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Episode 222 - Steve Jansen - Exit North — Transcript

by Ask The Drummer Podcast with Ann Nazario · 10,855 words · 1,994 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:04Hello everyone. It's Monday afternoon
0:07here in the UK. Uh we're actually quite
0:09early. I mean we said that we're going
0:11to go on live at 2:00, but it's 4
0:14minutes till 2:00 here in in the in the
0:16UK in Stockport. Uh
0:19which means 4 minutes till 9:00 in
0:22Manila.
0:24Um also 4 minutes till 10:00 in Japan.
0:27And I hope some of you my dear friends
0:29are watching this live tuned in.
0:32Um I know it's still quite early, but
0:34hope I'm hoping that those people who
0:37wanted to join us live will join us in a
0:39few minutes.
0:40Um
0:41Today's guest I've got to say I'm so
0:43excited. I'm also quite nervous as well
0:46cuz uh he's an absolute legend. And um
0:51I'm [clears throat] really really really
0:53nervous. And um based on the response
0:57that we got from when I posted the
1:00last week, uh can tell that he's truly
1:04well-loved and well-admired by so many
1:07people. And I feel so honored that uh
1:10he's giving up his time to talk to us
1:12here on Ask The Trainer.
1:14And um he's here now. So my dear
1:17friends, please welcome Mr. Steve
1:20Johnson. Yay! [applause]
1:23>> Thank you. Thank you for that nice
1:25introduction.
1:27>> [laughter]
1:27>> Oh, thank you. Uh I mean honestly, when
1:30I posted the guest announcement last
1:32week, everyone just really wanted to ask
1:34you questions and they're really happy
1:37that you said yes to Ask The Trainer.
1:39>> Oh really? Great.
1:40>> Yeah. I forgot to ask you, can I call
1:42you Steve or Mr. Johnson?
1:44>> No, no. You have to call me sir, Mr.
1:46Johnson.
1:46>> Mr. Johnson, sir. [laughter]
1:50>> Yes, of course. You of course you can.
1:52Yeah.
1:52>> Yeah.
1:53>> [laughter]
1:53>> Um
1:53>> [gasps]
1:54>> before we actually um carry on, I just
1:56wanted to give a massive shout out to a
1:59friend of mine called Dave Waters cuz
2:01he's the one he's a massive Exit North
2:04fan.
2:05>> I know that name. Seems familiar.
2:06>> Yeah, he's he's met you before, he said
2:09that um
2:10and uh he's the one who made me aware of
2:13Exit North and told me that you know,
2:15you never really stopped. You still
2:18carried on performing and
2:20>> Yeah. Yeah.
2:21>> and touring as well. So
2:23>> Yes. Yes.
2:25>> Thank you to Dave Waters. Uh I'm sure
2:27he's watching.
2:29>> [laughter]
2:30>> Right, so um
2:32Yeah, welcome to Ask the Trauma.
2:35Uh episode 222
2:37is all about you, Steve Jansen.
2:41Um
2:42>> [laughter]
2:43>> Um
2:44okay, so Steve Jansen is not your real
2:47name.
2:49>> Well, it is now, but it wasn't. No, I
2:51was born as Stephen Bacht, B A C H T.
2:55Um
2:57And yeah, I changed it when I got to
3:00well, just old enough to legally do
3:02that. So, I guess it was around 18 when
3:05I was 18.
3:06>> Yeah.
3:07>> And it's spelled Bacht, by the way.
3:08Bacht.
3:09>> Oh, oh okay. Uh I thought because maybe
3:12in those days um
3:14celebrities or musicians, they
3:17have stage names.
3:19>> Oh, they do, yeah.
3:21Um
3:22but
3:23for like legal reasons, contractual and
3:25all that, it was just a lot cleaner to
3:28just officially change over.
3:30Become
3:32officially
3:33Jansen. Um
3:36And then that way, you know, there's no
3:39repercussions on on mistakes or
3:41whatever.
3:43And so, it's on my passport since then.
3:45>> Okay. Since you were 18, you're already
3:48Steve Jansen.
3:49>> Yes. Yeah. Definitely.
3:52>> Brilliant.
3:53And of course, um
3:55your
3:56brother, David Sylvian.
3:59>> Mhm.
3:59>> Of course, he's also David Batt
4:01originally, but he's changed.
4:03>> be. Yes.
4:04>> [laughter]
4:06>> Uh yeah, he uh
4:08we we changed at the same time. I mean,
4:10it was just advised because um
4:13it was just a lot simpler.
4:15>> Yeah.
4:16I could have said cuz um
4:18our tech support um
4:20who's a lot older than me and he used to
4:23find out Japan, but he told me today
4:26that he only realized that you're
4:28brothers.
4:30>> Ah, so the plan worked.
4:33>> [laughter]
4:34>> We actually didn't want to be the
4:35brothers in the band. That was part of
4:36the reason we
4:38we part of the reason it was not a big
4:40part, but it was a small part of the
4:42reason why we didn't want to be the Batt
4:43brothers in the band. And also, we hated
4:46the name. It was just it's the sort of
4:47name that gets um
4:50gets used against you at school in in a
4:51number of ways. And I get I guess once
4:53we got the chance to sort of free
4:54ourselves of
4:56the name and the lifestyle that we would
4:59led up to that point, it was all part of
5:01the change, the transition.
5:03>> Right. And you're from a musical family.
5:06Any any other member of of the family
5:08>> No. No. No. Um no, I mean, one of my
5:13my uncles is a slight musician. He plays
5:16a bit of keyboards, but that was all.
5:19Yeah.
5:20>> Yeah. And um as far as cuz David Sylvian
5:23is the singer and [music]
5:24you're become you became the drummer.
5:27Has it always been the drums for you or
5:29did you try learning other musical
5:31instruments?
5:31>> I did try guitar. In fact, that's how we
5:34started, two guitars. Um
5:37>> [snorts]
5:37>> but I was naturally a left left-handed
5:40player. So,
5:42cuz I'm left-handed for writing, but so
5:45I naturally gravitated towards playing
5:47the guitar left-handed.
5:49And um
5:51I sort of fell behind. So, he was
5:53reading all the chord structures from
5:54the Bert Weedon's Play in a Day
5:56guidebook.
5:58And there was I trying to do the same
6:00with my hand upside down. And it Nobody
6:02sort of told us that you could reverse
6:04the strings or, you know, try other
6:06ways. But
6:07cuz we you know, in those days you had
6:09nothing but a book.
6:11Um
6:11>> Yeah.
6:12>> And I just found it I was falling
6:15behind, couldn't keep up with some of
6:16the chord structures cuz you're upside
6:18down.
6:19And uh
6:21And then I tried
6:23I had a little kind of keyboard thing
6:24for a while that I was playing.
6:27>> Yeah.
6:27>> Um
6:29But really, we wanted something more
6:30dynamic and
6:32you know, at the time we were listening
6:33to to Tyrannosaurus Rex a lot, which is
6:36just guitar and congas. And we thought
6:38that's a good way to create
6:41at least something that sort of
6:43structurally resembles a song or or, you
6:45know, something with rhythm.
6:47>> Yeah.
6:48Yeah.
6:48>> Yeah. So, so I did start.
6:50>> Yeah. And what about singing?
6:53Has it always been your brother?
6:55>> didn't Yeah, he was he was definitely
6:57into the whole um
6:59strumming guitar, writing songs thing.
7:01Yeah.
7:02>> Yeah.
7:03>> Being that much older, he sort of
7:05had the
7:06had the sense the good sense to
7:08to to write lyrics and and, you know,
7:12compose songs. Whereas I was that bit
7:13younger and and I was just sort of
7:16waiting for it to happen, sort of thing.
7:18>> Yeah. Um
7:20Um I just want to say hello to some of
7:22the um people who joined us. Megumi
7:25Azuma, Hiroko Mochiduki Mochiduki, uh
7:29Caroline Roseberry, Stuart McDonald,
7:32um Aiden O'Rourke as well. Aiden
7:33O'Rourke is our tech support. He's the
7:34one who didn't realize that you're
7:36brothers.
7:37>> [laughter]
7:38>> Um So, um
7:40you got into drumming. Um
7:44They got a question from
7:46someone,
7:47Mirella Novu,
7:49um her name is. Who was your biggest
7:52inspiration when you started playing the
7:54drums?
7:56>> That's such a difficult question. Um
7:59there wasn't one specific drummer
8:01because
8:02there was so many different music genres
8:04around at that time
8:06that I was sort of listening to so many
8:08things, and it was a sort of
8:09conglomeration of all those different
8:11influences that I took on board.
