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I just came across this little diddy from the San Francisco Chronicle. Definitely not the best interview, nothing earth shattering but I have to chuckle at how some of the more... shall I say... idiotic questions just seem to bounce right off Tom. Anyway -
POP QUIZ: TOM ROWLANDS OF THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
Aidin Vaziri
Sunday, January 23, 2005
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So what if the Chemical Brothers didn't exactly succeed in taking over the world with their laptops, as predicted by clueless pop music critics like myself sometime in 1997? Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons made some fantastic techno records along the way, and they're funny to look at to boot. But failure is not an option. After grabbing a Grammy Award nomination for "Get Yourself High," the British duo is back with its fifth studio album, "Push the Button," with help from friends like Q-Tip, Tim Burgess of the Charlatans U.K. and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party. The sneaky Brits may topple the global infrastructure yet. We spoke with Rowlands by phone from London.
Q: Are you tired of people making you play until 1 a.m. every night just because you're a dance band?
A: It all depends on the night. If you don't have to do it week in and week out, then it's cool. We played in Spain over the summer and there you don't go on until 4 in the morning. That's just how things are done over there.
Q: Doesn't it throw off your whole sleep cycle?
A: Well, it can, but the gig is what matters.
Q: I don't know. It seems like a lot to ask.
A: You just structure your day differently.
Q: On the new record, there are lyrics like "The party's over here" and "You can't run, you can't hide." What exactly are you trying to say?
A: It's a party record but, without being explicit, it strangely connects to how we feel at the moment. The things that happen in the world do effect how you feel every day, and to make a record that ignores that would feel strange.
Q: But where exactly is the party?
A: It's just saying there's still a place for fun and escapism, but it's not like making a record in 1995, which felt like a very different way of living.
Q: You got all that out of those words?
A: For us, words are not the only way of communicating emotion.
Q: I support what you are saying, even though I have no idea what it is.
A: We just think sounds are as important to making people feel as words. It's at the core of what we do. Like, the instrumental track at the end of this album is probably the most emotional piece of music on the record.
Q: But what if you're in L.A. and then you see this girl in a bikini and she doesn't want to talk to you? Don't you want to write a song explaining what happened and how your heart is broken?
A: Our records are generally not about an explicit kind of thing. I feel that sometimes it's just as strong to not have a lyric telling you something. The whole premise of our band is that notes and beats are as important as words.
Q: But words are better, right?
A: To think the only way to communicate a feeling is through a song with words is not right. Music can be more effective in making you feel some emotion straight away. You know, a heavy, somber string can make you feel sad.
Q: It does. Totally. I just didn't want you to have any psychological problems in the future from suppressing all your feelings.
A: Well, who knows?
E-mail Aidin Vaziri at avaziri@sfchronicle.com.
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Pop Quiz with Tom Rowlands
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Posted 08 February 2005 - 5:22 PM
A: For us, words are not the only way of communicating emotion.
Q: I support what you are saying, even though I have no idea what it is.
Seriously. What a knob.
Send him the farty files, chemicalreaction. Tell him that smelling the emotion is the latest rage in the electronic music scene!
be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle
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