Miscellany News, Volume CXXIX, Number 10, 1 December 1995

http://newspaperarchives.vassar.edu/cgi-bin/vassar?a=d&d=miscellany19951201-01.2.36#

The Miscellany News Interviews Martin Rossiter of Gene

By EAMON JOYCE Staff Writer

During Gene's October U.S. tour, The Miscellany News caught up with lead singer Martin Rossiter and company in Arm Arbor, Michigan. Before the gig, when the band showcased tunes from its lovely debut Olympian, and introduced three splendid new tracks. Rossiter took the time to bestow upon The Misc his infinite wisdom on Menswe@r, Oasis, Blur, his sexuality, and the shame of Britain. The Misc also witnessed his thinly-veiled confession of his love for America: "We love those, those...what are they called? We love Denny's; those are wonderful." 

Misc : Hello. So what do you think of America thus far? 

MR: Hmmrn. .The difficult question. Because when I was 17, 18, many moons ago, reading lots of interviews with people and them being asked similar questions and then coming up with answers like, "It's really difficult for me to say, because we only ever see hotels, venues, and soundchecks, and radio stations." And I was thinking, well when I get to do this, I shall make sure that I see more. I promised myself that, and unfortunately I have broken my promise. However the people I 'ye met have the variety and the different attitudes that everybody has everywhere. We have a penchant for visiting diners and confusing waitresses, and they're all very lovely. The reception has almost been a constant. The number of people has varied dramatically, but the actual level of devotion and the level of celebration has been equal to that that we get in Britain.

Misc: So, do you feel that you need to break here? 

MR: Well, it's not because it's America, don't get me wrong. But it's because it has people, and yeah I mean of course we want to do well. We want to do well in Finland and in the Cayman Islands, and Austria come to think of that. It's not because it's America, but it's simply because there are a lot of people here. 

Misc: Much has been made of some of your bolder statements, such as, "Of course we're already more artistically important than U2. It's an obvious fact, and I'd rather die than deny it." 

MR: Mmmm, I never saw it as bold Really! 

NME인가 Melody Maker 커버라네 이사람아..

Misc: Where do you see yourself fitting in within the Brit scene? 

M R : Hah! Somewhere else. Mars... I don'treally see us fitting in at all. We don't want to come to America on a Union Jack chariot and we don't want to wear Union Jacks. It's a cliched line and I've used it many times and I apologize for that, but it makes a salient point. That we'd like to be considered as a band that happens to come from Britain rather than a British band. I'm not proud of Britain. Particularly culturally, or historically or politically or socially. I'm not particularly proud of Britain musically at the moment. I don't see much worth there. I don't see much worth anywhere for that matter. 

진은 왓포드 베이스드 웰시맨을 프론트맨으로 둔 유러피안 밴드이다..외울 수 있을 것 같다..
이때 되게 브릿팝~~!!그레이트 브리튼~~!! 타령해댈땐데 약간 견지하는듯한 로시터 자세가 되게 마음에 든다. 하긴 그렇게 자랑스러울 것도 없겄지만.. 

Misc: What do you think of the British press? 

MR: I think they get criticized sometimes a little too harshly. Yes, there is the "build 'em up to knock'em down syndrome," but I do believe that simply because of the structure. The fact that there are two papers that are weekly. When we started out and got our first feature in the NME; it would be pointless of them to write about us and dismiss us. And the same goes for any other band, but my one criticism is that bands are not given enough of a chance. Except Menswe@r! They've been given far too many chances! 

Misc: So you do see the "build 'em up and knock em down" aspect?

MR: It does happen to a point, but I see why it happens. The bands are knocked down and quite rightly so. 

Misc: Have you been to Southeast Asia? 

MR: We've only done Hong Kong. Urn, Hong Kong? What am I saying? We haven't played Hong Kong at all! Japan! 

이 밴드의 누군가가 홍콩에서 십대를 보냈다..! 
찾아봤더니 멜로디 메이커에 실렸던 홍콩간 진은 1997년도였다..!

Misc: So was Japan insane? 

MR: Yes. Utterly. Very strange, because I'd been led to believe that the fans there were very restrained, and they were the opposite. We played to 'bout five, six hundred people every night, and it was utter, utter mayhem, but what a lovelier group of people you could honestly and sincerely never hope to meet.

Misc: I've heard there are gifts and they're completely mad. 

MR: Yes, oh yes. We flew to America from there, and I came with about £600 worth of presents. 

Misc: So what's your ideal situation for the band in late 1995,1996? 

MR: Well, first and foremost, and I really don't want to sound like Michael Bolton here, I want the next album to embarrass "Olympian." I want it to be staggering, because "Olympian" has its faults. But it was our first album, and we're still proud of it, but the next one will embarrass it! And if that happens, I'll be absolutely content. 

Misc: Lyrically how much in tongue-in-cheek? 

MR: Very, very little. 

Misc: Some of it is quite political.

MR: Oh yes. I think I'm actually more candid than people realize. I'm quite honest, actually getting more honest with the newer songs. People are afraid of telling the truth in songs. People are afraid of opening themselves up, and I'm not, and that's the difference. 

Misc: Do you see that as a possible threat to your success? It's much more threatening for a listener to hear a tender song than a "shags and fags" type of band 

MR: Urn, I don't care to be honest with you, and I don' t mean that nasty. We and I will carry on writing the way we do. And if it all dies, yes I'm human and I'll be very, very disappointed. I will really not know what to do, but there will be some things tugging away at me saying at least you failed at a proud attempt. But I don't think we will fail. So it's not really an option I'm considering. We're just getting more straightforward lyrically. Just make the songs easy to understand. "Love Me Tender" is the greatest song ever written. 

일송정..!

Misc: Two-minute pop? 

MR: Yeah, but so powerful. It's astonishing. That song single handedly knocks out, in the first round, the entire works of Shakespeare. I mean it. 

Misc: That's impressive. So you definitely see music as the most powerful medium? 

MR: Pop music, yeah. Well, potentially, but people misuse it. 

Misc: Misuse? 

MR: They are making nonsense. They are not really caring about what they do. I mean lyrically, you get the feeling that on half the records that are released, the words have just been plucked randomly from a dictionary. It's got to the stage now that when someone comes along who can actually string a sentence together, they're hailed as some sort of new prophet. All they can do is make two lines rhyme. And that is so, so frightening. 

넌센스를 만들고 있잖아요. 자기네가 뭘 하고 있는지 정말로 신경쓰지 않아요. 내 말은 발매된 음반의 반정도에서는 가사를 볼때마다, 이 단어들은 그냥 사전에서 랜덤하게 골라져 나온 단어들인거구나. 하는 기분을 느낀다는 거예요. 사실은 그냥 적당히 말 맞추기를 한건데, 선지자로 묘사되죠. 그들이 할 수 있는건 그냥 두줄짜리 라임맞추기예요. 그리고 이런건 너무, 끔찍해요.

Misc: So do you see that as where you stand out from the other groups? Your singles are pop indeed, but every one has more meaning than, say, an average band's effort. 

MR: And what I don't like is that it shouldn't necessarily be something that I'm proud of. It's only because everything else is so terrible that it stands out. I would love us to be mediocre compared to everybody else, because that would mean that pop music would be better as a whole. But we stand out because seemingly the world is run by dullards! 

이건 다른 회차에 나온 사진. 정말로 신문에 이렇게 로시터랑 매트 얼굴만 제대로 나와있었다...