Silversun Pickups' Love of Ewoks Will Endor

Silversun Pickups drummer Christopher Guanlao is a Star Wars fan to the bone, which might explain why he has a German Sheppard dog named Kashyyyk, an email screen name of Guan Solo and the claim that his drums "can make the Kessel Run in 11 parsecs."

It's apparent the indie band's popularity is quickly climbing the charts. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Silversun Pickups consists of Guanlao, Brian Aubert (guitar/vocals), Nikki Monninger (bass) and Joe Lester (keyboards). They released their debut Pikul EP in 2005, and a year later their full-length album Carnavas hit the shelves and impressed critics and hipster audiences during their live performances.

For Guanlao, seeing A New Hope in the theaters wasn't just a fond memory but in fact his first memory he can vividly recall from childhood. "I remember when I was 2 years old, going to see Stars Wars with my dad and cousins in 1977 on my birthday weekend," Guanlao says. "I don't actually remember the film, but I do remember going to it. My birthday is on May 25, so I feel a special kinship to the films since they are always released on or around my birthday."

As a youngster, Guanlao kept himself entertained for hours playing with his mass collection of Star Wars action figures, and vehicles -- which easily outnumbered his other toys. "At the time all I had were Star Wars toys," Guanlao explains. "I didn't grow up with a lot of different toys. I had maybe a few G.I. Joes, or a few Transformers. In fact, my band mate Brian makes fun of the fact that the only Transformers I had were Grimlock, Jazz and Cliffjumper. So my playing with these Autobot Transformers consisted of running after, running away or hiding from Decepticons, but not actually ever fighting them. But the one thing I had a lot of were plenty of Star Wars toys. Boba Fett was always the best figure to have. I also had an Imperial Guard that, if I remember correctly, you had to special order."

Now that Guanlao is an adult fan, he continues to collect for fun. "I think I collect now because I can," Guanlao says. "When I was younger, I always had to wait for my birthday or Christmas. Now I can do whatever I want, so sometimes it involves buying Star Wars stuff for no apparent reason. I did go to the Toys R Us at midnight when the new Star Wars toys were released for the prequels. I also collected a bunch of little trinkety stuff from fast food joints whenever they were promoting Star Wars -- like the cheap digital watches or plastic cups with Artoo's head as a lid. I have four or five plastic bins that are filled with Star Wars stuff! One of my favorite items in my collection is a teaser poster that says Revenge of the Jedi. I also still have my AT-AT that I got one Christmas that's still in my bedroom in my parents' house to this day. My copy of 'The Star Wars Holiday Special' is regularly viewed and cherished."

During his childhood on Halloween, Guanlao could be spotted going door to door collecting candy dressed as a cuddly Endor resident. "Once my mom made me this elaborate Ewok costume," Guanlao recalls. "It took her about two weeks to make. She got some pattern and really went with it. It was hot as hell. The cloth that she made it with was pretty thick and I added some pillows inside the costume to give my skinny frame a more Ewok-esque appearance. I thought I was the coolest Ewok!"

Years later, to celebrate the release of the prequels, Guanlao found himself in Star Wars garb yet again, dressing as one of the most fashionable, yet sly rogues in the Star Wars galaxy. "When The Phantom Menace came out, my band mate Brian threw a Star Wars party," Guanlao says. "Not a 'lets watch all the movies back to back' pizza party, but a real hardcore Star Wars costume party. I went as Lando Calrissian. I had this big afro wig and I wore a blue cape and glued on a mustache. I know the afro wasn't very PC, but it was all fun and games. There were some really detailed costumes that you wouldn't really think of. Like who wants to dress up as an Imperial commander?"

Then again, Guanlao is quick to mention that some of his band mates don't need a costume to blend in as their own Star Wars character. "Joe kinda looks like a sci-fi character when sitting behind those keyboards and samplers," Guanlao laughs. "He reminds me of Lobot with more facial hair."

To find out more about Silversun Pickups visit the band's official site here.

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