Jan Werner
One-half of the German experimental duo Mouse on Mars.
EVENT: Mouse on Mars plays at Graceland on Sat June 23 with Vert and Kinski.

Is rock and roll dead? "Rock and roll doesn't mean anything to me. It's a different culture, maybe. Maybe it has all been done with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, yes."

How do you feel about being called "post-techno"? "It's maybe even more stupid than 'post-rock.' But I like that because it's raising up questions, you know? People don't know how to take it. It doesn't really mean anything. So people accept 'post-techno' less than they accept 'post-rock,' which is what I like about the term 'post-techno.' But what does it mean?"

I don't know. Do you find the term "Krautrock" offensive? "All these things, like 'post-techno,' refer to something that has been done or defined. And I feel like I'm doing something now and here, and I don't feel retrospective. I don't feel like referring to something that has been done. All the dead bodies make the ground that you live on--that's just the way it is. And all this culture that has disappeared is maybe your history, but that's not what we stick to. We stick to what we have now and can grab now and here."

I actually mean because you're German. Do you find the term "Kraut" offensive because you're German? "[Laughs] Ahhh, that's okay."

Do you think you're smarter than much of the audience that's out there for electronic music? "Most questions after the concert are, 'What kind of software do you use?' But I don't blame anyone who comes up, because he doesn't know that hundreds of others have asked before him. Maybe he should think that it's a dumb question--but, a couple people have come up and said, 'Can I ask a dumb question?' Or they give us CDs and tapes of stuff that they make, which I like because it means that they kind of trust in what we do. That's nice. I take that as a compliment. And that's good."