Tor :Hi, Fish. Great you took the time to take part in this interview. Fish :No problem, I`m glad I could do it. Tor :Yeah I really appreciate it, well o.k. I'll ask the first question now. You have been touring in the US, how was it ? Fish :It was very good , it was refreshing to actually go to a place that was really open to Rock music . It was refreshing to be taken as a kind of new artist. You know even that there was a lot of fans coming to the gigs obviously being aware of my Marillion history, there were a lot of fans being even more interested in Sunsets On Empire which was nice. That`s one of the problems I still get in Europe: there`s still a lot of baggage hanging around. You know it was strange that Radio 1 from U.K. was saying we would like to do a program, could you name your 5 favorite singles of all time, and I say; I could give you 5 singles but they're all my solo album singles. Then they said we were hoping for that, but I said you only play Kayleigh and you might play Incommunicado sometimes, but my solo material you never play. I done lots of reviews and talkshows for your programs and stuff, and I just refuse you doing another 40 minute show using my name and using it only directed to Marillion. I gave them my 5 favorite solo singles and it seems that they agreed to do it. That`s one of my biggest problems here in Europe. It`s very difficult getting any airplay, and I think even you guys here in Norway understand, or are aware of that. Tor :It has been a lot of years since you toured the US hasn`t it ? Fish :Yeah, it has been 10 years. There was never a way I could go into America and expect the promoters to give me a break, unless they knew that we were going to get some radio support, and unless they knew that there was a record company supporting our albums in the shops. America works the same way as others nowadays. It`s far more difficult getting your albums in the shops. You know the shops won`t take your albums unless you got an album and a tour. You know it`s all going to be linked together. You know it was great going they’re doing 29 shows and coming back not losing any money on it. We had a great experience and we had a lot of fun doing it, you know. Tor :Have you had any problems promoting the new album here in Scandinavia ? Fish :Yeah, you know it always a problem getting record companies spending money on a record that perhaps costs more to promote that you can expect in sales, you know. People play a lot safer nowadays: they won`t spend more money then they expect getting back. Tor :How are the sales going for SOE ? Fish :They`re O.K. They`re not great, but they`re O.K. A lot less than we hoped for, but I really hoped SOE would have been a more of a breakthrough album than it has been. I know that in a lot of areas it has gotten a lot of respect I think for the content, for the production, and the lyrics for the songwriting. A lot of people have said to me that they think it is my best album so far. You know we are doing the best as we can every night, and we have to maybe sit down after the tour and evaluate things. Maybe decide if I`m gonna go for another world tour again or maybe I shouldn`t concentrate on the records as much as I've done. You know 18 months is a long tour, I do miss my family while on tour. All the gigs and travelling is very exhausting . You know it`s the albums and T-shirts that you sell every night that keeps you on the road, not the money you get from the promoters for the tickets. And you know because we own our own record company, we are being able to carry that catalog with us. I think that touring in the future will become far more selective and I don`t think it will go on for such long periods of time. You know I could see myself putting my energy into other things. Perhaps more acting and more in general writing. Tor :In which countries are you most popular ? Fish :France has picked up a lot this year, America has definitely picked up and Canada. Tor :You have released a lot of good records through the fan club. Any plans on further releases ? Fish :Yeah, a live album is coming out of this tour. You know I was really really really pissed off because we had DAT`ed some of the shows, and the Paradiso show was an excellent show, perhaps the best show we done on this tour so far. The DATplayer was damaged on the truck and we lost everything that we had recorded. So we lost the perfect live album. The changing of the guitarists, JJ and Keith Moore going out and Robin Boult coming in. I`m not really into the idea of releasing any J.J. or Keith's material as a full live album. Tor :What`s the reason they didn’t work out ? Fish :Keith I think, didn`t play particularly well. He had a lot of equipment problems, but there are a lot of reasons I don`t really want to go into because of the problems between ourselves. He wasn`t good enough to fit into this band. Tor :Are you happy to have Robin back ? Fish :Yeah, very happy. I mean the change and the dynamic in the bands balanced a lot better now. Obviously I know Robin for so long and Mickey Simmonds is back, so I think it`s the best band I ever had. You know the rhythm section of Steve and Squeaky are phenomenal. Tor :What about Mickey Simmonds, is he going to continue in the band beyond this tour ? Fish :Yeah, as far as I`m aware of. Mickey seems to be perfectly happy to be back, you know. Tor :What about your family, what do they think of you being on the road so much? Fish :I don`t know what you fuckin mean, you know! They are not happy at all, but you know I`ve gotta make a living. You know I`m not Elton John. I`m not sitting here in the middle terrain with a fat bank account and a Ferrari. I`m still a very hardworking musician, trying to make ends meet like a lot of other musicians. You know my family understands I have to go on the road. It`s the best way I have got to make a living, and trying to pay off overdrafts - and you know this is my job, it`s what I like doing. There`s a change in me now. Before I think my life revolved around our music, but now the music revolves around my life. And that`s a very different perspective. Tor :Does your wife attend some of your concerts ? Fish :Yeah, the last time she came across to Amsterdam for a night, and before that she has been