Sinister: English version of the interview with Stuart!

maria sierra mariasierraflorez at xxx.com
Mon Jul 24 17:11:17 BST 2000


Hi lovely sinistereens!

As some of the listees have asked to me and I believe I must do it I have 
translated the interview with Stuart to English. I hope all you will be able 
to understand it because I’m sure there are many translation mistakes in it 
as my English is very bad... Obviously, the words I have translated are not 
exactly the same that Stuart wrote. I’m sorry about that and also about that 
fact that I should have translated it to English the first time I posted it. 
I have been a naughty girl...

If you don’t understand something or if you have any doubts, please e-mail 
me and I’ll try to help you.

Love to all you,
maria

________________________________________________________________________

INTERVIEW WITH BELLE & SEBASTIAN
Although their first record ‘Tigermilk` is from 1996 now with ‘Fold your 
hands, child, you walk like a peasant', their forth album, they have become 
popular (into their arguable elitist circle). They were formed in Glasgow in 
1995, they have upheld their privacy and their provincial condition as well, 
that hasn’t avoid that their songs and their ‘naif` vision of pop, in 
addition to the small fondness they have towards the press and the big 
shows, make them deserving of an exclusiveness atmosphere, even of snobism. 
This mask was blurred by our as Stuart Murdoch (singer and leader of B & S) 
replied via e-mail all of our questions that our brilliant editor Sergio 
Vinade, and although he was a bit a quick-tempered person, he knew how to 
use his developed British arrogance with good humour. Their new record is a 
masterpiece of pop and in it the world breathes far away from the stress and 
the showy pretension that Belle & Sebastian claim. Here it is the best pop 
band of the new millenium...


What are your pretensions about your new album, taking into account the high 
level you have already reached in your previous records?
We haven’t got pretensions, just hopes. When we are in the studio we require 
a lot to ourselves, but in the moment when the songs are recorded, the fact 
is out of us. Obviously, I hope it will sell millions, but depends on the 
public. I easily think that it’s our best record. Maybe this is the first 
time since ‘Tigermilk` that we feel we have made everything we have planned.


Are you a group of friends that make what you really like or are you taking 
your carreer in a more professional way? Your records still sound ‘amateur` 
and professional at the same time.
I believe we are in the middle of the territory. We are friends but most of 
us were it before joining the band. Obviously we are in a way a band with an 
exclusive dedication, but not always. Possibly we recorded the album in a 
more professional way but we haven’t decided it to be like this. We are 
always used to working  that way. It’s offensive that people think that the 
record sounds ‘home-made’. We haven’t spent 18 months in the studio to make 
a ‘home-made’ record. Lyrically the record may have some ‘naif’ contents, 
but I can’t stand with anybody claming that musically we sound like 
amateurs.


What bands were your predecessors in the way you consider pop music? Which 
artist are you more indentified  with at the moment?
The Beatles and The Beach Boys are the predecessors of everybody in the 
world of pop. The are the original. The wrote the rules and they broke all 
of them. In fact I don’t know if we particularly feel close to anybody. We 
like the music of some people. Some times I believe we are similar to The 
Beta Band, because we both seem to fuck people to do the things that we 
enjoy. I can’t understand why somebody goes over this fact in his  mind. We 
just live our life and we don’t bore anybody unless they want to.


How do you organize the order of the songs in your records? Why have you 
left a jewel like ‘There is too much love’ at the end of the album?
That’s a stupid question. Are we supposed to write a filthy song to not to 
finish the album with a good one? As for me, any of the songs of the album 
is a jewel so that it wouldn’t be easy to avoid that the last song of our 
record were it too. Somebody will tell you that it’s very important that a 
records finish okay. We organize the song listening to all of the themes in 
different orders until we find the best way. Obviously the opinions are 
different but if anybody shows a strong feeling against one of the 
combinations, we are used to admitting it and doing it that way.


What do you know about Spain, do you know anything about the Spanish music 
and culture?
I’ve been in Spain a couple of times and I’ve enjoyed them a lot. I don’t 
know anything about Spanish music but I like Spanish football. Except of you 
were shit against Norway. Should I change my mind about your football? 
(Belle & Sebastian replied to Linaceroexpress the day after the ‘glorious’ 
debut of the Spanish Team in the last Eurocup).


Are you going to give soon any concerts in Spain?
I think it will be at the end of the year, when we’ll be ready, but I know 
we must visit Spain soon because it’s a while since we last played in there.


How would you .like to be remembered? What kind of image would you like to 
show to the people who buys your records?
Only like a band who makes splendid records. It sounds boring but that’s the 
aim when you are in a band.


Tell us something about your record company ‘Jeepster’, which is their 
philosophy and the forthcoming projects...
If there is a philosophy in Jeepster it’s just singing up bands and make 
records that we have  fully  faith in. That’s the reason why we relatively 
have a small number of bands and we don’t usually have to put a fight 
against other companies. We have a couple of possible singing-up at the 
moment but we are not going to do anything until we are absolutely confident 
about them. At the same time of these projects we will publish new stuff of 
Snow Patrol, The Gentle Waves and Salako in the autumn and perhaps another 
E.P. of Belle & Sebastian.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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