[visualinfidelity]

So do you remember the first time you heard Turn On The Bright Lights? Share your story!

Something magical happened in the fall of 2001, November to be exact. I was a senior in high school at the time and lost, very lost in my own existence. Little did I know a mere 20 miles away from my home Interpol was recording an album that would change my life in a momentous way later on. I was at a point in my life where I was ready to turn on my own bright lights, leave Connecticut behind and move across the country to California to go to art school. I left home in August of 2002 and never looked back. I find this odd because I didn’t discover Interpol until late 2005/early 2006 when I started my first real design job after graduating college. It’s a strange parallel that I think about often. I like to think we were cosmically connected through the universe somehow, and that makes me feel all warm inside. Anyway, a co-worker of mine was into Antics at the time and gave me a copy of Turn On The Bright Lights. I didn’t listen to it right away, at that point in my life I couldn’t listen to music. I despised music. I really didn’t know what to look for. I gave up on the radio, there was so much crap out there, and I had just about enough of 50 Cent’s Candy Shop. I would put headphones on at my desk to muffle the music my art director would play in the work space. My co-worker would ask me everyday if I had listened to it, he told me I would love it. Sure, sure, I thought, this is what everyone says about the music they like. What makes him so sure I would like it? Well… I’ve never been so wrong. I listened to it just so he would stop bugging me about it. I thought I’ll just listen to a couple of songs for reference and to prove that I actually listened and that would be that. The first track I listened to was Stella, I was intrigued by the title. I had never heard anything like it. I was shocked. Then I started the album from the beginning and played it over and over all day long. The next day I asked him for Antics, and that was it. I was hooked, I’ve been a fan ever since. Interpol single handily got me into music again, not only their music, but they pointed me in the direction that has shaped my musical taste all together. There hasn’t been a band that I’ve listened to for this long and that has been on constant heavy circulation on my iPod. Something about Interpol just fills whatever is missing in my life, no matter what the circumstance might be at the time. Over time my favorite songs change, and eventually come back around, but I never get tired of this album, ever. Thank you Turn On The Bright Lights, thank you Interpol, and thanks to my old co-worker Chris for introducing me to a band I will never forget. I look forward to ten more years of Interpol, listening to current albums and anticipating albums that haven’t even been written yet. You’ve changed my life in ways that aren’t even describable.

[Serpent Swells]

Nice writeup! ^ :)

The year was 2009. My family had just returned to the States after a fairly disastrous stint in Puerto Rico that culminated in what was essentially a failed investment. I was a socially-awkward kid just entering my teenage years and in need of a friend.

And for a while, my PS3 served that role quite well. One of my favorite games was Rock Band 2, as many of you probably know, "PDA" is one of the first playable tracks in that game. But to be completely honest, the song didn't really catch my attention at first. I was more enamored with the TOTBL's album cover itself (and for those of you who don't know, Rock Band 2 shows the album cover that corresponds with each song). I was attracted to it for two reasons:

1) It reminded me of the boxy, concrete houses that cover the vast majority of Puerto Rico. And if you've ever been to Puerto Rico (especially during the holiday season when they hang Christmas lights) you know exactly what I'm talking about.

2) I had actually seen the album cover six or seven years before (I was about 7 years-old) when my dad received 50 free downloads on emusic.com. And at the time, I remember him cussing and becoming frustrated with that website since it only featured downloads from indie bands. I kid you not, he literally spent about eight hours prowling that site searching for releases by mainstream artists before he finally gave up and allowed me to search for him. That's when I first saw TOTBL's iconic album art. And while I didn't download the album or even think much of its cover at the time, it must have lodged itself into my brain, because it looked hauntingly familiar when I saw it in Rock Band all those years later. It was almost like I was meant to love the album.

So the combination of that overwhelming senstation of destiny and fate, my nagging loneliness, and constantly seeing the album cover in Rock Band 2's menus finally caused me to finally listen to TOTBL on my crappy pair of Skullcandy earbuds. And at first, I thought it was really mediocre. It kinda washed over me. I was really trying to like it, but it just wasn't "clicking".

