Photo by Michael Simmonds

IVY circa Long Distance

CCC: Have you had any Japanese food in New York yet?

Chocolat: Yes.

CCC: Does it compare with the food in Japan?

Chocolat: No way! (laughs)

Andy: Ahh, the Japanese food is so amazing.

CCC: Where- in New York?

Andy: No no- in Japan. Well, New York has some of the best Japanese food in the United States. But when you go to Japan you realize what the food could really be. Just the general quality of food from place to place in Japan- you can kind of duck in anywhere when you're hungry and get a meal that blows away some of the better restaurants here in New York.

CCC: But I think the sushi in New York is pretty amazing.

Andy: Yeah, but I find that it's not the quality of the sushi, but the variety of stuff that you get in Japan - just stuff that I've never tasted here. They have certain dishes that you've never even seen in this country. And certain tastes that you've never had in your life. Or maybe it's because I've been taken to some really good restaurants when I went over there for work.

CCC: Hey but you can't get a spicy tuna roll in Japan! That's my favorite. Chocolat, have you ever tried that roll?

Chocolat: I know it, but I've never tried it. But the California rolls are really delicious!

CCC: You can't get California rolls in Japan, right?

Chocolat: No, we don't have them there.

CCC: So....moving away from food -did you have a particular sound in mind for the songs you wrote for Chocolat?

Andy: Not really. I'm a little bit of a one-trick-pony for better or for worse. I do what I do naturally, so it's difficult for me to do something different with other artists. I do it just like an IVY record. But the idea I did have was to make her voice a bit more up front, maybe more intimate. I wanted her to show a little bit more expression and emotion than she has in the past. I pictured making moody music behind her, which is the music that I like, and a little bit of what I do with IVY.

CCC: What do you like the least about doing interviews?

Chocolat: When the interview is early in the morning.

CCC: And Andy- what about you?

Andy: I don't mind doing interviews. It's more of the barrage of interviews that happen when you go on tour. The first week or two you have a lot of patience- and you actually enjoy the interview if the questions are intelligent, or if you have a good discussion. But after the second week you start hearing yourself quoting yourself, saying the same things. And you start hearing the same questions. The poor interviewers who come later on in the tour are always getting the raw end of it! But I don't mind it too much. Maybe only the stupid questions.

Chocolat: When IVY's Long Distance came out in Japan, I read an interview with them, but only Dominique answered the questions.

CCC: Do you keep up with the current music? Who is your favorite artist at the moment?

Chocolat: Lately I really like Mascot, and STARS, who mention IVY in the liner notes of their CD. Other artists I really like are Tortoise, the Sea and Cake, and the Aluminum Group.

CCC: Which Japanese artists do you listen to?

Chocolat: Chocolat! (laughs)

CCC: Andy, are you listening to anything coming out of America these days?

Andy: Most of the stuff I like is still coming out of England. There's always some good stuff in the underground, but for the most part the state of music is kind of pathetic in the United States.

CCC: What do you enjoy most about being a father?

Andy: Everything! There's not one thing that I can think of because the whole experience is just incredible. Maybe it's having that kind of responsibility- to have a little living thing that is yours. Maybe the closest experience to having a child is having a dog when you were a kid. But this is such a huge leap from that. The first couple months you're just staring at your child because it's so mind blowing.

CCC: I had forgotten to ask you this question last time I interviewed you- how did you choose the name Chocolat? And what's your real name?

Chocolat: My real name is Masako -which is also the name of the Japanese princess. So when I was in high school, my friends gave me the nickname Chocolat because that was the name of Princess Masako's dog!

CCC: Have you ever acted in any films?

Chocolat: Never.