Interviews

September 2003

I’m not sure if chain-smoking and guzzling wine is the usual preparation for conducting an interview, but then this was no ordinary interview. I was to phone Ainslie and interview him exclusively for Ainslie Online. Of course, I needn’t have worried as he is so charming and soon calmed my nerves, although he did question my sanity at doing an interview with neither recording facilities nor shorthand ability!

I kicked things off by asking him if he misses making music in the band environment of Suburbia, and whether there are any plans to include them in his tour band…

"Actually, I got the band together and we were rehearsing in Edinburgh last week," Ainslie said, adding: "And, yes, there’s a good chance they’ll be my tour band.

"It’s exciting making music with a band, and I do miss it, but it’s also difficult as there is no right or wrong and it takes a lot of arguing."

Ainslie revealed that he’s also spoken to Mark and Saul about the possibility of them being in his tour band. The tour won’t be in October as hoped, but when it does happen it will be a proper tour, and he would love to do lots of small gigs, like in his Suburbia days: places like the Cavern, the Dublin Castle in London, and university venues.

Next I put to him that during his time with Suburbia he co-wrote an album themed loosely around the frustration of not knowing where he fits into life and where he is going, and asked if he felt he had now found his path in life…

"No, I’m still lost and confused," replied Ainslie. He said he probably always would be, because he thinks it comes from always having felt out of place.

Lightening the mood and continuing on the Suburbia theme, I cheekily asked if there was any chance we could have a copy of the Suburbia album. He explained there isn’t an album as such, it hadn’t been finished and put altogether. He went on to say that there are a few EPs, but they’re like gold dust. He asked which tracks we already have and if we got them off the old Suburbia site. I explained that we had the clips from there, but the full songs are from Vitaminic and People Sound. I also mentioned my Yahoo! groups, adding that we even had the Slyde songs…

"Aw, come on! That’s like when old embarrassing photos get dragged out. Take them off!" was Ainslie’s response! I told him that they’re part of his history and he should be proud of them, if only because they show how much he’s developed as an artist since then, but I’m not sure he was convinced. The response to us having The Caravan Club MP3s was altogether more positive… "Oh, I’m proud of them!"

Getting back to the Suburbia stuff, I said that the song we’d most like to get the full version of is Something In My Tea. Ainslie told me: "There’s actually three different versions of that song, recorded in three different studios." Ains doesn’t have any of the Suburbia stuff himself, in fact he doesn’t have any of his own stuff, not even Keep Me A Secret, but he said if he’s able to unearth any of the EPs, we can have them.

One thing that really struck me during this part of our conversation is that Ainslie has absolutely no comprehension of the size of his fanbase, let alone our thirst for everything he has ever done. When I told him that there were over 1600 members on Ainslie Online alone and that it was growing all the time, he thought I was joking and was genuinely taken aback.

Moving on, I asked what was the first and most recent album he bought, and also which album in his collection does he cringe at most…

"The first was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And the most recent… when I knew when I went to the Mercury Music Prize they would stop me at the door and ask my opinion of the nominees, so I went out and bought the Thrills, Dizzee Rascal, Lemon Jelly…

"And the worst… when I first signed with Mercury, I raided the cupboards, and it’s… Darius. I probably shouldn’t be saying this because I see him from time to time," he said, pausing, "But the album’s shite!"

Moving swiftly on, I said how many fans regard the Fame Academy album, and to a lesser extent the Keep Me A Secret single, a lost opportunity due to the potential of songs such as Lullaby and Keep Me A Secret being lost in a sea of lost production, and asked what sort of sound we can expect from the forthcoming album…

"It’s a long way from that, the Fame Academy album stank," he said adding that he wasn’t happy with how the Keep Me A Secret single turned out either.

Ainslie has learnt a lot about mixing and is enjoying that, and we can expect "Processed sounds and beats, and authentic guitars, all wrapped up in good songs." He went on to describe it as a "Rocky poppy dance album, with perfect pop choruses… I’m shamelessly obsessed with the perfect pop chorus."

And having previously described the album as "smutty, honest and exciting", what inspirations and influences have contributed to the work?

"When we went to France to record the album, for inspiration I took albums like the Happy Mondays’ Bummed, Michael Jackson albums for the perfect melodic hookline, and for scrappy, crunchy guitars, albums by the likes of Placebo."

