Jamming!, September 1983: Difference between revisions
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''I would never, even though I'm personally unemployed, have guessed that "...And In Every Home" was about unemployment, if I hadn't read the NME interview... | ''I would never, even though I'm personally unemployed, have guessed that "...And In Every Home" was about unemployment, if I hadn't read the NME interview... | ||
Yeah, that was deliberately... you see, I think there are plenty of other people that write very specific songs about social problems, in very, very bold, very cold terms, and do it very well. They have a kind of relationship with the audience which allows them to do that, like Paul Weller, and UB40 to some extent at the height of their powers, anyway. And it's not a relationship that I've ever cultivated — I've never pretended to be | Yeah, that was deliberately... you see, I think there are plenty of other people that write very specific songs about social problems, in very, very bold, very cold terms, and do it very well. They have a kind of relationship with the audience which allows them to do that, like Paul Weller, and UB40 to some extent at the height of their powers, anyway. And it's not a relationship that I've ever cultivated — I've never pretended to be a Man Of The People. I'm an individual — I'm not masquerading as Joe Ordinary, so I think it would be really pretentious of me to try and write an anthemic song for the downtrodden people, which a lot of writers try to do and look really stupid. | ||
''To try and write something which even they will understand ... | ''To try and write something which even they will understand ... | ||
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''How much of a role do The Attractions normally play, then, in how the songs sound on the records? | ''How much of a role do The Attractions normally play, then, in how the songs sound on the records? | ||
It's hard to say, really ... I come along with an idea of the general rhythm, and sometimes that's the way it goes, and everybody works out their parts, like, Bruce and Pete work out a rhythm pattern, which you have to do to propel the song. Bruce is very good on harmonies, he's not just a good rhythmic bass player. In fact, his strength is really the melodic lines that he thinks of; he often adds really interesting notes which help bring the melody out. Steve is an excellent musician, he's capable of all that as well. Then sometimes I'll bring a song along, and I've got the idea of the rhythm, but it won't sound right, so we'll play nine different arrangements, you know! We'll play it as a tango, play it as a waltz, play a reggae arrangement, and we go through all the comical arrangements! Sometimes you might hit on something really interesting; more often, you come round to some variation on the original idea. The trouble with ''Imperial Bedroom'' was that I took a lot of the vocal ideas to an extreme: I was working with just Geoff Emerick in the studio, and making a lot of the production decisions myself. | It's hard to say, really ... I come along with an idea of the general rhythm, and sometimes that's the way it goes, and everybody works out their parts, like, Bruce and Pete work out a rhythm pattern, which you have to do to propel the song. Bruce is very good on harmonies, he's not just a good rhythmic bass player. In fact, his strength is really the melodic lines that he thinks of; he often adds really interesting notes which help bring the melody out. Steve is an excellent musician, he's capable of all that as well. Then sometimes I'll bring a song along, and I've got the idea of the rhythm, but it won't sound right, so we'll play nine different arrangements, you know! We'll play it as a tango, play it as a waltz, play a reggae arrangement, and we go through all the comical arrangements! Sometimes you might hit on something really interesting; more often, you come round to some variation on the original idea. The trouble with ''Imperial Bedroom'' was that I took a lot of the vocal ideas to an extreme: I was working with just Geoff Emerick in the studio, and making a lot of the production decisions myself. That's my only criticism of ''Imperial Bedroom'': I'm really pleased that I did that record, it has all of these almost experimental ideas on it; but a few of the songs are maybe over-developed. They'd gone past the point where they were good, and I got bored with them, and did something else to them, and it wasn't always a good thing. | ||
''Do you think that the other media, apart from the press, have treated you reasonably well? | ''Do you think that the other media, apart from the press, have treated you reasonably well? | ||
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With TV ... well, we don't really have a relationship with TV! The only way you build up a relationship with them is by having lots of hits! I think that overall, television does treat pop music rather shabbily. Pop music programmes are all shoved on at dodgy times, or they're given tiny budgets ... | With TV ... well, we don't really have a relationship with TV! The only way you build up a relationship with them is by having lots of hits! I think that overall, television does treat pop music rather shabbily. Pop music programmes are all shoved on at dodgy times, or they're given tiny budgets ... | ||
