Erasure • Features • Interviews
Andy Bell Lincs FM Interview (2007)
John: ...very impressed!
Andy: Desperate or on time? [laughs]
John: Right I'll just start this recording... Andy Bell, how are you doing?
Andy: Hello! I'm fine thank you!
John: Good, and how about Vince, is he okay?
Andy: Yeah he's alright, he's at home, a bit bogged down with baby things. His baby is about nine months old now I think, or maybe he's one? I'm not sure! So now he's... he never wanted to go on tour before, so now he wants to go on tour!
John: He can't wait to get out there!
Andy: He can't wait! [laughs] I saw him a couple of weeks ago in L.A. and he was really pleased to see me and I was pleased to see him so...
John: Good stuff! Another year and another Erasure album. You two, you do like to keep busy don't you!
Andy: Well I think it's Vince more than myself really!
We had Union Street which was kind of like a side project really, doing acoustic versions of songs which was really nice doing, touring and playing with a whole live band you know. And then Vince said he really want to get down and do some dance music which I think he was a bit inspired by my solo record. So he said lets do some dance tracks.
So he sent me probably about ten tracks maybe about a year and a half ago, of which one made it to the album, which is called "Glass Angel" which is the last track.
John: Oh really? So you took it from there. "Light At The End Of The World" is the title of the new album.
Andy: Yeah
John: And as a body of work, how would you describe it? Sort of as a dance album?
Andy: Not really. It's partly dance, but I think it's quite optimistic for us. Vince called it his mid tempo crisis - he was having a mid tempo crises, so he wanted to boof it up a notch.
John: I've had a good old listen to it actually, and I think it's really really good. And in someways a little bit different for Erasure. I wonder if you could give me some thoughts on some of the tracks that particularly stood out to me? First of all the single "I Could Fall In Love With You", tell us about that.
Andy: I think for us it wasn't an obvious choice for a single. It was one that Daniel Miller pinpointed - he's the boss of Mute Records, and I don't know. It's not that immediate I don't think, but when you listen to it a few times it grows on you.
It's one of those songs about I met somebody new after being in a relationship for 21 years with my soul mate. It's a bit like having all the balls up in the air and trying to juggle everything all at once - making sure that everybody is all fine. And with the new person, thinking well you have to fill this criteria, this criteria and this criteria and then I could fall in love with you! You know! I'm not really that hard, not really, to get along with, sounds like it!
John: Yeah! I know that you are a big Blondie fan..
Andy: Oh God!
John: The track "Sunday Girl", was that written or titled in her honour?
Andy: Yes! Really! We thought at first we can't called it "Sunday Girl", but then I couldn't really think, well you can't say Monday Girl, or Tuesday Girl, it doesn't sound right does it! And really it's about a disco dolly friend of mine, whose a man really, but just about going out at the weekend. It's a song about somebody cramping your space.
John: Right! It's very good! And that's going to be the second single?
Andy: That should be the second single, I think so!
John: I think so as well, I think it should be the second single! I tell you want else would make a great single I think would be "Darlene".
Andy: Oh really?
John: I think it really good - I like that! You're not sounding like you do!
Andy: Well... I thought we couldn't call it Darling, so I thought making the female name Darlene, which could either be male or female anyway, it doesn't matter! But I didn't really connect with that song to be honest too much, it was one of those which was kinda like an outsider to begin with, and then kinda came in.
We had sixteen tracks we'd recorded and finished, and then we thought we'd be really brutal and strip it down to ten, the best ones. And "Darlene" just seemed to fit in the running order. But it kinda reminds me of "La Isla Bonita" a bit.
John: Oh right, I can see that! That's an interesting view. "Sucka For Love", that's kind of full on and a wild sort of thing.
Andy: I do love it! People are bit kind of... It's a double edged sword that one - I think it's very 90's sounding, but I really like it 'cause I like the thing of going AWOL and I'll always be there for you. Or I'll always follow you around anytway even though I've split up with you I'm still going to see what you are up to and stuff. But I love the "Sucka For Love" - trips of the tongue.
John: I think it's good - I think it's one that people are either really gonna get or not get!
Andy: I suppose it's like "Love To Hate You 2" isn't it?
John: Yeah it is! Vince really goes for it in that song!
Andy: Yeah! It reminds me of Pulp. Is it Pulp?
John: Common People?
Andy: Common People, exactly!
John: Do you have a favourite on the new album?
Andy: Ummm... Well my favourite is suppose, I do like the last track "Glass Angel". My favourite is "Golden Heart", as it's the closest to me. Because I say, whisper in there "I Love You, I Love You" it really gets me that one!
John: We mentioned Deborah Harry - you're joining her and several others on the "True Colors" tour of the States, that's in June right?
Andy: Yeah.
John: Looking forward to that?
