BLUR INTERVIEW
http://www.dotmusic.com/interviews//February2003/interviews28312.asp
Fri 14 Feb 2003 15:20
BLUR INTERVIEW
by Chris Heath
Blur's Dave Rowntree broke the band's silence on their new album by
answering dotmusic's question via a secure online chatroom earlier today.
The drummer elaborated on rumours, quashed hearsay, made concrete
statements on the band's direction and gave us the most revealing
picture to date of the long-awaited new material.
So without further a do, read Dave's thoughts on...
On the guitarist drama:
"There isn't a new guitarist, Graham always was and always will be the
Blur guitarist and one of my best friends. We filled up the hole left
by the guitar with backing vocals and percussion. The backing vocals
became the lead instrument in that way. Simon (Tong) and five other
musicians have been hired for gigs and to make the live experience a bit
more like the record. Simon will bring his own style or have the most
miserable year of his life I can imagine."
On a Coxon comeback:
"Who knows what the future holds. We're all still friends."
On playing old tracks on tour:
"We've got plenty of plans but it depends on what the odd material sounds
like played without Graham. We will know better next week because we start
rehearsing on Monday."
On Norman Cook's apparent falling out with Graham:
"Norman is an old friend of the band and likes Graham a lot. Don't believe
anything you don't see on our website."
On their influences:
"Everything goes into the brain and it must all come out again somehow but
if I list some "influences" people will assume that the record will sound
like them - it doesn't. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, we don't sit
around in the studio waiting to be inspired, we just get on with it. There's
no better substitute for brains than fuel."
On the anti-war stance:
"That's just Damon, it's not a band position."
On the spirit in the band right now:
"Very up. It's easy to be optimistic when you've made a good record. It is
an album like no other as far as we are concerned. It is the best record
we have ever made by a long way."
On expectation for the album:
"We don't really make plans for how things will turn out but we were aware
that we had to make the record of our lives or people would write us off. We
did much more work than we needed to. We started nearly 40 songs and finished
nearly 30. There are several huge hit singles that haven't made it on to
the album. I say it sounds the most like 'Parklife' though it doesn't
really sound like any of them."
On the production duties:
"Norman Cook produced two tracks and the rest were produced by us and Ben
Hillier. A lot of songs went out to the leftfield before being reigned back
in afterwards. Two tracks stayed out there, the rest got produced back into
album tracks. (William Orbit) tried to do some additional production on some
tracks but it didn't work out.
"We asked (The Neptunes) and they said 'yes' but in the music business that's
a long way from it actually happening. In the end we didn't need them so we
saved ourselves a few quid."
On Dave's drumming:
"I tried to do more things than play a drum kit. I used a lot of electronic
and acoustic percussion but played drums as well."
On the African influence:
"I think we changed as people in Morocco but we were conscious of the
pitfalls of making a token 'Morocco' album. Damon learned to play the
guitar in Mali so the guitar on the album is recorded in that style. I
think Gorillaz had less of an influence. No one can play the guitar will
such naispazzyness as Damon. He should be hospitalised."
On the Britpop movie, Live Forever:
"I haven't seen it. I don't think Damon was very happy with his contribution."
On other Blur projects:
"I played on the Gorillaz album and I'm a fan of Mali Music. I also played
on Fat Les and toured with The Graham Experience. I rock as I said."
On rumours Phil Daniels is on the LP:
"Phil is always around. He pops up, says something lovely and disappears again."
On dance influences:
"It's Damon's apology for staying out late one night."
On where Blur be in 5 years:
"Don't scare me with the 5 years thing."
--
Life is a compromise anyway.
--
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