Yellow Thunder Woman

“People tend to fall in love. But if someone wants to continue being my friend, they just have to realize it's dangerous to fall in love with someone like me.”

PLAYBOY.COM: So do guys get a bad rap as the only ones who cheat?

YTW: Guys do have a bad rap; calling guys "dogs" isn't necessarily true. Guys like to fuck, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's the thing; the whole point is to say to women, it's okay to fuck. There's nothing wrong with fucking. It's a good thing. I think ever since the '50s, we've gone into this thing where women have to be treated with so much respect. It's like, no, I just want as much respect as anyone else does. I don't think I need to be treated extra-special. I mean, I do. Me, personally. I should be treated extra-special. [Laughs] But not all women. I don't really like women that much. I don't have any female friends at all. I just have a bunch of guy friends. And I've probably fucked all of them.

PLAYBOY.COM: Oh, really? And you're still able to maintain friendships with them after?

YTW: It's a gift, it's a gift. People tend to fall in love. But if someone wants to continue being my friend, they just have to realize it's dangerous to fall in love with someone like me. [Laughs]

PLAYBOY.COM: Your track "A Case Against Love" talks about how love comes from fear of dying alone. Did you write that after a bad date?

YTW: Ha, no, it's about not really believing in love. I'm a very analytical person. I kind of prefer reading books, rather than falling in love and dating. I'm not a big believer in love. I know what it is, and I know what it's made out of. Chemicals and shit. It's not real. But people like it. [Laughs] They can like it if they want.

PLAYBOY.COM: Your lyrics are pretty crazy. Where do you come up with ideas for songs?

YTW: I'm not really a songwriter. I grew up wanting to write fiction novels like Stephen King, and I wrote short stories. I was a real recluse. People try to make things that are easily digestible, but the fact is, most things aren't. The songs are more written for people who want to use their brains...grow new neurons, for fuck's sake. I have more respect for someone like Britney Spears than Ashlee Simpson. You know, dick-faces like that who don't write their own music. They have somebody who's paid to do that for them. I think the world is really sick of that type of music. People are tired of getting cheated out of real music.

PLAYBOY.COM: Talking about real music, who do you think is going to win American Idol?

YTW: Oh, god, don't ask me about that. Oh, shit. I was watching CNN and the woman was talking about one of the contestants' hair for about 15 minutes. I was like, Jesus Christ, this country sucks so much when this is the biggest thing on the news.

PLAYBOY.COM: Why did you decide to give your album away for free on the Internet?

YTW: I don't want to make money off it, and I think people really like that. Because not only am I giving it away for free, it's a fucking great album. That usually never happens. People try to sell their band as a gimmick. You look at the fucking White Stripes, they have a really short shelf life. I mean, the White Stripes might be remembered for a little bit longer, because they look absolutely ridiculous, but I think stuff like that is really fleeting.

PLAYBOY.COM: Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?

YTW: Old '50s bubblegum pop. I like that shit, like Buddy Holly. My dad was into a lot of that music. I used to listen to that type of music when I was a kid, when my other brothers and sisters were listening to crap '80s stuff. I didn't get into that. But I guess that's probably why I'm more successful than they are. [Laughs] I'm such a bitch.

Photos by Robin Davey