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Interview
by Jason Curtis for "The Cutting Edge" and "5fm" South Africa |
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| Jason: |
The past
three years have been sortof a "touch and go" period for the band....when
one reads the media and so on...how have you kept it all together?...especially
with Dave...I mean, I think from your side a little bit easier.. |
| Martin: |
Well...there
were times when it was very touch and go... but, you know, fortunately
, Dave has sorted himself out now....he's been clean now for eight months...and
when I say clean,its not only clean, he's clean and sober, he doesn't even
drink any more....you know...after he made that decision...made that choice
things became a lot easier and a lot more pleasurable for us. |
| Jason: |
And in putting
the new material together, did the break that you had...did that actually...was
it actaully harder for you to regroup and write? |
| Martin: |
Not really...uhm...i
mean i know its been four years since our last album...but that time went
by very quickly, we spent 14 months of that on tour....and that really
took its toll on all of us, so we definitely needed a break after that....i
only think I actually had about six months.... five to six months break
before i actaully started writing songs again...so it doesn't feel like
I had years off.... and you know....it takes us a long time to make a recordthese
days (laugh)....we like to make sure everything is alright...we were in
the studio again...funnily enough another 14 months....we had a few breaks
here and there for writing....but we have spent quite a lot of the last
14 months in the studio.... |
| Jason: |
And how
many songs did you actually go into the studio with? |
| Martin: |
Uhm...well
there's nine actual songs on the album with vocals and words....and there
are two instrumental link-pieces...there are a few other songs that will
make it onto future releases as extra bonus tracks...as 'painkiller' is
on the first release 'Barrel of a gun'...we've already recorded an extra
track for the second single....and i'm sure we will be doing a few more
extra tracks over the course of this year...i've got a few other songs
written... |
| Jason: |
And...you've
used some interesting people...from 'Underworld' to 'One Inch Punch'...did
these guys actually approach you to do the remixes or did you ask them? |
| Martin: |
No...i think
we just like to use people we find interesting...to try and put a new perspective
on what we've recorded in the studio...i'm really pleased with all the
remixes...i think every one of them is really very special... |
| Jason: |
Were there
any of these remixes that you actually had to discard? |
| Martin: |
Uhm...yeah...we
got a mix done by DJ SHADOW.... which is really good but he just used far
too many samples... you know...obvious vocal samples even......i mean there's
half a verse of some old R&B song happening over the top of 'Painkiller'
Heh-heh-heh!... and uhm.. we just didn't feel that that was ok for us to
put out because i'm sure we would have been sued to the hill! (laughs)....but
i think they're actually trying to clear all the samples now...and i think
that version of 'Painkiller' done by DJ SHADOW will come out on a future
release...because it is really good. |
| Jason: |
Going back
to the new material - does it reflect the last four years in between recording? |
| Martin: |
Uhm...in
a way i suppose so....i suppose, when you write, you write about things
that are happening around you at that time....alot of people seem to think
that i spend all my songwriting energy trying to imagine what's going on
inside Dave's head.... |
| Jason: |
Heh-heh! |
| Martin: |
...and uhm....that
really isn't the case...we obviously have a lot of 'points of reference'
because we've been in a band together for so long....and we come from a
very similar upbringing....i'm sure that Dave feels the songs very passionately
because...he knows what's going on inside my head as opposed to me trying
to guess what's happening inside his.... |
| Jason: |
Did anything
really change with the writing of the songs...putting the album together?
Did you feel that you wanted to try something new ...something a little
bit different on a lyric level? |
| Martin: |
Obviously
it has been a big change for us because...we lost a member in the four
years...and we thought there was a bit of a void there....and i think by
working with Tim Simenon on this record...we were able to fill that void
because he comes with a team....an engineer...a programmer...and a keyboard
player...and especially the keyboard player was very important for me...just
on a musical level....because Alan was always the so-called musician in
the band...he was classically trained...I'm sortof very self-taught...so
having the keyboard player there in Tim's team...and the whole team in
itself really helped us to fill that void...and it was a totally different
experience...and it was a totally different way of working. |
| Jason: |
Because
you previously worked with Flood on the last album.... |
| Martin: |
Yeah we
recorded our last two albums with Flood..and it was probably important
for us to move on and try something different..have a totally different
experience. |
| Jason: |
And you're
still using Anton Corbijn for the photography and all the videos...what
did he actually contribute this time 'round obviously to the album artwork
and the your videos? |
| Martin: |
Well...for
the first time ever...apart from the fact that he's done the video...obviously
he's done the sleeve as well...but for the first time ever he's actually
drumming with us! Heh-heh! |
| Jason: |
Really??!?! |
| Martin: |
Yeah (laughs)...he's
a photographer who's a frustrated musician...so...at the moment we've only
got playback-tv to do..so he's been on...its been quite good fun we've
had...we've had Anton playing drums with us, and we've had Tim playing
keyboards with us...so...its quite a nice little happy family we've got
going up on stage.(laughs) |
| Jason: |
And is Anton
any good as a drummer? (laugh) |
| Martin: |
<pause>...he
is good...i dunno if we'll ever use him when it comes to playing real live
tv..(laugh)...but...he's definitely atleast adequate for playback-tv! Heh-heh-heh! |
| Jason: |
I'm sure
he must have enjoyed that because that must have been a change for him....(laugh) |
| Martin: |
Well...for
Anton i think its a dream come true..those were actually his words! Heh-heh!
As i said he has been a frustrated musician...and i think getting up on
stage and playing with a band is something totally different for Anton...and
at the moment he's like a little kid... he's loving it at the moment! (laughs) |
| Jason: |
He's probably
gonna bug you should you decide to go on tour (laugh)... |
| Martin: |
Well the
thing that's worrying me is that...uhm...you know...for the next video...really...uhm..he
starts suggesting that 99% of the video should focus on the drummer! (laugh) |
| Jason: |
Heh-heh-heh-heh! |