8:14Um
8:16you know, whether it was from
8:19albums by Lou Reed or whether it was
8:21from
8:24bands from America like Television that
8:26had very kind of accomplished
8:28arrangements and and uh
8:30great drummer.
8:32Um
8:34the things that are actually more
8:35standard pop, but you know, there was a
8:38lot of influences there, but not one
8:41particular drummer that I was really,
8:43yeah, looking at.
8:45>> Did you have proper drumming lessons?
8:47>> No, no, no, no, no.
8:49>> No?
8:49>> No, I I literally
8:51watched Top of the Pops
8:54>> Okay.
8:55>> or The Old Grey Whistle Test, and that's
8:57what that was my education on
8:59how to play drums. That's why I
9:00approached it as a right-handed player
9:01as opposed to a left-handed player
9:03because I just copied what I saw on the
9:04TV.
9:06>> Oh, so yeah,
9:07yeah.
9:07>> So, yeah, I play right-handed, but
9:10in most other things I'm left-handed.
9:13>> Okay.
9:14Um have you always been part of the
9:16music scene and cuz you're from London.
9:18>> Yeah.
9:20>> When you're a teenager, have you always
9:22been, you know, like going to lots of
9:23gigs and
9:25>> Uh yeah, well, some, not a lot. I mean,
9:28when the big bands used to come to play,
9:30used to go and see them, yeah.
9:32Um
9:34but not so much the club venues, not so
9:36much.
9:39But, yeah. I did I did see a a few bands
9:42when I was younger.
9:43>> Yeah, cuz when I did
9:45this is really surprising for me when I
9:47was doing this script cuz
9:49I'm originally from the Philippines and
9:52Japan for us
9:54I thought it was like part of the MTV
9:56generation which is like 80s like
10:00like mid-80s like
10:02I didn't realize that you're actually
10:05been around since 1974 and this is like
10:08a couple [clears throat] of years before
10:09punk
10:11happened.
10:12Um
10:14Yeah, so one of the
10:16really striking things that I found out
10:19as well from um
10:21Googling Japan is there was a talent
10:24[clears throat] contest that Hansa
10:26Hansa Records from Germany did. And
10:30apparently The Cure won it and you were
10:34second runner-up. Can you tell us more
10:36about it cuz it sounded really exciting.
10:39>> Well, I don't know it wasn't I don't
10:41really know
10:42the details. I only found that out much
10:45much later in fact more recently that
10:46they were even a part of the the sort of
10:49lineup of potential signings.
10:52Um
10:53I think but at the time we were just um
10:57we were doing a few. We did one for EMI,
10:59you know, just set up. They come and
11:00film you so there was there was some
11:03sort of record that they could uh watch
11:05and judge the group.
11:08Um
11:10And we were selected but I I don't know
11:13about any other bands until recently I
11:15heard that they were um
11:18in that same set of auditions. Which is
11:21quite funny. Yeah.
11:24>> Cuz again I mean The Cure are massive in
11:26the Philippines. They still are.
11:28>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:29Yeah, yeah.
11:30>> Yeah, so that's that's really quite
11:33a revelation for me when I found out.
11:36So,
11:37Japan were
11:39that was your first band when you
11:41started playing drums?
11:43>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the only band
11:45sort of
11:46but up until I started working outside
11:48the group when I was about 20
11:50three or something. Yeah, that was it.
11:52>> Yeah.
11:53And um
11:54>> education.
11:56>> It started so you formed in 1974
12:00and then
12:00>> Well, formed is a bit of a bit of a
12:02stretch. It was just David and I and
12:04Mick
12:05did our first show at Mick's brother's
12:07wedding. Um
12:10and we had to decide on a name. We had a
12:12few.
12:13Um we just landed on that one thinking
12:16it's pretty rubbish name but it'll do
12:19for now. We'll change it maybe next
12:21week, you know.
12:22Um
12:23but it never happened so it stuck. Mhm.
12:27But so So, that was the first show but
12:29we then did a lot of sort of pop pop
12:31gigs and small clubs and supports and
12:34things.
12:35>> Yeah, but um
12:37I mean, from what I see, I mean, you're
12:39very stylish and it's very much part of
12:43Forgive me for saying it's very much
12:45part of like the new wave new romantic
12:48kind of thing but this was all before.
12:51This was all before the new
12:52>> Yeah, it can't We got tagged into that
12:54but we weren't really a part of it. So,
12:57um
12:59yeah, we we a kind of odd link between
13:03the punk thing that was going on and
13:06rock and what was developing as a sort
13:09of alternative to that which was more
13:11yeah, romantic romanticism and sort of
13:14fashion.
13:16>> Yeah, yeah.
13:17>> Yeah.
13:19>> And now
13:20again what
13:21Well, another surprise is that didn't
13:24realize you actually split up in 1982
13:26which is quite
13:28early early in the day cuz for us, the
13:31Filipinos, we didn't get to see the MTV
13:34uh videos
13:35until later.
13:38Um,
13:38you know, so uh
13:39>> How much later was it?
13:41>> Well, I would say maybe mid-80s or
13:43something something like that like part
13:45of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet and
13:48>> Mhm.
13:49>> you know, but you were already gone by
13:51that time.
13:54>> Yes, we'd had our effect on the people
13:56and gone.
13:58I mean, it was um
14:00it was just you know
14:02for us, it'd been a long time. We we
14:04started
14:05as as a sort of five-piece
14:09recording the first album when I was 17
14:12or yeah, just at the end of my 17th
14:14year, so
14:15>> Yeah.
14:16>> 17 18 19 20 21 22 so five-year
14:20five-year track.
14:22Which when you're that young, that's
14:24almost a third of your life, so it seems
14:26like a long time, you know.
14:27>> Yeah.
14:28>> So, but now it's nothing, but back then
14:30it felt like a long time.
14:32>> Yeah.
14:33>> We were ready for a change by that by
14:35that point.
14:37>> And you carried on uh performing after
14:40Japan split up in 1982 cuz um
14:44uh I think you collaborated you and
14:46Richard Barbieri started Dorphin
14:49Brothers.
14:50Um
14:51>> Bit later, but yeah, yeah. It was more
14:53like 80
14:55five or something like that. Yeah.
14:57>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
14:58Um
15:00And then I mean, this is another one. My
15:02friend my colleague at Ken Bee I work at
15:04Ken Bee Records in Charlton and he said
15:07to me that uh Japan actually came back
15:09together and did a sort like a reunion.
15:12>> Yes.
15:13>> You got a new name.
15:15>> [laughter]
15:15>> We did.
15:17We worked under a different name, Rain
15:19Tree Crow, which is really the was the
15:20album title.
15:22We didn't really want to have a name, I
15:23suppose you could say. There were too
15:25many attachments to the old name.
15:28There was some sort of legal dispute
15:31with the fact that Virgin really wanted
15:33us to use it.
15:35Obviously, for them it was a, you know,
15:37an important factor, but they they went
15:39with it in the end. They decided to
15:41follow
15:43um our plan.
15:45Um
15:46but yeah, we ran into some difficulties
15:48on that in terms of overspending.
15:52And it yeah, again, we got into sort of
15:55internal conflicts and decided to go our
15:58separate ways again.
15:59>> All right. Okay. And you only produced
16:02one album and then that's it. So,
16:04um
16:04>> Yeah, it was actually an eight-album
16:06deal, I think. It was something It was a
16:08ridiculous um the generous deal.
16:11And it would have been great had we seen
16:14it through, but um
16:16it wasn't to be.
16:19Some things aren't
16:19>> Yeah.
16:20Yeah.
16:22Well,
16:22um
16:23I just want to say hello again to uh
16:25Mayumi Otsuka, uh John Boyle, and Vicky
16:29Meadows for tuning in. Um I mean, the
16:32main uh
16:34topic that I really wanted to ask is
16:36Exit North cuz that's your band now.
16:39Um
16:40>> It is. It is. I mean, I still work on
16:42solo material, but as
16:44in terms of the sort of
16:47proper songwriting band with a
16:49>> Yeah.
16:50>> shows and everything, yeah.
16:52>> Yeah.
16:52>> It's Exit North.
16:54>> Well, um you have collaborated with so
16:57many different musicians and I've
17:00actually got several questions from
17:02people about your music collaborations.
17:05>> All right.
17:05>> Um one of them is from uh Megumi
17:08Mizumura and this is
17:11>> of her.
