Interview with [Artist Name]

If you're into music of the nerdy variety, then surely you'll have heard of Bob Stanley, the brainiac behind clever pop outfit Saint Etienne. Last year they put out a very successful album titled 'The Misadventures of Saint Etienne' on the L'Appareil-Photo Bis label, which was actually a soundtrack to the British indie film 'The Misadventures of Margaret'. Despite his allegiance to a large variety of different artists and genres, one can't deny that Bob Stanley ultimately forges his own unique path. Beikoku: "What have you been up to lately? I noticed you were absent from Saint Etienne's recent tour of Japan." Bob: "Hmm, well the short answer is I was in the studio. But in general, I don't have much of a desire to go on stage. I've done some live shows in the UK but I haven't actually participated in a proper tour for five years now. Maybe I'm just too old to be a live performer. [laughs] While the others were on tour I was keeping myself busy in the studio writing songs for the new album and even some tracks for other people. In fact I wrote some material in the hopes that Francoise Hardy would take it on, but she didn't seem very interested." Beikoku: "I see. I heard Saint Etienne's American shows have been receiving a really exciting response, and yet you still don't want to take part?" Bob: "Oh, America is fantastic. All the shows have sold out there! Or so I've heard, I wasn't actually there as you know. [laughs] But speaking of America, we recently released something on the legendary Sub Pop label, which was just great. Sub Pop's image has changed a bit in recent times which meant they were able to accommodate a group like ours, and the people who run it were very nice to work with." Beikoku: "That EP you speak of is titled 'Places to Visit' and it came out in May of last year. One of the tracks ['52 Pilot'] was co-produced by Sean O'Hagan, who is of course beloved by indie fans for his work with the High Llamas, Stereolab and Microdisney. Was it fun working with him?" Bob: "Of course. I'm a big fan of his arranging skills. He knows how to get this really delicate string sound which I just find so lovely. It went so well that he actually went on to arrange five songs on the new record. The best way I can describe him is as an intensely musical person. In fact, here's an anecdote for you. On one of the songs we worked on, he suggested doing it in 6/8 to give it a 'free falling' quality. Pete [Wiggs] said jokingly, "Better yet, why don't we do it in 7/8?" And with absolute sincerity he responded, "That's a brilliant idea, Pete!" [laughs] So, yes, he is quite musical, and we've both turned each other on to music the other didn't know about. For instance, I'm proud to say that he was responsible for introducing me to a whole slew of great Brazilian singers. I believe the EP is also coming out soon as a 10-inch in Germany, on Bungalow Records." Beikoku: "Both that EP and the 'Misadventures' album had a very mellow, almost healing tone. I enjoyed them greatly, but there is a part of me that fears we may never hear another uptempo Saint Etienne track like in the old days." Bob: "Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the new album is a particularly mellow affair." Beikoku: "Why do you think you've been going in that direction?" Bob: "[a moment of reflection] Well, truthfully it's probably a byproduct of getting old. [laughs] It even reflects in the music I listen to, most of the records I've been spinning have been of a more gentle persuasion. I am cognizant of the fact that many of our listeners crave more straightforward pop like 'He's on the Phone' or 'Sylvie', and there's nothing of the sort on this new album. I do worry that people might not take to our new downtempo direction. The album comes out in March, so I guess we'll find out then. It's all quite minimal and mellow - I think our recent experience doing soundtrack work made us approach this album as being a bit like a soundtrack to an imaginary film. There were very particular 'scenes' I wanted to capture with some of the songs - for instance the feeling of looking out an airplane window as you arrive at the airport, or walking past a sleeping cat in a garden and trying not to wake it. I've been very excited by this concept of illustrative composing. Besides Sean, we also collaborated with this group based in Berlin called To Rococo Rot who also specialize in that same contemplative, minimal sound we've been pursuing." Beikoku: "I can understand your trepidation, but I think in a sense your dedication to following your muse makes you stand out in the London of today: the Millennium Dome, Tony Blair, overpriced 'gourmet' food, aspiring yuppies treating the place as the second coming of New York. And worst of all the music is dire. Surely all these developments must rub you the wrong way?" Bob: "You're not wrong. A decade ago I found it exciting to go to a different gig every night. Now it seems like there's an endless parade of boring indie guitar bands filling up the live circuit. [laughs] I guess that scene isn't meant to impress people like me anyways. I think ultimately London has become less insular, more 'international' if you will. The hit parade boasts loads of Europop like the Cardigans and various DJs, as well as