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How many songs have you recorded for the new album? How many have we recorded? Well we've got nine half finished but I reckon we'll have about twelve before the year is out. Have you got a provisional title for it? For the album? Well, I can't….I've not told anyone else, but I'll tell you. We've got a couple, one of them is 'Pirates'. Any reason for that? No, well yeah, there's a sort of nautical connection…..we've all given ourselves nautical names while we are down here! What's yours? Mine's '(Can't make this out on the tape but it's something like 'A. K.') Barnacle'! Is that the theme for the album? No not really….'Pirates' is one, the other is possibly, 'Bring Yourself Off'. Okay I'm not even going to ask what the inspiration for that one is! What do you think of that? I think it's quite a good one! What's the studio like? It's fantastic, you'd love it. It's really, really nice, just…..secluded. Is it true you can only get to it by boat? Well you can walk along the railway tracks but yeah you can only get your equipment and that in by boat, and only when the tide is in as well. Otherwise you have abit of a wait in the pub! Why did you decide to go with John Cornfield and not Edwyn Collins as a producer? It didn't work out with Edwyn….he's not got enough knowledge of producing to beable to handle a band like us. Are you nervous about playing new songs to an audience in September? No not at all. I'm excited about it. I do think it is going to be our best album yet, and that's why, you know, our ideas about how we wanted it to sound were already fixed….that's why we knew straight away that it wasn't going to work out with Edwyn. Will the set be mostly new songs? No it won't be mostly new songs because I don't think that's what people want to hear. I think people would like to hear you play the songs they know and love, as well as, you know, a few new ones. People need to get excited and they don't get excited about songs that are unfamiliar. Do you know whether you've sold a lot of tickets? Yeah we've sold a few haven't we? We started selling them over the internet today and I think we sold 18! (Laughs) We're going to play the new song that you heard last year in Liverpool. (I sat in on the Liverpool Royal Court soundcheck in November 98, when the band rehearsed and provisionally recorded a fantastic new song called 'The Basement Song') That has turned out excellent. Did you keep it as 'The Basement Song' or did you change the title? Yeah we used 'The Basement Song'. And we've been recording stuff we played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (Radio One Peel Sessions gig, 31/1/99). What about the new songs from the London Astoria gig (NME Brat Awards Show, 20/1/99)? Oh yeah we are doing that song from the Astoria as well. The instrumental one. We've done that and that sounds great. That's called 'Bloodbubble' isn't it? Yeah at the moment it is but it'll probably be called something else on the album. I might get a friend of mine in….I've asked a friend of mine to write a speech and we might do something with that. How's Benjamin? (Drummer Eds' baby) He's fine. Is Eds enjoying being a dad? Eds is really pining for him. I think Eds is…..I think it was most difficult on Eds, this session. It took him a couple of weeks to really settle in. Yeah…..it's very touching. Have you been to see the new Star Wars film? Yeah, went to see it last Thursday, the day it came out! What do you think then? I like it, I like it a lot. We're going to see it again tonight. That's quite sad isn't it?! No! I went to see it last night but I arrived five minutes too late and it had already started so I have to see it tonight. How does it compare to the original? It's not as good is it? Not as good as 'Return To The Jedi'. I haven't seen it yet Well, I won't spoil it for you. It's great it's really exciting. What did your mum say about your 'Adam and Joe Show' appearance?! My mum? We don't talk about it! (Laughs) She didn't mention it! My Nan and Grandad saw it as well. But they don't mention it either! Do you regret anything about it? I regret having so much to drink in the afternoon cause I was wasted! I wish I'd had a shave…..but there you go. What are you doing on New Year's Eve? I'm not even sure about it. I know it seems like a pretty big thing to neglect but I've had so much on my mind lately what with getting this new stuff done….and it was quite a stressful time when it didn't work out with Edwyn. We just wanted to get in the studio and get it done but then we had to go back and start again with someone else. Is that why you decided to release it next year and not at the end of this year as originally planned? Yeah, well also, we had to wait six weeks until Edwyn was available as well. But I suppose it gave us extra time to write some more songs. Why does 'Carn't Be Trusted' have an extra 'R' in there? There's a superfluous 'R' on every album. Like 'Broken Starr'? Right, and there'll be one on this album. On which song? Oh, I can't tell you! Go on! No, we haven't got it yet! (laughs). Not all the songs have titles. If they have then they're usually crap ones like 'The Basement Song'! Well thanks Mark that's about it really. Oh short and sweet. I'm starving actually….I've been here since 3:30pm. Where you on time then? (Mark is infamously late for everything!) Well I got here about 3:40, only ten minutes late. I'm going to KFC to get a free toy. What a Star Wars one? Yeah! You buy a kids meal and you get a free toy. I just like all the free stuff. So when are we going to see you again? September I hope…. Oh you're coming to Leeds are you? And Portsmouth Oh cool! Oh well nice one I'll look forward to seeing you. I'll have to get back on the internet. I'm crap at it though I can't type fast. You should get one of those programs where you speak and it writes it for you. They're expensive though aren't they, those talking programs. Get Neil (Bluetones' manager) to buy it for you Yeah with all the money he'll make from our new album! Right then I'm going to nick off to get myself something to eat. Okay thanks for doing this Mark and I'll see you in September No problem, enjoy the rest of your summer! |