Two thirds of Boston 80’s post-punk band Native Tongue, Lee Leffler (guitars, keyboards, vocals, lyrics) and Michael Frackleton (drums, bass, percussion, keyboards, vocals, lyrics) comprise the duo Dream of a Man in a Top Hat. And though years have passed since they first played together one thing hasn’t changed - the same uncompromising sensibility can be found in the sounds that come out of these two. As music blogger mp3 hugger so aptly put it: “they have conspired to go about things in the only way they see possible and that means the rest of us have to shape up or ship out.”
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Dream of a Man in a Top Hat, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. How has the time gone for you since our last interview?
Michael: We have been pretty busy writing and editing multiple songs at various stages while releasing singles every month or so. So to answer your question, the time has gone quickly and continues to do so!
Lee: We’ve made the decision to release only singles for the time being after our 2021 album, Sudden Return of DOAMIATH. Singles are hard work and that’s been keeping us very busy!
What role does the artist have in society?
Michael: I think the artist speaks to the imagination. The imagination fuels creativity and creativity is a key element in the development of a society. And also to record and comment on issues of the day. To entertain. To provoke thought.
Lee: Well, I think an artist’s work is a comment of some type, and we’re commenting on things like the state of music today, our inner beliefs, our influences, and our lives up till now.
Your latest track is 'The Destination'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Michael: The Destination’s lyrics were written 42 years ago for Native Tongue. About a year ago, when I was coming up short of ideas in the lyrics department, I happened upon a whole file folder of NT song words I didn’t know existed, written on Sir Speedy Printing telephone note pads. (It’s where I worked at the time) These were originally kept in a plastic bag in our old rehearsal space. I started using them and they fit in exactly with what I write now. I also remember that the version we ended up using was done in one session, one take. We usually decide song titles after completion, but I recall sending Lee a text saying I had an idea which might be called The Destination. Then we tried other chorus ideas for a few weeks and came back to our first idea.
Lee: The song began with a guitar riff I came up with one night - it’s now the guitar part that starts off the song. I sent it to Michael with some placeholder drums and he did his thing in the bass, drums and vocals department. I did not sing at all - seemed to be good as it was. I then arranged and mixed and it was done.
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
Michael: I can’t pick just one-but regarding music, I remember coming up from the basement where I was playing homemade drums as a child with my brother playing a kazoo or maybe a comb wrapped in waxed paper. My mother was at the stove cooking hamburgers and onions and she said “I heard you down there-how would you like to take drum lessons?”
Lee: If we’re talking music, it’s standing on the edge of a cliff in Revere, MA at the age of eight or so, and watching the Beatles perform live at Suffolk Downs.
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
Michael: Again, there are just so many! But as a drummer, I remember one night in the disco band I was playing in. We were at the Grand China, a New Hampshire restaurant, and the dance floor was packed. Suddenly, during a song with a loud handclap played on my first electronic drum, a Synare, the monitor wasn’t much good and I lost the beat somehow. Now a drummer knows the look he gets when he fucks up, usually from the bass player. I think I got that look from the whole band and the whole dance floor! As they say, was my face red!
Lee: As a teenager, playing an outdoor concert, when the drummer knocked over his cymbal stand and the edge of the cymbal came down on my big toe. I believe this was during a Deep Purple song - the color of my big toe minutes later. I soldiered on and visited the emergency room that night.
What is your dream project?
Michael: I would love to work with David Lynch on anything. Lee and I have always been fascinated by his work. And his weird dreamy world speaks to ours…
Lee: David Lynch sounds good. I also want Jimmy Page to produce our next album. And I want to revive the Boston music scene so that there are venues, fanzines, A&R people and fearless musicians again.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Michael: Do anything you want, even when you think you can’t. It can lead to discoveries you can’t predict. Record everything. You can always delete it. If you’re not enjoying it, go do something else and come back later. But try to do something as often as possible thereby increasing your chances of capturing an idea for a song.
Lee: I’d say don’t be afraid! Do what sounds right to you and don’t worry about what anybody else thinks. They’ll either like it or they won’t.
When were you generally fulfilled in your position as an artist?
Michael: That’s easy-when creating art that exceeds your expectations while appealing to others. It doesn’t happen every day.
Lee: I had always written songs but it wasn’t until Native Tongue in the early 80’s that I began to think of myself in terms of a somewhat fulfilled artist. Of course, life takes you in unexpected places and it wasn’t until recently that I began to feel like an artist once again.
If you can have your fans remember one thing about you, what would it be?
Michael: I would like them to remember anything, really. If they remember us sounding like nobody else I would be happy, but if they had a strong reaction to our sound and it created a memory of any kind, that’s enough.
Lee: That we were true to ourselves and our vision and didn’t care about fitting into the current musical landscape.
What can we expect from Dream of a Man in a Top Hat in the near future?
Lee: We are finishing up another country song after Cold Hard Dirt came out a few months back. Of course, it’s our version of a country song so…
Michael: We are releasing another single in a few weeks. Like a Fire Engine kinda describes our work ethic I guess. And it sounds more like Native Tongue than a lot of our other stuff to me. We are also working on other ideas which may end up as an EP. But we don’t plan that far ahead. Like the song says: We’ve got to keep going. And there’s nothing in the way.