Morcheeba Interview with Paul Godfrey

“If I wasn’t making music, I’d probably be a serial killer”

June 19, 2008, 07:28 PM

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Morcheeba have been in existence since the 90s - with all your achievements, all the albums, tours etc., what motivates you when you have writer’s block or things are generally difficult?
It used to be superficial stuff like wanting new trainers and t-shirts or wanting to get high (laughs) but these days I’m pretty inspired by nature. Nature is so beautiful. It’s a real challenge to create something as beautiful as nature itself.

Your recently released album is dedicated to increasing awareness about the marine environment. When did you become aware of the problems and why does it hold particular importance for you?
We’re pretty oceanic kinda guys, with the album having a nautical theme. I don’t really know – I think it was watching a lot of the David Attenborough stuff, finding out how raped the oceans are. I wanted us to use what profile we have to steer people in the right direction. Ross and I grew up on the coast and I live there again now.

You obviously work very closely with your brother. Are there any situations that make being brothers awkward, or has it made things easier?
They can annoy the shit out of you! Ross is my younger brother; we compete for attention and always have done. Generally we have a real bond that goes back to our upbringing and that means we always pull it together and, if there is any tension, its normally healthy - something worthwhile.

Do you think you will ever produce music separately in the future?
We both have our own side projects and stuff but, I think we both really enjoy the sum of the parts when we work together. It seems to be a bit more fulfilling for us. As brothers we can communicate very directly but upset each other very easily, and we tend not to have the etiquette you have with others!

When you need a vocalist, how do you go about looking for the perfect person – I understand you use myspace frequently but where do you start?
I go to artists’ myspace pages that I like and look in their friends and see what they’re up to. I tend to start with something I like, a little like those Amazon lists - I really like the democracy of all these lists. I spent a long, long time researching and discovering people I’d not heard of and asking them to collaborate with us.

If you could use any vocalist on one of your tracks, dead or alive, who would it be?
I’d have to say, probably, Aretha Franklin. She is the real deal. I know we have a whole new wave of soul singers but, no-one does it like Aretha.

Is there anyone that you’d really like to have remix your music?
I’m not really a big fan…it depends what kind of remix you mean. I think I’d prefer cover versions or complete re-interpretations. We’re running some remix competitions which are quite exciting because I do like to hear younger people’s takes on our music. I find it quite interesting from that point of view but I can’t say that I’ve ever wanted a remix done by a particular production team.

What was the first /single album you ever bought?
Green Onions – Booker T and the MGS – it was re-released when Quadrophenia was out.

Which song are you most proud of?
I’m really proud of all of them. It’s really difficult to say. I’d probably say The Sea. I think it’s because I feel so connected to the sea.

What was the last album you bought?
Probably Beethoven’s Sonata for piano – I’m trying to, ya know…I’m getting on a bit now!

What would you count as your biggest success?
Well, if we’re not talking in a strictly commercial sense, I would say Dive Deep. The album really delivered us from a dark place and has given us a whole new lease of life.

You mention dark places - I read in a recent interview that you have suffered with serious depression. Are you happy to talk a little about it? Do you think you’d ever write any sort of memoirs or book?
Well, I’d be very interested in sharing experiences and that kind of thing, I’m quite open about it. I think there’s a tendency to feel like you’re coming across a bit too self absorbed, so it’s a difficult one to broach. But I agree that there’s a big difference between having a hangover and being clinically depressed (laughs).

To be honest I think a lot of my depression was just that I wasn’t facing the reality of the situation I was in, I really needed to just grow up and face things as they were rather than the way I wanted them to be. I think that’s the trouble with being a romantic or an idealist – you just have this dream of everything and then…you have a head on collision with real life that leaves you a bit scarred.

If you weren’t making music, what do you think you might be doing?
(deadpan) I’d probably be a serial killer.

Goodness! That’s definitely not the answer I was expecting. Can you elaborate?
I don’t know, I had quite a turbulent upbringing and I think music helped steer me in the right direction. I think maybe serial killer’s a bit extreme!

Do you think that there’s a possibility that some sort of creative input in childhood can help to steer troubled young people away from crime and bad choices?
I think possibly yes. I know that there were certain people at key points in my life that gave me a bit of support and steered me. It gave me an appetite for what I could achieve creatively. Without that I think my whole life would have been pretty destructive.

Do you think we will ever see the Memoirs of Paul Godfrey?
We live in very difficult times with so many broken families. I have considered it. I’m trying to make a move to France so if I get there and get a bit of spare time, I might look at doing some writing. I think it’s too early to do memoirs or the story of Morcheeba or anything like that.

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