We are Portugal. The Man - ask us ANYTHING!

Hey guys,

How complicated is it being a wizard?

its complicated

This has been amazing. thank you so much for having us and we're sorry we cant answer all the questions. Honestly I can't believe how many people jumped on this. very cool.

good music Unknown Mortal Orchestra Hustle and Drone The We Shared Milk Grimes The Knife

love you all. night night

Also, John. How do you cultivate that masterpiece of a moustache?

Im from Alaska

What's your favorite song to preform live? And why is it Chicago?

my favorite song to play live personally is sleep forever. always a big fun jam at the end doing hey jude and such. - noah

All Your Light has always been one of my favorites. We get to play a "song" and jam a ton and we usually use that as a segway into a giant jam in Em so it's always fun live - kyle

we normally do that song in our encore, and after a long set its nice to let loose.

How do you feel about piracy?

Huge fan over here, but I would have never even heard a single track if it weren't for piracy. I'm a broke ass college student from Morocco and I don't really have enough disposable income to spend on iTunes.

Sorry for illegally downloading all of your albums :/ I love your music, please come play here so I can buy all the shirts/CDs!

pirates are thieves, but typically just normal people trying to get by.

Our CD's are not available in Morocco, therefore you are an opportunist and I respect that.

No apology necessary. Love to you and yours

please do more jams at the end of your songs, like in so american/all your light.

will do

Hey guys! Love yalls work, do you remember the "secret show" you played at bonnaroo on the Mr. T float stage? Well I helped build that! Looking forward to seeing yall at Bonnaroo again this year

that was one of my favorite moments of being in this band. that was Johnny's birthday. so much fun. -Z.

WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU PLAY PUSHERS PARTY LIVE!?!? It's such a great jam.

there's so many songs to choose from when making a setlist that it's hard, like fucking hard. we'll play 25 songs and still miss 2-3 albums completely. i personally think work all day/pushers party would be something fun to mix live - kyle

love that song

I've seen you guys twice now, once at Voodoo Fest in 2011 and also at the House of Blues show in New Orleans- when your dummer got up mid-set and left. What was the deal with that and what came of it? You guys seriously showed some true professionalism continuing the set with the opening guys, and on top of that, you fucking killed it cause that's what you do.

Really looking forward to seeing you guys in Oakland in July!

a bad ass new young blood came of it, boom next question

How was it touring with the black keys?

really cool. big shows and great guys.

Between your album art and your songs themselves, you guys are pretty much the champions of neo-psychedelia. How much of a role do drugs play in your creative process?

p.s. Love you dudes, caught you at Lupo's a year or two back and hope to see you at Boston Calling!

SOBER BAND

What was it like to film the video for Got it all/Sleep Forever? It's a beautiful montage on its own.

unbelievably cold... but a lot of fun. we filmed most of that in Johnny's back yard at his parent's house. we're lucky enough to be from a place that is so remote and beautiful, we just had to show it off. been wanting to do that for a long time. -Z.

it was the easiest music video i've ever shot - kyle

Hey guys,

Thanks for putting on some amazing shows in Austin over the years and hanging out in the crowd after the show to meet and greet. It's always surprising to see a group still have the energy/interest to talk to the fans afterwards.

1) With the lineup changes over the last year and working with Danger Mouse recently on Evil Friends, did you find your sound evolving again because of the changes and access to a producer with his own distinctive style? Or did you already have the direction for the album in mind beforehand?

2) John/Zach: What are your favorite things to do when you go back home to Wasilla, AK?

most of the time we love to relax and catch up with our family. it's also an amazing place to get out into the wild and film some videos. a good percentage of our lyrics are written when we are up there. -z.

Is there any chance you guys will add a St Pete/Tampa FL date to your 2013 tour? :)

probably. from my understanding we are playing everywhere.

Are you guys fans of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Music?

i love the first volta albulm. cant say i love much else after that. but i am a fan of his. -kane

I'm coming to the show at the town ballroom on June 12th (2 days before my birthday, what a great gift). Can't wait, you guys are incredible live. Would you guys wanna hang out after the show? We'll find you guys some great pizza.

thats my birthday, yes. and yes

I have long held that belief that anything Danger Mouse touches is guaranteed to be excellent. Being a fan of yours as well, I'm certainly looking forward to the new album.

Who is your favorite local Portland band?

Nothing is guaranteed. The We Shared Milk/Hustle and Drone

Is there any chance of you playing Shade on the upcoming tour? It's my absolute favorite song of yours and I'd love to hear it played again! :D

maybe!

Thank you for the AMA!

