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60 Seconds with….The Stranglers

Sarah Mitchell caught up with the Baz from The Stranglers getting ready for their their UK tour…birds, Neil Young and…Mozart?

[pullquote]are there any new ‘punk’ bands around today anyway? Who cares really…[/pullquote]

It’s been 30 years since Golden Brown hit the charts and your first tour started – you’ve been on the road for that long. What do you think you would have ended up doing if not music?

I genuinely don’t have a clue…I can only ever remember wanting to do this from around about the time I saw Status Quo on Top of the Pops in 1972…I was 8…I had a keen interest in birds(the feathered variety)in my teens, which I still do, and for a while thought about being an ornithologist.

In 1979, one of your managers suggested you should split up because you weren’t getting mainstream success at the time – what would you say to musicians trying to make it today?

It’s a hugely different business to what it was then, and success can come from so many different angles. All young aspiring musicians these days have an affinity with the internet which we never had, and they know how to use it…and far as music is concerned it’s probably one of the biggest technological leaps ever…so I’d say exploit that and what it has to offer…your music potentially has a ready made audience of countless millions and it can be out there as soon as you’ve recorded it.

What artists do you listen to and who inspires you?

I listen to an awful lot of music of all kinds and inspiration comes from everywhere to be honest…I’ve been listening to a local band who are friends of mine called Field Music who I think are amazing…great musicians and very imaginative music…and I still love Neil Young as much as I ever did too…

Your new album Giants is to be released soon, what is different about this album compared to your others?

It’s probably the most eclectic ever the band have made…yet it still sounds cohesive and very fresh…it took a long time to make, what with 1 thing and another, and I’m very pleased it came out sounding like it does…

You’re touring again in March – how do you think this tour is going to go?

I hope much like the other ones…mass hysteria and huge outpourings of affection heheh…We’ve got amazing fans and it’s always a great experience…looking forward to it very much…as always.
Is there more pressure when you play home gigs in Guildford?

Well I’m not from Guildford and apart from a handful of appearances at Guildfest we haven’t played there in the 12 years I’ve been in the band…but I’m expecting some fun…Pressure? Not on me…the others I don’t know about…maybe…

Do you think you work better with four members?

Definitely…it’s leaner…
Over the years you’ve been compared heavily to The Doors – do you agree with that comparison?

I can see it in certain aspects of our music sure, mostly with the keyboards obviously…but if you ask Dave Greenfield about his influences and style he’ll tell you that he never listened to the Doors…it was more Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson and Jon Lord…British keyboard players…JJ Burnel loves the Doors, a little surprising as they didn’t have a bass player…so maybe a bit of it crept in…

How do you think the punk music scene has changed since you started out? Do you think it is harder to compete as an older band or make it as a new one?

I think in many cases people want to come and see one of the bands that started it all…or at least were part of that original movement. The term ‘punk’ seems to be bandied around for any band these days with a bit of attitude and buzz saw guitars, and I think it’s just another convenient little box to put bands in for the media to be honest…I never saw the Stranglers as a punk band anyway…too intelligent and musical…but people have a need to know what they’re getting and so it’s easy to bracket a band for public consumption…are there any new ‘punk’ bands around today anyway? Who cares really…
If you could collaborate on a track with anyone – who would it be?

Dead; Mozart…alive; Neil Young…

Editor
Editor of LLR since 2005

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