I then asked Ainslie to describe three of his album tracks he is most excited about…

"The song I’m most excited about is called Katie," he began, but wasn’t too happy when I said I’d heard it! "How?!" he demanded. Thinking he was concerned the album was being leaked, I explained it was from a video online of the Itchen gig, and that the sound quality wasn’t great, but still he retorted: "See you internet people!"

Having calmed down, he continued: "Katie is about the first girl I fell in love with… wondering if the first time is maybe the best… about when you’re 14 or 15, falling in love, drinking cider, that terribly exciting feeling when you first fall in love.

"The music is dead simple, like a blank canvass filled with lots of words.

"Another track is Any Other Way, which has banging, bouncing beats, a hooky vocal and melodic guitar sounds.

"The third is Break Me… everyone will hate it! It’s Chemical Brothers’ type beat heavy, and is about self loathing, feeling like a wanker from a TV show… a real release."

Ainslie went on to tell me that they’re still debating the album track listing and title, but those three songs will definitely be on it. He won’t be releasing anything until after Christmas, and is not sure if Pretty Girls and Pretty Boys will still be the second single, but it’s likely to be either that or Any Other Way.

Next I asked, having been compared to musicians ranging from Bowie to Robert Smith and early Bono, how would he like to be seen by the music press and music-buying public…

"Somebody who…" he began, pausing for thought, before asserting: "A popstar, I want to be a popstar. But as an artist in the true sense. Someone who is not afraid to tell it as it is, and take chances. I want to be known as the only real artist who has ever been on reality TV."

I continued by asking if he has at any point felt in awe of working with Mark and Saul, whose music he’d grown up with…

"I was at first, it took about five or six meetings to get over. They’re two of the best people, lovely supportive guys… two heroes, and to have them respect me as a singer songwriter is a real ego boost, heroes absolutely."

With Tim having left James, did the question of Ainslie potentially replacing him ever come up?

"No! Can you imagine what the James fans would think of me?!" he laughed, adding: "I’ve met Tim a couple of times, he’s a lovely man, a lovely brilliant man."

I then asked who he would most like to duet or otherwise collaborate with…

"It would have to be a girl… Bjork, she’s great. Or a rap artist, someone like The Streets, that would be interesting."

I told Ainslie that we’d heard he’d had a fallout with his PR, and asked whether he was at liberty to confirm this and the reasons behind it. He explained that they hadn’t had a fallout as such, but the bottom line is that they’ve had a hell of a time working things out. The record company expected an album of songs like Keep Me A Secret, and had difficulty getting their head around what he did present them with… songs about minor celebrities taking cocaine in China White and then appearing on daytime TV, songs about real relationships, honest songs. He confirmed he’s looking forward to more adult and music-orientated media coverage.

Does this mean we can wave goodbye to appearances on the likes of Smile and SM:TV, programmes on which he was clearly uncomfortable?

"Yes. I won’t do it. If that’s what they want, I’m not doing it!" was his emphatic reply.

Ainslie was amazed when I told him that he has a steady following of fans in the low countries, Germany and even as far as Australia. I asked if there are any plans to release material abroad…

"I don’t know, it’s not even been thought of yet. I would love to tour the likes of Germany and Holland, that would be great, touring is what I love best."

Speaking of live gigs… which songs did he perform with the band at Safe-T in the Park in Kelso last week?

"We did Katie, Any Other Way, Half and Mother Please, and I also did acoustic versions of Laid and Keep Me A Secret."

Ains seemed to appreciate me saying that a nation stood and applauded when he denounced DJ Sammy’s cover of The Boys Of Summer and the Fame Academy album! Has he found the industry as a whole honest or a bit too schmoozy?

"It’s full of shit. Sickening, fickle and sad. It’s peppered with genuine, passionate people and I’ve met some genuine and unusual people, but mostly it’s schmoozy crap. Many artists are more politicians than artists."

I decided to end on a more trivial note. What is that pendant he wears? Or perhaps I should say was, because when I asked, he suddenly realised he’s lost it and has no idea where!

"It belonged to a girl, my best friend, and she gave it to me before Fame Academy as it’s supposed to release creative potential, and when I came out she bought me my own one. And I’ve lost it… it’s probably lying on a bedroom floor somewhere… I haven’t slept in my own bed for six months!"