Words by Arye Dworken
Photos by Sarah Maxwell
It’s not often when every heterosexual male at a rock show feels their sexuality somewhat threatened, but tonight, at the Mercury Lounge, the Ark has succeeded in inspiring just that. The lead singer and proverbially charismatic Ola Salo is strutting on stage wearing leather chaps, a matching leather cap and no top, teasing a white feather boa wrapped multiple times around his neck. Soon thereafter, he beckons a hulking black man to approach the stage and then proceeds to climb on his shoulders and ride him, Salo’s brown frosted hair bobbing about like a woman ridding a mechanical bull. This is when I see some of the men in the audience subconsciously put their arms around their respective girlfriends. Tightly.
The flamboyant antics of the Ark, heavily influenced by ’70s glam rock and the movie This Is Spinal Tap, are a sight to behold, a lurid rock feast for the absurd-inclined. Guitarists Martin Axen, who, uncannily, looks like Spinal Tap’s David St. Hubbins and Jepson (just Jepson) both play their dramatic guitar solos synchronized with choreographed poses. The whole band, with the exception of Salo, wears matching military uniforms seemingly designed by a dominatrix tailor. The Ark embraces their outrageous campiness – listening to the Swedish collective’s back catalogue is an intellectual man’s anti-soundtrack. Essentially, they put the “cum” in “feel the noize.” Their three albums, We Are the Ark, In Lust We Trust, and State of the Ark, a trilogy that completes the self-proclaimed “Arkist Lust Manifesto,” blend together the bombast of Queen with the euphoric highs of Sweet and Cheap Trick and the liberating sexuality of Roxy Music and early Bowie. If it all sounds disgustingly ironic, it truly isn’t. “We were sick and tired of everything that was supposed to be hip, cool, and ironic,” Salo was once quoted to say. “And that’s why we built the Ark as this big uncool, un-hip thing.” Well, if the Ark is uncool, then don’t call me Miles Davis.
Their newest and best record, State of the Ark, is currently only available via import. While there was heavy domestic awareness in America, all interested labels eventually passed, even after courting the band for quite some time. Incredulously, one industry insider alluded to the Ark’s high gay factor as a deterrent to signing the band. “Yes, it’s 2006,” said the source. “But we need to consider the current political climate in the United States. Right now, this is a Republican country and you know. Republicans don’t buy overtly gay records.” [Look up the lyrics for the Ark's hit song "Father of a Son" and imagine a conservative American singing along to it.] While it’s difficult to accept in our forward-thinking society that there’s a band too alternative for the mainstream, ultimately the Ark is also too mainstream for the alternative. State of the Ark sounds so slickly produced and unrepentantly pompous that it would also feel awkward and out-of-place distributed on an indie label. Sadly, “Clamour For Glamour,” “One of Us Is Gonna Die Young,” and “This Piece of Poetry Is Meant To Do Harm” are all hits-that-will-never-be and the Ark will definitively never be a local rock sensation. And when I meet the Ark in their publicist’s office for our interview (Salo, Jepson, Axen, Lasse Ljungberg (bass), and Sylvester Schlegel (drums)), nothing bothers the Swedes more. American apathy is their greatest enemy and they’re determined to conquer it. But despite all the obstacles along the way, the Ark floats on. Flamboyantly and winningly, threatening male heterosexuality worldwide.
The Ark’s lyrics are very biting and humorous. How comfortable are you with writing in English?
Ola: We grew up with all the English shows with subtitles, no overdubs. So we all learned English from American television.
Who are the Ark’s influences? There is so much glam in your sound and look.
Ola: Definitely. Bowie, T. Rex, Queen, Sweet. We were also really obsessed with the Dwarves. They had a mystical presence that we sought to replicate. Music was always breaking away from the narrow confines of conservative life, and that was what a band like the Dwarves inspired us to do.
Getting back to your lyrics, the words in “Father of a Son” and “Let Your Body Decide” are very political. Is the Ark known as a political band in Sweden?
Ola: Our break-though and first single was with “Let Your Body Decide,” which is about sexual freedom, but our bigger, following single break-through was “It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane,” which is about the state of political conservatism. With those two initial singles, we established ourselves as a band with a social message, a political band. From that point on, I was always concerned with writing banal lyrics, a silly love song. But eventually I became okay with that. That’s how we wrote songs like “Clamour for Glamour,” which isn’t about anything.
You’re such an explosive stage presence. How did you become like that? What was your upbringing like? Because it seems like you’re breaking out from something.
Ola: I grew up in a very religious home, so this is my way of rebelling. My father was a priest, actually.
Whoa. What’s his reaction to your flamboyance?
Ola: No comment.
[Band laughs]
Are you writing new songs already?
Sylvester: Absolutely. We want to make a new album. But we want to release an album here most of all. But we understand it takes time. We only played our first show in America at CBGB in March and that was amazing. There was such anticipation for us to finally get here.
Martin: We’ve played our best shows here. There’s more of a push to prove us to finally get here.
Sylvester: We’re very into rock history, so CBGB is like holy ground for us.
Ola: We just want America to love us. We think that we’re a perfect match.
