Questionnaire

R.I.P. Andy Warhol, You Would Have Loved ear

For Jonah Paz and Yaelle Avtan, it can just be magic all the time. The duo who make up the electronic music group ear supposedly got the idea to form their critically-acclaimed project from intuition. Little did they know, it’d be the first of many in a magical series of coincidences. Before becoming the latest breakout stars of laptop twee, Paz and Avtan were studying art at Bard College, and, by May of last year, when their first EP Fetish / Valley Serpent released, they had only played a singular show. Their debut album, The Most Dear and the Future, as well as their newest, Rumspringa, prove themselves to be further manifestations of what artists, fans, and publications alike can only seem to interpret as pure magic. The secret? The pair say they’re only in it for the art. To put that to test, we gave them the Warhol questionnaire. –SAHEIM PATRICK

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Do you dream?

PAZ: Yes.
ATVAN: Yes.

Showers or baths?

PAZ: Baths.
ATVAN: Showers.

Is there anything you regret not doing?

PAZ: I wish I had been a more respectful child.
ATVAN: I try not to regret.

What was your first job?

PAZ: Farm Assistant.
ATVAN: Cashier and store assistant at Michaels.

When do you get nervous?

PAZ: When I am not busy.
ATVAN: I try not to get nervous.

Why can’t it just be magic all the time?

PAZ: It is.
ATVAN: It sort of is.

Paz and Avtan performing

What did you have for breakfast?

PAZ: 6 Dollar Meal Deal Dunkin’ Donuts.
AVTAN: Hashbrown and egg.

What are you reading right now?

PAZ: I’m trying to read this Derek McCormack book, but I just can’t.
AVTAN: Illuminations.

Where do you dance?

PAZ: At shows.
AVTAN: In the bathroom.

Who’s your dream date?

PAZ: Do a lot of people say Jack Donoghue? Would he even be down..?
AVTAN: Gifted Hater.

What do you think about love?

PAZ: Awesome and beautiful and healing and it changes people.
AVTAN: Extremely significant beautiful force.

What are your beauty secrets?

PAZ: I’m not that guy, sorry.
AVTAN: Do everything yourself.

What’s your favorite movie?

PAZ: I’ve got a giant Lilya 4-Ever poster in my room. I like all of the Lukas Moodysson movies. Or Donnie Darko… I feel so bad for him and that girl he dates.
AVTAN: I’m not really a movie person but when I see a good movie it becomes my favorite until I see another good one. The last movie I watched was The Piano Teacher.

Paz and Avtan resting

Are you interested in furniture?

PAZ: I don’t really know anything about it. If I try I can picture the perfect chair right now in my head, though. Now I’m spinning it round in circles and changing its color and dimensions.
AVTAN: I always think about the perfect table. I feel like most are too tall or too short.

Do you have a TV?

PAZ: No.
AVTAN: No.

What do you love about New York City?

PAZ: My friends Mars, Luchia, Bella, Lisa, Rocky, Charlie, Scarlet, and Beatrice live there.
AVTAN: It makes me brave.

Do you keep a diary?

PAZ: Yes.
AVTAN: Yes.

Paz and Avtan performing

What are you most proud of?

PAZ: I like our songs so much.
AVTAN: I am so proud of my friends.

How many hotels have you been kicked out of?

PAZ: None.
AVTAN: None.

Do you get eight hours a night?

PAZ: No.
AVTAN: Rarely.