17:13>> And this is about your
17:15your um collaboration with Yuki Yuki
17:18Hirose.
17:20>> Mhm.
17:21>> So
17:22when collaborated with UK Hero Sun and
17:26created music, what came first, lyrics
17:28or the sounds?
17:31>> The music came first. Lyrics came
17:33second.
17:35Um
17:37what we used to do was we'd we'd decide
17:39on the structure of the song, we'd lay
17:41out the
17:42the verse, choruses, bridges, middle
17:44sections
17:46decide on the factors that make it
17:48either a sort of
17:49a dance track or something slower or
17:53Um all that sort of basic stuff and then
17:57we're between us we'd sort of write a
18:00vocal melody.
18:02A melody that goes over the the chords
18:04and then it's down to me to come up with
18:06lyrics that sort of would fit
18:08into that vocal melody. Yeah.
18:10>> She also wanted to know how has the
18:12drumming developed naturally between you
18:15two? And did you ever have
18:17disagreements?
18:19>> [laughter]
18:20>> Uh
18:21no, we never had any disagreements.
18:24That's one of the pleasures of working
18:26together.
18:27Um
18:28what was the question? Did did our
18:30drumming
18:31>> Uh the drumming developed naturally
18:34between you two?
18:35>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean it's sort of
18:37like a mutual respect. He I think the
18:39most important factor for him was
18:40initially would have been
18:43how good am I at playing with with
18:45computers and click tracks because
18:47in those days not many people were.
18:51But I'd been doing it with our band not
18:53to the extent he was but I was following
18:55click tracks and using those methods.
18:58And um
19:00yeah, I guess once that was established
19:02that there was a sort of solidness to
19:04the performance.
19:06>> Yeah.
19:06>> And to be able to replicate
19:09if he's dynamics you know, it it in the
19:13in my style was was this
19:15was an important factor. Um
19:18Yeah, and
19:19no, we just uh latched on to the same
19:21elements really. We're very um
19:25not too precious about things, just
19:27quite free to decide what what what
19:30either player would like to proceed or
19:32work on.
19:33>> Yeah.
19:34>> So, yeah. Quite an open open
19:36collaboration.
19:37>> And you never had disagreements, which
19:39is good.
19:40>> No, no.
19:41>> It's a good thing.
19:43>> The I think the only the only thing that
19:45I was um
19:48sort of
19:49perturbed about was after the first tour
19:52I did for Yukihiro in 1982, which went
19:55really well.
19:56Um
19:59he was planning on a tour for the next
20:00year or a YMO tour, I'm not I can't
20:02remember which which it was.
20:04Um and I was supposed to be doing that,
20:07but because I I didn't know at the time,
20:09but because I had agreed to do another
20:10tour in Japan, it conflicted with the
20:13fact that it was
20:16between two different artists using the
20:18same drummer, and he didn't want to be
20:19put in that position. So, they said,
20:22"Oh, we're going to go with uh
20:24the ABC drummer, David Palmer, for that
20:26year."
20:27And I thought, "Is that some sort of
20:29rejection? Did I make a mistake? Was
20:30there some, you know, problem with the
20:33performance previously?"
20:35And um
20:37Peter Barakan, who was always the the
20:38sort of man between, go-between,
20:41he said, "No, no, it's just down to the
20:43sort of politics
20:45of
20:46what you're doing at the moment in terms
20:48of profile."
20:50>> Yeah.
20:50>> So, you know, that was just that year,
20:52and then after that I was back again,
20:53and we did many more tours together, so.
20:57>> Oh, wow.
20:58>> It [laughter] It was That was the only
20:59time I've ever felt what what the Is
21:01there a problem? You know, because
21:03there's never there's never been a
21:04problem.
21:05>> Okay. Um this this one is a good
21:08question uh from Allison Natzel. Is that
21:11whiskey or water? She said.
21:13>> I I
21:15I don't want to say.
21:17It's not the color of whiskey, that's
21:19for sure. It's not a spirit, that's for
21:22sure.
21:24And it must be water.
21:25>> It must be water.
21:26>> Yeah, must be water.
21:28If I start slurring my words in the next
21:3030 minutes,
21:32>> then it's something else.
21:36>> [laughter]
21:36>> Um, next question from Stuart McDonald.
21:39Um, are there any musicians out there
21:41who you'd like to work with that you
21:43haven't done so yet?
21:46>> I don't really think in that way, to be
21:48honest.
21:49Um,
21:51I don't really think in that way. I've
21:53never I've never been somebody really
21:56who's myself has instigated
21:58collaboration.
22:00They've always been people who have
22:02asked me to collaborate with them.
22:05Um,
22:06and I don't know why, but it's just not
22:08not the way that I sort of work. I I
22:10just
22:11um, try to do things on my own or work
22:13with the people that I I'm already
22:15working with. If something pops up,
22:18I give it a go.
22:20Yeah,
22:22>> [clears throat]
22:22>> I mean, there's so many great artists,
22:24great musicians that,
22:25you know, be pleasure to work with so
22:27many of them, but I don't go out of my
22:29way to think about that.
22:31>> Yeah. Um, which I think this is the best
22:34time to ask you this question.
22:37Because there's some I did mention to
22:40you that when I sent you an email that I
22:42I'm not really good with drumming, so I
22:44don't ask technical questions.
22:47>> [laughter]
22:49>> There's there's one,
22:51uh, which is kind of technical, um,
22:55from Mike Cameron, and he said, uh, what
22:58kit and symbols do you prefer? Um, do
23:02you still use the octobans? Is that Is
23:05that right?
23:05>> Yeah, that's correct. Yes, the octobans.
23:08>> Yeah.
23:09>> No, I haven't used octobans since back
23:11in the '80s. Um
23:14One of them is currently a a sort of
23:16walking stick stand at my parents'
23:18place, you know, turned upside down.
23:19They're very long drums. They used to
23:21stand their sticks in it or umbrellas in
23:23it. That's the last I've seen of it, but
23:25I
23:26I was at um
23:28Gavin Harrison's
23:29studio home
23:32a few weeks ago. He's a drummer with
23:34Porcupine Tree.
23:35And uh he's got a whole set there.
23:39So, he's he's planning on using them or
23:41does use them, I'm not sure.
23:43Uh
23:45So, I use Tama drums.
23:49Really, that's the kit I've been with.
23:51That's the
23:52maker manufacturer I've been with for
23:54>> Yeah.
23:55>> Well, nearly 50 years, I suppose. Um
23:58>> Are you endorsed by them?
24:00>> They do supply me with the stuff I need,
24:03yeah. Yeah,
24:05I don't It's not like a contractual
24:06thing, but it's just a sort of
24:08>> Okay.
24:09>> trust, I guess, yeah.
24:11>> Yeah.
24:11>> Uh and Sabian cymbals, I had a an
24:14endorsement with them for a long time,
24:15Sabian cymbals.
24:17>> Okay. Cuz so, one one of the things I
24:19like asking the drummers is
24:21>> Mhm.
24:22>> if they're endorsed by a company, does
24:24it really mean that they like using it
24:27or is it just because they're being
24:29endorsed by the company?
24:30>> I can't admit not liking it,
24:31>> [laughter]
24:31>> can I?
24:33You know, I have to privately like this.
24:37No, Tama are great. I actually I can I'm
24:40pretty sincere because um
24:43I actually bought my first Tama Tama kit
24:45and it was only just It was before we
24:47were popular in Japan and it was only
24:49the fact that
24:51when we were popular there and I had to
24:53go there, they supplied the kit then and
24:56then they said, would you like an
24:57endorsement because you've you're a
24:59tournament player. So, I didn't buy into
25:02the the endorsement, I bought into the
25:04brand.
25:04>> And yeah, yeah.
25:06>> Yeah.
25:07>> Oh, that's good. Um another technical
25:09question is uh this one is from Stuart
25:12McDonald. Um he wanted to know, are you
25:15a musician that has hard drives full of
25:18ideas,
25:20creating continuously, or do you only
25:23get creative when a potential project is
25:26identified?
25:29>> Uh I I have a hard drive full of
25:31creative ideas on the go.
25:34Whether they're any good or not is
25:35another question, but I do try to sort
25:37of always develop my own sort of
25:40personal
25:43ideas or
25:44solo projects
25:46>> Yeah.
25:46>> um in the background of whatever else
25:48I'm doing that's got more of a priority
25:50or time element that pushes it to the
25:52front, but
25:54in order to be really really truly
25:57creative in the way that I enjoy it, it
26:00it means there are no limitations to
26:02where you go with that.
