Carlos D on being in Interpol: ‘I feel like a survivor of PTSD’

Band's former bassist reflects on time in band and 15th anniversary of 'Turn On The Bright Lights'

Former Interpol bassist Carlos D has compared being in the band to suffering from PTSD.

Dengler parted ways with the NYC band before the release of the group’s self-titled fourth album in 2010. He has previously said that feeling bored while watching Coldplay was when he had his realisation he wanted to leave and that he left because he had “had enough of this fucking rock star bullshit”.

Now, writing an essay for n+1, Dengler describes his lifestyle during the recording of 2002’s ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’, which turns 15 this year, revealing that he had been on an “all-starch diet” and would take cocaine on the early-morning train ride to the studio.

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“Though I was one of its composers, I now feel more like a confused participant, or a survivor of PTSD,” Dengler goes on to reflect. “I’ve lived to tell the story of a plane crash that almost took place, and I’m still figuring out how I managed to pass the flight exam and get into that cabin in the first place.”

He also describes the anniversary of the seminal album as “a painful affair for me”, explaining: “I feel like I’m watching my kids graduate from college, but I haven’t been invited to the ceremony.”

“Neither the band nor their label has reached out to me for any official ‘Turn on the Bright Lights’related business, which is surprising,” he adds. “Even though today I remain, for better or for worse, estranged from my former bandmates, 25 percent of that album’s DNA is mine. At the same time, I’m not worried about Interpol’s legacy: I know it’s in good hands, and the anniversary will flourish without my input.”

Frontman Paul Bank previously said Dengler was ‘an asshole’ but ‘a genius’.

Interpol brought their ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ anniversary tour to London earlier in September. They played the following songs:

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Untitled
Obstacle 1
NYC
PDA
Say Hello to the Angels
Hands Away
Obstacle 2
Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down
Roland
The New
Leif Erikson
Specialist
Encore:
Not Even Jail
Slow Hands
Real Life
Lights
All the Rage Back Home
The Heinrich Manoeuvre
Evil

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