PROG ROCK ALLERGICS

Hi VV. Do I call you VV, or Vanessa?
That's my nickname, VV. Vanessa is like the headmistress is showing me her office.

What do your parents call you?
VV. I did music before this, and my name was Vanessa Brown, and the sound wasn't me. Even the fact that I was called Vanessa Brown was alien, because my nickname is VV. I don't turn my head for Vanessa.

VV Brown sounds better to me.
Thanks!

So I'm going to ask you about the important stuff first: hair. Pop hair is having a moment right now. Have you seen Kanye's mullet?
Really? They're all copying me!

La Roux has a flick.
La Roux's cool. I like her hair.

But is yours better?
I don't know. I think we're just different. Mine's 1950s influence and hers is 1980s. They're both reminiscent of two different eras.

That's a diplomatic answer.
La Roux's like a friend, so I can't say that my hair's better. I might see her tomorrow. We're kinda friends. You start to meet each other on the circuit. Last night we were at the Brits parties and you just bump into so many people. I was dancing with Little Boots. You start to become a little family or something.

How do you feel about being lumped in with the likes of Little Boots, in all these "girls! look!" features?
I understand how it goes in the media and that comparisons is a way of making it easy. Sometimes it can be very annoying because it's lazy comparisons and that happens sometimes, but it is what it is and it's nice to see other strong, eccentric women coming through, as well as me. I think the public aren't stupid, they'll be able to hear a record and know it's not that similar to me. They'll be able to tell beyond us being grouped into a gladiator ring to see who'll be the biggest in 09.

Who's the least likely person you've been compared to so far?
Someone compared me to Catatonia, which was absolutely weird. Nothing wrong with Catatonia at all, because she's got a great voice and great music, but I really am blinded. I can't see a comparison.

How did they come to that? What could that possibly be based on?
Based on blindness and deafness?

OK. I saw on you MySpace that Nintendo is one of your influences. We need to talk about this, because we are fond of Mario Kart round here.
I'm really bad at that game! I have no control around the bends.

You need to ditch the wheel and use the nunchuck, that's why.
Oh, riiiight. I always end up in the grass. I'm really shit.

Are you using the wheel?
Yes.

That's the problem.
OK. I'll put that on my list. I like the old school Mario games, where you have to hit the bricks and money and mushrooms come out and stuff.

Ladyhawke told us she has a collection of old consoles in storage.
Really? I didn't know that. Because I collect stuff like that, but hers must be better than mine. It is probably worth so much.

I bet it is. You should talk to her about it.
Well I know Ladyhawke. We're going on tour together.

Well there's some common ground.
Yay! We can talk about video games and boys all day long.

Yes. So what would your specialist subject be if you went on Mastermind?
That's the best question anyone's ever asked me.

Really?
Yes.

Oh good.
I think it would probably be philosophy. I love philosophy. Maybe theology actually. Theology. I like theology. I'm a bit of a nerd. I like reading and stuff. I was a bit of an A student at school, as I brag. So philosophy, religion, theology.

That's the biggest subject you could choose. It's not like "trains".
The reason is that you can give such ambiguous answers. It doesn't have to be definite. I'd just debate with them - is there a god? Well you can't say yes or no, can you? So you can never really lose.

You're basically going to cheat.
Not cheat, but slightly intellectually manipulate the situation.

Do you watch Dragon's Den?
Yes, that's a brilliant show. Some of the ideas are shit, aren't they?

Quite shit. Some are amazing.
I want to go on that show. I've got an amazing idea. I don't think I should say this idea because it's so good someone might rip it off [launches into top secret and very complicated physics-based solution for charging mobile phone batteries, with proper talk about electrons]

You've really thought this through.
I have! They're researching it in Japan so I'd better get a move on.

You're not going to have time to be a pop star and make a breakthrough in physics.
I'll have to marry a physician, and he can do all that side.

Maybe you could marry a pop star and then you can concentrate on science?
Maybe. That could be good. But pop stars are a little bit... I don't know if I'd be able to marry a pop star. Male pop stars are a bit complicated, aren't they?

Indie bands are worse.
They're just pop stars on drugs, aren't they? [mutual giggles] That's worse! At least with pop stars you get annoying. At least you don't get annoying and high.

Let's end on a nice question. You're on a desert island and all your supplies have run it. To stave off starvation you must eat yourself. But which part do you tuck into first?
Oh my god! That's like Alive! Probably my boobs. Because they're juicy and quite big.

Little Boots said her belly.
Really? I'd eat my boobs. They're really juicy, honestly.

Thank you for that. I think we should end it there.
Thank you! That was really fun. Bye!

VV Brown's new single Leave is out on March 2 and you can listen to it right here on her MySpace.