Interview with Jason in Word..

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:34 pm

There's a short interview with Jason about the Acoustic Mainline shows, here's the main bit:

So what are these shows all about, Mr Spaceman?

Theyâ€™re special, smaller things. When you strip all the songs back to their bones it becomes just about the lyrics and my voice and if they donâ€™t work then, they never will. I didnâ€™t feel brave enough to do the songs on my own so I picked up this sort of accidental band. Now weâ€™re a real band, I think we have something fresh. Spiritualized's lives shows are full of electricity and LSD, whereas these are very fragile.

Whoâ€™s in your audience?

Itâ€™s a sort of split between people whoâ€™ve been there since the Spacemen3 days and thereâ€™s this other lot that have only recently found out about me. The audiences have been amazing. They feel it as much as we do. Someone mentioned me in the same breath as Brian Wilson recently and that was just completely bizarre. Heâ€™s such a big part of who I am.

How does stripping it all down affect the songs?

Some of the material works on a nostalgic level, some, with the more full on string arrangements work in other ways, as someone said to me, like Astral Weeks. It makes your brain do the work. Usually, acoustic shows are more folky, more story-songs, but these are something different. It is like church music.

Whatâ€™s been your favourite show?

I think Edinburgh was the best show Iâ€™ve ever done- it was just beautiful. We played Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space and people stood up to clap. Ten minutes later they were still clapping., The band were crying, I was crying, That was a really weird, snake-handling moment- everyone on their Saturday night drugs.

The band always look surprised by whatâ€™s going on.

They are, I think we all are! We take chances. Iâ€™m an alright electric guitar player, but Iâ€™m pretty amateur on the acoustic. None of us, apart from the string section, can really play, but we do try. Iâ€™ve got Doggen on Rhodes whoâ€™s usually a guitarist so weâ€™re a bit ragged. But weâ€™re ambitious.

What about your new album?

This year, I promise!

good dope/good fun · Post by **good dope/good fun** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 8:47 pm

Fuzzhead · Post by **Fuzzhead** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:29 pm

He sounds in great form. Sounding really positive.

Great stuff.

As much as I love the acoustic stuff, I can't wait until they get the amps plugged back in again.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:24 pm

groovy.
cheers for typing that up angelsighs. word on new album raised a chuckle - having been at the edinburgh show i too am antsy for full throttle spiritualized to return.

Shinesalight · Post by **Shinesalight** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:26 pm

angelsighs wrote:Whatâ€™s been your favourite show?

I think Edinburgh was the best show Iâ€™ve ever done- it was just beautiful. We played Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space and people stood up to clap. Ten minutes later they were still clapping., The band were crying, I was crying, That was a really weird, snake-handling moment- everyone on their Saturday night drugs.

Just goes to show how wrong the few who moaned on here about the noise and drunken shinanegans at the Edinburgh gig really were. I loved that show and you could see Jason did too...now he's come out and admitted it.

Good little interview though.

toomilk · Post by **toomilk** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:28 am

I love the bit about the Edinburgh show.

Edit: can someone confirm the crying? haha

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:54 am

release the edinburgh gig for the acoustic mainlines album!

Post by **spzretent** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:10 am

i doubt they hear it as clearly on stage and the fans in the seats do.

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:06 am

Yeah, I find what he says about the Edinburgh gig very sweet, particularly as I was there! Ladies and gents was utterly magical.

Zenchan · Post by **Zenchan** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:28 pm

I was there in Edinburgh

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:11 pm

spzretent wrote:i doubt they hear it as clearly on stage and the fans in the seats do.

but they'd (possibly) be judging the eventual release on the quality of the soundboard recording. and though the edinburgh gig was noisey, that's precisely the reason it's such a remarkable document. you listen to the other bootlegs on the tour and you could hear a pin drop. but edinburgh was rowdy and visceral, people not afraid to show their reverence by blaring along to the tunes.

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:28 pm

angelsighs wrote:Whatâ€™s been your favourite show?

I think Edinburgh was the best show Iâ€™ve ever done- it was just beautiful. We played Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space and people stood up to clap. Ten minutes later they were still clapping., The band were crying, I was crying, That was a really weird, snake-handling moment- everyone on their Saturday night drugs.

Agreed - that gig had an atmosphere unlike an other. It was celebratory and hallucinatory and it extended way beyond the gig as well!

Ads wrote: Just goes to show how wrong the few who moaned on here about the noise and drunken shinanegans at the Edinburgh gig really were. I loved that show and you could see Jason did too...

Not wrong - just probably not as pissed up on booze as I would have liked so I could forget about the mad bastards next to me going off on one all night! I felt sorry for the punters behind them though, they rally got the worst of it.

And wait a minute Ads, you were way up at the other end away from it all!

Thanks very much angelsighs

Post by **runcible** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:07 pm

jack white wrote: ...though the edinburgh gig was noisey, that's precisely the reason it's such a remarkable document. you listen to the other bootlegs on the tour and you could hear a pin drop. but edinburgh was rowdy and visceral, people not afraid to show their reverence by blaring along to the tunes.

I've read this a few times and still find it puzzling.

You appear to think an audience at a gig of this type should be 'rowdy and visceral', preferring it to the atmosphere where you can 'hear a pin drop'. For me that's bizarre. Gigs of this nature require a tranquil backdrop. Mazzy Star gigs were the same. The music is delicate and you need to be able to hear it to appreciate it.

