Interpol, the Band
Interpol plays post-punk indie rock, influenced by the likes of Joy Division, The Chameleons, and Mission of Burma. They're currently one of the next big things in music, or so say some critics.
Members
Daniel Kessler - Guitars/Vocals (1998-present)
Carlos Dengler - Bass Guitars (1998-present)
Paul Banks - Guitars/Vocals (1998-present)
Sam Fogarino - Drums (2000-present)
Greg - Drums (1998-2000)
Interpol the band formed in New York City in 1998, when the group's members got together as the result of some lucky coincidences. Daniel and fellow NYU student Greg were friends, Daniel then met another NYU student named Carlos, and Daniel ran into a guitar-playing friend he'd met in France by the name of Paul.
The band began writing and rehearsing in 1998, but waited until early 2000 to start playing gigs. Right around this time, drummer Greg decided to leave the band, and was replaced by Sam. With Sam, the band began playing popular New York clubs like Brownie's, the Mercury Lounge, and the Bowery Ballroom.
In 2001, Interpol released a four song EP, Fukd I.D. #3. They then began touring in the U.K., where they caught the attention of BBC radio's John Peel and were invited to do a radio session. Interpol would release another EP, entitled Precipitate, by year's end. By then Interpol's well crafted songs had been getting the attention of many indie rock labels.
In April 2002, Interpol signed with one of the largest indie labels, Matador Records, and shortly thereafter began work on their first album. In August, the album Turn on the Bright Lights was released to much fanfare. Interpol sounded like old veterans. No part of the album sounded forced, the band plays like they've been together 10 years, and there is no filler. The only detracting factor is that it sounds eerily like a mix of Joy Division and the Chameleons, but hey, they do it just as well as those guys, so who cares?
Lately, Interpol have been busy touring and getting noticed by some industry big-timers, getting a feature on MTV.com's Indie section, and being played by Moby on his MTV show, Senor Moby's House of Music. Interpol has also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and Last Call with Carson Daly. Sasha Gabba Hey adds that Interpol, like the Strokes, sound just like their CD when playing live and are quite the snappy dressers.
Discography
Sources
All Music Guide http://www.allmusic.com/
http://www.matadorrecords.com/interpol/biography.html
Interpol, The International Criminal Police Organization
The International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol as it is commonly referred to, began in 1923 and is headquartered in France. The shortened version of the name was used only in telegraphs until 1956, when the organization adopted it into its new name, International Criminal Police Organization-Interpol, or ICPO-Interpol. Interpol only handles international crime.
Interpol was founded to assist in the investigation, capture, and extradition of criminals in its currently 181 member countries. While Interpol is extremely important in the fast-paced modern world, it is rarely discussed in the public and receives little attention from the media. This is perhaps due to the fact that Interpol cannot engage in activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character. This means that, unlike domestic U.S. law enforcement and intelligence, Interpol generates little controversy.
While Interpol has focused much of its attention on catching terrorists, it also works on cases involving organized crime, drug trafficking and production, illegal arms, money laundering, financial crimes, computer crimes, trafficking in human beings, and, of course, the ever-present danger of football hooliganism.
Interpol basically functions like a domestic law enforcement agency, issuing wanted notices and bulletins, and hosting forensic services, and psychological profilers. Interpol collects information round the clock in four primary languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, and connects law enforcement from its member countries. Interpol, however, does not send agents to investigate crimes - rather, the National Central Bureau shares information with its members, who follow up with the investigation.
Interpol costs over US$28 million, financed by annual dues from member nations adjusted according to GNP.
Interpol consists of the General Assembly, a governing body of delegates that meets annually, and the Executive Committee, which supervises the execution of General Assembly decisions and the Secretary General's work. The Executive Committee consists of thirteen members, including a President, four Vice Presidents, and eight delegates. Since Interpol covers five continents, the President and each of the Vice Presidents must each belong to different continents. The President is elected for 4-year terms and the vice president for 3 years. The current Interpol President is Jesús Espigares Mira of the Spanish National Police.
The Secretary General serves as the chief executive and senior full-time official of Interpol. He receives a nomination from the Executive Committee and is elected to a five year term by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. His responsibilities include managing the General Secretariat, where the day-to-day operations are run, and implementing decisions of the General Assembly and Executive Committee. The current Secretary General is Ronald K. Noble, who is the first American and the first non-European to hold the post.
In 2001, almost 400 people worked for the General Secretariat. Over 100 police officers and 300 civilians also worked for Interpol in 2001. Out of over 7000 wanted notices issued in 2001, over 20%, or 1400 people, were arrested.
Sources
http://www.interpol.int/