26:04So, there are no sort of structures in
26:07place, which is
26:08you know, you can start from any point,
26:10be it an atmospheric vibe or some
26:12rhythmic vibe, and then develop things
26:14as you go along.
26:16>> Yeah.
26:17>> So, yeah, I've got ideas like that
26:19stacked in the hard drives
26:21that might never see the light of day,
26:23but they they're there.
26:25You never know.
26:25>> Hopefully we will. Hopefully we will see
26:27the light of day, and
26:28>> I should I should hope it. Yes.
26:31>> So, like a similar question is uh this
26:35one from John Boyle. Um do you have a
26:37system for remembering tracks when you
26:40play live?
26:42>> Uh
26:42>> Do you write out the chart, or is it
26:45just memory?
26:47>> It's just memory. I don't read. It's
26:50just memory. And yeah, I think that
26:53you develop a sort of
26:55process.
26:58I don't know about drummers who who who
27:00score music and read it or whatever, but
27:03it's
27:04for me it's a sort of mental process.
27:05You kind of map the track out in your
27:07mind. It's got a sort of shape to it.
27:09And the various rhythm patterns and
27:11change points of change are kind of
27:15visually there in your mind. And you
27:18and you use those as a reference. I do
27:21make notes. So I do have some notes if
27:23I've got to really
27:25keep up with things. It's too much. But
27:26sometimes you know in in in the '80s I'd
27:29go into rehearsal
27:32and there'd be like 20 to 25 songs
27:35that I that I roughly know, but I've not
27:36performed yet. So
27:40you know, once you start performing it
27:41it's
27:42it's very different from just listening
27:43and making notes. You've actually got to
27:45physically
27:46implement that. And then it's it was um
27:49it was challenging, you know, to to do
27:51that. But is is more the older you get
27:55it's more difficult to remember a lot of
27:56things. It's just physics or biology,
27:58whatever you call it.
27:59But um
28:01it's one of those things you just it's
28:03it's my way of of
28:05of performing live. It's all from
28:07memory.
28:07>> Mhm.
28:08>> Yeah.
28:09You're natural when it comes to drumming
28:12cuz one of the things I like asking
28:14drummers is
28:16I do believe that drummers are born
28:18drummers.
28:19It's like
28:19>> Born drummers, yeah.
28:20>> Yeah, it's it's in you.
28:23You've got it. I mean you can all learn,
28:25maybe go and have drumming lessons and
28:28stuff, but [clears throat]
28:29I think
28:31drummers really have that talent.
28:34Uh and that
28:37>> I don't know. Yeah, maybe. I
28:39I don't know
28:40you know, whether that that might be
28:42true. Could be true of any instrument, I
28:44suppose.
28:45Um I think that the common thread with
28:48the drummers that I know
28:50and with what the job
28:53dictates
28:54is that you have to be dependable,
28:56reliable, organized.
28:59Um, to the point of quite a lot of
29:02drummers are quite obsessed or OCD.
29:05Sort of um
29:08uh in their daily routines aside from
29:11drumming just because everything has to
29:14be
29:15in order.
29:17Cuz drumming's all about that. It's
29:18maths and it's order.
29:20So
29:21you know, you've got to
29:23you've got to be good at those things in
29:24order to be
29:26a good drummer, which it kind of flies
29:27in the face of all the kind of old
29:29stories about drummers being the idiot
29:31in the band or the one that's always
29:33messing up or, you know, the the the
29:35butt of all the jokes.
29:36>> Yeah.
29:37>> Um, I think, you know, that drummers do
29:39have those qualities or need those
29:40qualities to
29:42to do that job.
29:44Because if the drummer's not stable, the
29:47band's not stable.
29:50And that's that's a
29:51>> That is that is true.
29:52>> That's a simple fact. Yeah.
29:54>> Yeah, and
29:56you know, adding maths into it as well,
29:58I think that's that's amazing.
30:00>> [laughter]
30:01>> Cuz like you said, you know, people make
30:03jokes about drummers, but I think it is
30:06very important to put there is a bit of
30:10science. There is a bit of science in
30:12it.
30:12>> Yeah, yeah. I mean, maths in music is is
30:15everywhere because it's all about
30:17counting and and lengths and everything.
30:19So it's everywhere, but for drummers
30:21it's particularly poignant because you
30:23have so many divisions within those
30:26uh counts that could go anywhere that
30:29that lead your limbs to do the different
30:31things they have to do. So
30:33>> Yeah.
30:33>> you know,
30:34whether you're playing 16ths on with one
30:37arm and one note in another, you know,
30:39it's all maths.
30:41>> Wow.
30:42>> That's
30:43>> That's amazing.
30:44>> [laughter]
30:45>> Well, I'm going to start talking about
30:47Exit North cuz um this is really
30:49exciting cuz you're doing a tour next
30:52year.
30:52>> We are doing some shows, yeah.
30:54>> Yeah, you you think Yeah, and um every
30:58time you announce a date for Exit North
31:02within minutes tickets just sold like
31:05sold out straight away.
31:08Um
31:08>> Well, the response to it has been great.
31:10>> Yeah.
31:11>> It's been pretty good, yeah.
31:12>> Um there's a um I was I was at work last
31:15Saturday. There was a guy there buying
31:18records and he said that he found out
31:20about the Birmingham gig, but
31:22unfortunately [clears throat] couldn't
31:23get the
31:24the evening one, so
31:26but he was fortunate enough to get the
31:29um
31:29matinee
31:31So, he's going to that one. Um
31:33>> Yeah.
31:34>> Right, so Exit North um formed or
31:38started in 2014.
31:41>> I think so.
31:43Uh maybe.
31:44To be honest, I'm not entirely I I think
31:47my work with Thomas started earlier
31:52where [snorts] he was writing with me
31:54for my solo records.
31:56We I asked him as a vocalist to perform
32:00>> Yeah.
32:00>> on two of my solo records and I think
32:01the second one came out in 2016, so
32:05I guess it was around then that we
32:06started talking about working more
32:08closely together.
32:10>> Yeah.
32:10>> Making it more permanent, um performing
32:13a group.
32:14So, yeah, probably about 2016, something
32:17like that.
32:18>> And um
32:19these are uh Swe- Swedish musicians that
32:23you're
32:24>> They are a bunch of Swedes, yes.
32:26>> Yeah.
32:27>> They are.
32:27>> Uh
32:28so, how So, you were
32:30um collaborating with Thomas first of
32:34all and then
32:35you
32:35>> got two other
32:37uh Swedish musicians to join you to form
32:39a band.
32:39>> right. Yeah.
32:40>> Yeah.
32:41How How happened? And where did the name
32:43come from?
32:45>> Uh, that was a a title I had for just
32:48some music I wrote um,
32:51uh, a few years prior. Um, it was
32:55kind of I think it was it was going to
32:56be a sort of um,
32:59a piece for a video performance of some
33:02sort. I can't remember but it was a I
33:04called the track "Islands" and then I
33:05released it as a sort of download.
33:07Um,
33:09and when we were trying to find a name,
33:11one of the guys in the band said they
33:12really liked that title. It'd make a
33:14good name and so I was like, "Yeah,
33:16you're right. It's quite easy to
33:18remember."
33:20Um,
33:20>> Yeah. Yeah.
33:21>> and it kind of in a way related to the
33:23fact that, you know, they're from
33:25they're Nordics up there in the north.
33:27There was kind of a it's a little
33:28semblance of something um,
33:31and something that blended between them
33:34and me. Um,
33:36>> Yeah. Yeah.
33:37>> Yeah.
33:38>> Um, but
33:40you don't you don't always uh, go on
33:42tour. I mean, this since 2016,
33:46uh, there's only like a few
33:48times that you've
33:49>> Yeah, it's not easy. It's really hard. I
33:51mean, the first tour we did
33:53well, actually it wasn't a tour at all.
33:54It was just um, we played in Osaka and
33:56Tokyo for um,
33:58at the Billboard um,
34:00venues because it was quite easy to
34:02organize cuz they supplied everything
34:05you need there. Um,
34:08and then it then COVID happened and
34:10things got delayed and it wasn't till
34:12>> Oh, of course. Yeah.
34:14>> we did we did uh, some more shows in
34:162023, I think.
34:19We did uh, some shows in Sweden and
34:22again in Japan.
34:24Uh, and last year we did a small
34:26selected
34:28uh, tour of UK.
34:30Very small, four dates. Yeah.
