drmanhattan: let the hilarity ensue

Actually, there are only four guys in drmanhattan...look closer and you'll see what we mean

Listening to the self-titled debut by Chicago rockers drmanhattan—with its angular grooves, attacking rhythm section and screeching vocals—is a bit of a rollercoaster. Interviewing singer/guitarist Matt Engers and his brother, bassist Adam Engers, is too.

One minute the pair’s talking earnestly about how grateful they are for their success and how the most important thing in the world is to be true to yourself. The next they’re discussing sexual frustration and wanting to have a concert called “Get Raw,” during which they cover themselves and the audience in mustard, ketchup, vomit and ground beef. Perhaps this is the kind of mayhem we should expect from a band that claims to simultaneously embrace nothing and everything and whose name was inspired by a character from the comic book series “The Watchmen.”

We sat down with Matt, 21, and Adam, 23, to find out why audiences laugh at them and what holiday traditions the Engers household is gearing up for.

In “The Watchmen,” Dr. Manhattan is clairvoyant and can also teleport. Which ability would you rather have?
Adam Engers: Clairvoyance kind of scares me. Teleportation can be used in a good way, but it can also be used to quickly escape something you should confront face to face. It’d be great if you’re in the middle of a riot and you just want to get out.

What’s a situation you were in that you wanted to escape?
AE: One time I was at a party—this was when I was like 19—and there’s this like 35-year-old dude there, and he supposedly just got out of jail and supposedly was doing cocaine. He was drunk and all of a sudden he wanted to fight everybody and some of my friends were throwing beer bottles at his head. He wasn’t reacting. I would like to teleport right out of that situation. Luckily, no one got hurt or anything.

Were you involved?
AE: A little bit. I was more just ready to pounce if need be.

I can see your somewhat unpredictable music inspiring confusion from an audience. What reactions do you usually get?
Matt Engers: A lot of times after we play shows, a lot of people are like, “Man, that was hilarious.”
AE: We played one show with Alkaline Trio. And [singer Matt Skiba] came up to us after our set. He was like, “Great set. That was hilarious.” And shook our hand. That’s all he said.

How do you take that?
ME: I think it’s great. If we can make you laugh…I mean, our goal isn’t always to be funny. But I know we are kind of goofy people.

Well, should people take your music seriously or as a joke?
ME: I think in order for a comedy to be funny you have to take it very seriously. The character doesn’t know it’s funny. If the character’s laughing, then it’s not as funny.

So you’re hilarious because you don’t know what you’re doing is funny. Or why.
ME: Yeah.
AE: Like when we compose a song we take it very seriously. We spend as much time as we need to make us all feel like it is complete. But we would never want someone at our show to like stand there and be like, “All right. What’s going on? They’re going from A to G here…”

Gotcha. With the holidays fast approaching, what’s your strangest family holiday tradition?
ME: At our [aunt’s] house, we always go there for Christmas every year…and after we all unwrap our presents it’s always tradition we have a paper fight. And throw the wrapping paper at each other.

What’s the worst injury that’s ever caused?
AE: Grandma fell over and broke her hip.

But the tradition remains!
ME: She just fell over and she was like, “Good shot.”
AE: No, there’s been no injuries.

Ha. So drmanhattan, how difficult was evil medical school?
AE: Treacherous. They made us do things I would never want anyone else to imagine.

Like what?
AE: Oh, man. They put us in pitch-black rooms and [told] us to give brain surgery to our close relatives.

In the dark?
AE: And they just gave us a box of wrenches and [said], “Go at it.”

Yet your relatives still get together for the holidays.
AE: Well, it makes it a lot easier to throw paper at them. Because they go slower now.