Music

"The Sex Song": Not TASTiSKANK's homage to Matthew McConaughey

By Kristyn Pomranz 

Satirical pop-rockers TASTiSKANK won the Jury Award for Breakout Performance at the 2007 HBO Aspen Comedy Festival and are YouTube stars with "The Sex Song," a harmony-laden tune cheerfully dedicated to the man behind "the worst sex I've ever had." But when B-Sides touches base with the erstwhile Broadway duo (Sarah Litzsinger starred as Belle in Beauty and the Beast; Kate Reinders played Glinda in Wicked), they just want to talk McConaughey.

B-Sides: How'd you two meet?

Kate Reinders: We were doing a show called Nerds — about the coming of age of Bill Gates — at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The first day I saw her, I went over and said, "Be my friend!"

Sarah Litzsinger: And I obliged.

KR: We were the only two girls in the show, so we immediately had something in common.

What was the evolution from Nerds to TASTiSKANK?

SL: Shortly after Nerds ended, Kate went to LA and she was like, "I'm booored. Come out to LA." So I went out there and we wrote our first song.

KR: We never set out to be a band.

SL: I play guitar and we were just messing around. But our friend said, "Keep playing! Kate, make up lyrics! Sing about something you love." Since we'd been to In-N-Out Burger every day, we wrote a song about that.

KR: Then we wrote a song about hydrocodone. We were like, "We wrote two songs! We're totally in a band!"

Have you considered a TASTiSKANK musical?

SL: You never know! It would probably be about two girls being unlucky in love. Or being stalkers because we're so in love.

KR: And we have a new song about how Matthew McConaughey should have his own holiday called "McConaughday."

When is McConaughday?

Both: It's every day!

KR: He's soooo hot.

SL: He may be having a baby, but if he's not hitched, he's still on the market.

KR: I think even if he was hitched...

SL: We never share men, but we'd have to for Matthew McConaughey. Have you seen Big Love? I mean, we're not Mormon, but we could convert.

KR: Why is he soooo hot?

What about his girlfriend?

KR: She doesn't speak English. She won't be able to read this. But clearly she's got other skills, so we're not knocking her.

Moving on. Sarah, you have an interesting St. Louis connection.

SL: Yeah, my great-great-grandfather is Philip Litzsinger. He built Litzsinger Road eastward from his farm to Brentwood. He eventually turned it over to St. Louis County under the condition that they name it after him.

But you're not from St. Louis?

SL: No, but I did Beauty and the Beast at the Muny.

KR: She was Broadway's longest-running Belle!

SL: And Kate was the best Glinda.

KR: See? We're each other's agents. We're best friends for real! In Nerds, people thought we were just acting. But we're like sisters, and I think that's what makes us work.

So what's next for TASTiSKANK?

SL: Maybe a video for McConaughday.

KR: We're hoping Matthew will make an appearance as a naked bongo player. He seems like the sort of guy who will do it. We have faith.

SL: We'd be bad Mormons.

— Kristyn Pomranz