|
| |
|
An exclusive Interview with John
Jowitt, Peter Nicholls and Martin Orford Of IQ |
 PROG4YOU:
What qualities do you like to make sure go into an IQ song.
John:
I think we're always looking for something that's a little different,
and something that surprises us too. Great riffs and melodies, stuff
that we like. The benefit with prog is that you can do pretty much what
you want to do- or at least, you should be able to!
Peter: First of all, a good tune! I always think our best tracks
are the ones that have a strong emotional element to them, either from
the lyrics or from the music itself (or preferably a combination of the
two). Headlong and The Narrow Margin are two good examples of songs that
I think work really well. The title track from the new album very much
works in this vein. And with a new track it's nice to try something
we've not done before. |
|
PROG4YOU:
Any particular inspirations or stories behind any of the songs off the
new album?
John:
This was a strange album to write. Personally, I don't think that the
amount of writing that each person did was that much different to any
other IQ album. The big difference was that Peter and Martin in
particular really didn't want to do an album at this time, Pete having
lots of new family responsibilities with the birth of his new daughter,
whilst Martin was working on his solo album. Consequently , whereas it's
usually me and Pete adding parts to Mike and Martin's songs, this time
it was Mike and my songs that Pete and Martin were adding parts to. Like
every keyboard player that I know, Martin has the opinion that
"there are two ways of writing this song-my way or the wrong
way", so there was a lot of stress and friction in the writing
process- more than ever before, and it's usually pretty bloody. I'd be
very surprised if IQ ever write another album as a band again, to be
honest. That's not to say there won't be another album, just that no-one
would ever want to go through that again.
 Peter:
The track The Seventh House is about the young men who were sent to
fight in the first World War, none of whom would return home. It seems
to me that as their generation dies out, so do the memories of what they
endured and the sacrifices they made. It's not an overtly political
statement. As with all my lyrics, I tackle the subject from an
emotional perspective. There are also little references to my baby
daughter |
| |
|
 PROG4YOU:
Any other bands or artist that are inspirational to you musically or
personally?
John:
I like lots of music . I think you have to listen to a range of stuff
that you like - you can't just say I'm not listening to that because
it's not X type of music. That's what the rest of the world does to prog,
and look at the wonderful stuff they miss as a result.
Martin:
I think that if you want to make original music, you either have to
listen to everything, or nothing at all. I am very much the latter
category, and I find it very distracting to listen to music other than
what I'm working on. If it were possible to work in a vacuum, and
exclude all other music from my life, I probably would. I know that the
other members of IQ listen to loads of different stuff, but it doesn't
really work for me. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Any difference in making IQ today as opposed to 80's IQ?
Peter:
Not really. We still write in a way we've always written, by bringing in
individual ideas which we work on together as a group. It's important
for each member of the band to feel they have a contribution to
make |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Do you feel that your music can be utilized to reach people and give
them a more positive perspective?
John:
I think that the perspective each of us puts on music is a very
personal thing, and that's the magic of music. I've always thought of IQ
music as very dark, especially before I joined- stuff like the
Wake has such a great atmosphere. Jadis is much more light and positive!
Martin:
No it's only entertainment after all. Let's not get too grand about it.
An IQ gig is a good night out and not something that should change your
life. If we can entertain people, then that's great, but I think some
folk take it all too seriously. |
| |
 PROG4YOU:
Will you be touring the US with this new album and if so will you be
stopping in the east coast area?
John:
After the bloodbath of writing the last album, everybody's looking for
some time off. Well, I think Pete and Paul are, anyway. Shame, as it's
our 20th anniversary this year. Personally, I'd love to play in the
States again with IQ.
Martin
It's fair to say that until such time as the US Immigration Service
changes it's attitude towards overseas bands, there is unlikely to
ever be an IQ tour in the USA. Unless you're a major selling act,
getting work permits is out of the question, as it's seen as taking work
away from US bands. The best we can hope for would be the occasional
one-off gig on an unpaid basis (such as nearfest a few years ago), but
to consider touring with no income would
be financial
suicide. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
How did the songs from the new album take form?
John:
A couple of the songs were pretty much worked out by themselves, shorter
songs. Others tend to come out of jamming, and throwing riffs into the
pot. For instance, The Other Side of Weird is a Martin intro, Mike verse
riff, me chorus riff, the piano part for "Thought that I was
pulling through." was a bass chord thing I threw in, the big riff
after was mine, "Time already grows heavy" was a Martin part
with my vocal line, and the end is an arrangement of the previous
sections. To me, what we can do as a group is almost always better than
what one can do as an individual.
Martin: The
same as they always do. We all bring ideas into rehearsal, and then we
argue and fight about them for weeks. It's like a war zone in there, and
spectators are not encouraged! You have to remember That IQ is composed
of 5 very clever and opinionated people, all of whom are capable of
making very good records of there own, so conflict is inevitable! |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Now that IQ has made there new album is there another album in the
works?
John:
Err..no (see above!) Mike and me
are talking about writing an album together, however, starting in march.
Whether this will be an IQ album or not is another matter.