But then I came across "Specialist". The bass-heavy and muddy production style of the song suited my awful, bass-heavy earbuds perfectly. It was utter perfection. I had finally gotten into Interpol. It had all "clicked" into place, TOTBL especially. Shortly after, I received a $200 pair of Beyerdynamic headphones for Christmas and my addiction became even more gripping. I was constantly thinking about Interpol and no other band came even close as far as I was concerned. I had found my long-awaited "friend", so to speak.

And frankly, I'm still kinda in this stage. I have friends now, but musically, nothing comes close to TOTBL (except for Antics). It's provided me with so much enjoyment and caused so many emotions in me over the years. It really has changed my life and the way I view art. And because I've been listening to it all throughout my most formative years, it's truly played a huge part in forming the person I am today. So for that, I must thank Interpol. They've made my life a hell of a lot better than it was before.

[hazey jane]

My story isn't so thrilling. The first Interpol album I've heard was Antics (it's still my favourite), back in 2004, and I listened to it for 2 years almost every day, totally oblivious to other releases from the band. Only in late 2006 a friend of mine told me that Interpol had released a record prior to Antics, and that's how I first heard TOTBL. I was already a fan and that album just made love Interpol even more.

:wub:

[tercat]

I heard PDA online at some point in late '03 or early '04. It was a big deal for me because I'd been in a fog of working pretty much non-stop, and I hadn't encountered much to cut through that fog in a long time. I can't remember exactly when or via what site I found it, but I know PDA captured my attention. I went out and got TOTBL (on vinyl, of course) and was very impressed. I started to get pretty into the band then, but it was after I saw them live, on one of the first dates of the Antics tour (which, as it happens, was not too long after I quit that job I mentioned), that my fate as a complete fanatic was sealed. That's when I couldn't stop listening to their records, couldn't get off this damn board (ha!), etc. Hazey, I was--and am--a pretty big fan of Antics, too.

[EtoileMaris]

I discovered Interpol back in 2007. I remember how our office network was set up with iTunes sharing. You had access to other people's music on their iPod and could listen to the songs at your convenience. I was tired of the same old crap playing on my MP3 player (it was a LG Chocolate - completely unimportant) so I started browsing into other people's libraries.

There was this cool hipster (sorry, I know it's a heinous reference) that had Paul Banks glasses (seriously just made the connection in my mind) and he had all of these songs from groups I loved so I figured that I would like the rest.

I must have listened to Interpol a thousand times as background music through his iPod. It was completely subliminal. I never thought of writing down the name of the band. Fast forward a year later, I'm flipping through channels and land on MuchMusic (or whatever it was called) and the clip to Heinrich Maneuver was playing. I wrote down the band's name and connected the dots. Then I went to the record store and bought Our Love to Admire and Antics. I listened to them for days on end.

Fast forward to my trip to California. I walked into a record store in San Francisco, and decided to find more "Interpol". I found TOTBL. San Francisco will always be tied to their song NYC. I appreciated the irony of it all.

Interpol grew on me. It became the soundtrack of my life after my parents passed away and the music to some of my most beautiful and horrifying moments since. I always knew my life had a sound track.

[Scunthorpe United]

I bought the CD on the day it came out. From the Virgin Megastore in Watford, a brisk stroll from my workplace.

I suppose I was fortunate that by the time it came out, I'd seen them three or four times and had the CU 12", a John Peel session, an XFM live recording and the Precipitate EP to listen at while we waited.

I played it in me car going home and I remember stopping in a layby as Stella came on. It reminded me of sounds rarely heard since the heady days of the late '70's and early 80's.

The CD case is now almost beyond economical repair due to the battering it has received from transporting between car, gym (before ipods), home and work. You can just about see the faded signatures of the band gained at some pokey place in East London one night.

As a special birthday treat, I played it, yesterday, for the first time in ages while on that treadmill - It's going to get played again today.

TOTBL is, and will remain for me, a pip and a dandy and not much comes close to it. It has probably been my most played LP for a decade (competing heavily with The Decline of British Sea Power that came out about the same time).