''You think that's still the case, even with the new ones on Channel 4? | ''You think that's still the case, even with the new ones on Channel{{nb}}4? | ||
I still think there's a way to go. I think they are getting better; just the fact that there's more of them, means that hopefully there has to be more exposure for bands. I think it's good that there are magazine programmes where you get live bands ''and'' videos; I wouldn't like to see an innovation like MTV, the American system where it's just 24-hour videos. Musicians are an uninteresting bunch of people to look at anyway; loads of people miming to their records, over and over again over the space of 24 hours — I think it'd drive you right round the twist, to watch it! | I still think there's a way to go. I think they are getting better; just the fact that there's more of them, means that hopefully there has to be more exposure for bands. I think it's good that there are magazine programmes where you get live bands ''and'' videos; I wouldn't like to see an innovation like MTV, the American system where it's just 24-hour videos. Musicians are an uninteresting bunch of people to look at anyway; loads of people miming to their records, over and over again over the space of 24 hours — I think it'd drive you right round the twist, to watch it! | ||
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''This is something that Siouxsie and the Banshees have touched on in about three or four songs; people idealising a foreign country, and imagining it to be like heaven ... | ''This is something that Siouxsie and the Banshees have touched on in about three or four songs; people idealising a foreign country, and imagining it to be like heaven ... | ||
Yeah, well, what's worse is when it's some place that you're talking about going ''back'' to; as if it were The Homeland. People do it all the time, I think; I'm sure people that are abroad from England do it; but certainly Irish people do it. Lots of nationalities do it, and sometimes it's a positive thing, it sustains you, but I'm writing the song about the negative side of it, because it builds up a lot of bigotry. The last verse goes: ''"But late on in the evening, through the tears and fol-de-rol / Come the sentimental feelings for the lure of vitriol / Longing thoughts go hankering for the old home overseas / With a blindfold and | Yeah, well, what's worse is when it's some place that you're talking about going ''back'' to; as if it were The Homeland. People do it all the time, I think; I'm sure people that are abroad from England do it; but certainly Irish people do it. Lots of nationalities do it, and sometimes it's a positive thing, it sustains you, but I'm writing the song about the negative side of it, because it builds up a lot of bigotry. The last verse goes: ''"But late on in the evening, through the tears and fol-de-rol / Come the sentimental feelings for the lure of vitriol / Longing thoughts go hankering for the old home overseas / With a blindfold and a National Anthem sung in different keys"'' So obviously I've got Ireland in mind more ... not to take one side or the other, just the nationalism on both sides. Idealising any country is going to lead to grief. | ||
''Do you still feel that the extreme right in this country is a serious threat? It seemed you did around the time when the "Rock Against Racism" thing was quite big ... | ''Do you still feel that the extreme right in this country is a serious threat? It seemed you did around the time when the "Rock Against Racism" thing was quite big ... | ||
Yeah ... I think they've made such fools of themselves that only people of very limited intelligence give them any credence anymore. The thing is that they had a kind of caravan rolling at one time which looked rather dangerous. But I don't think you can ever write people like that off, because when you least expect it — and when things get very grim for everybody — it's very easy to persuade people who are easily persuaded that "''These'' people are the cause of all your problems". It's easy to manipulate the public using those kind of arguments; I think you've always got to be on your guard for those people, and never give them the chance to gain a foothold. I don't think there's perhaps quite as imminent a danger of them taking hold of a lot of people's lives, the way it appeared about four years ago; but all the time there is that feeling- and there's an underlying racism, not just against black people, but against lots of races in this country — inherent in the national character. It really came to the fore during the Falklands War. If they'd been Germans, or something — well, not the Germans, because we hate the Germans as well! But if they'd been Canadians — if it had been the French Canadians