James Walsh from Starsailor interviewing Matthew Jay (as feautured on the Parlophone site, www.ourlabel.co.uk)

Q: WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BIGGEST VILLAIN IN ENTERTAINMENT? A: I WOULD HAVE TO SAY FRAN HEALY. I HAVE SPOKE TO HIM AND HE'S A REALLY, REALLY NICE GUY AND I DON'T WANT TO SLAG HIM OFF OR HURT HIS FEELINGS, BUT IF THERE IS SUCH A THING AS 'ANTI-MUSIC' THEN IT'S TRAVIS. ALL THAT THEY WANT TO DO IS MAKE SONGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE QUITE LIKE AND THEY DON'T WANT TO BREAK ANY NEW GROUND, THAT'S WHAT FRAN TOLD ME AND IT'S WHAT HE'S SAID IN INTERVIEWS, SO I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING HE HASN'T SAID HIMSELF. HE THINKS ITS SELFISH TO GET TOO OBSESSED WITH YOUR MUSIC, AND THAT SONG 'SING', THE BIT WHERE HE GOES 'SING SING SING', THAT MELODY HAS BEEN USED IN HUNDREDS OF SONGS BEFORE. WHY NOT DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, SOMETHING A BIT WEIRD? I FIND FRAN'S MUSIC OFFENSIVE EVEN THOUGH AS A MAN HE'S REALLY NICE. HE TOLD ME THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE WHAT RADIOHEAD ARE DOING BECAUSE IT'S TOO OBSESSIVE, BUT I THINK SOME OF THE STUFF ON RADIOHEAD'S LAST TWO ALBUMS HAS BEEN TERRIFIC, REALLY FUCKED UP. HOW CAN YOU MAKE MUSICAL PROGRESS WITHOUT ATTENTION TO DETAIL? THAT'S WHAT IAN MACDONALD SAID IN THE BOOK 'REVOLUTION IN THE HEAD', HE SAID ORIGINAL OUTPUT OFTEN COMES FROM ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND IT'S TRUE. IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE EXCITED BY DOING SOMETHING NEW AND IF YOU JUST WANT TO WRITE A REASONABLY PLEASANT TUNE LIKE 'DRIFTWOOD' THEN.......I QUITE LIKE THAT SONG BUT I HATE QUITE LIKING THINGS. I WANT TO LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM. SORRY FRAN!

Matthew Jay and James Walsh being such famously radical musical experimentalists goes without saying, of course...

What are these kids on? Is this part of the problem with the British music scene at the moment? What stage have we reached that one bland acoustic schmindie kid is yakkin gto aother bland acousic schmindie kid about how much he hates a bland acoustic schmindie blerk because "he's a nice bloke."

Or is this some kind of multi-layered postmodern ironic gag being played out by Mssrs Jay and Walsh?

A few 'interesting' beats and some modernist production flourishes do not an experimantal record make, Mr Jay.

-- Nick Southall (nick@beatbay.co.uk), August 15, 2001

Answers

The state of British music is dire at the moment. I never did believe the argument that pop music was v. valid in an aesthetic point of view and U.K. scene is innudated with pop at the moment like a virus.

Acoustic acts (the jeff buckley/tim buckley parody revues) are the rage at the moment ie. starsailor and matthew jay: however, even the good acoustic acts are ignored by the press in favour of the lighter stuff and the more commercial stuff. (ie. cosmic rough riders, ed harcourt).

Basically the british music scene is dead. This is good. Because out of sync means: more music that does not fit the norm.

What do you think is going to come up next for the Uk?

-- doomie (doompatrol23@hotmail.com), August 15, 2001.

Just an idle musing but the next big 'scene' may need to tie in with a mass outbreak of 'Cake'-fuelled consumption. I reckon this cos this punk you had the speed-freaks, baggy was all about 'E'/acid and 'Britpop' was snowed under. So bring on the Cake. Somebody?

-- Mary (muzzystar@hotmail.com), August 15, 2001.