34:32>> Um yeah, cuz there's another question
34:35from Megumi. Um cuz she said that she
34:38really enjoyed the lively drumming at
34:40the Exit North UK tour.
34:41>> Lively lively drumming or live drumming?
34:44>> Uh she said lively.
34:46>> [laughter]
34:47>> Lively drumming, okay.
34:49>> Um [clears throat]
34:50so her question is do you have a plan to
34:54record a new album with this lineup
34:56featuring you and Thomas Thordarson, the
34:59core members?
35:01>> Yes, we we are writing new material. Um
35:05albeit rather slowly cuz Thomas had to
35:07make quite a big move this year.
35:10He had a sort of nice home studio
35:13environment that he's had to break down
35:15and move.
35:16>> Yeah.
35:17>> Um
35:17and that caused a lot of setbacks for us
35:21to to move things forward.
35:23Uh
35:25plus it's just the two of us now. All
35:27the other members
35:30have separated from us due to some
35:34issues between Thomas and them. I won't
35:37go into it. It's not not necessarily to
35:39me.
35:39>> [laughter]
35:40>> Okay.
35:40>> I was quite happy.
35:42Um
35:43but yeah, so there's some issues there
35:46which have to be resolved. Uh so we've
35:48got a new
35:49player on board. It's
35:51a guy called Johan Rasmussen that Thomas
35:53had worked with
35:54for some sort of um
35:57folk music Swedish folk music gigs that
36:01he was doing last year,
36:03I think, or this year.
36:05This year. Um so it was quite convenient
36:07cuz he was a guitarist and we need a
36:08guitarist and um
36:10it just made sense to ask him to come on
36:12board.
36:14>> Yeah.
36:15>> Yeah, so they're they're they're sort of
36:16getting prepared now for the live shows.
36:19>> Oh, brilliant.
36:20>> And then I'll I'll probably head over
36:22there
36:23in a couple months and we'll have some
36:25rehearsals together.
36:28>> Yeah, so fans can expect maybe a new
36:31album? Uh actually I don't know.
36:33>> eventually. Yeah.
36:35>> Yeah.
36:35>> They probably They probably already
36:37know. We don't We don't knock them out.
36:40>> Oh, [laughter] right.
36:41>> We We We We spend time
36:43you know, being happy with what we're
36:45doing. So
36:46>> Yeah.
36:46>> We don't It takes time.
36:49And
36:50the Swedish are very chilled, very
36:52relaxed. So things do take extra time.
36:55>> Yeah. Yeah.
36:56>> Yeah.
36:57>> What about uh solo albums?
37:00Uh do you have
37:01>> Yeah, I'm working I'm always as I say
37:02the hard drives and that. I'm always
37:04compiling, working towards
37:07>> [snorts]
37:07>> things. I released a
37:09a a a a long track uh that I put online
37:12a couple of months back, few months
37:15back.
37:16Um
37:17which will go towards that. So I think
37:19there are a few tracks building up.
37:22>> Yeah.
37:22>> Hopefully I'll I'll get more done.
37:26>> Is that the one cuz I've got another
37:28question that I got after I've written
37:30my script that on the
37:33bandcamp notes for the recently released
37:36In the Hidden
37:38>> That's the one.
37:39>> apparently you mentioned that it's
37:41intended to form part of a future
37:43release. So will this be a solo album?
37:47>> Yeah, uh there are two tracks that sort
37:49of
37:50made
37:51in with that in mind. It's In the Hidden
37:53and The Journey Back, which which are
37:56tracks
37:57you know, the latest things I've done
37:59>> Yeah.
38:00>> myself.
38:01Uh they're very long pieces. They're
38:02about 9 minutes long each. So
38:05um
38:07I'm working on more tracks in that vein
38:09to compile an album.
38:12>> Yeah.
38:13Um next year
38:15uh Richard Barbieri um
38:17>> Who's that?
38:18>> from Japan.
38:18>> I know that That name's familiar. Sorry.
38:21Richard who?
38:23>> [laughter]
38:25>> So
38:26So, he'll be joining you
38:30um
38:30>> Yes.
38:31>> next year.
38:32>> Yes.
38:34>> Um
38:35Isabelle Ortiz would like to know
38:39if [clears throat] you and Richard have
38:42already decided the setlist for your
38:44combined part of the shows.
38:47>> Um
38:49Not completely, no. Not entirely.
38:53And we wouldn't want to spoil it by
38:54saying,
38:55you know, but
38:57we have remixed recently our very first
39:00collaboration album, Worlds in a Small
39:02Room, which was a soundtrack album,
39:05ambient music.
39:06>> Yeah.
39:07>> From 1980
39:104, I think. Um
39:12It's been remixed. We We got all the
39:14multi-tracks and did some remixes of it.
39:16And um
39:18it's going to be released next year.
39:22So, we'll definitely do something from
39:23that.
39:24At least one or two songs songs
39:28pieces from that.
39:30Um And we're exploring other things.
39:32We're not doing Japan material. That's
39:34definitely
39:34>> Oh, you're not? Okay.
39:35>> No, no. That's a definite no.
39:38I think we kind of established that we
39:40wouldn't be doing that. Um
39:42There's not really much point. I mean
39:46the music of Japan is very much about
39:47the four
39:49musicians
39:50um
39:52and their style. I mean, Japan tracks
39:54without me, Japan tracks without David,
39:57or you could say the same about myself
39:58and Richard. So, it doesn't really
40:01we don't feel Yeah, you could replicate
40:03it. You could ask someone to sing it.
40:05You could
40:06get somebody to play it, but
40:07>> Yeah.
40:08>> why bother? I mean, we might as well do
40:10the stuff that we do.
40:12>> That's yeah.
40:13>> Cuz we're alive and we're up for it.
40:14We're still
40:15>> Yeah.
40:16>> [laughter]
40:16>> It's a bit different. Yeah.
40:18>> So, Japan So, people only just found out
40:22about Exit North, uh your new band. Um
40:26and we were Japan fans.
40:29They can't, you know, they they
40:30shouldn't expect any Japan songs to be
40:34performed.
40:35>> No, I I I really don't think that's
40:37that's ideal. I mean, it's
40:39>> It's not okay.
40:40>> It's not great to ask Thomas to do that.
40:43Although, he probably would. It's just
40:45not not nice to to make that part of his
40:49you know, job to to sing Japan songs. Um
40:53Um
40:55Yeah. I mean, I covered some Japan songs
40:58when I perform live with David. We
40:59covered songs such as I Go, Nightporter,
41:02because they're the songs he still
41:03stands by.
41:05Um
41:07And I think for anyone else to I mean,
41:09if we approach instrumentals, I think
41:11Mick and Richard and I
41:13performed live without Buildings, which
41:15is a Japan instrumental, back in the
41:17'90s. We used to do that. And we did a
41:21We did a Rain Rain Tree Crow track, too.
41:23Um
41:25Because we were three three-quarters of
41:28the band. And it was instrumental music,
41:30mostly. So, why not? Um
41:33>> Yeah.
41:33>> But to just do the songs for the sake of
41:35doing the songs, I don't think it's
41:36worth it.
41:38>> Yeah.
41:39Um
41:40I've seen recently on social media that
41:43David Sylvian, I think, is releasing
41:46uh
41:47a I don't know if it's new material or
41:50solo album or something. Are you still
41:52Are you still in touch? Are you still
41:54playing together?
41:56>> Um No, we're [clears throat] not,
41:57really. We kind of went our separate
42:00ways um
42:02over the last decade or so. Um
42:07And that's the best best for both of us,
42:09I think, at this time. Yeah. So, and I'm
42:12aware that he's put some old old
42:17I say old, he's he's compiled some
42:19material from outtakes, I think. That's
42:22all I know.
42:23Yeah.
42:23>> All right. Okay. So, there's new one
42:25coming from him and then there's a
42:28new one coming out from Exit North and
42:31solo album from you.
42:32>> Well, I think yeah, we'll definitely get
42:34get to
42:35As long as long as we're breathing, we
42:38What else are we going to do? Yeah.
42:39Thanks for that, yeah.
42:41>> I've got a few questions from here just
42:43now. Um music posters, uh he said, are
42:47there any any any other bass and drum
42:50partnerships, past or present, that you
42:52particularly admired?
42:54>> Uh not
42:55not really.
42:58Um
43:00>> [snorts]
43:02>> It's very hard to call it out.
43:05You know, I used to listen to such a mix
43:07of stuff. Um
43:10from Sly and Robbie to all sorts of, you
43:12know, it's more about albums than than
43:14musicians, you know, it's when I
43:16when I hear the albums and then that
43:18Wow, that was a great That was a great
43:20rhythm section, you know, or that was a
43:22great idea.