Peter:
Blimey, give us a chance! Seriously, there's an awful lot of work which
goes into an IQ album. The Seventh House took about ten months from
start to finish. Last year was a really hard year for us, not only
working on the new album but also releasing the subterranea live video
and CD. Don't forget we all have families and full time jobs too! 2001
will see us taking things a bit more easily. We need to have time away
from the band so that we can recharge our batteries individually,
otherwise the whole process is in danger of becoming a
chore. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Will the band ever like to play nearfest again? We would like to see you
again.
John:
Love to. In fact, I think Rob La Duca was taken by surprise at the
success of the festival. He was going to have us back the second year,
but had the opportunity of other bands I think, and the same has
happened this year. Perhaps one year. We,d love to play if rob wants us.
Martin:
It would be great to play nearfest again, but it's probably too soon.
The promoters really need to provide a great a good variety of bands if
the festival is to continue to grow, and putting IQ every year would be
rather self-defeating. I would certainly like to think we would return
some time in the not too distant future, though, as it really is a good
festival.
Peter:
Who knows? We really enjoyed it last time. But I can't see us doing it
again this year, I'm afraid. |
| |
PROG4YOU: John what is going
on with nonspacific or any other side projects you
have in the works?
John:
Nonspacific fell apart, basically, when John Wetton decided to go out on
tour, taking almost half the band with him! Alan Reed has a new pallas
album, so he's busy too. I will be playing bass on the Nolan Wakeman
album " Hound of the Baskervilles" in May. There is also the
possibility of me playing on an album by a French band called Lest
later this year, as well as the album with Mike Holmes. There will be
gigs with Jadis, including, hopefully Storybrook Farm in North
Carolina later this year, and also the probability of a few gigs with
Martin Orford, playing some IQ and tracks from his and my solo
albums - Basically a version of what we were looking to do
with Nonspacific. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Peter not to get personal, But as you age gracefully do you feel that
your vocals are getting stronger because on the new album they sound
great. It seems that from what we heard, it is better then ever. We will
let the public know about that.
Peter: Thank
you very much! Yes, I do feel happier with my singing these days and
there are several reasons for that. First, I think if you do something
over a long period of time you should in theory improve as you go. I've
been singing now for 20 years and I'd like to think I've learnt how to
do it better over the years. We also tend to spend a bit longer on the
vocals now when we're recording, which of course is great for me and it
means we stand a better chance of capturing a good performance. All the
vocals for Tales From The Lush Attic were done in about 4 hours!! We pay
more attention to backing vocals too, at which Martin is brilliant. For
me, the big change came when I decided to relax more. I'd used to get
terribly nervous before a gig so my throat would tighten up or I'd get a
cold or something. I still get nervous now but I'm much more
relaxed about it and I enjoy the gigs so much more and I perform better. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Peter can you
tell us what the state of affairs is with IQ?
Peter:
Er...we're having some time off for a few months because we were really
tired after working so hard on The Seventh House. Martin and John are
both busy with outside projects, I think Mike is working on some dance
music, Paul is building his own studio and I'm being a daddy to my
little girl! |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Peter how has family life affected you on the road?
Peter:
I found the European tour that we did at the end of last year very hard
going indeed. It was really tough being away from my baby, who was only
15 months old at the time. Being away from home was also hard for my
partner Gill, of course, because she had her hands full the whole time.
Having a baby has had a profound affect on my life, as anyone who is a
parent will know. It's harder to set aside time for IQ now, though I do
still love the band and want to continue with
it. |
| |
 PROG4YOU:
Martin how was Mexico City with John Wetton?
Martin:
The gigs were great, and John and the band were on great form. I did
find Mexico City rather depressing though; huge churches dripping with
gold, and people starving to death outside. I am not ashamed to admit
that I am an atheist, and I most certainly do not approve of
that. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
If you guys could jam with anyone who would you guys like to jam with?
John:
Not mad on jamming, but I'd love to work with people like Peter Banks
again.
Peter: David
Cassidy, absolutely no question about it!
Martin:
I hate jamming! I like music to be organized to the nth degree, and most
of the jams I've ever had to endure have been unlistenable nonsense. I
once said (when asked to jam something in a recording session)" it
takes me several hours to be spontaneous " and I'm happy to stick
by that! Nonetheless I have been very lucky to work with some of the
world's best musicians, and hope I can continue to do so. Playing Firth
Of Fifth with Steve Hackett was a particular thrill, and it would take
something to the top that. |
| |
PROG4YOU:
Martin your solo project was great . What plans do you have next?
Martin:
I want to do another one! The last solo record was so well received that
I would be stupid not to think about a second album. Rest assured that
there will be lots of interesting guest on this one too! I will start to
get ideas together for it soon, and maybe start recording later in the
year. |
| |
 PROG4YOU:
What do you guys feel about the resurgence of the progressive scene in
America and are there any new prog bands that your listening to lately?
John:
Mr Bungle. Full stop!
Martin:
Apart from Spock's Beard / Transatlantic, I wasn't aware that
there was any particular prog resurgence in the USA. Neal Morse is a
very talented guy, but I think it needs more then one great songwriter
to make for a resurgence! If there are other great US bands out there, I
can't say that I've heard them. although I believe Iluvatar are supposed
to be quite good.
Interviewers:
George Roldan & Thomas Connolly |
|
|
|
