ASTR – Operate (The Chainsmokers Remix) + Exclusive Interview

Posted by Mel on June 20, 2013

It has been roughly four months since my hand slightly grazed my sister’s friend’s thigh. Coincidentally, it has also been about four months since I first heard of The Chainsmokers. Since then, my hand has been many places but none as sweet as that. I have also watched The Chainsmokers grow from two decent looking guys to two excellent looking guys who make awesome music. Their first remix that got my attention was of Jonsi’s “Around Us”. That track… it made me feel for the first time. Sara B, the girl who had a crush on me in eleventh grade, I get you now. The Chainsmokers taught me how to love. Since then I’ve learned to take it, roll it up into a ball, toss it in the air and if there’s not a steady current of wind, I smash that into oblivion.

Picture yourself walking through the city late one night when you see a beautiful girl sitting in a coffee shop eating a plum. She is facing outward toward the street and the store’s walls are glass so you two can see each other. You want to go talk to her but you can’t find the door to get in. Not being able to figure out where the entrance is, you go up to the glass and relentlessly stare at her. Upon closer inspection you realize that she is in fact eating an oddly shaped apple not a plum. “Why are you eating an apple?” you mouth to her. You can hear her say through the glass while turning the apple “no no, this is a plum”. After seeing the flesh of the fruit it is indeed a plum.  You then turn around to go home and find $20 on the ground.

The combination of slight disappointment, confusion, and joy that night brings is what I think of their latest remix.

We also had a chance to talk to them about life’s most important questions, such as “If you were to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason and upon looking to the nearest wall saw a hole that has never been there before the size of the middle, cardboard part of a roll of toilet paper, would you stick stuff in it?”. Click past the break if you want to laugh, cry, and be inspired.

Before we go any further, let me tell you a bit about these two fine gentleman. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall, collectively known as The Chainsmokers, currently reside in NYC. Well, that’s really all you need to know. Let’s get started.

1. FNT: You two are naked, sleeping on the kitchen floor, there is a MacBook facing you with the camera on, Drew is holding a cucumber and Alex is holding Harry Potter Order of The Phoenix when somebody breaks into your house. He’s got a gun and a tattoo of Obama across his chest. He’s also not wearing a shirt. How do you two defuse the situation?

The Chainsmokers: Funny enough we had a similar situation except drew was holding a nailgun and Alex was listening to a book on tape by Tom Clancy (I know right how fucking lazy)… and the intruder turned out to be a stripper we ordered a week earlier but they came on the wrong day due to a miscomunnication… Anyway, to defuse we would do what anyone would do in a similar situation… levels bro… levels… 

2. FNT: Is going to college worth it?

The Chainsmokers: Hahah, this is a trick question cause if you have to pay student loans then no.. jokes… We both gotta say yes, best times, you make great friends, great connections and great stories… Cliché but its true…

3a. FNT: Drew, from start to finish, describe how you do your hair every morning.

Drew: Do my hair, that’s implying my hair doesn’t ALWAYS look this damn good… so start I wake up, its that good, the end…..

3b. FNT: Alex, from start to finish, describe how to seduce a lady.

Alex: I tell them I am Otto Knows….

4. FNT: If you were to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason and upon looking to the nearest wall saw a hole that has never been there before the size of the middle, cardboard part of a roll of toilet paper, would you stick stuff in it?

The Chainsmokers:  Like a glory hole… you know we have thought about this before… your odds are 50/50 its really not a question of will it be a hot girl cause it doesn’t matter you wont even see… its more is it a dude… and you know we don’t really like those odds…. Especially since both our neighbors are gay….

5. FNT: Do either of you ever stand at your window with the blinds slightly closed and just watch people? 

The Chainsmokers: No…. we don’t do this  — they totally do

6. FNT: My sister is 21.  Currently, there are 3 of her friends that have expressed an interest in me. How should I advance?

The Chainsmokers: This is completely doable, girls at that age love all sleeping with the same dude long as you play your cards right… Just sleep with the one who will be hardest first, then move down from there…cause then the next one who knows she isn’t as hot will be like wow he wants to sleep with me which means I must be as hot as the hot one, which makes her feel good…

7. FNT: Even with all the bugs and stuff, do you guys enjoy lying outside on the grass?

The Chainsmokers: We live in NYC there is no grass… and the grass there is, is covered in dog shit… but seeing as drew is from maine, we do miss some grass…

8. FNT: When you close your eyes at night, what do you see?

The Chainsmokers: Cats, main coon cats to be exact…

9. FNT: What were your first cars?

Drew: Subaru LL Bean edition hatchback

Alex: Mazda Tribute with 16 inch rims

10. FNT: Favorite sport?

Alex: Basketball

Drew: Soccer

11. FNT: Favorite TV show? 

Drew: Game of Thrones although this season was way to slow, and yes the red wedding was cool but it wasn’t enough…

Alex:  It’s a tie between Stormchasers and Curb Your enthusiams… But I am really obsessed with storm chasing…

12. FNT: Would you rather pay $100 a month and never have the necessity to wipe or get paid $2000 a month but you can never wipe, even though you need to?

The Chainsmokers: This is maybe the best questions ever…. I think we are going to pay 100/month that’s a pretty solid deal, our soundcloud fee is more than that….

13. FNT: If one of you were in need of a kidney, would the other person donate theirs?

The Chainsmokers: Yes, but the donator person would now always get window seat on the flights…  

14a. FNT: We are now in an alternate universe in which you two are sexy female midgets and as you girls were taking a stroll in the park you look to your left and see a bunch of people crowding around a well so you go and check it out. Much to your surprise, you see somebody trapped down there. It’s hard to make out who it is seeing as there are rocks caved in blocking the top. As quick thinking as two sassy, female, no BS midgets can be, you girls get a great idea. You’re going to save this person! One of you then whips out a pack of jumbo marshmallows from your Coach purse and throws it down the well. You then both jump down, using the marshmallows to break your fall. As you’re fumbling through the rocks trying to get to this person, you faintly hear a familiar tune. Na na na na na, na na na na na na na na. Not being able to put your now freakishly small and weirdly shaped fingers on it, you keep searching.

Then it happens. Female midget Drew moves a rock, the sun breaks out from behind the clouds, the tune that you heard earlier becomes clear, and a ray of light hits the back of the trapped individual’s head. They slowly begin to turn around but you already know who it is. That luscious, yet delicate golden hair can only belong to one man.

Avicii.

As a thank you for saving him, he is going to take you girls to an ice cream shop and let you get any flavour you want. What ice cream do you two get?

The Chainsmokers: We are both lactose intolerant so we would be pissed Avicii brought us here for pay back….

14.b FNT: He then calls you the next day, after realizing that ice cream is no way to thank you two, and offers you five thousand dollars. How do you spend the money?

The Chainsmokers: Our first thought is spearmint rhino… second thought is open an etrade account invest in apple and get back to life, our third idea is buy 5 golden retrievers…

Tags: artist, ball, cause, chance, eyes, favorite, fnt, house, love, music, night, NYC, picture, production, reason, remix, school, song, street, time, track, turn, watch