Do you fellas plan on sticking with the old schedule of an album a year or should we expect longer waits like we had for Evil Friends?

Also, Philly 2011. That was the best experience of my life. Not the best concert I've been to. Experience of my life. I'd seen you before but something special happened that night. Thank you for everything.

we're always working in some capacity. this one just took a bit longer, for better. we promise to never stop working. -noah

it all depends. if I wanna write, I write. sometimes more, sometimes less

i love philly. glad it was fun for you as well!

Any chance of releasing a soundboard recording or proper video of the Helter Skelter cover/jam you guys do live? Audience cell phone recordings on YouTube just ain't cutting it for me.

Also: killer show in Anchorage this past December.

ya gatt come see that shit in person! the board cant handle it. -kane

honestly soundboard recordings are always a let down. Everything's really dry and you don't at least have the atmosphere you have with a youtube video. We did record the UCLA show and our friend mixed it so maybe that'll be released eventually - kyle

Who in the band has the oldest balls?

zach-kane

zach. -noah

zach- kyle

What do you think of breakfast for dinner?

i believe that breakfast is what ever you eat first in the day. soo if you eat your first meal at 10am or 5pm its all breakfast. ALL DA WAY -kane

i like to eat dinner every day

breakfast is my favorite meal anytime of the day, always - kyle

Why do you guys tend to hardly ever play American Ghetto songs live?

we can only play so many songs. we want to play a ton, but no one wants to se a three hour set. -kane

because kane doesn't know them - kyle

I recorded mostly alone with Anthony Saffery. we play it more now

Hey guys, big fan. I was curious, what bands influenced the music you make today? I always have thought that you guys have an extremely unique sound, so I'm just curious.

EDIT: Also, how did the collab with Danger Mouse come about?

Beatles. They re-create themselves every record and still have the most consistent sound of their band no matter how different each record is, that's always inspiring. The danger mouse collab...we were actually tracking what we thought was going to be the album by ourselves in El Paso over a year ago and john went to meet up with Brian in the middle of those sessions. we realized we were gonna do it with him soon after that, so we pretty much scrapped what we did there and started the record fresh with him - kyle

Any chance of another acoustic album? LOVE the acoustic jams of Satanic Satanist. Also, story time: a couple years ago a friend and I tripped on shrooms and kinda started to freak out (to the point where my friend thought she should kill herself to make the shrooms stop). I put Mornings on repeat for her to calm her down and it worked like a charm. Thanks for being awesome, yall! See ya when you come back to Austin!

I don't think it'd be too far out there to say we might do an acoustic version of evil friends, it most definitely lends to it ...although that probably wouldn't happen until well after the normal album is released ha sorry - kyle

What are some of the themes of Evil Friends? From what I've heard, both sonically and lyrically, duality seems huge.

lots of contrast. light/dark. other cool stuff like that. - noah

Hey guys! I've been following you ever since "Waiter: "You Vultures!"" and I really just wanted to say that Censored Colors is my favorite album of all time; it's probably the album that evokes the most feeling from me, so I wanted to thank you for putting out such an incredible masterpiece. Super excited for Evil Friends, hope to see you guys soon!

thats great! love to hear peoples favs

hope to see you soon!

Will there ever be another Casey Bates produced P.tM album?

yes, im sure

I heard the band HAIM will be on the album Evil Friends. Is this true?

yes. they sang on 3 songs on the record. evil friends, pyrb, and sea of air. beautiful voices and great friends. -noah

How did you come up with the name Portugal The Man?

They've answered this a million times in interviews.

So, can you answer for us? I'm sure I knew at one point, but I forgot.

"Portugal was intended to be an alter ego, a fictional character that wrote all the songs and we would play live, much like how David Bowie created Ziggy Stardust. When thinking what to name this person, we wanted the one name to represent our whole group of people. We figured a country is one name for a group of people with one voice in the world, and we randomly picked Portugal -- thought it would be a good name for a man."

thank you

you guys do a lot of medleys, any chance we'll hear some older material pop up in these? church mouth, gold mouths, how the leopard got its spots, etc...

absolutely. we're working on that stuff all the time. we have specifically been talking about doing one with older material recently. we'll see but I wouldn't be surprised if some of those things popped up on the next tour. - noah

[deleted]

personally: enter the 36 chambers by wu tang, fishscale by ghostface, and my beautiful dark twisted fantasy by kanye. word. -noah

WU TANNNNG!!!

again and again!

John, Of course as artists we love all of our work, but of course sometimes when we look back we say, "Oh, hmmm I wish I did that part differently" or "Oh I wish I used this colour for this painting" etc... So having said that, in your mind...what is your "Magnum Opus"? What album in particular stands out in your creative career as an artist as the ultimate album that you've created?

