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MARCH BLOG - PART II
The cover shot for the record is by the photographer Valerie Phillips (from her book 'Monika Monster, Future First Woman On Mars'). What made you chose that imagery?
NW - we were just sitting around in Stir Studios one day. I'd been fishing around in my library the night before, someone at the record company had said that we needed something iconic, something like Primal Scream would use, which has never really fitted us - it fits them but not us. I found the book and the imagery seemed iconic in a much more modern way. We've had a connection with Valerie for years, she shot the cover of 'Motorcycle Emptiness'. Her first ever photo session was us, in James & Sean's bedroom back home. They were some of the best shots ever of us, Richey up at Pen-y-fan Pond. I'm really into fate, into serendipity at the moment, and I seemed to be guided towards her book in my house. I took it into Stir the next day and everyone just seemed to think it was the right choice. James spotted the cover picture straight away. As soon as Martin, our manager, called her up she was on board. She's been offered loads of money from big corporations to use this particular book and she's always refused.
JDB - I think one of the valid comparisons we've always thought of for ourselves with The Clash is that we've always wanted to work with a very small collection of people, be it a producer or a photographer. We just hadn't seen Valerie for a long time. The fact that Nick was looking at an individual piece of work of hers that fitted the sentiment of the record, as he said, it's just serendipity.
SM - we hadn't seen her within that time and within minutes of meeting up again we'd reconnected.
Talking about reconnections, you're back working with Dave Eringa again here, although the record is mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, in much the same way that 'The Holy Bible' was overhauled by his brother (Tom Lord-Alge).
JDB - Dave really wanted to do the same things that we did. Dave is the person who has produced our only two number 1 singles ('Tolerate' and 'Masses Against The Classes'). In a strange way, the ambition that we had matched the one that he had. He wants us to be a marquee band again. It was like we'd independently arrived at the same point.
NW - I don't want to be disingenuous to Dave but for the first time in a long time were well rehearsed, we knew what we wanted, we weren't looking for a producer with ideas. That's nothing against Dave, he added loads, but we were fully realized as a band, we had a real deep focus.
JDB - Dave wasn't being quite so egotistical, he wanted us to sound a bit like Mike Hedges era Manics. He didn't mind following that type of inspiration.
NW - we were well played, well rehearsed. We always had the idea of someone else to mix it as well. Chris Lord-Alge was always this dream choice for us, a mixer who would give us this final sheen of FM rock that the record needed. Now, Dave wants all his records mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and Dave is very precious about mixing, he hates people getting their greasy paws on his records.
JDB - it's a strange bit of serendipity again, we've always had the template of 'Malibu', the song by Hole. Most of the album ('Celebrity Skin') is mixed by Tom Lord-Alge, but just that track, which has always been all of our favourite, is mixed by Chris. We didn't realise until the other day. It's kind of weird because that kind of power, that kind of crunch, that molten quality to the sound, that was what we were trying to achieve. You could never call Chris a subtle mixer. He didn't once try to make things more subtle.
The album couldn't really sustain much more at that level of intensity, at around 35 minutes, it's the perfect length.
NW - we did scratch around trying to find the mythical 'Small Black Flowers' moment. We really went round the houses and in the end it didn't need it. We also edited as we went along. We dumped songs before we even got into the process. We knew which were the best songs so we thought 'Let's not fanny about'. 'Lifeblood' we had about 27 fucking songs. It was ridiculous.
JDB - I think sometimes you convince yourself that if you've done something before that it's easy to achieve again. It's not. There is a lot more dark science involved. We assume that just because we came up with 'Small Black Flowers' before that we could do it again and that's just not the case. Dark forces guide you sometimes. There's a tiny bit of voodoo there. If it's not happening, just because you've done it before doesn't always mean you can do it again. We just made a decision that we couldn't force that 'tender' moment. There isn't much tenderness on the record, I must say...
NW - there's a bit of mournful melancholia..
'Underdogs' seems like it's written with the fans in mind, in the same way 'You Love Us' and 'Masses Against The Classes' could be said to. How important is it to project specifically with the fans, to make a connection, which very few other bands seem to do?
NW - it is really important. You never stick with a band unless you make a real, deep connection. I think those two had it with Echo & The Bunnymen for a while. I probably had it with Whitesnake, then the Smiths. It leaves an indelible scar.
JDB - also it's a connection with our past. A lyric like 'Underdogs' has a strange symmetry, it connects with what we were when we were very young. We realise that the song is kind of written about how we were when we started out as well.
NW - coming from Wales, you're just naturally an underdog.