[pqsm]

I heard Obstacle 1 on radio at some point in late '03 it catch my attention because of the guitars! the lyrics and Paul's unique voice! but i didn't know it was interpol at that time.. never heard O1 again till antics came out. Heard slow hands and was intrigued/very impressed, so I bought antics, that was the time when i began listening to alternative/indie rock bands (2004/2005). Antics totally made my summer of 2005. Evil, C'mere, NEJ, Narc, Public Pevert were in heavy rotation on my cd player. So i looked into their other work, saw the Obstacle 1 video and recognize the song that i've heard before and bought TOTBL as fast I could get. I fell in love with the band by just watching O1 video, I was just hooked, to hear that and then find the first album was amazing. Pretty much changed my whole music taste after that, and got a little too obsessed. :blush: Ever since that day, they have been my favorite band.

[bubbleK]

I remember reading about Interpol and TOTBL in late 2001. It was an article and interview with the band on Tentaciones (former cultural magazine in Spain) in which the journalist drew the typical Joy Division comparison. Though I liked the interview and what was written about the band, after listening to a couple of songs back then they didn't catch my eye (or ears). I guess it wasn't the right time for me. It wasn't until early 2005 that one night I was about to go to bed really late at night, and I was making some hot chocolate and by inertia I switched the TV on and came across one of these music video programs (not MTV) and suddenly there it was the image of this puppet singing right to the camera. And though the volume of my TV was really low that tune and that puppet got me completely hooked. Needless to say it was "Evil". Coincidentally or not, the following day speaking with my sister, whom back them lived in the UK, she mentioned something about a band from NYC she really liked and a song she couldn't take off her mind. And that was "NARC". And suddenly it all fitted. That was the right time for me, when I felt that Interpol music was speaking to me. So I just got hold of TOTBL and Antics. And since then I've not found yet a band whose music I can relate in the same way as Interpol.

[pilot wren]

my first Interpol song was Evil and I was petty fond of it. But then I clicked on the PDA video and i was vacuumed off my feet. I remember I listened to this track several times a day and would never get tired of it. I fancied the video cuz it was so different and avantgarde and was crazy about those cool sunglasses. a coulple of days later I started highschool. I listened to Leif Erikson on my way to school and i was so blithe i did not talk all day. The End :)

[elfyz]

Thanks visualinfidelity for starting this thread. I like reading your stories. I realize I have never shared my story except with my best friend because she understands, I guess. Here on the board we share the same intricate bond with Interpol so let me tell you how it started.

The first time I heard Turn On The Bright Lights that was in August 2002 before going back to school. I had heard of Interpol because they had attended La Route du rock festival in a city near where I live in the Summer of 2001 and I had read an article about them in a local newspaper. I didn't attend the festival though, that was a nightmarish year on personal ground.
When TOTBL was released a year or so later, I read an article about it in the same local newspaper and I was attracted by the photo along the article. I couldn't take my eyes off Daniel, that was the beginning of a passion! Bewitched! :wub:
I went to the Virgin megastore in my city, Rennes, and I spotted the album. You could listen to it on a 'machine' and I stood there with these headphones too big for me and I pressed « play » and... when I heard the first notes of Untitled I couldn't believe my ears. The music talked to me, I understood its language, I was moved into another world, everything was transparent around me. I was alone in this place, standing, listening to each track, frantically pushing « next », I couldn't stop smiling, I could have cried. I woke up ! took my copy of TOTBL, walked fast to the register, ran to my car I couldn't listen to CDs in my car, then rushed at home to get my discman (! :lol: ) and played TOTBL a thousand or more times.
I will never forget how I felt when I first heard Turn On The Bright Lights. The title itself is linked to my experience. It was like something had lit up in me and that put me on fire! And the fire still burns and my emotions are intact when I listen to each and every track of TOTBL.

Sequel: I then wanted to know more about the band and started searching the net for information. Also Interpol is the first band I've discovered by myself, I mean usually my brother, my cousins, my friends would recommend me to listen to this artist or that band but Interpol is my band, I consider they are my band!
"What is it you like listening to?" "Interpol." "Interpol? I've never heard about them. What kind of music do they play?" "Uhm where shall I start...?" "Oh you are the ultimate fan." And that's how I am known as the Interpol girl ^_^

[Slap Shot]

I had already heard Antics and went out and bought a copy. I let it sit for a while and was in the basement of my new house doing some painting. I decided to finally give it a try as I was painting my media room and was fully struck by the first moments of the first song. I actually put my brush down several times to revel in the enjoyment of the record and it's one of those, "I remember when" moments I'll never forget.