That may be a pretty stupid question, but with the experiences involved, the personal endeavors, the moment of "holy crap, I can't believe we're recording these songs at ____ place with ____ producer"
And the lyrics, stories based into songs, efforts, etc.... 

Looking back on all the albums you guys have done, what album not only means the most to you, but what one is the most nostalgic - the one that leaves you feeling the most proud?

we have worked hard on everything. Im more a fan of every step. progress

Hey big fan and I was wondering how the creative process flowed with danger mouse being the producer of your new album Evil Friends. Was there anything beneficial he brought to this project?

He brought a lot to the record actually...i could say a lot of different things but just one specific thing he brought was "space" to the recordings. Compared to past records any of us have made there's a lot less happening as far as layers or anything and it makes every part that much more important to the song...and helps you realize what parts aren't contributing anything to a song and how normally is incredibly easy to leave stuff in a recording and just keep on adding - kyle

It flowed very well. Brian understood the position we were in, and the record we all wanted to make. His wisdom based in his experience in being in a band that broke but kept their integrity the entire way was invaluable. Also, he's incredibly observant, and having somebody who not only understands minute dynamics but also sees them when they first flare up is really valuable in the studio. -noah

working with brian was a dream. we are big fans of his. Ive personaly never had a a better time recording.-kane

when will you finally tour with tera melos?

Seeing them tonight in Minneapolis with TTNG!

Better get on the road quick, guys.

say hi for us

What are you looking forward to most about playing at Boston Calling? And will you guys be out in the crowd before or after your set?

we usually hang every night after the show right out front. we'll be the sweaty guys. -noah

Hey guys, huge fan. I'll be attending your show at the House of Blues in Chicago in June. How did Danger Mouse influence the sound of the new record?

it sounds a bit more dangerous -kane

[deleted]

Every member of PTM has left the band they origionally thought they'd be with till the end. That shit happens. but stay close to the people you believe in. Its hard to keep a band on the same page through the years, but if you hold on to the people you trust most youll end up doing somthing great with them. stay on it. let the sad times fuel your art. -kane

things happen for a reason. dreams change. just be aware of yourself and what you present. you don't need other people to make music if its your true calling. Personally, I am happy doing many different things.

never give up on yourself

Just want to say I LOVE you, saw you live and still have your poster on my wall! You're music makes my workday bearable!

love you too

Selfish question here: what would it take to get you guys back to Little Rock?

probably some $$$. just kidding. im sure we'll be back soon. its hard to play everywhere.

[deleted]

love punk

Germs are good

the very end of it was "She's So Heavy"

Can't wait to see you in New Orleans.

Can you promise you'll play 1989 in that set? That would be fantastic.

maybe! ill ask the guys

Can you tell the story of the drummer that quit mid set when you were touring last year? It happened around April I think. I went to see you guys in Gainesville and some of us were nervous about the show.

once upon a time, there was a little drummer boy. The little drummer boy had to go back to the village from wich he came and lived happily ever after.:)-kane

I've seen you guys 8 times but still haven't heard you play Hard Times/Our Times :( Why is this? Also, I know you guys dig sci-fi and I noticed many correlations between your album American Ghetto and the film Savage (Fantastic) Planet. Was this intentional or coincidence? btw I'm the dude who always says hi after the Tempe/Tucson shows. Thank you so much for all the great music!

Listened to the Fantastic Planet soundtrack during recording. Hard Times has never been played live, will look into it

How was it like working with Danger Mouse? Did he play any instruments on the album?

yes kane was in the show monk. mondays on USA --JOHNY G

Danger mouse most definitely played instruments on the record. I was actually stoked everytime he started playing keyboards. aside from keys he also played some guitar and drums, probably other stuff too i just can't remember. - kyle

yes. whoever has an idea can jump on an instrument. Brian is no different and we respect him. a good idea is a good idea. only the bad ones were tossed out.

Your guys' sound constantly evolving (for example, Church Mouth is way different than Waiter: "You Vultures!", which is leagues apart from The Satanic Satanist). But on more recent albums, I feel your style has been a bit more consistent. Is this due to you guys "finding your sound" or is it that the group is constantly changing and growing as artists; and do you foresee more drastic stylistic changes?

i'm pretty certain none of it is that calculated. john is becoming a better songwriter everyday but songs are always approached with what they need, not what we or anyone else think they should be. new record sounds a lot different than the last few to me. - noah

What would you say inspired the music in The Satanic Satanist? It might be just me, but I feel like this album in particular stands out a bit next to your other albums in terms of sound.

every new album sounds a little bit different. even satanic satanist was a departure. aside from the whole "satan" thing.