Talking about looking to the past, your 20th anniversary as a band must be coming up soon?
JDB - we should take that from when we wrote our first song really.
NW - I always consider 'Motown Junk' as when we started.
SM June 88 'Suicide Alley'. We should re-release it.
JDB - then people would realise that we stole the verse of 'Suicide Alley' for the chorus of 'Little Baby Nothing'
NW - It's recycling. It's ethical.
At the end of the Lifeblood tour you said that people wouldn't be seeing you for a couple of years. Solo records followed within 12 months, recording for SATT started almost immediately. What is it with the Manics work ethic?
SM - just not enough on the TV I suppose.
NW - it's a kind of clichéd thing to say but it's creativity I suppose, a genuine urge...
There's a line in 'Autumn Song' which goes "Born to destroy, born to create" which is very much us. Creation and destruction very much go hand in hand.
JDB - I missed the conflict of being in a band. In a good way. Missed the conflict of disagreeing about certain ideas, then finding the concensus and writing a song, especially after doing the solo thing - I was like 'The Man With Two Brains', having arguments with myself. It's brilliant to argue and then be forced to do things, that kind of organic conflict gives rise to creativity.
NW - there's also a bit of a "garden shed" complex. Recording and being in a band is the most luxurious escape for a bloke, the best garden shed experience that one can have. I think we all need it, it's our solace.
Live wise, does Springsteen-esque epic sets mean you'll go on a voyage of discovery through Meic Stevens back catalogue ala BS's Pete Seeger sessions? What can people expect from the gigs this time round?
NW- this is where Sean gets nervous...
SM - we'll play for an hour and a half then Nick will do the next hour, solo.
NW - the idea behind that was that we are going to play loads off the new album but not one of those cunty bands who go "We're not playing the hits." It's just going to be a long trawl through the old stuff as well as the new stuff.
JDB - take the word trawl out...
NW - I hate it when you get bands going out and they just refuse to play any of their old songs, that's all.
JDB - it's just admitting that we've always had a really strong rock'n'roll entertainment ethic. I know Springsteen is being mentioned in connection with a lot of people at the moment and he's always been a valid artist but he has always been a corny motherfucker too. He's always walked that line between incisive commentator and an entertainer.
NW - we are talking a lot more 'Born In The USA' than 'The Ghost Of Tom Joad'.
What's each of your favourite Cardigans song?
NW - mine is 'Holy Love'. One of my favourite songs ever written, the lyrics are amazing.
JDB - 'Erase and Rewind'. Between that and 'For What It's Worth'.
SM - mine is 'Communication'. I love the guitar solo in it, it's so simple.
Was Nina Persson the only choice of singer on 'Your Love Alone'?
NW - she was.
JDB - surprisingly, cos it was Nick's choice, from writing it. I don't know if you wrote it with her in mind?
NW - I did, yeah.
SM - the question was never "Is she the right person?" it was always "Will she do it?" and if she doesn't what are we going to do?
NW - there were a couple of back up ideas. James worked out straight away it really suited her range
JDB - 'Little Baby Nothing' was a one shot as well. Martin Hall had the idea
NW - funny Martin coming up with a porn star
JDB - it's very rare when that kind of thing happens.
NW - We were used to people telling us that these ideas couldn't work. People were afraid to even ask Chris Lord-Alge. When we did the Greatest Hits ('Forever Delayed'), I really wanted Elton John to redo 'Little Baby Nothing'. I just wanted to try something like that. You end up getting quite scared of asking people. The fact that she seemed keen really early on when we sent her the demo, her management came back saying she was a fan of the band...
JDB - at the end of the album sessions in Ireland, I got on the plane to New York from Shannon airport, met up with her and her husband, who used to be in Shudder To Think, I can%u2019t remember where their studio was, but he recorded her in five takes, then I was on the plane back home. One of the easiest things we've ever done.
The album features songs called 'Indian Summer', 'Autumn Song' & 'Winter Lovers' which season is truest to the Manics?
NW - it used to be winter for me but my body can't take it anymore..
JDB - he's fucking gone and deserted me, I'm the only winter lover left now.
NW - it's autumn for me..
JDB - summer for you, you fuck!
NW - September, its my favourite holiday time
JDB - why were you so fucking miserable in September then?
Sean?
SM - it's all the same fucking season nowadays anyway. I'm a constant throughout the year..
NW - a constant fucking misery.
Final question, a proper Myspace blog moment - the mood in the Manic Street Preachers camp at the moment is...
JDB - feels like the disconnection of the training camp
NW - training camp is good. It feels like training at the moment. And it can only get worse.
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