43:24Um but I don't really draw on specific
43:28partnerships as of bass and drums.
43:30>> Yeah. Yeah.
43:32Uh Dave Bancroft asks, he wants to know
43:36what they
43:37Oh, okay. Let's listening. Um what what
43:40are you listening to right now and does
43:41he ever listen back to your early Do you
43:44ever listen back to your early work?
43:47>> Uh
43:48No, I don't listen to my early work
43:50unless unless [clears throat]
43:52there's a specific reason to. Um
43:56I The last thing I was listening to
44:00I think it was something that my son was
44:02sort of connected with, which is a group
44:05uh that are very much in the vein of
44:07sort of Patti Smith. It's sort of
44:09English
44:10mostly English, I think, band. Um
44:13Band of Air Part, I'm not sure how you
44:14pronounce the name, to be honest, but
44:16uh yeah, I get I get to listen to
44:18various things
44:20through people who send me stuff or
44:22recommend stuff, but uh I don't want to
44:25say specifically.
44:26>> Okay.
44:27>> [laughter]
44:27>> I don't want to list. It gets Yeah,
44:29awkward. It's starting to get that sort
44:31of thing.
44:32>> Yeah. Yeah. Um so, one of one of your
44:35fans will be going to see you in um
44:39Glasgow next year, and she's coming from
44:42um she's traveling from Leeds, she said.
44:43Her name is Lindsay Jane, and she said
44:47uh she wanted to just ask you if you
44:51could please sign her Book of Romance
44:54and the CD
44:56afterwards, if she brings it. Uh how are
44:58you Do you actually do some meet and
45:02greet after the gigs, or
45:04>> Yeah, we do. We have done. Yeah. Yeah,
45:07yeah. Like in some places, like in
45:08Japan, it's quite
45:10quite common
45:11Yeah. to have that organized, uh but
45:13more so in the UK now.
45:16I see I We did it last year. Did you say
45:19she came to Leeds before?
45:21>> Well, she's going to uh Glasgow next
45:24year.
45:24>> Oh, Glasgow.
45:25>> you there. She's going there.
45:27>> Yeah, we are We're definitely doing I
45:29think we're doing
45:30uh uh
45:31a signing session there and in Brighton.
45:34>> Oh, all right.
45:35>> But we're we're a bit
45:37unsure about Birmingham because
45:40we're doing two shows that day, and
45:41there's there's a bit of a curfew, so
45:43I'm not sure.
45:44>> Yeah. And because you're doing two shows
45:46as well, one matinee and one in the
45:48evening, it's going to be a bit
45:50>> Yeah.
45:51>> Yeah, so
45:51>> Yes, it's a it's a lot to do in one day.
45:54Yeah. But if we can, we will in the
45:55evening, probably.
45:56>> And you're okay with people asking for
45:59photographs and
46:00>> Not [laughter] really.
46:02No, no. No, no, We're okay with that.
46:04But we politely
46:06go along with it. But I mean, no. I
46:08mean, everybody likes to take a picture.
46:10Everybody's got a camera these days on
46:12their phones. So,
46:14it's part of it.
46:17>> Yeah. Yeah.
46:18>> But when they pop up online, you're not
46:20really happy when you see yourself and
46:22you think, "Bloody hell." You know, so.
46:26You know, when you're young and
46:27beautiful, those things are fine. But
46:28when you're old and
46:30crusty,
46:32you don't want to look at things like
46:33that online, you know.
46:35>> You You've always looked immaculate. I
46:38mean, I've always thought
46:39>> being kind of kind. I wasn't trying to
46:41force a compliment. Thank you.
46:42>> [laughter]
46:44>> They're all
46:46stylish and the profile photo that
46:48you've got on your Facebook page that's
46:51absolutely beautiful.
46:52>> All right.
46:53>> So good.
46:54>> did that last year. [laughter] Yeah.
46:56Yeah.
46:57>> Um right, I've got one more question
46:59from Chris Perazzo.
47:02Um
47:02he said he's spent countless hours
47:05listening closely to the drumming on
47:07Obscure Alternatives,
47:09especially on Love Is Infectious.
47:12>> Oh, yeah.
47:13>> The interplay between your drums and
47:15Mick's bass create such a dark, heavy,
47:18and distinctive sound. What was the
47:21creative process behind that interplay?
47:25And looking back,
47:27do you feel that your approach to
47:28drumming during that period influenced
47:31your later work with Exit North?
47:34>> Well, in answer to the first part of the
47:36question, um
47:37I mean, I I've found a lot of the first
47:40and second album more listenable these
47:42days than I used to.
47:44Um
47:45particularly some of the live recordings
47:47I've got where it's more kind of raw.
47:49Uh
47:51and you know, I hear definite references
47:54to tracks I was listening to at that
47:56time coming out in in those songs. Like,
48:00I think love is infectious.
48:02Um
48:05was
48:06a drum pattern that I heard in Rebel
48:09Rebel by David Bowie.
48:12It's it's got the same kind of um snare
48:15beats which are which are on the
48:17downbeats which are quite unusual. Um
48:20>> Yeah.
48:20>> And yeah, it's got that kind of pushy
48:22pushy drive which I think comes from the
48:25'60s or
48:26you know, '60s pop
48:29rock pop music. Um
48:32And
48:34yeah, that it was we were we were very
48:36adventurous in how we sort of turned the
48:38rhythms around and and sort of had
48:41different rhythm parts for every section
48:42of the song.
48:44Um we worked a lot on that.
48:46That was part of the fun of being a
48:48musician was to develop as much as you
48:50could rather than just play something
48:52from start to finish the same.
48:54>> Yeah.
48:55>> Um it was just to to to to explore all
48:58the things you're absorbing and
49:00absorbing and cuz we
49:02No, it is water, honestly. Um and
49:04because we were kind of taking all that
49:07on board and wanted to to sort of find
49:10it
49:11our voice
49:12through those things that we were
49:15absorbing. We needed to find our voice.
49:16It was exploring everything, really.
49:19From reggae to rock to to funk, it was
49:21all in there in the first couple of
49:23albums.
49:24>> Yeah.
49:25>> And um
49:26I mean, now in terms of what I do now,
49:29it's uh it's all it's all up there in
49:32the sort of
49:33in the hard drive in the head, you know,
49:35you know, if you if you think, "Oh, this
49:38track needs something like that."
49:40You you you know what it you know what
49:42you're thinking, you know, you know
49:43where you're going to get it from.
49:45>> Yeah, yeah.
49:47>> Mhm.
49:47>> Oh, wow. Well, um can I also just ask
49:51you um
49:52about uh can we touch a bit on your
49:55photography work? Cuz you know, like a
49:57lot of like a lot of your a lot of the
50:00photos, they're really like stylish and
50:04and chic and
50:05it's so beautiful. Um,
50:08you do photography as well apart from
50:10drumming. Um, you've written a book.
50:13You've got a photography
50:16book. And you've done
50:17exhibitions.
50:19>> Yes, I had some exhibitions, yeah.
50:22>> And [clears throat]
50:22you've got a website where people can
50:25actually purchase uh
50:28>> Yeah, prints are available. Yeah, yeah,
50:30on my website and on Bandcamp as well,
50:33yeah.
50:34>> Yeah.
50:34>> I mean, people like still like to own a
50:38print, you know, a good quality
50:40old school proper, you know, exhibition
50:44quality print, which is what we
50:46which is what we do. And they're not
50:48they're not
50:49not they're authentic. They're really
50:50genuine. I've sort of overseen all the
50:53all the aspects of of the printing
50:55itself. So and they're signed and
50:57numbered and I think it's just
50:59these days it's nice to have something
51:01tactile that you can own, you can put on
51:03the wall, a book or picture, yeah, you
51:06know, it's kind of nice to own those
51:07things.
51:08Um
51:10so yeah, why not? It's it's good to make
51:12them available.
51:14>> Yeah, yeah. So they're on your website
51:17and also on Bandcamp.
51:18>> and they're
51:19a lot of them are on Bandcamp too, yeah.
51:22>> Um,
51:23Mirrored Levy, wanted to ask you about
51:26this uh apparently there's an upcoming
51:28exhibition at the Victoria and Albert
51:30Museum called
51:32Punk to Pop. Um
51:34>> Punk to Pop, yeah.
51:35>> Yeah, to which you contributed some
51:38Japan objects. Is that is that right?