Hi guys, cannot wait to see you in Colorado again, got tickets to your show at red rocks. We were lucky enough to make some live videos for you guys when you played the bluebird here a couple of years ago and would like to thank you for letting us film you. you are truly some amazingly talented and incredibly nice dudes. My question is will there be any kind of limited edition/custom artwork on your next album? I love your artwork and would love to add to the collection of your wonderful Vinyl releases.

i remember you guys! that was a fun night. it'll be fun to hang at red rocks and yes there is amazing custom/limited art coming for the new record. all will be announced shortly. -noah

Hey guys, been a big fan of since Waiters. It was cool seeing Kyle join, as I've been a fan of the Gatsby's gang for while too.

I'm wondering about the symbolism in your lyrics and visuals,especially with the new video for Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue. Lyrically what's with all the "I've got a friend in Satan" or "I just want to be evil." And the goat in the limo? I get the feeling it's really sarcastic.

...they were in a pinch clearly - kyle

It was cool for Kyle to join as well

tongue in cheeks

What's your favorite soft drink and alcohol mixture?

Bourbon/ginger beer - kyle

...dash of bitters

seconded. -noah

You guys played a show in Philly a couple years ago on my actual birthday. I just want to say thanks for the awesome show, it was a great birthday present. Any interest in putting out some sort of live recording? The live version of AKA M80 the Wolf is one of the best things on earth

we will do a live album soon! have recorded things in the past but never released

when did you know you were truly famous?

the first day john touched me. -noah

I am a huge fan of you guys! I really liked the Purple Yellow Red and Blue music video and really enjoy all the other ones too. I have 2 questions

• Do you guys create these videos originally like your artwork? Are the videos all planned by you guys before you make them or do the producers have an idea of what they want to do for the videos?
• What song of yours that isn't too popular do you wish you could play live more or create a music video for? Personally I think "The Pushers Party" is a brilliant and unrecognized song by you guys.

Thanks for doing this AMA!

1 collaboration. Michael Ragen, That Go, AG Rojas all try to tell me what to do. we meet in the middle where compromise kills art.

2 Senseless

Love you guys. I've seen you guys 3 times in concert and going to see you a fourth at the Wiltern Theater on the 12th of July. I honestly cannot wait. Me and my girl fell in love at your show at the Hollywood Avalon. The new tracks you've released from the new album are amazing and once again seem different than previous works. You guys always seem to be moving forward with your style.

Q: What inspired you the most going into this new album?

Q: Are there any memorable life experiences that contributed to the development and flow of this album?

Q: Can you get me and my girlfriend backstage :)?

Have a great tour. I look forward to seeing you perform in July.

1. Music

2. Everything, its all a part.

3. I don't know if I can get your girl a plus 1 on that. That was a joke. If you can sneak back, you're more than welcome to hang.

Just wanted to say I'm a huge fan and can't wait for the new album.

As a filmmaker, I'm very intrigued by your music videos, especially "Sleep Forever". How does the creative process begin for something like that? Does a director come up with the idea, or do you keep it all in-band?

collaboration is key in everything. videos are an extension of what we do. unless you don't like the video. in that case, send hate mail to whoever is listed as director

Where did the idea of using luggage to hold all your pedals come from? I've never seen another band do that.

How do you write so much good music? It seems most bands make only a few cd's a decade. You churn out music like no other artist... how do you do it?

suitcases are easy to find at thrift stores and much cheaper than professional carrying cases - kyle

poor kids need pedal board. for sale goodwill suitcase, 5$.

we love music. it is very important to me and I couldnt imagine life without it

What's your favorite cartoon? or what was your favorite cartoon to watch growing up?

DUCK TALES!!!! ALL DA WAYY -KANE

How do you think your sound has changed from "Waiter. You Vultures" To your newest album? Was this intentional or did it just happen?

we just think it has progressed. obviously we are going to change and evolve. we're humans. it's what we do. in general i think we're finally figuring out how to write songs instead of jamming a bunch of parts together. it's been a natural progression. -Z.

What made you guys decide to have Danger Mouse produce your album? I mean... aside from the fact that he's a genius.

the fact that he's a genius and the fact that he was willing to work with us - kyle

Saw you guys a few weeks ago in Petaluma, and also saw you at Coachella. I thought the presence you guys had in the small venue in Petaluma was absolutely amazing. Do you guys plan on performing in small venues such as The Mystic more often? Also, don't know if its true or not, but you told us the Mystic show was the first time you guys played Purple Yellow Red and Blue -- if that's true, THANK YOU!!! PS, you guys are awesome, thanks for doing this!

we will play shows in any venue, big or small. there is no lines in our world.