it wouldn't have been so bad! But they were ''dagoes''! | Yeah ... I think they've made such fools of themselves that only people of very limited intelligence give them any credence anymore. The thing is that they had a kind of caravan rolling at one time which looked rather dangerous. But I don't think you can ever write people like that off, because when you least expect it — and when things get very grim for everybody — it's very easy to persuade people who are easily persuaded that "''These'' people are the cause of all your problems". It's easy to manipulate the public using those kind of arguments; I think you've always got to be on your guard for those people, and never give them the chance to gain a foothold. I don't think there's perhaps quite as imminent a danger of them taking hold of a lot of people's lives, the way it appeared about four years ago; but all the time there is that feeling- and there's an underlying racism, not just against black people, but against lots of races in this country — inherent in the national character. It really came to the fore during the Falklands War. If they'd been Germans, or something — well, not the Germans, because we hate the Germans as well! But if they'd been Canadians — if it had been the French Canadians it wouldn't have been so bad! But they were ''dagoes''! That's the attitude! It's like, go and kill the wops! All that "let's bash the Argies" attitude we saw in the papers — there's no doubt it had a lot of sympathy with people, you've got to accept that that's part of certain peoples character. The extreme Right can mobilise that kind of ignorant bigotry, because it's in a lot of people. | ||
''It was very clear that the "Falklands factor" played a tremendous part in boosting Thatcher's popularity ... | ''It was very clear that the "Falklands factor" played a tremendous part in boosting Thatcher's popularity ... | ||
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More touring! | More touring! | ||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
'''In the weeks since the interview, I've had the chance to get properly acquainted with ''Punch The Clock''; and I can only say that I think that's a chance you should take, too. Elvis Costello continues to shine, to confuse, to excite and to frighten; and I hope and believe that he will still be doing so for some considerable time to come. As he says; even in a perfect world where everyone was equal, he'd still own the film rights — and be working on the sequel ... | |||
{{Bibliography notes header}} | {{Bibliography notes header}} | ||
{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = Jamming!, July 1981 | |||
|next = Jamming!, July 1984 | |||
}} | |||
'''Jamming!, No. 15, September 1983 | '''Jamming!, No. 15, September 1983 | ||
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{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! cover.jpg|360px | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! cover.jpg|360px]] | ||
<br><small>Cover.</small> | <br><small>Cover.</small> | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 15.jpg|360px | |||
<small>Page scans.</small><br> | |||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 15.jpg|360px]] | |||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 16.jpg|360px | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 16.jpg|360px]] | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 17.jpg|360px | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 17.jpg|360px]] | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 18.jpg|360px | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 18.jpg|360px]] | ||
<br><small>Page scans.</small> | <br><small>Page scans.</small> | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 02 bb.jpg|360px | <small>Photos by [[Bleddyn Butcher]].</small><br> | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 01 bb.jpg|360px]] | |||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 02 bb.jpg|360px]] | |||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 03 bb.jpg|360px | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 03 bb.jpg|360px]] | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 04 bb.jpg| | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! photo 04 bb.jpg|250px]] | ||
<br><small> | <br><small>Photos by [[Bleddyn Butcher]].</small> | ||
[[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 04 clipping.jpg|x120px | [[image:1983-09-00 Jamming! page 04 clipping.jpg|x120px]] | ||
<br><small>Contents page clipping.</small> | <br><small>Contents page clipping.</small> | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://www.ijamming.net/Jammingmagazine/Jamming!Magazine2.html ijamming.net] | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20141016110718/http://www.ijamming.net/Jammingmagazine/Jamming!Magazine2.html ijamming.net] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamming 1983-09-00}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Jamming 1983-09-00}} |
Revision as of 19:06, 25 March 2023
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