Their music calls to mind a groovier, psychedelic time of doe eyes and go-go boots, of Playboy Centerfolds who displayed tan lines and pubic hair. Make no mistake, though. The songs of Dean & Britta are timeless.

Dean Wareham, former frontman of Galaxie 500, started Luna in 1992. The native New Zealander and his successful band recorded a total of seven studio albums and played their final shows in early 2005. Britta Phillips replaced the bassist partway into the band’s existence, turning out to be not only an integral member, but Dean’s true love, as well. Most females who lived through the Eighties will recognize Britta as the singing voice of the pink-haired cartoon character JEM. She also stole the show in the film Satisfaction (co-starring Julia Roberts, Justine Bateman, Liam Neeson, among others).

In 2003, Dean and Britta released their first collaboration as a duo, “L’Avventura,” an album of covers and duets produced by Tony Visconti (Bowie, T. Rex). “L’Avventura” was recently re-released on the pair’s own record label, Double Feature, and includes bonus tracks from the “Sonic Souvenirs” EP, which are remixes by Sonic Boom. Their dreamy second album, “Back Numbers,” was also produced by Visconti, and released on Zoe/Rounder Records on February 27, 2007.

Dean & Britta have scored several films, most notably Noah Baumbach’s “The Squid & the Whale.”

Their most recent endeavor was “13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests,” a project commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Screen Tests are silent film portraits that Andy Warhol shot at the famed Factory between 1964 and 1966. The subjects – both famous and anonymous – were visitors to Warhol’s studio. The live show was a multi-media presentation, where Dean and Britta performed onstage with their band (comprised of Anthony Lamarca and Matt Sumrow) while the Warhol films were projected overhead. Although the tour just wrapped up, 13 Most Beautiful… is now available on DVD*.

As if it wasn’t enough to cram two tours into one year (the Andy Warhol gig as well as separate D & B stuff), co-head a label, and make guest appearances on friends’ albums with his lovely wife, Dean has also been busy promoting his new novel. Published by Penguin, Black Postcards is a delicious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the music industry.

In between globe-trotting with Dean and rallying for various causes, Britta squeezed in some time this past October to provide fantastic answers to my random questions.

Britt Warner: As a child, what did you dream of being when you grew up? (And would that child have been satisfied with the career you ended up pursuing?)

Britta Phillips: I wanted to be a veterinarian (I really wanted to be Dr. Doolittle). I was very shy (my sister was the performer), so I think I would have been very surprised that I ended up being on stage. Music was very important to me as a child, though (my father’s a musician), so I would have been quite satisfied, I’m sure.

BW: How old were you when you picked up your first instrument?

BP: I taught myself how to play piano when I was eight. I also started playing clarinet that same year.  But I started singing much earlier.

BW: Name some bands and musicians that were a big influence on you.

BP:  The Velvet Underground, Nico, Ennio Morricone, Giorgio Moroder, Stereolab, Spacemen 3, Dusty Springfield…

BW: Girls of my generation will kill me if I don’t ask: How did the role of JEM’s singing voice come about? Describe that experience.

BP: My dad was playing keys and synth on commercials back in the ‘80s and worked with Anne Bryant a lot. She was one of the songwriters for Jem, so he knew they were looking for a “real,” young, rock singer (as opposed to a professional jingle singer) for the voice of Jem, so he got me an audition. My dad helped me make a demo tape and move to NYC the year before, so I’m very lucky to have had his help and support.

BW: Indeed. Do you have any rituals or exercises for maintaining your vocals? I hear so many conflicting opinions out there about proper care and conditioning, but really, some of the best singers out there smoke a pack of cigarettes every day! Thoughts?

BP: I took voice lessons decades ago, but never kept up with the vocal exercises. I think the best way to learn how to sing is to try singing like singers you love. Not merely copying the way they sound, but how you imagine they might feel when they sing. I do like humming a bit before shows, though.

BW: Concerning Dean, what happened first: the relationship or the musical partnership?

BP: Well, I joined Luna first. Then came the relationship. Then came our collaboration on “L’Avventura.”

BW: There are those out there who couldn’t fathom working with their mate. Describe some of the pros and cons that exist when collaborating with the one you love.

BP: Musical connection is very important to me. It is the main way I connect and communicate. So, to find this nearly perfect musical simpatico with a mate is rather heavenly. The cons are that I can’t come home and ask him how his day was because I’ve been there with him all day.

BW: You’re nearing the end of the 13 Most Beautiful…Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests tour. Did you and Dean write music specifically for this project or were these a collection of songs that had already been created prior to being commissioned?

BP: Both. Some of it was written just for the project and some of it already existed. There is an obscure Luna instrumental that just worked perfectly for Dennis Hopper and “Knives From Bavaria” from L’Avventura for Jane Holzer.

BW: Have you enjoyed the tour? It seems to have taken you all over the world! What have been some highlights?

BP: It’s been fantastic being able to play this show all over the world. A real treat. Very different than the usual rock club tour circuit. We’re playing a lot of Art Festivals, museums…we played three nights at Eglise St. Eustach in Paris! That was definitely a highlight. Another was playing the Allen Room in NYC. Lou Reed came to that show. Meeting Mary Woronov in L.A. was also very cool.

BW: I bet! Aside from being a musician, what do you enjoy doing?

BP: The usual fun things: movies, books…I just got a bike since we’ve moved to Brooklyn, so that my newest thing. I love Anusara yoga, too. Sometimes I daydream about teaching it.

BW: Weird…I do, too! I’m not even kidding. What’s up next for you and Dean? Goals, dreams, time off?

BP: We are dreaming of buying the apartment we just moved into. It has a separate room for rehearsing and recording. My goal is to spend as much time as possible in there and as little time as possible on the computer and in front of the TV.

BW: Yeah, the computer is like an addictive, bottomless vortex for me. Anything else you’d like the world to know?

BP: That’s WAY too big a question. I was going to give a tiny response (like my favorite fruit), but now my mind is buzzing with existential propositions…buzzzz buzz buzzzzz…

*You can buy any of the aforementioned artistry at Dean & Britta’s website: www.deanandbritta.com.

• The Sonorus