rockyourlyricsHow do you usually write the lyrics of your songs?
Generally, I’ll have the music sketched out first, then the words kinda find their own rhythm amongst that.
The subject matter will generally be an expansion of something that’s recently come into my head, though mostly I try to write in a non subject specific way.
Not always possible or appropriate though. I make weird notes about things all the time.
My mobile is full of semi nonsensical bits and pieces of s##t that I’ll delve into every now and then.
They usually find a way into something or other.
What is the best verse you ever wrote?
F##k knows! When I write, I usually look back over it and ask myself if what I’ve ended up with is what I’ve actually wanted to say.
It’s easy to let oneself be tricked into writing some load of old shit just for the sake of making something rhyme or rhythmically fit.
It takes me a f##king long time to get stuff how I really want it.
So I suppose what I’d be happiest with is something that best represents what I wanted to express at the time.
In that respect, of the recent stuff I’d have to say most of “Scared to Die”. That was the one that took me from a very dark place and lifted me somewhere a lot better.
Probably the most satisfying.
And the one of your favorite song ?
I really don’t know. There are so many. And for me it’s totally dependent on how I’m feeling at the time. I honestly couldn’t give you a definitive answer to that.
Can you tell us more about the song “ Acolyte”
“Acolyte” stemmed from a song I originally wrote in the late 80’s. I revisited it this time round.
It’s a swipe at the hold that organised religion has over some of us and how we allow these archaic belief systems to have such devastating effects on one another.
What inspired “Black”?
“Black” is a celebration of those among us who have the courage to make a stand against the injustices of the world we live in.
The “anarcho-punk”, the free thinker, the “occupy” protester, the enlightened intellectual.
It’s for the band of people who still strive to make the world a better place.
Your new album “The Rising of the Lights” will be released soon, what was the most difficult moment in its preparation?
The whole f##ing lot of it!
We actually recorded most of it and binned it twice before we settled on the basic tracks that went on to make up the album.
And what we did end up with was about an hour and a quarter of material.
We then decided to edit down what we had and put one or two tracks aside for the future.
Of course during the process there were the inevitable line-up changes which continued to push things back until we eventually arrived at a point where things began to fall into place.
We’ve had a lot of stick from one or two people close to us about how long it seemed to take, but in all honesty I think if we had decided to say it was “finished” and ready anywhere before now, it wouldn’t have been the beast it has turned out to be, which is pretty much how we want it.
The vocals were pretty traumatic.
We parted company with Chris part way through the sessions and that left us with either finding someone else to do the job at that late stage or figuring out how to do it between us.
In the end it was a process of elimination and it seems I drew the short straw.
As the songs were written with someone else singing them in mind it was originally a bit of a head f##k coming to terms with playing the songs and singing them at the same time.
I’m gradually feeling more at home with it now though. Gimme another 34 years and I’ll be as right as rain.
Do you remember the day you wrote “Weapons of Mass Distraction”?
Not really.
Chances are the words were written at around 3 or 4am some time though.
That’s when most of my stuff comes together. I’m so easily distracted that unless there’s almost total fucking silence my mind will start to veer off into some tangent or another.
My final school report said, “Peter is all too easily distracted” and I think that has pretty much stayed with me throughout my entire life. I do remember feeling reticent about where it came in the running order of the album, and whether its ambient nature being so near to the front of things would kill the momentum.
But in the end we though, “F##k it!” No rules maaan!
It had to go there. We tried someone else on the dialogue originally to give it a different kind of vibe, but it didn’t quite work out and luckily Jimi was able to pull it together to make it what it is.
What music means to you?
It’s been pretty much my whole life.
Writing stuff, playing, arranging, recording, mixing. You name it. I can’t imagine my world without it. It still freaks me out when occasionally I’ll bump into someone who’ll say to me that they’re “not really into music”.
Whaaaaat? That just does not compute with me. I just don’t get it at all. There be dragons. It’s weird.
How can someone not be into music? It’s like food or something. What a f##king tortuous place it would be if somehow music didn’t exist.
What makes you happy in life?
Easy one – Riding my motorbike. (When it’s not fucking raining in England).
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