Martin Rossiter Interview with Class of its Own (2011 November)

After the critically acclaimed release of The Defenestration Of St Martin, Martin Rossiter's first solo album.
Here is our interview with him from the first issue of Class Of Its Own. www.martinrossiter.co.uk'

Back in 1994, the band Gene was swamped with immediate media attention upon the release of their single 'For the Dead'. It was the Britpop era and the fourpiece band, fronted by the charismatic Martin Rossiter, suddenly emerged from the mass of indie bands that were invading the covers of most music and lifestyle magazine, both in the UK and Europe.

To a certain extent they filled the gap between Blur's sophisticated hedonism, Oasis' mainstream sixties nostalgia, Pulp's sarcasm, and Suede's chemical visions. Their crystal-clean typical sound, influenced by the likes of The Small Faces, combined with their Modesque image (they wore made-to-measure Savile Row suits) ,and their singer's dramatic performance style, promptly mad them the ideal heirs to a certain type of British music and literary tradition.

Their first album, 'Olympian', which went straight into the UK Top 10, was a statement of what they represented: a mixture of, let's say, The Smiths, The Style Council and Adam Ant. But the deeper essence of Gene was expressed by Rossiter's original lyrics.

Whether using sophisticated rhetorical figures of speech, or the most common phrases, his skill with words has always been the reason for the affection of thousands of fan ,learning every word of every obscure B-side. Titles like 'Haunted By You', 'Speak to Me Someone' and 'Your Love It Lies' managed to entertain with stories of desperation, unrequited love or love for sale, loneliness and yearning, with wit, elegance, and a hint of drama, but never in cheesy way.

After 10 years together, the band split in 2004, announcing the event during a concert in Manchester, with the effective gesture of Martin Rossiter deleting the 'e' of Gene on the drum kits, and writing an 'o' over it to spell the world 'gone'. They left their public with six gem-like albums, some of them Top 10, some Top 20, and the memories of all those sold-out tours in the UK, Europe and the US, a particularly memorable one being the Royal Albert Hall set from March 1997, backed by a whole orchestra and broadcast live by Radio 1.

Now, after seven years of teaching music in Brighton, Martin Rossiter has finally decided to make a comeback. And he has done it in the only way possible today: through Facebook. It didn't take much more than a couple of days to put together his old tribe of fans who had been eagerly awaiting solo stuff from him for many years now. And he has not disappointed them, judgjing by the new songs he has recently been performing live ,backed only a piano. Tracks like 'I want to choose when i sleep alone', 'Drop Anchor', and 'I must be Jesus' prove that he has still got a lot to say.

We managed to catch up with the singer for a chat during a break between the UK tour, while he is working on his first solo album.

Giuliano Deidda: So, what happened during the last seven years after the last Gene gig? You're probably the only artist who managed to disappear, despite these technological, Big brother-like times. How did it feel for a person like you, born to communicate and perform, to stay away from the stage?

-Martin Rossiter: It wasn't as hard to disappear as you might think. Until recently I've only existed in a paper and ink world so far anyone to track me down it would require them to leave their homes and nobody wants to do that nowadays, do they? I've been working for the last seven years and for the first three or four I didn't really miss performing. It was only fairly recently that whilst watching some oaf or other wailing their insipid nonsense on the television, the urge to get up and work the larynx returned. I'm a slave to my urges.

삼사년간 공연 생각은 안하고 사시다가 최근에서야 텔레비전에서 멍청이들이 재미도 없는 넌센스를 떠들어대는걸 보면서 답답함에 가슴을 치며 목을 푸신 로시터 선생님..

Tell me about the forthcoming solo album: is it something you've been preparing over the past few years, or was it planned and decided recently?

-I always Intended to make a record but needed the time to be right, not in a commercial sense but artistcally. I deliberately set myself the limitation of writing for just piano and voice to ensure that the songs were better than anything I've ever written. I'm not craving any sense of balance, only to write. The joy of this is that I will live or die by what I do, there is no compromise. Measure me up for a coffin now.

