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Lee: Smash Music
David: David Ford
Lee: Hi David, how?s it going?
David: Very well thank you.
Lee: How is the tour going? How are you finding it?
David: Well, I?ve toured before, but not as a solo artist. So it?s kinda, its
very rewarding. It?s very nice to be able to have it look more like my kinda
show, with a whole load of material that in general is very much more me than
maybe stuff I?ve done in the past.
Lee: With the writing, do you find it more difficult writing on your own?
David: I always wrote my own material anyway, so there is very little
difference. The only difference is that I didn?t have to try and be thinking in
the back of my mind how are we going to arrange this as a band. If I wanted to
play it on my own with a piano I could do that or if I wanted it to be just a
string arrangements with I glockenspiel then that?s fine.
In many ways it?s a lot more liberating not having to think about presenting
songs as a 3 piece band. If anything the challenge came when haven written these
songs in a particular way then thinking about how you can do them live either on
my own or with a very small band.
Lee: With a band you have a particular sound, but on your own you?ve got so
many possibilities, how does that feel?
David: Oh yeah, the possibilities are endless and that?s really good. I never
like to run away from a challenge so I really love the idea of finding new ways
to do things live, then trying to come up with new ideas and just interesting
ways of doing things.
Lee: What inspired you to write your new material? And how did it end with
Easyworld?
David: Errrm, I think the way I felt like was that it had the feeling that it
was naturally coming to an end. Not necessarily everyone shared that feeling,
but that?s the way I certainly saw it, we had a good run, we run its course and
now it was time to move on and do other things. Which I certainly relished the
opportunity and then actually doing it has been really enjoyable.
Lee: Did you have a certain length of time before finishing up and starting
to write again?
David: I sorta pretty much knew where I was. I?m always writing songs anyway.
Not because it?s my job, but because it?s something that I do. So, you know, I?m
having thoughts for songs all the time, I always do. Then, you know, there was
certainly no break where I sorta went, I?m gonna run off to Italy and grow
cumquats and grow my hair long, and speak another language. So no, I went
straight back into it. Really, it?s the only thing I like doing. You know, I
couldn?t really do anything else I don?t think.
Lee: How did you go about finding the rest of the guys?
David: These fucking losers. Their friends of mine anyway, we come from a fairly
dismal little town. But one of the advantages of coming from a dismal little
town is you kinda know every other musician on the scene and it?s your friends
you hang out with. Its cool because Jokeman (bass player) is in a band I used to
play drums in and Francis (loops/backing vocals) used to be in the only other
band in town. So when it comes to gigs I was able to say, would you like to come
and do some shows. If their not busy on that day than they do it, that?s the way
it works and hopefully before long it?ll be a loose collective of about 27
musicians from time to time.
Lee: Have you started to gel now as a group of musicians?
David: The thing is we gel anyway because we?ve known each other for so long. So
its not that we?ve ever had to get over any inter band tensions or anything. In
some ways, without sounding dictatorial about it, it?s not the same kind of vibe
as a band because they kinda, its sort of my gig and they?ll do as they?re damn
well told. No no, its not like that as in I?ve written and recorded songs on
this album and then its like do you want to come with me on my tour. So it?s not
like I?m god or anything but you know you don?t have to gel as a band because
its not like we all have to go into the studio next week and we?ve all got to do
this and we?ve all got to do that. I like to think that we do this together
because we enjoy it. And they?re good at their jobs and it?s a bit of a laugh.
Lee: You said about the studio. You have a single and album out soon don?t
you?
David: My understanding is the single is not going to be available on any
physical format, its going to be download audio and video. The album is out in
the shops early December.
Lee: You?ve got a fan base from before but the promotion for these seems
quite low key. Was that a deliberate move?
David: Well, its still early days, we?ve got a few months off the release date.
Also I don?t have, I?m still an unsigned artist so I don?t have a big machine to
give me a push. I have a press agent but I don?t have the budget for these
glossy magazine and TV adverts so you won?t see a big push for it, because we
can?t afford it.
Lee: Do you think maybe the music speaks for itself?
David: Well I hope so. One of the things encouraging about this record is how
low everyone?s expectations are, and usually that?s seen as really bad thing.
But I think everyone is really realistic and going, well we?ll put the record
out. It won?t chart obviously, because it can?t, because of the physical number
of copies that will be made. It wont make it chart listed. But the fact is, is
that it isn?t coming out on a major label, its kinda cool because all everyone
is doing is well, lets see if we can shift a few copies, do some touring and
have that as a blot on the map for the future.
Lee: Like a foundation?
David: Yeah, I?m not, I will die of surprise if it?s a commercial success,
because its not gonna be. For me, it?s already an artistic success, because I
think it?s a good record. Maybe if a few people that know what they?re talking
about say they like it then that?ll be handy as well. For me the rewards are
already been made because the record has been made.
Lee: Were there any struggles you came across whilst making this record? Did
you have much to cut down?
David: Yeah, that was quite tricky but really it was definitely the easiest
recording session I?ve ever done. Largely because there was nobody else
involved. It was impossible to have an argument or disagreement with the
producer, because I was the producer. It was impossible to have disagreements
with the band, because I was the band.
Lee: Did you quite like that freedom?
David: It was very liberating. I mean, occasionally it drives you a little mad
because you?re sat there going, is this a brilliant idea or is it completely
ridiculous and sometimes its good to have someone there and go no, that?s a big
mistake, you don?t want to do that. But I like to think I?m sensible enough not
to make some massive howlers.
Lee: How are the fans reacting to the new material?
David: It?s hard to say, it?s very much a thing of starting over now. I don?t
think it?s going to be the kind of thing where by I?m going to instantly find
that I have a fan base waiting for me from what I was doing previously. I think
the live thing is something that I really really enjoy and it?s something that I
and we put a lot of thought into, trying to make it something different. At the
moment we?re a 3 piece band, there?s no drummer, there?s no drums, there is a
lot going on but it?s not all musical. It?s a performance, its art; it?s a
performance rather than a gig. I?ve done loads of gigs and actually they?re
quite dull. So, I like the idea of doing things live that people aren?t used to
or haven?t seen before.
Lee: What have you done recently?
David: We?ve ran this live thing where we?ve had short films made to accompany a
song. So they?re projected on to the canvas at the back of the stage during the
gig and during the song ?State of the Union? Francis and Jokeman paint an
aggressive mural on this screen. That?s one of the things we do, another thing
we do is this looping that I know a lot of solo artists do, but I like to think
that when I do it, it goes a little further. It can be chaotic and sometimes
downright disastrous but that?s one of the things that keeps it exciting.
Lee: Can we expect a bit more of that tonight?
David: Well, when you?re the support band at a sold out gig you can?t do
everything you fancy doing, but you know, we?re gonna have a go.
Lee: So tonight, are you looking forward to it?
David: Yes I am, it?s always a bit nervy doing these support gigs because you
never know what the audience is going to expect, what they?re gonna want and
whether they?re gonna like you or not. But yeah, I?m looking forward to it very
much.
Interviewed
by
Lee Puddefoot
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