trying to understand it
is it a masterpiece…i am the last person to ask
it seems there is an oh so delicate balance
cant get any aspect wrong
then you wait for the zeitgeist
you may have to wait 20 odd years
for the next zeitgeist to come along
so be patient be very impatient
theres no sense
theres no rhyme or reason
i been making these weird yet wonderful records awhile now
i dont look gifthorses in the mouth any more
hey i’m on this bandwagon
and baybee let me tell ya
it feels kinda good
even tho i know
it may all end tomorrow
stop
bang
stumble
fumble
bumble
gone!
hey…come back…!
nope too late
now i gotta wait a double decade to come back into style
everybody got a different take
my mother rings me up
steven the singing on this record is your best yet!
damn right it is mum…im a slow learner
i had all those fancy lyrics
but i didnae know how to sing em…
some talk about the conciseness
the simplicity
the complexity
the melody
the instrumentation
let me tell you everyone who worked on this record
is excellent
dave trump who mixed about a 3rd : excellent
jorden brebach who engineered n mixed n played : excellent
sophie glasson on cello : fucking excellent cellist and intuitive master
frank kearns on bass n guitar n good vibes : a godsend
the boys in the band : theyre all masters
and then after all that
all my stars align
tim n i get our modus operandi sorted on painkiller
and we are sufficiently detached
to add the right finishing touches
i write whatever comes into my head
why pangaea someone asks
why not someone else replies
what are these songs about?
theyre about being a child in a grown up world
and vice versa
theyre about the sun and the moon and the washed up stars
theyre about 5 minutes long most of em
suddenly everyone understands us
is this because as 2012 hastens on its merry way
that the weird n the wonderful become more plausible?
is it because im singing more n more in a slightly higher register?
is it because we straddle dumb n intellectual effortlessly?
is it because if you like the beatles n floyd et al then
well why wouldnt you like the church?
no longer a sulky cultish mopish melancholy lot
we have turned into the consummate rockers
we understand and have the chops to manipulate
every fucking stylistic device in rock
we are obsessed with rock
we live n breathe rock
and we reflect all that good rock back atcha
with the love increased
with a modern touch
with my anglo/aussie take
as older n wiser wiseguys
because i do yoga n swim
n tim produces hundreds of bands
and pete teaches music
and marty is a true rocknroll gypsy
with a record collection too big to fit in rhode island
chuck it all together
with a hunger
the hunger of the misunderstood
the ones who arent getting their justified desserts
and then at the right time in the right place finally
we accidentally make u#23
random
like a meandering river
winding its way to the sea
it aint over yet
it could all fizzle
it probably will
n in some ways probably should
we dont need a fat lazy complacent church again
we dont need those arrogant smirks n cant be bothered shrugs
we need max energy
we need full thrust
we need total obsession n kicking goals
not by schmoozing
not by recycling utmw
not by doing the retro circuit or corporate circuit
but by
BEING THE BEST FUCKING BAND OF OUR TYPE REMAINING ON EARTH
i read we are influenced by u2 or coldplay or spiritualized
thats a fucking joke
oh how weary i am of that bullshit
r.e.m.?
dont make me fucking laugh
we had done 3 records before i even heard of em
the cure….are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?
baby here are my influences
the beatles the stones dylan
then
trex bowie genesis
then harley strange nelson foxx
then
it ends
then i swirl it all together
n i turn into me
dont compare me to bono
im the anti bono
hes rich
im poor
hes ugly
im handsome
hes a self righteous irish berk
im a righteous aussie mofo
and i dont hob nob with the fucking pope
and i dont hang out with models at airports
and
i made 2 records before i heard his maudlin voice too
so stick the comparisons up yer achtung baby
cant they see?
I AM ME AND NO OTHER
but still i dont know really what i’m doing
but we made a record in a garage in ryde
that is somehow pushing all the right buttons
and we’re actually on a load of charts
and people are calling up
going
ooooh i love yer new disc
n the snowball is off n rolling of its own accord
vishnu keep my feet on the ground
and
in the deep tranquilty of my yoga asanas
i truly realize
that
EVERYTHING IS BULLSHIT

sk