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Jim we started last year in Europe and the UK. We did about six months, and we did play two or three [ Direction of the Heart ] songs. The record felt quite new then. It doesn’ t feel so new now. In America where we haven’ t had the opportunity to work to the same extent, it’ s always hard to put a set list together. It’ s a nice problem to have, but there are a lot of boxes we want to tick. For instance, in Seattle two nights ago, we didn’ t play anything from the last records, but I did get a kick out of playing a song called“ Sons and Fascination.” The last time we played that in America, we were probably playing in Tuts! [ laughs ] But the song sounded so good, even though I would say 80 % of the audience didn’ t know it. The vibe of the song swept everyone up. That was us showing the DNA, the genetics of the band. It was powerful.
IE: It does seem like this is an appropriate moment for a song like“ The Signal and the Noise” from Walk Between Worlds. That song seemed to be about disengaging from us-versus-them online battles and making positive connections through tangible experiences. JK: We have been playing that, and I hear what you’ re saying. You can go about it different ways, but sometimes you just want to write a song of the moment – something that evokes what is going on or has a certain kind of import to it. These songs are all up for grabs. On any given night, we will play it.
IE: Direction of the Heart followed the lockdown. You described it as a feel-good record for the worst of times. JK: Well, we hope it was the worst of times then,
Simple Minds circa 1983
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JK: I think the euphoria, the joy, is part of our DNA. I’ ve always felt thankful as a writer that the music I got to work with had good, strong melodic content and came with a certain uplift. There was something feel-good about it, even when we were trying to be dark and dangerous back in the art-rock days. We couldn’ t help ourselves. There was always light at the end of the tunnel.“ Alive and Kicking” probably sums that up more than anything else.
IE: It’ s something special that you wouldn’ t hear on a Smiths record. JK: Yeah, or a Robert Smith record. Listen, it’ s great to have a thing. Even Dylan has his thing. Springsteen is still the wear-your-heart-on-yoursleeve working guy. I just like the fact that our thing not only makes me feel good, but you can feel the vibe in the audience. It’ s spiraling upwards. It’ s not pulling you down.
IE: Springsteen has been in the news for speaking his mind while touring Europe and catching heat for it at home. That made me think of his song“ Jungleland” and your portrait of Glasgow in“ Oh Jungleland.” Given your appreciation of Springsteen, is there any thread between the two songs? JK: He’ s definitely inspired us. We were big fans of that Born to Run album, but our“ Oh Jungleland” was a sort of painting. We knew we were leaving that life behind in the sense that the fame of the band and the rewards it brought had taken us somewhere else. What we had growing up was rock and roll and football. For our football team [ the Glasgow Celtic Football Club ], there was a part of the stadium where the hardcore kids were. That part was called The Jungle. [ The song ] was like, we’ re leaving that behind, and we’ re leaving all those friends who we would see on a Saturday and hang out with. It was a song of mixed emotions. We wanted to leave it behind and go into this rock and roll universe, but there was a price to be paid.
IE: Does this tour spotlight [ 2022’ s ] Direction of the Heart or reinforce material from [ 2018’ s ] Walk Between Worlds? JK: This tour is really picking up from one that
but maybe it wasn’ t. [ laughs ]
IE: We’ ll keep our fingers crossed. Is that kind of album equally necessary today? JK: It’ s not even whether it’ s necessary or not. You write with what you’ ve got in you first and foremost, because it’ s all you’ ve got to work with. Then you hope that it rings a bell with others who are listening in. It’ s especially magic if it can allude to the chaos and the confusions and yet still make you believe. For me, one of the greatest songs ever is Prince’ s“ Sign of the Times.” He was writing about the early‘ 80s in America at the time. He’ s got everything in that song from Reagan’ s policies to homelessness to drugs. And yet at the end of the song, he still dares to find romance and dream of something better in his own way. If you can really do that, it’ s amazing. Tracy Chapman’ s“ Fast Car” is another. There’ s hope in there.
IE: Does the USA get an outsized portion of Once Upon a Time and less of Graffiti Soul or Walk Between Worlds than elsewhere around the world? JK: Yeah, it does. For the audience coming to see this, [ Once Upon a Time ] unquestionably is the album they would know more than others. It