Your next album is Journal For Plague Lovers, and I understand that
it will feature a lot of Richey's lyrics. So, are they like, about stories?
Themes and such?
Nicky: It's just brilliant! I mean, that's the reason we're doing it.
Especially in this day and age, where we've begun to have a lack of
focus on words. And words are what we grow up with, whether it's The
Clash, or Echo & The Bunnymen. We actually think that it's intelligent
and exciting words. I don't want to give too much away. [Laughs] But
the words are just astounding. We used to write together, which was
really wonderful, intimate and intense. Something that I really miss
And it's just nice to sit back and work with these words again.
Could you give us a clearer indication of the themes involved? At least
at little?
Nicky: I think they're all really relevant, and they really fit, especially
in the current climate back home, so it resonates. But it's not all
gloom and doom, you know? They're got a lot of surreal humor too, and
a lot of references that you might not get unless you research them
and all. I think there's something more humane about it, a more human
role.
I know you can't speak for the rest of the guys, but how did you feel,
having to unearth his lyrics again, especially when you were so close
to Richey at the time?
Nicky: To be honest, they were ingrained in me anyway, and he left them
to us, and I always knew they were good. Especially in Send Away The
Tigers, I think we made sense of ourselves as a band again, justified
our existence. And it was also the most successful release in a long
time. The music just flowed. It was inspirational to read those words
again.
Was it bittersweet for you?
Nicky: Not really, no. Maybe bittersweet
in the sense that we
all miss him. He was a great artist, and a close friend.
You guys have been around for quite a while now. So how do you keep
the music-making process fresh?
Nicky: There's a lot of thought behind it, to be honest. I think we
can all pretend to throw it all together, get into a studio and bash
it all up. But I think there's actually lots of conversations, lots
of ideas and themes. A lot of bands fail because they just carry on
and think that it's all going to be alright. I think we're lucky because
some albums have sold millions and some have sold nothing at all. So
we've seen the ups and the downs, and I think that keeps you grounded.
I think it helps a lot because you appreciate the good times more. And
that's why we enjoyed making Send Away The Tigers so much, more than
the other records. It made us feel alive again.
Do you think your older albums have aged well?
Nicky: I really don't know. [Laughs] I think Generation Terrorists just
sounds unbelievably young, when we were 19/18. When we wrote the songs,
the lyrics were naive and James' voice sounds like a choirboy, it was
so pure! But I'm glad it was like that, you know? Because when you're
young, you need to make mistakes.
You're turning 40 next year in January. So have you accomplished
everything? Or is there something else that you want?
Nicky: Ahhh
don't remind me. [Laughs] I hate birthdays. It's just
one more day closer to your death. I've never been a big birthday person.
I always thought the band would have been finished by now, I must admit.
We've been really productive, I think, compared to some other bands.
This is our 9th studio album. We've put out DVDs, played in Cuba and
the Millenium Stadium. I think we've managed to cram a lot in alright.
Having won the God Like Geniuses award at the NME this year, is it the
highest point of your career? Or are you looking to conquer anything
else?
Nicky: It was definitely a high point. Because we grew up with the NME,
got our sources of music, music literature. And then, twenty years later,
to win that award? I mean, The Cure's got it, New Order too, and I think
The Cure has won it again this year. It's just being in the company,
I mean. The Brit Awards are great and all, but that's just for record
sales. Whereas the NME stands for something bigger. Just something cultural.
It was quite an emotional day for us.
Are there any albums that you actually regret making? Other than Generation
Terrorists...
Nicky: Oh no no! I actually bonded with that album, it's just that it's...
young. [Laughs] It makes me feel bad because I'm so old! Well, I think
we've made mistakes along the way. Know Your Enemy could've been better,
and Lifeblood's got some of our best songs but it's kind of colorless
and passionless. We nearly pushed ourselves over the cliff with Lifeblood,
because we became a band that no one really recognized.
As a father, would you say you're a disciplinarian, or a liberal?
Nicky: I don't know. Really. It's the hardest thing in the world, and
I would never preach to anyone about parenthood. Everyone's got to do
it their own way, and it's much harder than any other job as well, but
it's extremely rewarding. If they could have the same childhood that
I had, which was brilliant, then I'd be really happy.
Do you agree that all the best music comes from Wales? From Duffy to
Tom Jones, to yourselves
And so many others. Even for opera!
Nicky: Yeah, I think there is something undeniable about singing that
is in our tradition. It's kind of a quiet tradition where everyone just
grows up singing. I think we were also the first kind of rock band to
come out of Wales in a long time. That redefined everything as well,
and became critically acclaimed. I think Duffy's got an amazing voice.
Wales is a really great musical place to come from, and I really enjoy
that.
Why did you guys decide to cover Rihanna's "Umbrella?" I mean,
is it like a personal favorite of the band, or something?
Nicky: Sometimes you just got to bow down and realise the genius of
some pop records. It's not necessarily that I'd go out and buy a Rihanna
record. But yeah, sometimes you just got to say that someone's made
a great pop record. And it's just enjoyable to do a cover of it. There
are lots of such songs that I enjoy, by the way. ABBA, or the odd Take
That song, you know? Or anything my daughter likes. Sometimes you just
got to go out and enjoy it.
Any new ideas for future cover songs then?
Nicky: There's a track called "Be My Baby" which Lenny Kravitz
wrote for Vanessa Parody. With the real kind of Motown vibe. James really
loves that track. Big drums, strings and all.
What's the weirdest thing you've ever read about yourself in the
papers?
Nicky: So much. [Laughs] But I don't have a computer, although my wife
does. I'm totally illiterate. I've still got a typewriter. I think the
internet in general has followed much more untruths, than truths about
me. It's quite depressing really. Journalists and magazines get about
80 or 90 percent right, which is all you can hope for. But sometimes
the wild streak of the internet does scare me. There's nothing you can
do about it - no recourse. And especially today. Every interview I've
done since today. Make one mistake and it'd be all over the next day.
It's much harder to be in a band now than it used to be. You've got
to be more reserved. Stuff I used to talk about 15 years ago, you just
can't do it anymore.
But would you also say that the internet has helped the Manic Street
Preachers gain new fans by spreading the word as well?
Nicky: I'm not anti about it. It's just a different generation. I just
find it hard to get excited about it. I like tactile things. But yeah,
I'm sure it does. What it's done is form a community of people around
the world who have similarities, so that's kind of good.
You're like Noel Gallagher. He doesn't touch the computer, doesn't
even have email.
Nicky: I've never sent an email in my life either. But I don't think
it's poison. I'm just too old. There're other things I want to do in
my life than to learn to work the computer. Maybe 20 years ago, who
knows? Sean is our electrical pioneer. He's so looking forward to going
into town today to see if he can find anything new. He's desperate.
Finally, what's the most important lesson you've taken away with you,
in your years in the industry?
Nicky: I think it's the friendship betweem James, Sean and myself that's
more or just as important as the band. Like many other bands, we've
known each other a long time - since we were 4 year olds. I've been
in the same class in school with James, university with Richey. And
Sean and James are cousins. I think if you can be friends before you're
in a band, that makes things so much better. There's no ego, and you
know each other too well. We always find a way to work through our creative
tensions by talking, and now that we've all grown up, we all kind of
share the same sensibilities.
words from www.mtvasia.com
pix from R*E*P*E*A*T archives 1991-2008
by Steve Bateman, Phil Rose esq and Rosey R*E*P*E*A*T
Look here for more
|