An Interview with Joesolo (3/4) by Nick Quantrill

(1/4), (2/4), (3/4), (4/4).

The idea is that you email me your address and I send you a CD. You then make a donation at your own discretion to one of the charities listed. I have my costs covered and I'm trying to actively encourage the redistribution of any excess wealth. I could just take your money and give it away myself, but this way it encourages you to give directly and you get to choose who benefits. Of course you could just order a CD and not make a donation, laugh at my politics and call me a c***. But then....I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!!!

Both Joesolo albums are the ultimate in solo productions in so much as you write, play and produce everything. Is this a policy that you're going to pursue on the next record or can we expect something different?

The next album is going to be different again. I'm co-producing this time with David Foy who was the lead guitarist in Lithium Joe. Four of the songs will also feature a full band, two will have a drum machine and three will be just acoustic. I didn't want to repeat myself which is the danger when you're releasing records so regularly. David has experimented with dance music so his ears will hear ideas mine don't. I want each album to sound distinctive and carry different themes.

The next one is called 'USandTHEM' and is based around the cultural relationship we have with America and Americana. I'm really pleased with the songs and I'm hoping it's going to be that great record I've been promising everyone I'm going to make one day. It seems that you pay particular attention to the lyric writing aspect of music. It seems to be a definite strength. Is this the most enjoyable part of the process for you?

Definitely. I spend hours poring over the words to make sure they're just right, that they work on two or three levels, that I've got as many internal rhymes in as possible, that I've got it as close to poetry as I can. I hate lazy lyricists. You'll often catch my swearing at the radio then I hear all those 'ocean/emotion' 'fire/liar' 'stay/pay/way/lay/may' bastards passing this shit off as a days work. Great lyrics can be written down and work as poetry outside of the context of the song, and that's what I aim for. A good lyricist can paint you an unforgettable picture in as little as eight lines.

Bob Dylan is the master. When you look at rock music before Dylan it was all 'Baby Baby' stuff but he just shuffled up and changed the rules overnight. Joni Mitchell too.

Songs like For Free or The Last Time I Saw Richard are true genius. Strummer was a fabulous writer and I'd group him and Shane MacGowan together in that they are very literary. There's Blake, Orwell, Lorca, Conrad all lurking in the shadows. Some of their songs are like entire history lessons. I learnt more about Franco and the civil war from Spanish Bombs than I ever did in school, because the lyric tantalised, it made me want to pick up a book.

Continued ...Next Page

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