(no subject)
musicnews.com interview - courtesy Teamonster on dptband.com
Dirty Pretty Things
Carl Barat, Anthony Rossomando, Didz Hammond
added: 4 Jul 2008
interviewed by: Marco gandolfi, Oli Mower
Having fronted the most important band on the British music scene over the last ten years, Carl Barat went on to form the mighty Dirty Pretty Things. With their second album released this week Music News met up with the lads in a North London pub eager to discuss how things were going in the DTP camp.
*So have you recovered from the illness Carl?
Carl: Yeah, apart from I can’t drink for 3 months, I’ve lost a stone and I’ve gotta eat rabbit food for a bit, but other than that its all good.
*How does the new album differ to the last one?
Didz: We tried to take on a broader range of influences, we are all into a lot of different stuff and definitely didn’t want to make another jingle jangle record so we included more things that before we would have hesitated to include previously.
*Would you say this sound is more true to yourselves in comparison to the first album?
Carl: Yeah we had more time to record, perhaps too much time.
Didz: I don’t think we have settled on one thing, we’ve just expanded our sound more and we are ready to expand more and more.
Carl: It’s quite a diverse record and I think that’s why choosing a single was a pain in the arse. In the end we went with the one the record company wanted.
*Were their tensions amongst the group during the recording?
Carl: Yeah there was all that, all of the scrapping. We lost weekends and trips to the desert.
*What would be your top 3 songs off the album?
Carl: I suppose because it is a diverse album, it’s a different flavour everyday really. So today I guess I’ll go with 'truth begins’, 'blood on my shoes’ and 'buzzards and crows’.
Didz: I suppose we are all really into the ones that sound different, like those three sound completely different to the 1st album.
Didz and Anthony take vocals on a few new songs, would you say the song writing dynamics have changed?
Carl: Well yeah we all wrote on the first album as well, but more so on this album definitely. We’ve said from day one we want it to be a partnership.
Anthony: We try and keep it so we are all into an idea no matter what source it has come from.
Carl: It is also a development, as you need to learn to share song writing and not disagree about stuff.
With the arguments, was that fundamentally due to the song writing or just feeling too close to each other for a long amount of time?
Carl: There was a lot of cabin fever, we all had personal problems because of being there for so long and we weren’t helping our bodies by poisoning them so frequently.
Anthony: Yeah it really fucks up your ability to be rationally minded. It made you feel as if everything was a massive issue.
*How long did it take you to record?
Didz: Well we demoed 18 tracks in ten days and then went out there with a view to make things sound a bit different and just develop things. In the end it ended up taking three months and then we had to take it back to England and re -jigger it again for two months.
*You are playing Wireless on Friday is that why you’re rehearsing today?
Carl: No I don’t know why we are rehearsing really.
Anthony: So we can learn to play some new songs competently.
Carl: We aren’t big on rehearsing really, we all got there and ended up only playing for 50 minutes and that was just in disperse with a lot of phones calls and smoking.
Anthony: We usually just do small gigs or secret gigs which is great for us because instead of rehearsing we can try out new shit there and for the fans it’s wicked because if I’m into a band I want to see them in the smallest space possible.
*After 02 Wireless what are you up to?
Carl: Yeah we are kind of on an autopilot right now.
Anthony: Germany, Norway, Spain, and Austria. Stuff like that really.
*What’s the best festival you’ve ever played?
Carl: We went to Mexico once, but it wasn’t really a festival. We actually had to pay the local mayor to let it go ahead.
Didz: They had already set up all the stuff and a tenement had been knocked down in the Mexican city version of Beverly Hills. This tenement had been demolished and art students had taken over.
Carl: There were all these old ladies outside scowling at us. The mayor ended up coming down and we had to pay him off. It was a real mob job
Didz: There were burnt out cars there and they had painted it all gold, it was mad.
Carl: It was like a council estate and one flat had been bombed out, so it was like tenements and then some massive shell covered with paint.
Didz: There were loads of stencils and odd graffiti everywhere.
Carl: It was a bit like the punk version of changing rooms.
Anthony: It was like dark comic strips and shit all over the walls and people had made bonfires. The vibe was amazing.
Carl: It was just so fucking lawless.