Talking about this new phase of your career, is there a difference in your current way of composing? I mean, the importance you have always given to the use of the right and unexpected words is what has made you immediately recognisable.

-There is a much greater emphasis on the lyrics now. In fact virtually every song starts with a lyrical idea and the music supports that. The piano has no ego on this record although the voice has one the size of Uranus. I realise that that will surprise no one. I work extremely hard on the words, so bless you for noticing. I met someone recently who clamied to be a music fan and said he didn't listen to words. I shot him in the face, a fairly mild punishment I feel.

진때도 로시터가 가사를 쓰는게 송라이팅의 시작이라고 언급한 인터뷰를 본 것 같은데.. 음악팬이라는 놈이 가사는 안듣는다고 하길래 shot him in the faceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I guess every single old and new fan of yours has their own favourite Gene verses, possibly related to a particular moment in their lives. What are yours?

-I've always loved 'Save Me, I'm Yours'. There are some I never listen to but I won't divulge which ones for fear an army of 'As Good As It Gets' fans battering me to death with their seven-inch gatefolds.

난 항상 'Save me, I'm yours'를 사랑해왔어요. 절대 안듣는 몇몇곡이 있긴 한데 말하진 않을래요. 'As Good As it Gets' 팬 부대한테 LP 껍데기로 죽기 직전까지 구타당하고 싶지는 않으니깐
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ로시터 진때도 이렇게 웃겼나 미치겄네ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Do you already have that special feeling that one of the new  titles will still be Martin Rossiter's anthem in ten years time?

-There does seem to be one that is reasonating with people, especially men who have issues with their fathers(*Three points on a compass: The only thing I got from you was my name)

What makes the perfect track? When you write, do you start with the 'messages', and work on it, looking for a way to make it emotional, or do you start with a general feeling, and then fill with content?

-Content must come first. There is a trend, especially with indie bands, to create an illusion of depth with their words. They deliberately muddy the waters with lines that appear to be intelligent but on closer inspection cover for the fact that they shouldn't be writing at all. Girls Aloud(*British girl band) songs have more depth than most (not all) indie bands and that's only because their songs, banal as they are, at least make sense.

When you started with the band, the main hype surrounding you was related to influences. What's the truth? Which artists do you really admire as songwriters, and why?

-It's okay, you are allowed to mention Morrissey! We were always truthful in interview about our influences. I have been listening to a lot of musicals lately, Shirley Bassey and a band called Sweet Sweet Lies who will rule the world within 3 years.

-괜찮아요, 모리씨 언급해도 돼요! 
-그래서 sweet sweet lies 커버곡을 불렀따고한다..

Would you like to tell me your personal top 10 of the most influential lyric writers of all time?

-A top ten? That's wishful thinking. I'm not sure that popular music has produced enough to even merit a top three. It's Yip Hamburg (author of 'Over the Rainbow') and Bill y Bragg for me.

탑텐씩이나요? 팝뮤직은 탑쓰리를 꼽기도 벅차다고 생각하는데요.

다른 인터뷰에서도 Billy Bragg언급하더니..일송정선생님..아..오버더레인보우...녜..

Despite being a songwriter, you have always managed to surprise the public with an eclectic section of cover versions, the last one being Prince's 'If I was Your Girlfriend' during your recent live sets. The result has always been very personal, even when you were delving into a world that wasn't exactly yours. How do you choose them?

-I chose the Prince song because it is one of the greatest lyrics ever written. It is tender and thoughtful, yet expressed in such a way that forces the listeners to think, if they can be bothered. I wanted to do it in a way that meant the lyric couldn't be avoided.

Finally, let's talk about the future. Do you know when the album will be out yet? Can you tell us anything about it?

-I will do everything within my power to travel the world with these songs. The album will come out next year, but I don't know exactly when that will be yet. I'll send you a smoke signal when I do.

봉화를 올려줄게요ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

그리고 발매하신 앨범은 영국을 씹어드시고 옛 밴드 리이슈까지 되게 만드셨따고 한다