Let’s Talk About Snacks: Girl Talk
Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis, is no stranger to snacking. Being on the road for over 100 shows a year will keep anyone intimate with the art of grabbin’ a quick bite. Gillis, however, seems to have an affinity for snacks that many other globe-trotting musicians may (foolishly) try to avoid. Much like his music, he’s a fan of classics and experimentation, and has even gone so far as to feed the majority of his audience after several of his shows. We got a chance to chat with Girl Talk about his favorite snack, above-average sammies, and what he calls G-Man’s Snack Mix, his own snack mash-up.
First off, a very basic and important question: What is your favorite snack?
Nachos Cheese Doritos. Classic.
Are there any snacks you straight up won’t eat? If so, what has tainted these snacks for you?
I’m pretty open to most snacks. I will avoid candy corn and circus peanuts though. I can’t remember if I was ever into them, but I don’t think so.
Being on the road must lead to a ton of snacking opportunities. What’s a popular tour bus/backstage snack staple?
Andrew Strasser, who has done all of my album art and tour visuals, is excellent at making sandwiches for everyone. He’s a snack renegade, an innovator. I would suggest a future interview with him. His sandwiches range from basic to exotic. He uses all possible ingredients on the bus. His skill extend beyond sandwiches. His signature move is turning any dish Thai.
Are there any specifc snacks that have made it onto your tour rider? What’s the most unorthodox snack you’ve tried to include on your rider? Do most promoters come through with them?
On the larger tours, a good chunk of the rider is dedicated to the crew. Some of those guys like more specific health foods, stuff I really don’t even know about, but most promotors come through with all of their weird shit. Personally, I like it to keep it basic with the rider. I save my more detailed snacking for truck stops.
We like to explore snacking possibilities that others might not consider, sometimes combining several packaged snacks into one. A mash-up of sorts. Have you ever made snack mash-up? If so, give us a breakdown of it.
I was trying to develop a signature series for a while, G-man’s Snack Mix. I specialize in doing my own Munchies-style snack mash-ups. It varies everytime, but something along the lines of Flaming Hot Cheetos + TGIF Bacon and Chedder Chips + Fritos Honey BBQ Flavor Twists + Planters Salted Peanuts + Gold Fish + Cheez Its + Lays Chiptole Ranch Chips + Andy Capp Hot Fries + Slim Jims.
Also, on the tour bus, we typically have a large stock of lunch meats. There’s nothing wrong with putting some of those on any given chip.
Finally, using any style of crushed chips on a sandwich is cool.
You once gave away something like 400 pizzas during your Lollapalooza performance last year, as well as purchased Taco Bell for an entire audience in Pittsburgh. Do you think audiences are always ready to chow down after a Girl Talk show? What snack would you give out at a GT show that you haven’t yet?
You need a few minutes to cool down before feasting. But when I go out, I usually like to cap the evening off with some food. My goal is to eventually provide an audience with a lobster dinner after a performance.
Was your family heavily into pre-packaged snacks when you were young, or did they lean more healthy? Tell us about your fondest childhood snack memory.
It really wasn’t extreme in any direction. We did a good amount of pre-packaged snacks, but I would guess it was pretty normal.
I remember having a great time eating both Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch Doritos while watching America’s Funniest Home videos as a kid. When I was little older, I got really into Spaghettios, microwavable corn dogs, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
