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| Photo credir: Hennessy Artistry |
๐ข “Well, that's the challenging equilibrium you try and strike every time you make a new record: trying to push the boundaries and limits of your sound without repeating yourself. You have to try to do something new, exciting and fresh with the band's sound and play with the band's conceived identity, but at the same time not disregarding what makes you uniquely 'you'.”
๐๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐?
๐ข “I think so! The greater the body of work, the more difficult it becomes to write a fresh song; it becomes a lot more challenging. As far as longevity is concerned, I think if you look at the careers of the likes of The Cure or Depeche Mode - I use those examples because they both released albums this year, 30 years into their career - well they've made music, since day one, purely on their own terms, unaffected, unconcerned by trends, movements and fashion in music. They followed their own path and stuck to their guns, and I think that's why they're still making records which are still worthwhile listening. We're 15 years in, and that's where I'd like to be in another 15. It's not like we have any other options; we're basically unemployable, you know, so this is it.”
๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข'๐ฆ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐, ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ง๐. ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐๐๐๐ฅ?
๐ข “I started looking back on my career around the time of Meds [fifth studio album, released in 2006]. As a lyricist I thought I was using a great deal of gimmicks. For example, the whole chemistry/medicine cabinet routine that is Commercial for Levi or a song title that screams 'Look at Me!' that is Nancy Boy! I made a decision that I wanted to stop using gimmicks and address the bigger questions in more everyday language where possible, and try and simplify it, I suppose. Say more by saying less, that's kinda the trip I'm on right now.”
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| Photo credit: Scarlet Page |
๐ข “Everybody who writes wants to write stuff that's timeless and doesn't date, really. I think you have to be very careful if you want to do that. You have to tap into the spirit of the age but at the same time write something that transcends it. I don't think that using incredibly culturally specific language enables you to do that. So, I'm trying to transcend that and write something that can stand up to the music that I grew up listening to. Take Leonard Cohen, for example. There's a universality in his music and a simplicity which makes it appreciable and meaningful in any decade, any century really. I think that's what I'm trying to do, hopefully in some way making a difference.”
๐ช๐๐๐ฅ๐'๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง?
๐ข “Right now I'm just wondering how the hell am I going to survive the next two years of this touring schedule and pull out of this in one piece.”
๐ข๐ก ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ'๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ, ๐๐ก๐ ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฌ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ข๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ. ๐๐ข๐ช ๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐?
๐ข “It's good to have an intelligent person running one of the most powerful countries and someone who generally cares. I'm less sympathetic towards the economic problems that exist right now than some people might be, because I have never been able to understand the whole culture of living beyond your means. I mean, I've been unemployed for a long time, I've been homeless, I've slept in train stations and I didn't spend money that didn't belong to me. So I find it difficult to be incredibly sympathetic with the culture of avarice that has got us into this position.
The other thing that annoys me about this whole focus on our economic woes is that nobody is talking about the environment anymore, and if anything is going to get us in the ass, it's going to be that. The hole in the ozone layer is still there, 20 years after they discovered it, and it's getting bigger and bigger, yet this isn't news. I want to be involved in the world. I think it comes from being a parent; you want to try and contribute to make a place for your children to grow up in that's hopefully a little bit better than where you were. Unfortunately, it seems that we are heading straight towards some form of environmental armaggeddon, and perhaps we deserve to go the same way as the dinosaurs for our treatment of the planet.”
(The Skinny, November 24th 2009)
Post by Silke
