Mango Starr: Hey man! I'm Mango from Tiny Mix Tapes, an online dating/music magazine.
Brian Wilson: Dude, I know you! I'm a big fan of your writing. That one story you did on Death Cab? Brilliant.
Mango Starr: Thanks, thanks. I'm really excited for this interview. Your publicist says I only have 10 minutes though...
Brian Wilson: Ha, yeah, sorry. As they say where I come from, "Less do dis!"
Mango Starr: Okay, so tell me about grapes.
Brian Wilson: Well, grapes grow in clusters of 6 to 300, and can be crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green and pink. However, "white" grapes are actually green in color, and are evolutionarily derived from the red grape.
Mango Starr: Interesting. Go on, please!
Brian Wilson: Mutations in two regulatory genes of white grapes turn off production of anthocyanins which are responsible for the color of red grapes. Anthocyanins and other pigment chemicals of the larger family of polyphenols in red grapes are responsible for the varying shades of purple in red wines.
Mango Starr: What about seedless grapes?
Brian Wilson: Seedlessness is a highly desirable subjective quality in table grape selection, and seedless cultivars now make up the overwhelming majority of table grape plantings. Because grapevines are vegetatively propagated by cuttings, the lack of seeds does not present a problem for reproduction. It is, however, an issue for breeders, who must either use a seeded variety as the female parent or rescue embryos early in development using tissue culture techniques.
Mango Starr: Wow, that's crazy. I'd like to be a grape breeder someday.
Brian Wilson: Hahaha! Whatever, dude...
Mango Starr: What do you mean?
Brian Wilson: Well, being a grape breeder takes a lot of work. It's not like writing a silly news story. It takes "real" work, you know?
Mango Starr: Ahh, I could see that...
Brian Wilson: Anyhoo, I have to bust. Sorry to end this early. But I'm assuming you're publishing this as a "news story," so it's probably already too long.
Mango Starr: Good point. Anyway, you have my number!
Brian Wilson: Indeed! Expect a ring-a-ding soon!
Tourdates (via BrooklynVegan):