Andy: It's going to be really amazing, with Cyndi Lauper who I've never seen live. I've seen her acting on stage and singing on stage in Threepenny Opera in New York just recently.
I was one time staying in this hotel called La Park, where loads of English people stay in Los Angeles, and Cyndi Lauper was there, heavily pregnant with her baby, whom I'm sure is probably 8 years old by now. And she came up and said "Oh I love you guys, oh you're great!" and I didn't know what to say to her at all, as I was totally flummoxed with a big pregnant lady coming up which happens to be Cyndi Lauper!
And also Debbie, we've met five times. I can't get past the fact that she's Blondie.
John: [laughs]
Andy: I just can't!
John: Really?!
Andy: As I'm such a huge huge fan! Every time I see her, it's like a vision in front of me, and I can't... I would love to be pally and say "How are you doing, what's going on?" but I can't!
John: Really!
Andy: I'm hoping to pick up tips from divas on stage, true divas I mean!
John: Is that tour going to be the case that they do their set and you do your set, or are you going to get to sing with Debbie Harry?
Andy: Well I hope so, it just depends on how things work out. We have 45 mins sets each, and The Gossip are playing as well, and The Dresden Dolls, and Cyndi and Debbie, and people are going to make guest appearances, like Rufus Wainright on particular venues. And it's hosted by a comedian called Margaret Cho. She's not known here but she's really funny, and is quite political. It's going to be a real miss-mash!
John: Sounds good, sounds good! You've recorded a track called "Early Bird" with Cyndi Lauper as well haven't you?
Andy: Yeah I haven't heard it yet! I'm looking forward to hearing it. There is this thing called Media Mover where they put all the songs up on the Internet, and you can go and download them, but only for five days.
John: Oh really?
Andy: And I missed out! i missed the five day period!
John: You're on it and you haven't got a copy?!
Andy: Yeah I missed the five day cut off point!
John: That's not good! I was gonna ask you why that track is not on the album then - so it came in too late then?
Andy: No no, it was already done, then we thought... it was a toss up between "Early Bird" and "Darlene", and "Darlene" made it, and then we thought that would be a great track for Cyndi to come on, "Early Bird", and save it for something else.
John: Oh I see.
Andy: Because the True Colors tour is for supporting Human Rights Campaign in America - so maybe that might be a track to give away to make money for the Human Rights Campaign.
John: Sure I'm with you. And the UK tour I hear is for September?
Andy: Yes, September. We've got 15 shows in the US and then some Erasure shows on our own, so probably by September we'll be back.
John: And we've all got to put our dinner suits on for the Royal Albert Hall this time!
Andy: Well it's not official yet, I don't know. I haven't seen anything booked in my diary, but that's the rumour apparently!
John: Well that would be good - we'll all have to get dressed up if that's the case!
Andy: Okay.
John: You as well, it's not like you to get dressed up at a concert!
Andy: I'm doing camouflage and frills!
John: Is that a plan?
Andy: That's what I'm doing!
John: Really? Have you got plans of how the tour might look yet?
Andy: Yes we have. It's only written down so far, but we thought because it's light at the end of the world album, we'll do disco at the end of the universe tour. It's a bit like "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" restaurant.
John: Is that's what it's gonna say on the poster, disco at the end of the world?
Andy: Well we thought we might call it "Stars On 45", but it depends on copyright you know, all those things!
John: Interesting! Interesting! Vince, here's a question, he used to re-programme a lot of the tracks for each tour. He hasn't done that lately, are you going to make him do that this time, or is he too busy with the baby?
Andy: Well he has re-programmed the new album, 10 tracks, so I'm hoping he's gonna re-programme as well the tracks that we choose to play for the live shows.
John: What's the track from the new album that you can't wait to perform live?
Andy: For me it's "Sunday Girl" and "Sucka For Love".
John: Right, right okay, that's interesting. Here's a question, as time goes on, does it become more of a challenge, or maybe more frustrating to get the exposure that Erasure deserve?
Andy: Yes it does. You have quiet periods and you think that's fine, that's okay, you're not in vogue -all that kind of stuff.
We're asked all the time to do these reality shows, like Big Brother, get me out the jungle and all that kind of stuff, and I think "no no no no no", I'm not gonna do that. If I wanted to be a TV presenter, I'll go for a job to be a TV presenter. And I know it's quite a good way to promote your work, but I'll rather go to jail to be honest! Do like a prison celebrity show, reality show!
John: I'm a prisoner get me out of here!
Andy: I'm a prisoner get me out of here! Or they should have Big Brother in Beirut, or something like that. I would be more interested in doing something like that, and then all these bulldozers come along and squash down the house whilst you're inside it! Real reality! Real reality!
John: If you're roughing it you're up for it!
Andy: Yeah yeah!! Anyway I don't want to do those shows, so meantime if you don't do those shows then you're not kind of like an okay celeb, you can't do Charlotte Church, you can't do Jonathan Ross, you can;t do all those other things because that's what they want. So it's a bit... I don't want to sign that contract.
