jectory long enough for this interview late last year ….

ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER: First, I have to say, TRAP was awesome! You told me about your

IE: What did you think of the plot? I absolutely hate social media and, until recently, was pretty sure there were no images of me anywhere online, though I was apparently horribly wrong. But the pop-idol protagonist in the movie actually used social media constructively to save the killer’ s next victim. CM: Yeah. And I think it was the strongest part of the film was having the concert woven into the drama, and for the music to be driving the score. I thought it was a really clever idea, and not something that you see a lot.

IE: So what’ s your take on social media? CM: Well, it’ s a double-edged sword, isn’ t it? It gives, and it takes away. So I have lots of different relationships with it. As a consumer of informa-

Kula Shaker

mom’ s film last year …. CRISPIAN MILLS: Which TRAP? Oh! TRAP,” yes! I went to the premiere in new York— it was a year ago., and it was a lot of fun. But I’ ve been to some big premieres in England, but there’ s something about a premiere in America, especially in New York. It has a sort of attractiveness to it, and I guess you guys invented it— the Movie Premiere, you know?

tion, I find it an interesting experiment, and also in terms of how it’ s being used and abused politically. But as a parent, I can hate it— obviously, it’ s pure evil, seeing what it does to your kids, and how every parent of my generation is dealing with the same thing. So how do we try to raise healthy kids, because obviously, it’ s not healthy. So how do we get them to live in the moment? How do we get them to take an interest in the outside world? How do we get them to understand

that life is notabout instant gratification? And then as an artist, or as somebody who primarily plays music and performs music, I find it this … this … I guess I’ m just of a generation that doesn’ t naturally think in terms of social media when I do something musical or even creative. My first thought is not,“ How should I capture this on my phone?” It’ s not my first thought, whereas my kid can pull out his phone and just start shooting, like he’ s the quickest draw in the West. It’ s amazing. He’ s like,“ We’ re rolling!” And I didn’ t realize that we were already rolling. But we have to live with it, you know? It’ s happened, and it’ s not all bad. But it’ s certainly not all good,

that’ s for sure.

IE: I’ m not sure if you read my 2024 cover on you, but in it— as a lifelong non-sharer— I wanted to relate the tale of what I called my Kula Shaker Day, when Columbis Records flew me and some other journalists over to London for your K debut showcase, and I met a drunk, pugnacious kid at your gig who wanted to start a fight with a Yankee who Ould later turn out to be Kelly from Stereophonics. But then he showed up at your private aftershow party, even drunker, which really irritated Sony honchos, since they’ d been trying to sign the group but