I was at this show too!!! You guys & Wildcat Wildcat seemed surprised by the turnout!

Wildcat! Wildcat!. The band so nice they named it twice.

One of the greatest memories of my life was the impromptu set I stumbled upon at Bonnaroo two years ago. You guys handed me bottles of champagne to swill and pass back and rinse and repeat. It was incredible. I had a chance to talk to Zach about it outside your show last year in Detroit (the same show that I got to crowd surf into the pit behind security at!!), and it just brought the whole thing full circle. So, basically just fuck yeah and thank you for that.

Any surprises for Bonnaroo this year? I think you guys would absolutely kill with a scheduled late night set. And of course any surprises are always welcome. Imagine, I can potentially see Paul McCartney and P.TM in one fucking day. What the fuck?! I love you.

edit: st. andrew's hall show would've been two years ago. damn.

i accidentally sprayed the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with that champagne. I remember specifically hitting the drummer of My Morning Jacket... I think

Did you guys ever get into the band the builders and the butchers from Portland? if so, whats your take on their style?

yes, they are great friends of ours. they are great at what they do.

Big fan, saw you guys live in Lexington Kentucky. What're some of the worst venues you've played?

Lexington, Kentucky,

jk

I can't think of one offhand but I know we have played some weird shows.

Hey guys, I've been listening since waiter and I've loved seeing your progression and changes in style. Evil friends sounds great so far, it's catchy and fast paced, but this time around it seems like its playing to a larger, more general crowd. This makes sense since you've achieved a larger fan base, but what am I to expect from Evil Friends and future albums? Are you beginning to play for a general audience or will we see more of the unique PTM like in the past? Regardless, I'm excited for the new album.

i think this record is weird as hell. just singles ya know. pyrb is a weird sounding song though. -noah

At one point you guys were recording your live shows and making them available for downloads, any plans to bring that back? I've always thought Achilles Last Stand would be great covered by you guys, can we make this happen?

this was a lot of work. after playing a show and loading out, editing and mixing a show isn't the easiest thing to keep up. i'm sure there will be a easier way to do it in the future. thats a good song too. -noah

What was it like working with Danger Mouse on the new record? The albums he produces are always great and you guys are fantastic so Im looking forward to this album greatly.

Brian is amazing.

First off, Thank you guys for doing what you do.

What has changed in the overall mentality from Waiter... and Church Mouth to where you are right now, with Evil Friends? Has there been a gradual shift of focus within the music or lyrics?

yes, gradual shift. still like playing music.

John I met you at the listening party in New York. I think I gave Kyle my card. Can I send you ice cream?

Looking forward to the new album!

yes please! you can send it to: 2233 N. Beachwood Dr. LA, CA 90068 - noah

please do

[deleted]

the moon

we want to get better at writing songs, really can't stress that enough. That was the goal with this record for sure and something that's always the goal with any future record - kyle

Saw you guys in Dallas at Index Fest in Oct '12. I have never seen a crowd hang around so long chanting for an encore. How do you resist the urge to go back on stage??

ha we didn't, we simply couldn't find john - kyle

set times and curfews

Hello PTM, First the mandatory “I’m a huge fan” but seriously saw you guys in New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom last April and again in Cholula in Novemeber. Question seeing as there wasn’t many people who attended the festival what are the chances of you guys visiting Puebla again? I moved here for college and never thought Id see you guys again and you came here and it was awesome. Do you guys have the crowd picture of that day? We were in the front row and kept yelling and waving at Zach who kindly waved back every time.
Thanks. Counting down the days until June 4th. Hopefully will get to see you again around here sometime again!

we will be back to mexico for sure. -noah

Would you add Florida to your tour this year for a Klondike Bar?

what would I do for a Klondike bar?

I see florida on my calendar this year. itll happen

My favorite lyrics of yours, and perhaps ever, are in All Your Light "my body won't work for nobody but me..."

What was the inspiration for these? I find they drive me every day.

i don't work for anyone. just gotta be me

Hey! You guys are one of my favorite bands, thanks for the ama!

1. What was it like to work with the legendary Danger mouse and how do you think he influenced you guys on the new album?

2. If there was one message you wanted your songs to get across what would it be and why?

3. What were some of your influences when you guys first started out?

4. Do more shows in Canada!!! We love you guys!

1. super fun

2. Have fun

3. the beatles/wu tang

4. Alaska + Canada forevs