John: It's a difficult one, it's a difficult one. What's happening with the Fairy Tale album that was meant to be happening. Is that happening anymore?
Andy: Well it was happening, and then we got to the end of the Union Street tour and is was going to be released on Rhino Records in America and all of a sudden the money went and we were dropped, the project was dropped by Rhino. So it's kinda half way done, it's still there... And I think we might be being signed to Warners in America but I'm not sure. So who knows!
John: You mentioned your solo album right at the top of the interview, and are you gonna do some more of that Andy?
Andy: Well I would like to do that, I love doing collaborations. My heart is in dance music, especially electronic dance music. So if there is time yeah!
John: How about the tour, are there any plans for the set list so far for the tour? Have you got some surprises, something you would really like to perform live, something you haven't performed live before?
Andy: Well I don't think that there is anything.... We were thinking of doing "Heavenly Action" which was kinda a flop in 1986, but I don't know whether Vince will go for that or not.
John: He's got to be on board I suppose?
Andy: To be honest he sent me the list already.
John: Oh has he?
Andy: So I just have to tick which songs I feel like doing! It's a democracy!
John: I see! Vince picks and you fine tune!
Andy: Yeah
John: What about next - you've got a long period of promotion now, because if the Erasure tour in not until September, have you plans already on what might happen after that?
Andy: Not so far. I'm still waiting for the Year of the Dragon to come round again - which is not until 2012.
John: Right okay!
Andy: So that's a bit of a wait!
John: Could be while - Okay!
John: I've got some questions from the EIS members if that's OK
Andy: Yes, fantastic
John: "Koit" from Gloucester wants to know "If through some cosmic weirdness you were allowed to be in any band or group throughout history, which would you have liked to have been in?" Who would it be?
Andy: It would be Madonna or Blondie.
John: I thought you might say those! "Breathe Of Life" (that's a good name for a song actually!) wants to know this "I would love to know if Andy is attuned to Reiki and if so, which degree?" I think maybe you have mentioned this before Andy?
Andy: I'm second degree Reiki. I would love to be a Master, but I'm too naughty!
John: "gkcoach1" who is in America "What did the boys think of their different approach to recording this time in the house in Maine?"
Andy: Well it was quite... Well Vince is very regimented, and we knew we had a certain period of time. And he knew he had enough hours to go around the songs twice, and so he had an hour and a half for each song.
John: Really? It was that tightly scheduled?
Andy: Yeah. An hour and a half per session, so that's three hours in all. That's apart from the basic programming that he did after we had written the songs. So yeah, it's like a military operation when Vince is making a record, which I kinda fit in to. I'm like the Geri Halliwell that goes off and sings "My Heart Belongs To Daddy".
John: I've got you! It's very interesting Gareth put up an online diary as that was going on - you had a lot of lentils and stuff!
Andy: Yes it was very healthy, very good food! Gareth's a really good cook, loads and loads of garlic, keeping healthy and I miss having a live in chief.
John: Yeah I bet you do!
Andy: I know!
John: Well we all would!
Andy: We all would!
John: "kindacute" from Spain "Your music is so uplifting and heartfelt that you can't have a bad day with Erasure. Does it work for you too when you're composing, performing the tracks?"
Andy: I think it kinda works when it's all finished, and you've got the disc in your hand, and it all looks really beautiful and then you listen. I do have it on my iPod, so I do listen to it on the train, which is really nice cause it passes the time by really quickly. But I do tend to wear it out really quick, really fast.
John: Do you ever feel like putting the ear piece to somebody else and say "this is me, listen to this?"
Andy: I do yeah! I put my iPod right down on the table when there's somebody else there, so they might see the name and think "Oh yeah, that's him!"
John: *laughs* Lets do a couple more of these. "Uncle Mike" says "Has there ever been a time when you thought about packing it all in?"
Andy: Yes a few times.
John: Oh really?
Andy: Quite a few times. you kinda get these periods of "Oh what's it all mean?" It's a bit like an episode of Absolutely Fabulous! What's it all mean? What goodness are you putting out into the world? And are you contented really and all those kind of things!
John: OK interesting! "richyrandall" whose in Nottingham wants to ask Andy "if he still thinks Erasure will be around when he is 50".
Andy: Yes!
John: Good! We were hoping you would say that!
Andy: yes definitely, and 60 and 70 and possibly 80!
John: Absolutely brilliant! And also where does the name of the new album come from?
Andy: That was a working title for "Golden Heart".
John: Oh right! Okay I see! So you thought hang on a minute, that would make a good title for the album?
Andy: Yeah
John: Brilliant! Andy's it's been really good talking to you, and wishing you well with everything, and enjoy all that is coming up for you in the next few months.
Andy: Thank you John, thank you!