King Khan is love, basically. That’s really the only way to explain how something as potentially ugly of a trainwreck as a Montreal-born kid of Indian descent moving to Berlin to start a (nearly) dozen-strong garage/soul band and sing songs about wining and dining fat chicks and being on welfare not only works, but, for lack of any better description, pretty much fucking rules. For whatever reason, it seems that the stories, myths, propaganda, and a larger-than-life stage persona have all worked in the past to limit King Khan’s reach into the sometimes unimaginative North American market (check out the Black Lips blog for one of the more insane examples of King Khan folklore , but with King Khan and The Shrines recent signing to Vice Records, the release two weeks ago of the greatest hits-ish compilation 'The Supreme Genius of…,' and an ongoing North American tour, Khan has finally been given the chance to enlighten the feral masses of the New World. We had the chance sit down with (see: email five questions to) KK recently, and although the conversation was brief, it was enough to realize that while whatever you may have heard about him could in fact be true, he’s also a super down to earth dude – funny, honest, and full of love.

CU - For all the excitement that has been accumulating for your work over the past few years, your various projects and associations, and the press you've received for your endeavors, it's still difficult to get to get a sense of your person vs. your persona. So, who is King Khan?

KK - Well I am definitely not the Bollywood superstar, though if I had the choice I would love to be type cast as a classic moustached villain. I have been playing rock ‘n’ roll music in many different incarnations since I was 17. I started touring around the world and suddenly it became my life's work to spread savage soul music to even the most remote parts of the earth. I grew up in a kind of delinquent lifestyle and I used to live for debauchery, now I’ve got three lil' angels at home who wait for me to finish my bidnizz and get the hell back alive. I do what I do to raise my kids and preserve the thing that saved my life and gave me a purpose to smile every morning.... SOUL music!!!!

CU - For your current tour you've managed to put together what is arguably the most authentic R&B/Soul band of 'our generation', or, at least, of our genre-nation. How did the band - w/ the likes of Ron Streeter, Simon Wojan, Ben Ra, Big Fred Rollercoaster, etc. - come together?

KK - Actually this has been the line up for every tour for the past decade... I went searching for musicians who loved to play for the sake of the music and not necessarily for any kind of fame or ego shit. The Shrines are one big wild family and always the last ones standing. Each one of them adds his own flavor to the stew...making it hot, spicy and very likely to burn twice or sometimes three times.

CU - What could somebody like me - who made the unfortunate move of scheduling a trip to New York when you will be playing here in Vancouver - expect to be missing when King Khan and the Shrines come to town?

KK - I have met people who have told me that they kept smiling for a month after seeing one of our gigs, so all I can say is that if you have ever wanted to see and hear musical crack cocaine than come and see us. Normally, I like to compare our sound to an eight-dicked Japanese animation monster tearing people to shreds in ecstasy, but that is unfair to our go-go dancer Bamboorella because she does not have a penis. So, in one word, I would say.... EYEGASM!!!!

CU - The Supreme Genius Of King Khan is something of a mid-career greatest hits compilation. Are you already making a plan for what will follow its release and the conclusion of your first North American tour, and, if so, what's it gonna be?

KK - I would like to do a new Shrines record for next summer...the Supreme Genius comp was made primarily to spread the word in America about what we've been doing for the past 8 years. Since we all live in different cities in Europe and have been touring extensively there it was always a dream to come to America. Thanks to Vice and the folks at the Windish Agency I can finally bring my freak show to the USA!!!!

CU - My girlfriend thinks "Welfare Bread" is 'the cutest song ever'. Some might say that part of Supreme Genius of King Khan is the ability to walk the narrow line between aloof irony and tender sincerity - or perhaps the ability to have a foot on either side of that line. Thoughts?

KK – Wow, that is a very nice question. I guess like to put my feet into strange places sometimes...be it shimmyin’ on irony or watoosy-in’ with tender sincerity. I think people who take life too seriously usually suffer the most. Some people can sleep on a bed of nails in perfect harmony without blinking. I think sincerity is something you don’t find much of these days in music. The thing that made me fall in love with soul music so much was exactly how sincere it was even in the most heartbreaking circumstances. This day and age I think people are starved for something real. “Welfare Bread” was a celebration song I wrote for my wife when we got off welfare and I was finally able to put food on the table with my music for my family. You know, you can make a five star meal with just a can of tuna, some pineapple, some ginger, some rice, and the right spices. You just have to cook with love – no genius involved – just 150% pure love!!!!

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