Anthony: You don’t really get that anymore in western culture.
*Do you do well money wise?
Carl: Not really, when people say you must make lots from festivals to be honest we only really see a tenth of that and when selling records it’s a different situation to how it use to be. It’s not like Zeppelin anymore. No one buys records anymore; I don’t resent that, its kind of progress.
Anthony: I think it keeps the vitality in the writing and the music.
Carl: It does keep the competition going. Hopefully, potentially the true music will get through and you wont get any of the dross crap.
*So how did it all happen from the start, how did you first get noticed in The Libertines?
Carl: Basically we made our own scene. Got all our mates down and made them act like they were into it all. The record company then came down and thought they were onto something massive and then luckily it did catch on. You’ve got to be a bit of an artful dodger about it, probably more so now than then.
*What are your favourite bands at the moment?
Anthony: Well I’m quite into this band called Amazing Baby, check them out on Myspace they’re fucking great. Caribou Fuck Buttons record is wicked, that stuff is pretty inspiring.
Carl: For two years I’ve been saying Glasvegas and people have said 'who’ but now people are like 'Oh yeah, yeah Glasvegas, who else?’ Also there is a new band called Kieran Leonard and the good knights who are great.
*What’s happening with The Chavs?
Carl: Well yeah, it’s just letting off steam really.
*Will you be doing an album?
Carl: Yeah we might do an E.P.
*Aren’t you playing Gene Vincent in a film soon?
Carl: Yeah I’ve already done that; it should be coming out soon. I would say playing is a slight exaggeration. I basically read a few lines on the camera in a silly voice. I do intend to do another film and do it a bit more properly next time.
*Do you try writing songs all the time or is it more something you work on when you’re in the studio?
Carl: Pretty much, we find it harder to work on tour because obviously there’s so much going on and you’re not really in that mind set. I may however find some more time next tour because I’ve got to be off the booze.
Anthony: We do play a lot, but unless someone gets their cell phone out and records it, we don’t remember it.
*What would want to say to Music-News readers?
Carl: Well we’ll be taking it into our own hands a bit. We’ll be doing some smaller gigs around the country.
Anthony: Fuck the Nazis
Dirty Pretty Things
Carl Barat, Anthony Rossomando, Didz Hammond
added: 4 Jul 2008
interviewed by: Marco gandolfi, Oli Mower
Having fronted the most important band on the British music scene over the last ten years, Carl Barat went on to form the mighty Dirty Pretty Things. With their second album released this week Music News met up with the lads in a North London pub eager to discuss how things were going in the DTP camp.
*So have you recovered from the illness Carl?
Carl: Yeah, apart from I can’t drink for 3 months, I’ve lost a stone and I’ve gotta eat rabbit food for a bit, but other than that its all good.
*How does the new album differ to the last one?
Didz: We tried to take on a broader range of influences, we are all into a lot of different stuff and definitely didn’t want to make another jingle jangle record so we included more things that before we would have hesitated to include previously.
*Would you say this sound is more true to yourselves in comparison to the first album?
Carl: Yeah we had more time to record, perhaps too much time.
Didz: I don’t think we have settled on one thing, we’ve just expanded our sound more and we are ready to expand more and more.
Carl: It’s quite a diverse record and I think that’s why choosing a single was a pain in the arse. In the end we went with the one the record company wanted.
*Were their tensions amongst the group during the recording?
Carl: Yeah there was all that, all of the scrapping. We lost weekends and trips to the desert.
*What would be your top 3 songs off the album?
Carl: I suppose because it is a diverse album, it’s a different flavour everyday really. So today I guess I’ll go with 'truth begins’, 'blood on my shoes’ and 'buzzards and crows’.
Didz: I suppose we are all really into the ones that sound different, like those three sound completely different to the 1st album.
Didz and Anthony take vocals on a few new songs, would you say the song writing dynamics have changed?
Carl: Well yeah we all wrote on the first album as well, but more so on this album definitely. We’ve said from day one we want it to be a partnership.
Anthony: We try and keep it so we are all into an idea no matter what source it has come from.
Carl: It is also a development, as you need to learn to share song writing and not disagree about stuff.
With the arguments, was that fundamentally due to the song writing or just feeling too close to each other for a long amount of time?
