Malaysian Suede fans must be disappointed with the cancellation of their scheduled gig at Putra World Trade Centre on the 11th of October. For the meantime, fans will just have to make do with Scenique Productions' promises to bring the band to Malaysia February next year (2000).
(Me- Hopefully, the gig would be the first for Suede in the new millenium !)
Suede had to cancel their scheduled gigs in Australia, Malaysia & Vietnam due to keyboardist, Neil Codling's poor health. He collasped during a stint in Australia.
Besides Codling, Suede are Brett Anderson (vocalist), Richard Oakes (guitar), Mat Osman (bass) & Simon Gilbert (drums). Suede first made their public appearance in 1991, & later came up with their debut album, Suede in 1993. Suede was followed by Dog Man Star (1994), Coming Up (1996), Sci-Fi Lullabies (1997) & the latest offering, Head Music (1999).
Head Music brings about drastic changes to Suede's music, compared to their previous 4 albums.
Harian Metro caught up with the band's vocalist, Brett Anderson during an exclusive phone interview at Sony Music Entertainment's offices in Jalan Ampang. The interview took place before the cancellation of the concert was announced.
The first single off Head Music, Electricity is co-written by Neil Codling, Richard Oakes & yourself. However, a songwriting partnership involving 3 members of Suede is very rare. Why is this so ?
Well, actually, we have been giving our own ideas all this while, be it when we're writing a song or recording an album. For example, in Electricity, Richard's effort is evident in the first & second verse, while Neil gave his best chorus & I gave my best singing.
I've read that Suede wanted big changes when you changed producres from Ed Buller to Steve Osborne. What do you think are the changes that you wanted & did you get what you wanted ?
We changed producers because we thought we've gone so far with Ed (Buller) & needed drastic changes. We already had this in mind during the recording of Sci-Fi Lullabies, but at that time, we thought Ed suited just fine with that album.
Steve Osborne gave a really good touch to Savoir Faire when we first demoed the song with him & decided to go ahead with him to produce Head Music. He gave the electronic elements that we had in mind.
It was reported that Savoir Faire is your favourite song from Head Music. Why is that so ?
I really feel that this song is the key to Head Music. But actually, I have a few other songs which are also a favourite, like Everything Will Flow. To tell you the truth, my favourite song from Head Music changes from time to time.
I & a few of my friends love Everything Will Flow because of its good melody. What do you think of the song ?
I agree with you in that the song has a good melody. A good melody easily impresses a listener. I was impressed myself by the melody, & oh, now it's my favourite song. For me, Everything Will Flow carries the traditional sound of Suede.
You have been reported to say that you intended not to highlight the strings section in Head Music & wanted to lay them as a normal guitar riff . Why is that so considering the important role of the strings section in any genre of music ?
I understand what you mean by that, but for us, we didn't want to make Suede's music sounding more complex only because of the strings. If it's been taken only as as a normal riff, then the key word would be simplicity.But if we exaggerate the strings part, the music would become complex.
For example, the strings intro in Everything Will Flow have been shifted to Neil's keyboard sounds & so it would be heard with comfort, without thinking too much about the music sounding too long-winded.
Indian Music elements are nothing new to musicians & music bands worldwide as evident in Led Zeppelin's famous song , Kashmir; while Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) had once did a duet with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. What makes Indian Strings from Head Music different ?
Everything in music is experimental & although someone already did exactly the same thing, it's still a new thing for someone who has never done it before.
In the short Suede biography from Sony Music International, it is said that Suede were hated during their early days, but now, Suede are popular worldwide. What is your comment ?
Actually, it doesn't make us angry or bitter with the situation because I think, it's just the way it is. When we first started, there were so many people who hated Suede; but when they were convinced with our confidence in our own music, they started to show their interest. It's a very normal thing.
You have been interviewed by Rolling Stones some time ago. In that interview, you were reported to say that attitude is not everything in a band, because at the end of the day, fans still demand for good music. But for me, that statement is very hypothetical because we cannot assume a fan's perception on a certain band & sometimes, attitude is everything. What do you think ?
I still believe that music is the most important thing, not attitude. Maybe, just maybe, there are fans who love eccentric bands , but, at the end of the day, if the album(s) or the music they came up with are atrocious, eventually, the fans would decline the music that is being presented.
Attitude may shot certain bands to fame, but if the music doesn't feature anything new or even, outdated then they'll end up with mere attitude, not talent in music.
The interview also mentioned the conflict you had with Blur's vocalist Damon Albarn because of your interference with his sweetheart (now ex-girlfriend), Justine Frischmann of Elastica. How far is that true ?
Conflicts are normal in life. I'm still friends with both of them & it goes back a long way, although we may have had feuds between us.
This might sound a bit weird, but how do fans see the world through the eyes of Suede ?
Your question is weird. We're humans & our eyes are just like everbody else's. Personally, I think, it's a very big world out there & however great music is, its world dominance would never reach a maximum level. Therefore, I don't see the world as if I'm conquering it, but I see it as an inspiration for my life in this world.
What's the greatest risk you have ever taken in your whole life ?
( Laughs ) All my life, I've never been asked such question. Mmmm, the risks I've ever taken ? I feel that every step I take is a risk itself. And if you ask me, the greatest risk I've ever taken in my whole life, then my answer is Suede. Suede is my greatest risk.