[tercat]

Yeah. I definitely had some of those moments with Interpol when I first heard them. I mean, that's what it was like--the music made me stop what I was doing... what I was thinking. It demanded my attention.

[rose_mary]

My husband (at that time boyfriend) bought the vinyl when it was released in 2002 and said I should listen to it http://www.interpolnyc.com/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/wub.gif
But it took me until september 2004 to fall completely for them: when I saw them live for the first time.

[interpolMOD1]

2000/2001. My friends in a band knowing I was a huge Joy Division fan said "You should come to a show" and the rest was history.

[alscai]

This is how the older generation gets acquainted with music, lol: My kids were playing Rock Band, the first version. There's an odd-sounding version of PDA on it, and my oldest, who's a music fiend, kept saying "oh PDA is so good," and "you should listen to interpol." Eventually, I got the songs "PDA" "NYC" "Evil" and "Obstacle 1" downloaded to my ipod. I know this will sound like blasphemy, but I've never really loved "NYC" and "Evil" that much, even though I can recognize them as good songs. I also got "C'mere" "Heinrich Manoeuvre" and a couple of other songs.

I still wasn't really that into it until I overheard my daughter playing the actual TOTBL album and heard "Untitled" for the first time and thought that sounded really intriguing. At that point, I had to hear the whole album and was hooked. Leif Erikson, Say Hello..., Hands Away, Obstacle 2 etc. are amazing. A little over a year ago the whole family went to see them, and we were all on the front row. One of my best concert experiences ever, even though the bass was, sadly, not even close to Carlos D standards.

[taiwwa]

I distinctly remember watching MTV one night and seeing two interesting music videos come on. One was either the Neptunes or a metal band called the Suplecs, and the other was interpol. I wrote it down in a notebook to check them out later.

I finally got around to listening to TOTBL maybe a year or so later and was amazed at the instrumentation. And the weird thing was, I kept on listening to it, while for music I typically would listen for a few days and then get bored, TOTBL had this weird staying power, like there was always some little part of the songs that were interesting, and listening to each song you could follow each band member's distinct part and it was interesting.

[jsundheim]

A friend of mine had mentioned something about Interpol to me back in 2002 and literally within a few days while surfing around the channels on TV I happened to come across this video. I was (and still am) a huge Joy Division fan and all of the favorable comparisons to them as well as hearing snippets of Interpol's songs from the above mentioned video put me on the path to seeking out a copy of Turn On The Bright Lights. I found a nice brand new copy of it on CD at a record shop in Bethlehem, PA and pretty much fell in love with it as soon as I played it for the first time. It reminded me so much of all the great things I loved about late 70s/early 80s post-punk bands while also maintaining it's own unique modern indie-rock vibe. I loved it, and still do.

On a side note I can recall picking up Antics on the day of release. It was a cold a rainy day and I was very excited! I had previously seen Interpol live for the first time on the Curiosa tour and they played some tracks from Antics before the album was out. I love Antics, but I feel Turn On The Bright Lights is much better. Antics is a little too upbeat for me. Don't get me wrong though, I love Antics! It's just my least favorite of the 4 Interpol records. I remember being very happy the day Our Love To Admire came out and hearing Interpol return to more of a doom-and-gloom atmosphere that was more similar to Turn On The Bright Lights, plus I loved the synth and keyboard dominated sound of the record. Our Love To Admire is my 2nd favorite Interpol album.

Getting even more off topic... I picked up the self titled album on release day as well. I found it to be the hardest of their albums to initially get into but after about a week of listening to it -WHAM- it hit me like a hammer. I loved it and it really sank in. It is not my favorite Interpol record (as stated above that honor goes to the magnificent TOTBL) but it does contain my very favorite Interpol song, Memory Serves.

Ok. I'm done ramblin'.

[Bluest_Light]

I was in my room playing Halo when my neighbor/best-fucking-friend-for-life came rushing in. He turned my stereo on and said "you gotta hear this"