I don’t want to read another story about how and if an “Arrested Development” movie is going to be made. I’ll purposely avoid reports on another, “rumored” Smiths reunion. Some news just needs to be put to bed, and only brought back up if there’s something solid to go on.
This is why I appreciate Andre 3000 and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’ recent candor about “new projects” from their respective bands, OutKast and At The Drive-In.
The former told GQ that, contrary to “talk on the Internet,” there isn’t another record from him and ‘mate Big Boi.
“I have to say that as of now, there are no plans for another OutKast album,” he said, adding that he is plotting another solo album and has been concentrating on collaborations (like those with Beyonce on “Party” and with Damon Albarn and James Murphy on “DoYaThing).
“There’s a lot of music on the horizon. I’ve been living off the excitement of new artists. I’ve been privileged to have these new artists kind of reach out and grab back and say, ‘Hey, Andre, we want you on this song’,” he said. “So these new artists have kind of been keeping me alive. I’ve just really been feeding off of that and this year I think I’m planning to do a solo project. I don’t know when it will come out, but hopefully it’ll come out this year .As far as OutKast, I really don’t know if or when that will happen.
Rodriguez-Lopez is busy promoting The Mars Volta’s next album “Nocturniquet,” but also the reformation of ATDI for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and for Spain’s Benicassim Festival. He told Karrang! magazine* that getting back together with ATDI was strictly for nostalgia ($$$), and that the group wasn’t going to pursue making new material.
“Will there be a new album? No, no, no. At The Drive-In is more of a nostalgia thing – it’s songs we wrote when we were all in our 20s and we’re doing a couple of shows,” he said (via NME, via Kerrang!): “It’s an old T-shirt that doesn’t fit me any more, but when you put it on again, it feels nice. It’s as simple as that.”
It’s refreshing to hear musicians talk about the status of their future projects head-on, considering the risk of taking the spotlight off their legitimate, confirmed future works. Let the Andre guest spot rumors begin!
* Dear Kerrang!, Why would you let everybody (including me) poach your totally awesome story? Get that ish up on your website ASAP. Your fan, Katie