“ Diana - Edgar ’ s missing a word . Can I record it ?” And she was very weak at that point , but she said , “ Let ’ s go ! I ’ m ready . But what ’ s the word ?” And I said , “ Well , ironically , Diana , it ’ s the word ‘ well .’” And that earned me my last “ Fuck off !” From my mother-in-law ! But oh , man - I loved her SO much . We were such good friends , and my God , her daughter carries her spirit if anybody does . Oh , and by the way , that technically makes me the last person to work with Diana Rigg . But when somebody is so ebullient , funny , and effervescent about words and language and art , and such a great raconteur , it ’ s impossible not to think of something she said a lot , you know ? And as always happens with people that you love passing , as time goes on , the sadness ebbs in favor of pride and love and just … just celebration . So it was one of the brief but best relationships that I ’ ve ever had in my life - she was one of my most treasured friends . elbow circa 2014
professional for her , not to mention it until the ending of the thing . And she said , “ My favorite song of yours is ‘ Bitten By the Tailfly ,’ from the first album .” Which is , as I ’ m sure you ’ ll remember , a very dark portrait of a predatory man in a nightclub . It ’ s very dark . And she said , “ Why didn ’ t you continue to write dark songs ?” But it wasn ’ t a conscious decision not to - it ’ s just that that was how our tastes developed , and knowing that big audiences were going to hear our music is how that influenced the music that we became famous for , I suppose - anthems to love and friendship . So that planted a seed in my mind , and I thought , “ Why DID I stop addressing these dark thoughts ?” Because I feel like lyrics should come from wherever you want them to , and they should be a reaction to the music , and the storytelling should be able to go anywhere , I feel . But I think because the last record , Flying Dream 1 ( 2021 ), was so very autobiographical and totally about my childhood and my son ’ s childhood , and growing up in Lancashire , I decided that it was time to have some fun with elements of my history . And I think I said it in the press release - “ Nobody wants to know how verdant my bean tree is .” So I thought I ’ d make it a bit more interesting and , while in a happy marriage , reflect on some of the more disastrous relationships I ’ ve been in .
IE : And then you casually note , “ I ’ ll live to 96 .” GG : Heh heh . Oh , I don ’ t think I will .
IE : But it reminded me of your late mother-inlaw , Dame Diana Rig , who I just happened to catch on TV last week at the Alpha of her career , as a Bond girl in On Her Majesty ’ s Secret Service , and then at her omegas as the sinister landlady in Edgar Wright ’ s recent Last Night in Soho . Wish that we could all have such a long , illustrious artistic life like that . GG : Yeah , man , Tell me about it ! And literally , a week before she died , Edgar , the director of " Last Night ,” said , “ We have some additional dialogue that we need ,” and Diana said , “ Come to the house .” So Edgar and one of his sound recordists came to the house , and they spent an afternoon with Diana in her sickbed , recording the additional dialogue for the movie . And we crossed paths just as I came home from the studio , and a couple of days later , Edgar called me and said , “ I ’ m missing ONE word , and it ’ s a really essential one for the end of the film . Can you record it and send it to me ?” And I said , “ Sure .” So I said ,
IE : You say you ’ ve ditched the darkness . But it ’ s actually lurking just beneath the surface of almost every track . You even open one cut with , “ We live in a troubling age .” And Holy crap ! We certainly do ! GG : Yes . It ’ s horrible . It ’ s terrifying and disappointing . And everybody has the feeling that are rubbing their hands ( gleefully ) together at all times . But I can ’ t see how that can be the case . I think the whole world is scared , and the whole world is angry , and it ’ s divisionists , people who don ’ t care about the truth if it means getting their own power . And then everybody falls into a category and starts fighting with each other ; I mean , ‘ We live in a troubling age ’ is quite an understatement , right ?
IE : Call me crazy , but the album ’ s closing “ From the River ” sounds prog-rock-pure and a bit like Foxtrot-era Genesis . Maybe ? GG : Oh , what a compliment !
IE : I ’ d kind of like to catch Steve Hackett ’ s new “ Foxtrot ” tour , too . GG : Yeah ! I would , as well . I ’ ve interviewed Steve a couple of times , and I love that guy - he ’ s great .
IE : So now that you hit 50 , what credos do you live by ? GG : Hmm … I trust people , knowing that every now and again , that trust will be broken . But by and large , it ’ s improved my life enormously because I think the vast majority of people are great . april 2024 illinoisentertainer . com 23