interview
name would fit the scansion of the
song. Like… I wanted to use David
Lean , the film producer, but it was
difficult to make him fit… Ditto,
for John Lennon… McCartney has
three syllables. So… sorry to be so
banal.
I think that “Kenny” is the one
that will make XTC fans feel
most nostalgic. Can you tell me
something about the original
idea that inspired you to write
this song?
It came about from the guitar riff.
I thought it sounded very much
like the motion of a train… and
10
then I got to thinking about Philip
Larkin’s poem, The Whitsun weddin-
gs, and how he describes what he
sees from the window of a train…
“somebody coming up to bowl”,
like cricket on a playing field. And
there the idea was born… one sees
the playing fields from a train….
and then I thought of how they
are disappearing… being built on,
all over England… Big shame... as
this is where kids imaginations are
nurtured.
“Comrades in Pop” sounds like
a warning for young musicians.
What is the main danger they
could face in the music business
these days?
That People who seem to be on
your side aren’t necessarily…
I thought it would be a good idea
to past the baton on to the young
guys coming into the industry by
encapsulating in a short poem what
happens when you are in a pop
band... Usually when people hear
the word poem in pop they run
for the exit doors… I wanted to
make it real easy to get into…Just
a simple explanation that all these
things are probably going to hap-
pen to you, but what you mustn’t
do is get tangled up with the mo-
ney men.
How and what would the Co-
lin Moulding of 80s and 90s
written his songs about in this
wave of new ‘political correct-
ness’ of late?
I don’t know…
he would have
clammed up like
everyone else I
suppose.
Your Wikipedia
page ends with
something like:
“Though less
prolific than
his bandmate
Andy Partrid-
ge…” Is this
even real, any-
more? Has this
issue of being less
prolific ever bothered
you in any way? Not
really …we are what we
are….and I write what I write….
and everyone knows that the in-
ternet is the biggest morass of mi-
sinformation there’s ever been….
But at least the little man can make
his opinions known too. I’m still
writing so perhaps I’m not as non
prolific as people had thought.