51:40>> Yeah, well, they asked me if I would
51:42help them curate the Japan part of the
51:45of the event um because [clears throat]
51:47the the band featured quite heavily as
51:49the sort of transitional
51:51um
51:53sort of um music and fashion statement
51:56between punk and and the the the um
52:00New Romantic movement. So,
52:03we have that link. We go back to the
52:05sort of punk era. So, the band is
52:08featured um
52:10as part of that event. Yeah. It's coming
52:12out
52:13starting in March next year. That's
52:15>> Oh, March next year. Okay. So, okay.
52:18Yeah, cuz I I didn't know about that
52:20one. I thought it was already there or
52:21something, but it's coming up.
52:23>> [clears throat]
52:23>> Yeah.
52:23>> Yeah.
52:24And I think it will probably tour as
52:26well. I think they're talking about the
52:27exhibition
52:29traveling around the world, you know, as
52:31part of the British
52:33you know, fashion of the 1970s into the
52:36'80s.
52:37>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're very popular
52:41Japan are very popular in Japan.
52:44>> [laughter]
52:44>> When was the last time you were in Japan
52:46or do you go there regularly for
52:48exhibitions and
52:49>> Uh
52:50I was there
52:52um
52:52when was it?
52:54July? No. August? I can't remember. What
52:57month are we now? October?
52:58>> Uh October.
52:59>> No, it would have been
53:00June.
53:01I think June. Anyway, it was a festival.
53:04I was there.
53:05>> Yeah.
53:05>> There's um
53:06called the World Happiness Festival.
53:09Uh it's um a festival that Yukihiro
53:12started through his
53:13>> Oh, I see. Okay.
53:15>> Yeah. Um
53:17and it became bigger and bigger, but
53:18then it stopped during COVID and then it
53:20didn't pick up again and it was 9 years
53:22since the last event. So, they had a big
53:24event at the uh Yoyogi Stadium, which is
53:28like 12,000 people. So, that's pretty
53:30big.
53:30>> Oh, wow. Wow.
53:32>> Yeah, and I we I did our the song I
53:34wrote with Yukihiro. I performed there
53:37and then we did a few
53:39a few songs of
53:41uh
53:42tracks that were collaborations between
53:45other Japanese musicians and
53:48Yukihiro.
53:49>> Yeah.
53:50>> I think I was the only guy in Japan
53:52there. I was the only
53:54>> [laughter]
53:56>> And can we expect more dates being
53:59announced, Exit North dates?
54:03>> You know, we are working on that. We are
54:05working on that. We might be able to
54:07slip in a date between
54:09the Stockholm and the shows in
54:13the Netherlands.
54:15We might be able to get in a date there.
54:17We are trying to get some dates booked
54:19in Japan. We are with an agency that are
54:21looking at doing that. Um
54:24the spring, April, May.
54:27>> Wow.
54:28>> But you never know. I mean, it's so
54:30unpredictable
54:32the live circuit.
54:35It's great if you're selling mega
54:38tickets, you know, there's a big fight
54:40for venues, but
54:42for the smaller acts, you just you're at
54:44the mercy of the market and it's not
54:47easy.
54:48>> But like I said earlier, every time you
54:51announce it, it just goes.
54:53>> Yeah,
54:54I mean, that's that's been great, but
54:56they are small venues, so you know, they
54:58they cancel out quick.
55:00>> Yeah.
55:01>> But it's
55:02it's still great. It's great that
55:04there's that there's enough it's enough
55:07for us to perform. It's it's it's
55:08enjoyable and and
55:10>> Yeah.
55:10>> encouraging that that that people want
55:12to come out and see us, so
55:14>> Well, I am looking forward to hopefully
55:17I can get to see you in Glasgow. That's
55:19that's the place that I wanted to.
55:21Especially if there's a meet and greet
55:23so I can have a photo with you as well.
55:25>> [laughter]
55:26>> Let's do that.
55:28>> Um before I let you go, I've got regular
55:31questions that I always ask guests.
55:34>> Mhm.
55:35>> The first one is
55:37uh you could play drums in any band, any
55:40band at all, maybe past or present band,
55:43which band would it be?
55:48>> Mhm.
55:49>> [clears throat]
55:50>> Well, that's the way it goes back to my
55:51childhood because
55:53they were the bands that I listened to
55:57and
55:58really um you know, as a teenager you
56:01you live you live it, don't you? It's
56:03it's not just something you
56:05you you
56:07occasionally listen to, you listen to it
56:09every day sort of thing. So,
56:11I don't know. It'd probably be something
56:12really weird like Alice Cooper or
56:14something like that, you know?
56:16>> Okay.
56:17>> Because because it was such a a big uh
56:20production, the live shows, and there
56:22was so much change going on. It's very
56:24theatrical.
56:25Um
56:27and the drumming was also very
56:29imaginative in that in that scenario. It
56:33was also
56:34a lot of changes, which is an influence
56:37I took from
56:38>> Yeah.
56:38>> music in those days.
56:40But, you know, uh there's so many
56:42different
56:43groups. I mean, I love the Beatles and
56:46like some of the other people. There are
56:47bands out there that you just
56:49>> Yeah.
56:50>> would always want to be a
56:51always think it would be a wonderful
56:53thing to be able to play with them.
56:55>> Play drums with them. Yeah. I just
56:57uh seen actually earlier that um someone
57:01wanted to ask if you're into metal
57:02music.
57:03>> Metal?
57:04>> Yeah.
57:05>> Met- metal music?
57:06>> metal music.
57:08>> I saw heavy metal.
57:09>> Heavy metal
57:10>> And yeah, I am.
57:12>> Um it's like uh
57:14Someone's Are you into metal? Your pal
57:17uh someone called Pal Berg.
57:19>> Is that heavy metal?
57:21>> Yeah, like heavy metal, I think. So.
57:24>> [laughter]
57:25>> Uh
57:26I I didn't really get into heavy metal.
57:29Um
57:29>> No.
57:30>> [snorts]
57:30>> No, I mean, heavy rock maybe somewhere
57:34in some instances, but
57:37maybe not metal.
57:39>> Not metal. Okay.
57:41Do you have any drumming tricks? Like,
57:44whenever I go to a gig, I like watching
57:47the drummer and whenever they do twirls
57:50or even throwing sticks and stuff like
57:53that.
57:54Do you have any tricks like that?
57:58>> I I think the best trick that I've ever
58:00done live is not falling off the stool.
58:01I fell asleep.
58:03That's probably it.
58:05No, I don't. I don't have any kind of
58:07tricks. Uh, I mean, I can do the twirly
58:09thing, but
58:11Yeah, no, I don't. The
58:14I'm not good at that stuff. No, there's
58:16too many other things to concentrate on.
58:18>> [laughter]
58:18>> I mean,
58:19yeah.
58:21>> You don't even point your stick to an
58:23audience to acknowledge them and so on,
58:26like
58:26>> No, no, no.
58:27>> No.
58:28>> [laughter]
58:29>> Okay.
58:30>> I mean, I don't really like I
58:32I like to perform. I love the challenge
58:34of it. That's for me the one I I I like
58:36to do it because it's a challenge. It's
58:37teamwork. It's come on, let's get this
58:40right kind of thing attitude. Um,
58:43but I don't like being in front of a lot
58:45of people and I don't and I'm not
58:46comfortable being on a stage and I I've
58:48had to do the front man thing and I hate
58:50it. I hate it a lot
58:52deeply because it's I feel very
58:55it's not my role. I'm not meant to be in
58:57that role.
58:58Um, so I like being at the back. I like
59:00playing drums. It's just a sort of a
59:02very
59:03satisfying, fulfilling role.
59:06Um,
59:07>> Okay.
59:08>> and yeah, and so I don't want to draw
59:10attention to myself. So, I don't really
59:11do the tricks,
59:13really.
59:15Yeah. [laughter]
59:16>> Okay.
59:18So, we can't expect Yeah, we can't
59:20expect any twirling or throwing sticks
59:23or anything like that.
59:24>> I'd have to put in a lot of practice now
59:26to get that together by then.
59:28>> [laughter]
59:28>> Yeah.
59:29I mean, I could try a few sticks.
59:33>> Um next question is um what about
59:36drumming heroes? Do you have any
59:37drumming heroes?
59:38>> Can you ask me a drumming question like
59:40that for a while? Who am I
59:42following? Uh
59:44Um drumming heroes, uh
59:46again, it's all all the albums I loved.
59:48So, anyone that would have played on the
59:50early Bowie albums, the Roxy Music
59:51albums.
