Character Interview
After Dark is a pop music father-daughter duo consisting of Quinn and Nadia Forrester. Since Quinn and Nadia are both vampires, and they appear to be around the same age, their mortal audience believes they are siblings.
After Dark’s interview for NOLA Today Magazine
NT: Quinn and Nadia, we are happy to have you with us this evening. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules. Quinn, you are quite the entrepreneur. Aside from your music, you own and operate three successful nightclubs in the French Quarter among other business interests. I’m told you are hands-on in your business operations, and you prefer to tend to the daily operations yourself, not to mention Vampyr is open 24/7. How do you do it?
Quinn: I keep the blood cells nourished for energy and get by on little sleep. I always ran Vampyr myself, but after I acquired two more bars, it got to be too much, so I had to hire a PA. I run Vampyr along with my lovely wife, Randi. We are always there at night. Since we do need some sleep, I have a wonderful bar manager, Stella, who has been with me for years, and she keeps things going in the daytime. Tristan Perrault is my business partner, and he manages Sarcophagus and Midnight Oasis.
NT: Is it true you met your wife, Randi, when you hired her to be your PA?
Quinn: (Laughs) Yes, that’s how it happened. We fell in love, got married, and now she’s my boss.
NT: A man as successful as you must be something of a control freak. How would you describe yourself?
Quinn: (laughs) Well, I like to be in control at all times.
NT: Of your business interests or people?
Quinn: To be successful in business, you must maintain control at all times. You have to know your business. That’s why I prefer to tend to the daily operations myself. I love what I do. Vampyr has been successful since we opened in 1990, and I like to take credit for that. As for people, you can guide them and offer advice, but you can’t control what they do, and I have no desire to do that.
NT: Nadia, would you agree with Quinn’s assessment of himself?
Nadia: I would say it’s accurate. I rarely argue with him because he is always right, and I am prone to take his advice because he is always looking out for my best interest. In spite of being successful, Dadd... uh, um, Quinn is always there for his family, and we love him.
NT: Quinn, your father was a famous rock star. We all know Quinn Forrester as the front man and lead singer of West Side. Even though we know he is alive, no one has seen or heard from the senior Quinn since his disappearance in 1989. How is your relationship with him?
Quinn: Very good. The music business didn’t work out for him, but we are in constant contact. We are very close as a family.
Nadia: That’s right. We are in constant contact with him. (grins) It’s almost as if he were sitting here right now.
(Quinn smiles)
NT: Nadia and Quinn, what’s it like performing some of those sexy duets with a family member?
Quinn: (Laughing) Funny you should ask. We cover some great songs. As for me, I’m singing to my beautiful wife, Randi.
Nadia: (Laughs) Yeah, and I’m singing to my hot husband, Chad.
NT: Nadia. You were recently married. I understand your husband is a minister, and if you don’t mind me saying, I’ve seen you perform onstage in some revealing outfits. It’s not exactly what we would expect to see on the minister’s wife?
Nadia: Yes, well, he's actually on a leave from the ministry right now, but, to answer your question, my husband is extremely open minded. He’s very supportive of me and my music and my wardrobe. (smiles) He’s my biggest fan.
NT: Quinn, Vampyr is a mainstream music club with a vampire theme that showcases the city’s finest musicians as well as After Dark. But Sarcophagus and Midnight Oasis are extremely different. Sarcophagus is dark and dingy with death metal music blasting while Midnight Oasis is like stepping back in time with classical music playing in the background.
Quinn: Yes, well, Vampyr caters to locals and tourists. We keep our doors open all the time, so it’s inviting to anyone passing by on Bourbon Street. We get a lot of business people in the evening who come in after work for happy hour. Later at night, they come in to listen to the live music. Early in the morning, we get a lot of night shift workers from the food and beverage industry that come in to kick back and unwind after work. We get a lot of tourists in the daytime who come in for a refreshing cocktail to get out of the heat outside. Sarcophagus and Midnight Oasis draws a more gothic style crowd.
NT: What is After Dark working on now?
Quinn: Nadia and I are releasing a new album with some new original songs written by us. It's our second album and we’re very excited about this project.
Nadia: Yeah, my sister, Amber, is going to be featured on it. She’s a country singer, so you can expect an eclectic mix. It’s going feature some classic rock, a little pop, and some country. We’re going to cover two great duets, “Close My Eyes Forever” and “Stay.” Quinn always plays piano on our songs, but you’re in for a treat on this album. Quinn is going to play guitar on a couple of the tracks. It’s going to be awesome!
NT: I can’t wait. It sounds great! Quinn and Nadia, I want to thank you for interviewing with me today. And I want to wish you the best of luck with your new album. Are there any final words you would like to leave us with?
Quinn: Thanks for having us. It was our pleasure. Stay tuned to our Vampyr and After Dark websites for news on our album release and shows.
Nadia: Thank you for having us. You can catch our show every Thursday at 10:00 PM at Vampyr on Bourbon Street.
