— It’ s not for me, I don’ t like‘ em. I don’ t like birthdays because I don’ t see the reason for celebrating being another year older.
IE: Are there any annual days that you DO like to celebrate? DA: I haven’ t really thought about it. But no, not really. No. I sound really miserable, don’ t I? But
I’ m not! I mean, you know, Christmas is great when you’ re a kid— it’ s great for kids, Christmas is, and stu? like that. And Halloween in England— when I was growing up there— was not a big deal, like it is over here. I don’ t know if it’ s diffe rent now, since I’ ve been over here since’ 94, been here continually. But Halloween, I think, now in England, is more of a big deal than it used to be. But I remember growing up, and it wasn’ t a‘ thing’ like it is in the States.
IE: Obviously, we want to talk about your music. But first, what happens when a song occurs to you when you’ re out riding( your motorcycle)? DA: That doesn’ t really happen anymore. I used to take a recorder with me, and then if I got an idea or a melody, I would record it on one of those little cassette players with the mini cassettes. And I could do the same thing with my phone now, and in fact, it would be better quality. But I don’ t do that anymore. The way I work now, more than that, is I use the cut-up idea, which is the William
Burroughs method. I’ ve used that for years now, and pretty much the whole 95 %, 98 % of this album was made using the cut-up idea, and I originally got that idea when I saw a David Bowie documentary, where he was talking about the William Burroughs cut-up idea. So I’ ve used that all these years, so now the vocal melodies tend to come when I get a bass line and a drum loop from
Paul and Bruce. That’ s how this album happened, most of it, because we were having to work at different ends of the country because of Covid. So they would send me drum loops and bass lines, and then I would put guitar and vocals on top of that, so I’ d have a backing track playing while I was doing these cut-ups. And I’ d get all these titles from things like the National Enquirer and People Magazine and Viz Magazine, and The Sun from England. And those tacky papers tend to have the most dramatic headlines, and then I’ d work from there until the track was done.
IE: What were some lyrical origin stories on the album? Like, say“ Boy or Girl”? DA: Well,“ Boy or Girl” is a joke song about a guy who’ s going out with a girl, and then he finds out that it isn’ t a girl anymore. So there’ s no politics involved at all— it’ s just a fun joke song, that’ s all it is. And the record company actually wants to focus on that track— it’ s gonna be one of the singles coming out before the album. We’ ve actually got a single coming out in a couple of days’ time
Continued on page 39
newreleases
October 31
Creeper Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death Florence + the Machine Everybody Scream Guided by Voices Thick Rich And Delicious The Charlatans UK We Are Love Witch Fever FEVEREATEN
November 7
Finger Eleven Last Night On Earth Hatchie Liquorice Insecure Men A Man For All Seasons Mavis Staples Sad And Beautiful World Portugal. The Man SHISH Stella Donnelly Love And Fortune Steve Gunn Daylight Daylight The Dears Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!... The Mountain Goats Through This Fire... White Lies Night Light Whitney Small Talk
November 14
Austra Chin Up Buttercup Blondshell Another Picture Cheap Trick All Washed Up FKA twigs EUSEXUA Afterglow The Bros. Landreth Dog Ear
November 21
Danko Jones Leo Rising Kara-Lis Coverdale Changes In Air Jessie J Don ' t Tease Me With A Good Time Rheostatics The Great Lakes Suite
The Charlatans UK
Cheap Trick
10 illinoisentertainer. com november 2025