59:53Um
59:54you know, some stuff that I
59:56that I used to love. So, the names from
59:59those two two many to mention. Um
1:00:02and then when I started to work with
1:00:03you, we had a hero. We had such a sort
1:00:05of compatible approach, which was based
1:00:07on
1:00:08I guess this is an element of craft work
1:00:10and precision and uh craft work of the
1:00:12group and precision in um
1:00:16in performance that
1:00:19draws something different from a
1:00:20drummer, I think, you know.
1:00:22>> Yeah.
1:00:23>> Yeah.
1:00:24You I don't have technique. I don't have
1:00:27um
1:00:29you know, I haven't studied drums, so I
1:00:30don't know the techniques that people
1:00:32employ to be very fast or very tricky.
1:00:35I just uh play drums to make them sound
1:00:38as I want them to sound.
1:00:41Um
1:00:42so and you could hear it was like that.
1:00:44He's he he wasn't
1:00:46full of tricks, so
1:00:47>> [laughter]
1:00:48>> yeah, it was just a case of getting on
1:00:50with it and and trying to trying to
1:00:52achieve what you wanted to achieve
1:00:54without that.
1:00:55>> Yeah. Yeah.
1:00:56>> Yeah.
1:00:57>> Well, the next one, I know you said that
1:01:00you haven't fallen off your chair, but
1:01:02have you ever had any drumming accidents
1:01:04like when you're playing live?
1:01:06>> oh yeah, of course. Things have happened
1:01:08like um things fall off the rostrum, you
1:01:11know, things moved. In the old days
1:01:14equipment wasn't as good as it is these
1:01:16days. It wasn't as solid and as sort of
1:01:19uh structurally sound, so things would
1:01:21happen. Things would fall apart or fall
1:01:23off. Symbols would go flying and
1:01:25um
1:01:27Yeah, I remember I kicked in Thailand. I
1:01:29I I had to go and play the marimba at
1:01:33one point. I've told this story before.
1:01:34I mean, I had to go and play marimba for
1:01:36the song Ghost.
1:01:38And when I went back to my drum stool,
1:01:40there was a kid sitting there.
1:01:42He was uh he'd taken up
1:01:44the role as a drummer. And I had to ask
1:01:47him, "Would you mind? Um
1:01:48I need to sit back down."
1:01:50He didn't know. He was just that
1:01:52opportunist. There was no real security
1:01:55at that gig, so
1:01:57it was funny.
1:01:59Kind of funny.
1:02:01>> [laughter]
1:02:01>> Did you ever play in the Philippines?
1:02:04>> No, no. We
1:02:06Hong Kong and Thailand was the only
1:02:09places we visited outside of
1:02:11Japan. Yeah.
1:02:12>> Yeah, yeah.
1:02:13>> Yeah. I We stopped off on the way.
1:02:17>> All right.
1:02:17>> At some point
1:02:19in the Philippines, but we didn't we
1:02:21didn't play there.
1:02:22>> Okay, but you went there and just had a
1:02:27>> Yeah.
1:02:27>> just stopped over.
1:02:29>> In the Yeah, in those days, the flight
1:02:31routes were very long and
1:02:33>> Yeah.
1:02:33>> stopped with There was an airport down
1:02:35there. It would stop, you know. It would
1:02:37stop in Dubai and Bahrain.
1:02:39>> Yeah.
1:02:39>> You know, and then it stopped in the
1:02:41Philippines or in Taipei or it was just,
1:02:44you know, one one journey took 36 hours.
1:02:47>> Oh, yeah.
1:02:48>> [laughter]
1:02:49>> Well, I was pushing it. A woman died on
1:02:51the flight, which kind of
1:02:52>> Oh, no.
1:02:53>> made it last extra, yeah.
1:02:54I mean, it was terrible in those days.
1:02:56It was uh
1:02:58>> Yeah.
1:02:58>> You know, the routes were really
1:03:01difficult to manage, but being young, I
1:03:03suppose you
1:03:05don't question
1:03:05>> enjoyed it. It's like an adventure for
1:03:07young people.
1:03:08>> Yeah.
1:03:09>> [laughter]
1:03:10>> All right. The final question for you
1:03:12now is uh what would be your advice to
1:03:15aspiring drummers or musicians in
1:03:17general.
1:03:19>> Um
1:03:21Uh
1:03:22in terms of drummers, I mean
1:03:26the
1:03:27the most important thing for any drummer
1:03:28is to be solid, you know, that comes
1:03:30first.
1:03:32Cuz no matter how good you are at doing
1:03:35any other elements of drumming, you
1:03:37know, be it paradiddles or, you know,
1:03:40any sorts of uh patterns, complicated,
1:03:43but if you're not solid,
1:03:45you you can never
1:03:47bring everything together. So, that
1:03:48that's the number one thing is just to
1:03:50be
1:03:51just to play really solid and to know
1:03:53that you can do that through thick or
1:03:55thin. You don't speed up when things get
1:03:57exciting or you don't slow down, you
1:03:58know, you just got to be as solid as
1:04:00possible cuz that's what a band needs.
1:04:03Um
1:04:05Now, as musicians, just follow follow
1:04:07your instincts aside from that, what you
1:04:09what you think you're good at.
1:04:11>> Brilliant.
1:04:13>> Mhm.
1:04:13>> Thank you so much, Mr. Jackson. Thank
1:04:17you. I love you.
1:04:18>> Exactly my pleasure.
1:04:19>> I really enjoyed that and I'm hoping
1:04:21that I will get to see you in Glasgow in
1:04:24uh February.
1:04:25>> So, um
1:04:26>> to that.
1:04:27>> Yeah, and good luck with the tour and I
1:04:29look forward to
1:04:30more dates hopefully appearing on your
1:04:33Facebook page.
1:04:35>> It will too, yeah. Hopefully, fingers
1:04:36crossed.
1:04:37>> Yeah.
1:04:38>> Thank you.
1:04:38>> Thank you. Take care. Thank you so much.
1:04:41>> Bye, Mr. Jackson. Bye. See you.
1:04:43>> Bye.
1:04:45>> [laughter]
1:04:45>> Oh, thank you so much everyone for
1:04:47joining us live. Oh my god, that was so
1:04:49good.
1:04:51Wow.
1:04:52>> [laughter]
1:04:53>> Um
1:04:54I was just really nervous. And I'm so I
1:04:57feel so honored. I feel so lucky that he
1:05:01agreed to do um Ask the Drummer and
1:05:04appear on the show. Pah for us. He said
1:05:08legend. Definitely he is. He is a true
1:05:10legend. And thank you all much for
1:05:12joining us, for tuning in um live. And
1:05:16for those who missed um the live
1:05:19broadcast, I will upload it on YouTube
1:05:22uh not long after, maybe sometime before
1:05:25I go to bed tonight. So, um
1:05:28you can watch it anytime you want. But,
1:05:31oh my god.
1:05:32I'm just really happy. Thank you so
1:05:35much, everyone. And once again,
1:05:38um Exit North Steve Johnston, he's doing
1:05:43um they're doing a tour next year, and
1:05:45expect to
1:05:47s- um
1:05:48see new album, solo album, Exit North
1:05:51album.
1:05:53And uh hopefully, I'll get to see some
1:05:56of you in Glasgow.
1:05:58Um
1:06:00how else can I say? I'm just so happy.
1:06:02Thank [laughter] you. Thank you so much.
1:06:04And
1:06:05as always, you know, love music, love
1:06:07life, love love love drummers. They're
1:06:10absolutely amazing. Steve Johnston, one
1:06:13of the coolest drummers ever.
1:06:15Uh thank you so much. I'll be back again
1:06:19next week, fingers crossed. Just keep an
1:06:21eye on the um
1:06:23Ask the Drummer Facebook page, where
1:06:25I'll be putting the guest announcement,
1:06:27hopefully some in the next couple of
1:06:30days.
1:06:31Um
1:06:32if not, then I'll be back definitely in
1:06:35a couple of weeks' time.
1:06:37Uh
1:06:37right, that's it. Thank you so much. And
1:06:41see you all again
1:06:43soon.
1:06:44Um I'm still
1:06:46>> [laughter]
1:06:46>> I'm still just so happy. Um
1:06:50yeah, bye for now. Bye, everyone. Thank
1:06:52you. Bye.

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This page contains the full transcript of Episode 222 - Steve Jansen - Exit North by Ask The Drummer Podcast with Ann Nazario, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 10,855 words across 1,994 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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