A Cultural Exchange With Metro Station
So, you're Mason Musso, you're a friend of Miley Cyrus's brother, and the two of you have just formed a band. You've a lot in common, as your brother is her Hannah Montana co-star, and the two of you are trying to work out what to call your world-beating new combo. Staying true to Band Naming Law, you try and come up with a name which sets you apart from your Hollywood home. Something which does NOT conjure up sun, oranges, the beach, surfer-dudes and Sunset Strip.
This is a very clever move, as it will make your band seem a little otherworldly and enigmatic to your fans, which means they will think about you, and wonder what you are like, much more than they would do if you came across exactly like the boys in the mall do.
(Ironically, to UK eyes, "the boys in the mall" probably sound impossibly strange and alien, even though they are very probably not. Not even the one with the three ears.)
Anyway, you finally settle on the name Metro Station, which conjures up European travel and experiences on faraway shores. Then your band gets quite big. Then you get to travel, and visit Europe. And then some nosey blogger starts asking questions about the things you have actually learned while travelling, demanding specific examples and putting you on the spot.
What. A. Nerve.
Here's how it went. You be Mason, I'll be me...
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ChartBlog: Hi Mason, how are you enjoying England?
Mason: It's our second time in the UK and it's a lot of fun. We always have a good time when we're here.
ChartBlog: Are there any big cultural differences you've experienced?
Mason: A little. I mean as far as food goes I'd say you guys have a little bit better food.
ChartBlog: BETTER food? That's not what most Americans say...
Mason: It's a little bit fresher. Your McDonalds is amazing compared to the US McDonalds.
ChartBlog: Wait, wait, wait...That's incredible. Every American band always says the food here sucks, and you're saying our food is fresher...and you're from CALIFORNIA! That's where the fresh comes from...
Mason: Y'know, every place has its thing, right? And I feel like when I come here, I feel like...like even your peanut butter is made better. I dunno, it's just a personal opinion of mine.
ChartBlog: Are you into European stuff in general? I mean you're called Metro Station. Did that seem like an impossibly strange and glamorous thing to call a Californian band?
Mason: I'm the one who named the band. I was driving down in Hollywood and I saw "Metro Station", and I did think to myself it's not something you'd hear a lot in the US. You'd hear "Subway" or "The Subway System" or the tram or something like that. So, yeah, I think as a name it's kind of...worldly.
ChartBlog: And also a lot of musicians do busk in underground stations...
Mason: We actually did that once. We played in a New York subway system.
ChartBlog: No! No member of the Cyrus family has every been underground in a train, surely!
Mason: Well me and Trace were [laughs].
ChartBlog: Well done. I'd take my hat off to you...if I were wearing a hat. Now, have you come across any massive differences in etiquette between the UK and the US?
Mason: Well the one thing that I always talk about is the drinking age. I feel like kids here are more responsible at 18 than they are in the US. Just because of the sole fact that they're brought to these things earlier in life. It's different, but if they were to change the law in the US from 21 to 18, there would be madness. But here, by the time kids are 18 it's like they're more responsible than 21, 22-year-olds over there.
ChartBlog: So the idea of a fake ID carries more weight over there, becuase by the time you're 19 you feel like you're a grown-up anyway...
Mason: Yeah. By 19, I have a lot of friends who've been sneaking into clubs since they were 17. It's not worth it to me, I'd rather just come over here and go out to bars and relax.
ChartBlog: Of course. I'm not suggesting you would want people to try and break the law, but over here, people try and squeeze around the licensing laws at a younger age, just because they're closer to the right age than they would be if the law said 21. Of course, it's a headache for bouncers over there, because in looks, the difference between a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old is nothing at all.
Mason: Yeah, it's crazy. That's probably the biggest cultural difference I've seen so far. The difference in maturity of the kids here.
ChartBlog: Does that manifest itself in other ways? When you're being chased by fans here, do they still scream, or do they shake your hand politely, tip their hat and then stroll away?
Mason: Yeah, most kids here are just happy to meet you. It gets a little crazy in the States, where they try to steal articles of clothing, jewellery, anything they can get their hands on. Here they're way more respectful.
ChartBlog: Have you had much experience of English slang? If I were to to ask you if you fancy a swift half, what would your response be?
Mason: [troubled] I don't know. I haven't heard that one yet.
ChartBlog: That's going for a drink. Half being a half-pint.
Mason: [relieved] Ohh...fancy a swift half...I'm gonna remember that.
ChartBlog: And if I asked you to go down to the chippy and bring me back a saveloy?
Mason: [laughs] I haven't heard that one either.
ChartBlog: A chippy is a fish and chip shop, and a saveloy is a peculiar kind of sausage. What if I was to tell you you look grotty?
Mason: Uh...thank you? I don't know what it means!
ChartBlog: It's derived from 'grotesque' and means kind of scruffy and ugly.
Mason: Oh! I thought meant something along the lines of hot or sexy.
ChartBlog: Well, I can see how someone would use it in that context with you, but that's not what it means.
Mason: I'm gonna remember all these, it's very interesting.
ChartBlog: You should definitely ask someone to go and get you a saveloy from the chippy and see what happens.
Mason: Oh yeah! What was it, a half of..?
ChartBlog: Fancy a swift half?
Mason: I love that!
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