Carl: There was a lot of cabin fever, we all had personal problems because of being there for so long and we weren’t helping our bodies by poisoning them so frequently.
Anthony: Yeah it really fucks up your ability to be rationally minded. It made you feel as if everything was a massive issue.
*How long did it take you to record?
Didz: Well we demoed 18 tracks in ten days and then went out there with a view to make things sound a bit different and just develop things. In the end it ended up taking three months and then we had to take it back to England and re -jigger it again for two months.
*You are playing Wireless on Friday is that why you’re rehearsing today?
Carl: No I don’t know why we are rehearsing really.
Anthony: So we can learn to play some new songs competently.
Carl: We aren’t big on rehearsing really, we all got there and ended up only playing for 50 minutes and that was just in disperse with a lot of phones calls and smoking.
Anthony: We usually just do small gigs or secret gigs which is great for us because instead of rehearsing we can try out new shit there and for the fans it’s wicked because if I’m into a band I want to see them in the smallest space possible.
*After 02 Wireless what are you up to?
Carl: Yeah we are kind of on an autopilot right now.
Anthony: Germany, Norway, Spain, and Austria. Stuff like that really.
*What’s the best festival you’ve ever played?
Carl: We went to Mexico once, but it wasn’t really a festival. We actually had to pay the local mayor to let it go ahead.
Didz: They had already set up all the stuff and a tenement had been knocked down in the Mexican city version of Beverly Hills. This tenement had been demolished and art students had taken over.
Carl: There were all these old ladies outside scowling at us. The mayor ended up coming down and we had to pay him off. It was a real mob job
Didz: There were burnt out cars there and they had painted it all gold, it was mad.
Carl: It was like a council estate and one flat had been bombed out, so it was like tenements and then some massive shell covered with paint.
Didz: There were loads of stencils and odd graffiti everywhere.
Carl: It was a bit like the punk version of changing rooms.
Anthony: It was like dark comic strips and shit all over the walls and people had made bonfires. The vibe was amazing.
Carl: It was just so fucking lawless.
Anthony: You don’t really get that anymore in western culture.
*Do you do well money wise?
Carl: Not really, when people say you must make lots from festivals to be honest we only really see a tenth of that and when selling records it’s a different situation to how it use to be. It’s not like Zeppelin anymore. No one buys records anymore; I don’t resent that, its kind of progress.
Anthony: I think it keeps the vitality in the writing and the music.
Carl: It does keep the competition going. Hopefully, potentially the true music will get through and you wont get any of the dross crap.
*So how did it all happen from the start, how did you first get noticed in The Libertines?
Carl: Basically we made our own scene. Got all our mates down and made them act like they were into it all. The record company then came down and thought they were onto something massive and then luckily it did catch on. You’ve got to be a bit of an artful dodger about it, probably more so now than then.
*What are your favourite bands at the moment?
Anthony: Well I’m quite into this band called Amazing Baby, check them out on Myspace they’re fucking great. Caribou Fuck Buttons record is wicked, that stuff is pretty inspiring.
Carl: For two years I’ve been saying Glasvegas and people have said 'who’ but now people are like 'Oh yeah, yeah Glasvegas, who else?’ Also there is a new band called Kieran Leonard and the good knights who are great.
*What’s happening with The Chavs?
Carl: Well yeah, it’s just letting off steam really.
*Will you be doing an album?
Carl: Yeah we might do an E.P.
*Aren’t you playing Gene Vincent in a film soon?
Carl: Yeah I’ve already done that; it should be coming out soon. I would say playing is a slight exaggeration. I basically read a few lines on the camera in a silly voice. I do intend to do another film and do it a bit more properly next time.
*Do you try writing songs all the time or is it more something you work on when you’re in the studio?
Carl: Pretty much, we find it harder to work on tour because obviously there’s so much going on and you’re not really in that mind set. I may however find some more time next tour because I’ve got to be off the booze.
Anthony: We do play a lot, but unless someone gets their cell phone out and records it, we don’t remember it.
*What would want to say to Music-News readers?
Carl: Well we’ll be taking it into our own hands a bit. We’ll be doing some smaller gigs around the country.
Anthony: Fuck the Nazis