to Malta. I see my wife about every 6 weeks or so, but my daughter I saw her only once in July. I particularly miss my daughter, and I feel very guilty about being on the road and being away from her. But as I said, there have only been 2 world tours and this is the second one. I could probably see before me another world tour but that would probably be the farewell tour. Tor :I know your music and of course your lyrics mean a lot for many of your fans. How do you feel about that ? Fish :I`m really touched by the way many react to my music. You know it's quite humbling to have reactions from people, and to find that your music means a lot to them, or has helped them through certain periods of their life. I am very impressed by the loyalty of a huge bunch of these fans. Tor :You have been very loyal to the Norwegian fans, you have played here a lot of times, do you feel you have a good response here ? Fish :Yeah. You know I always - I've been trying to especially here in Scandinavia, been hoping to break out a lot faster up here. It`s far more easier to have a breakthrough if you could play some open-air shows for 12-15000 people. You know there are a lot there who have never heard our music that could become fans of our music. Without radio play it's very important to play gigs to people, in for example, Norway. You hope that there are some new fans at the gigs that hopefully like what they’re hearing and start buying albums. You know this isn`t the 80`s, there are far more bands and there are far more albums. There is far more pressure on the amount of money that people spend, and if you take a look at it, people have a certain amount of money to spend on different things like concerts, cd`s,cinema,computer games, a night out at a restaurant, football and so on. I think people aren`t as excited about music as they used to be. I think people are getting more cynical about the music industry and the musicians today. there is so much hype, and when people get disappointed or let down, they are buying less records. There is so much focusing on the image, and not on the music itself, so it is very hard getting old in this industry. I`m not a member of the Spice Girls you know. Tor :From your solo material, do you have a favorite song ? Fish :Not really. I mean, I think at the moment probably Jungle Ride is my favorite. Tor :What about the Marillion years, any favorite ? Fish :I don`t know. I mean, I think it's obviously reflected by the choice of material for Yin & Yang . The song that for me really stands for the essence of the music of Marillion was Incubus. I really like that song . I say Incubus is my favorite song. Tor :You mentioned you probably liked Jungle Ride best from SOE, why ? Fish :I like the dynamic. I like the live dynamic, you know it's more like a piece of theatre than just a song. Tor :What song that you have written do you feel has the best lyrics ? Fish :Maybe Goldfish & Clowns. I mean, I like all of them. I like Jungle Ride, but I've really got no particular favorite. Tor :Do you have any contact at all with Marillion ? Fish :Not really, but I talked to Steve Rothery just before I went to America, but we were just talking personal stuff. I don`t have any contact with them really. I mean, we live in different countries. Tor :Do you like the music Marillion makes today ? Fish :Irrelevant question. Tor :What kind of music are you listening to beside your own ? Fish :Radiohead, Verve Pipe, Depeche Mode, Ian Mccall, I mean a lot of different things. I got an great Sinatra collection as well. Tor :What about Steve Wilson, is he being a part of the writing for the next album ? Fish :I hope so, I know Steve would like to do it as well. We both enjoyed working together. It depends on touring and he`s doing an album for Porcupine Tree in January/February. It`s really too far away to be deciding who will be working on the next album. Tor :There is a line that you have in the lyrics from "Raw Meat" which goes : "The hunter of the autograph, he wants my name and I just can`t find the strength to turn him down". This is really you isn`t it? You are really taking care of your fans everywhere? Fish :Without the fans I wouldn`t be here. Sometimes I find it a little difficult. You know, when you finished a gig and just had a 2 and a half hour performance, and you would like to go in a bar and so on, and chill out. I give a lot of myself on stage you know, sometimes it irritates me when someone comes up and wants to discuss with me about the fourth line in Incubus about what it means, you know. But I really appreciate my fans, it`s them who buys my records and my T-shirts, and make my way of living you know. Tor :Have you been thinking of stopping touring and retire from the music business ? Fish :Yeah, I mean I mentioned that before. I can`t spend another year of my life playing for only 400 people a night, it`s a complete waste of time. I know it`s very selfish of me, but I have a wife and a daughter, and it`s being very selfish of me being away from them for so long too, I think. I am doing 5 gigs with the SAS band in December and I probably will be making more money on those 5 gigs than being 4 months on the road myself. Tor :What about the Internet, do you see that as an important way to promote yourself ? Fish :Yeah I do. With the next album there is a strong possibility that we will sell the album in advance on the Internet. Maybe 1-2 months before the retail. Because I don`t see why I should give retail shops a huge amount in discounts when I can distribute them on the Internet at a much lower cost. If I could do this I will save Dick Brothers Record Company a lot of extra and it will be easier for me to survive you know. Tor :What about Johnny Punter, who is he ? Fish :That`s you Tor :Oh O.K. Tor :Well that`s all I had to ask you for now Fish, I really really appreciate that you took the time doing this interview. Fish :That`s O.K. , Thank you. A big thank you to Jane Findlay and of course Fish, for making this interview happen. Tor Stabell Read my Gig-report Take a look at some great pictures from the concert |
Backstage at Rockefeller doing the interview I had a great time meeting Fish. Fish took his time signing my record collection too. I met Mickey Simmonds there too. |
||||
