Setting the record straight
6 December 2009 · Print This Article
One perennial truth of being in the studio is that you spend 10% of your time making records and 90% of your time hanging about. It’s vitally important that, during this 90% majority period, you have armed yourself with some quality reading material to divert your attention once the banter starts wearing thin and everybody has grown tired of quoting scenes from Spinal Tap at each other. Yesterday, Tony had picked up a copy of The Guardian and soon enough a vitriolic slating of Josh’s supergroup project, penned by the infamous pessimist Charlie Brooker, was doing the rounds (read it here). Unsurprisingly, Charlie ain’t a fan of Josh’s Band. However, he is very funny and, if you’re gonna be mocked, it may as well be entertaining.
It was quite a bizarre experience to be reading somebody’s skewed interpretation of a project whilst simultaneously living through the markedly different reality. Funny thing is, if I were in Charlie’s position, I might well think exactly the same thing. It’s a set-up. Josh is an actor. The band are all session musicians. But he isn’t, and we’re not. Of course, T-Mobile set the whole thing in motion and it clearly helps to have the support of a production company when you’re organising large events, but I can personally testify that the grassroots movement that Brooker is so suspicious of has genuinely happened.
Clearly, many of the people who attended the gigs on our recent tour came for the TV cameras and the chance of 15 minutes of fame; however, crucially, they stayed for the music. Nobody freezes their knackers off in Edinburgh for five straight hours under fire from basically horizontal rain unless they’re actually enjoying themselves.
As for the music itself, Josh asked us to come into the studio a few weeks back to write a song for the project and the resultant session produced the track “Come With Me”, which has gone on to soundtrack the entire campaign. Charlie wrote in his article that the lyrics were clearly “penned by some dickshoe at Saatchi & Saatchi” and so, in the interest of setting the record straight, I ought to point out that George (Lightyears guitarist and the man behind the lyrics in question) does not and has never worked for Saatchi.
On the other hand, between you and me… he is a bit of a dickshoe.
Hi Chris,
It’s Sally here from Bristol Uni Drama & English. Randomly saw you on the telly and thought I’d investigate. Looks like you’ve got involved in a whole lot of controversy! Well good on you. Presented with that kind of opportunity, all those people moaning would suddenly change their tune and leap at the chance. Who cares if the story is real or not? I’ve no doubt the people in the ad, you included, are having a wicked time and won’t forget the experience in a hurry. I’d certainly rather watch it than have the painfully grotesque Go Compare bloke screaming in my earholes.
Interesting what you said in a different blog about bands looking for alternative ways to get their music heard, instead of getting rinsed for all they’re worth by the record companies. My bloke’s band, Smerins Anti Social Club, are pretty successful on the festival circuit, and have been recording their first single and video (after 8 years together!) to try and get out there independently. They decided not to even approach the labels. It’s not easy, but Bristol’s a great place to be for exciting new music so they’re having a lot of fun anyway!
Good luck mate and whether you get mega famous or not I’ll always treasure the memories of silly singsong sessions in Dave’s Gloucester Street basement, Sal xx
But the Charlie Brooker article is still hilarious…he he he
Sally, great to hear from you! Interested to hear your thoughts on my blog. Here’s a weird coincidence though… not only have I heard of Smerins Anti Social Club but my friend and former housemate (and also our lead singer’s little sister) Emily Owens is really good mates with Richard Smerin and she and her mates are always banging on about them! What are the chances?!
Anyhow, thanks for the encouragement… and I agree – Dave’s basement was legendary!!
ps. You’re right, Brooker is hilarious. One thing I will say however is that he disparagingly calls Josh “middle-class” when in fact he himself grew up in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell (a posh Oxfordshire village about five minutes from where I grew up – another coincidence!) and was schooled in Wallingford, a well-to-do market town which, as far as I’m aware, has been Tory for years!