American music that would have been considered inscrutable to the British public a few years ago. Luckily, we don't really see ourselves as a London group, anyways. We may be based there but very few of our fans are actually Londoners themselves - we seem to get most of our accolades from more far-flung places like Japan, America, Australia, Spain. Barcelona takes to us particularly well. They even voted us 'Best Live Group' at one point, which is rather strange. [laughs] Actually, a little while ago I was DJing in Spain and I happened to meet Bigas Luna, the director of Jamon Jamon. Since then we've been in talks about soundtracking his next film." Beikoku: "'Misadventures' was your first time doing soundtrack work, correct?" Bob: "Yeah, which was quite challenging for our first outing, considering we were asked to do everything in three weeks. But I remembered hearing that John Barry completed an entire soundtrack with a full orchestra in just two weeks, and then I felt we weren't in such a dire position. And I think we did a pretty good job even if the movie itself wasn't very well-received. They screened it at Sundance and then later at the British Film Institute, but it just wasn't a hit. I think it's very good, though." Beikoku: "You mentioned that recently your approach to composing music has become more like scoring a film, but I think since the very beginning Saint Etienne's albums have been described as 'cinematic' in tone. That begs the question, do all the members enjoy watching films?" Bob: "Oh, of course! The three of us go to the movies pretty often. Actually, I just saw this great Japanese film called After Life. It's pretty recent, it came out in, uh... let me check. [rummages through VHS collection] 1998. The music was excellent, too. I'd definitely recommend it." Beikoku: "Tell me about some of your favorite films." Bob: "My favorite director is Francois Truffaut, but I'm also fond of Alfred Hitchcock. And British films from the '60s. My favorite film would be Carol Reed's 'The Third Man'. As for film composers, it's got to be John Barry! He makes use of these strange-sounding chords that create such a unique atmosphere. Oh man, I recently bought the soundtrack to a movie called 'Boom!'. The movie stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor so you'd think it'd be a bit better remembered, especially considering it's based on a Tennessee Williams play and he actually came in to do the screenwriting himself. But in any case the soundtrack is amazingly beautiful. As you might be able to guess, I'm quite excited about the idea of doing more soundtrack work." Beikoku: "I hope you do! By the way, your passion for the medium reminds me that this particular issue of Beikoku-Ongaku is centered on what we call Nerd Boy Rock." Bob: "[laughs] What is that? It's not a very appealing name. [laughs]" Beikoku: "Do you consider yourself a nerd, Bob?" Bob: "I suppose so. Especially when it comes to vinyl records. My house is fit to bursting with music and movies." Beikoku: "Which leads me to my final question. In our magazine it's customary to ask our interviewees what their Top 5 Picks of the Day are. Not your top records of all time necessarily, just whatever you'd be most in the mood to put on at this very moment." Bob: "Alright, well, let’s see. [gets up and skims through collection] Okay, 1. Chad & Jeremy's soundtrack to 'Three in the Attic'. I recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the Zombies or Paul McCartney. It makes for great party music, too. I have most of Chad & Jeremy's discography but this one eluded me until recently, so I was very excited to hear what it was all about. 2. 'Maks' by Mak Les Soeurs. A Swedish girl group who in my mind gently suggest the pre-eminent punk scene in their exuberance. Also you’ll notice they're wearing pink jumpers on the cover which is just too cute. 3. John Barry's "Boom!" which we've already spoken about. 4. [growing increasingly flustered] God, there are just too many records to choose from! Maybe I'll flip through my 45s. Ah, here we go. 'Roller Coaster' by Disco Kid. It's a glam instrumental from the mid-70's - not heavy glam though, it's on the poppier side of things. To tell the truth I've been in the habit of collecting glam records lately. No one seems to write about them which makes them feel a bit enigmatic. 5. Finally, one more single, 'Together' by Harry Nilsson." Beikoku: "And that's all the time we have for today!" Bob: "Hang on a minute! I just remembered there's a folk singer who really impressed me recently. Her name is Anne Briggs. She never wants to go to the studio, nor does she seem interested in performing live outside of playing folk songs at the local pub. She just sings what she wants and where she wants - how amazing is that? She's not very social and I believe she currently resides in some Scottish caravan." Beishoku: "I'm guessing you'd like to meet her someday?" Bob: "Oh certainly, even if the prospect is a bit scary. On a similar note there's this folk singer named Vashti Bunyan who is similarly amazing. She lives in Scotland with her horses and dogs, and so that's all she sings about. It's an almost kitchen-sink level of realism that I find fantastic, I just love the idea of recording your life, as it were, so genuinely."