaction been from coming out of the closet recently?
TG: My whole psychology behind it has been that I didn't feel I was terribly in the closet all the time. To my family and friends I just wasn't open, saying I didn't like women or saying I was seeing this guy. That was the part of me that was holding that dynamic inside of me. I was one identity to other people; then I was another identity to myself. That is the part that starts to tear you up. I am 30 so that is a long time of balancing lives.
Just being able to tell my family and friends then have them come back with real genuine love just rocked my world because I have never associated being gay with good or happy things. The minute I heard those reactions I knew this was something great and completely fine and a part of me. The initial weight was lifted. When the story came out in the magazine it was, like, "Oh, this is something that people know now." That is fine and the reaction has been really positive. There has been a little negativity every now and then but I haven't really sought it out. I am genuinely happy.
I am so excited to tour with this new headspace because it is exciting. It is exciting being able to really sing these songs and be able to feel what I felt when I wrote them. I think it will speak to the fans really well.
WCT: Now we can hit the gay bars after the show and there won't be any backlash!
TG: [Laughs] There you go—yeah, totally.
WCT: Being from Utah, have you seen Book of Mormon the Musical?
TG: I haven't. I want to.
WCT: I heard you are a big Mean Girls movie fan.
TG: Massive Mean Girls fan. It is actually the 10th anniversary today. It is Wednesday so we should be wearing pink, as they say in the movie. I am a huge fan of Lindsey Lohan. Through all of her mess I still think she is rad. I know she is looking for work so I would love to get her in a music video. We should try to work on that.
WCT: That would be awesome. How did you feel about your songs being used on Glee?
TG: It's cool. I didn't get what the big deal was when certain rock bands were saying no to Glee to cover their music. I don't stop fans from posting their covers on YouTube so I am not going to stop a television show from covering the music. I think it is weird to put out music to the public [and] then get overly protective on where it gets played. We were just flattered that people of the show liked the music and thought it was decent.
I didn't realize how popular the show was around the world. Since it was covered we have been to Asia, Australia and Europe. We have seen a lot of people introduced to our music because of the show in those parts of the world, which is really fascinating.
I was a choir kid, too, so [the songs being on Glee] makes sense.
Neon Trees rocks out at Riviera Theater, 4746 N. Racine Ave., on May 13. More on the band can be found at www.fameisdead.com .