I absolutely hate it when people make so much racket it interferes with what's going on on-stage, even at loud and raucous guitar gigs. Do people who sing along loudly actually think it sounds better with their tuneless backing vocal? Or those that catch up with their mates during a band's set - is it a catalyst for general enjoyment?

Maybe it's just me. Personally I'd prefer it if everyone shut up during the music and then screamed their appreciation when the song has finished.

ro · Post by ro » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:37 pm

I'm usually an advocate for Quiet but hearing that show, when it was kindly shared here,
from the first minute you could sense it was something special.
The energy an dappreciation for Spaceman carried over with such ... energy's all i can think of to say.
anyway, to hear him say "I was crying", not surprised at all!
Lovely.
Thanks, angelsighs.

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:45 pm

runcible wrote:
jack white wrote: ...though the edinburgh gig was noisey, that's precisely the reason it's such a remarkable document. you listen to the other bootlegs on the tour and you could hear a pin drop. but edinburgh was rowdy and visceral, people not afraid to show their reverence by blaring along to the tunes.
I've read this a few times and still find it puzzling.

You appear to think an audience at a gig of this type should be 'rowdy and visceral', preferring it to the atmosphere where you can 'hear a pin drop'. For me that's bizarre. Gigs of this nature require a tranquil backdrop. Mazzy Star gigs were the same. The music is delicate and you need to be able to hear it to appreciate it.

I absolutely hate it when people make so much racket it interferes with what's going on on-stage, even at loud and raucous guitar gigs. Do people who sing along loudly actually think it sounds better with their tuneless backing vocal? Or those that catch up with their mates during a band's set - is it a catalyst for general enjoyment?

Maybe it's just me. Personally I'd prefer it if everyone shut up during the music and then screamed their appreciation when the song has finished.

I kinda see your point, but having previously been at the Sage 2 days earlier I found the contrast interesting. I heard the occasional shout in Edinburgh but other than that was not disturbed. The party atmosphere was a fine end to the tour and more enjoyable than the hushed, reverential atmosphere in the smaller venues - though obviously that was appreciated.

With reference to a previous post I agree the band probably heard little if any of the rowdy behaviour...given I wasn't that far away upstairs from one of the principle exponents of the shouting etc, I didn't hear much of it and it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment of the show. What I did hear was an audience engaging with verve and vigour to show heartfelt appreciation of another magnificent performance - if the feedback given by Jason in the interview isn't good enough I can't imagine what is.

I don't like folks talking during gigs and always feel guilty when I have to excuse myself to visit the loo etc in case I'm disturbing others, but trying to specify/prescribe acceptable behaviour just isn't rock'n'roll in my opinion.

Post by **runcible** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:52 pm

mojo filters wrote: What I did hear was an audience engaging with verve and vigour to show heartfelt appreciation of another magnificent performance

That sounds a little different to the account JW gave of a crowd 'blaring along to the tunes' - that description, if accurate, would have ruined the gig for me. Massive applause between songs is different, and we've all experienced a reaction to great music when an audience really loves it, and how good it can feel.

Mind you I've been playing some early Spiritualized gigs recently, 1991 mainly, and after utterly incredible renditions of various old favourites there is normally just a ripple of polite applause!

Post by **runcible** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:58 pm

mojo filters wrote:...trying to specify/prescribe acceptable behaviour just isn't rock'n'roll in my opinion.

I think that is absolute nonsense.

That condones people throwing pints of beer over the rest of the crowd, groups of lads barging in front of people and then leaping around wildly, others talking loudly throughout gigs, people throwing lit cigarettes at the stage... I've seen all these things at Spiritualized gigs, and others too.

We're talking manners here. A little respect for other people. You seem to think its OK to do whatever you want at a live show, but it's not. If someone's obnoxious behaviour screws up others enjoyment of a gig it's unacceptable. Simple as that.

alan_cohaul · Post by **alan_cohaul** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:59 pm

runcible wrote: I absolutely hate it when people make so much racket it interferes with what's going on on-stage, even at loud and raucous guitar gigs. Do people who sing along loudly actually think it sounds better with their tuneless backing vocal? Or those that catch up with their mates during a band's set - is it a catalyst for general enjoyment?

Maybe it's just me. Personally I'd prefer it if everyone shut up during the music and then screamed their appreciation when the song has finished.

It's the drunken singalong, Spiritualized style! Okay, maybe it works a bit better at a Pogues gig....

I see what you're saying, and in alot of ways, I totally agree. However, i've seen alot of audiences that are very standoff-ish, and they stand at the back of the bar with their arms crossed, wondering whether they'd look like a fool or not, if they just let their guard down and actually looked like they were having fun or enjoying themselves. This isn't to say that they should be shouting every lyric or acting like drunken fools (or moshing around with elbows flying and trying to injure people, which is a huge gripe of mine...their energy destroys the other people's enjoyment around them), but there's a certain hypnotism and fervor---that old "driven wild by the beat" thing-- that should at least partially take place at a rock gig.

None of us, apart from the string section, can really play, but we do try. Iâ€™ve got Doggen on Rhodes whoâ€™s usually a guitarist so weâ€™re a bit tagged. But weâ€™re ambitious.

That statement is a misnomer, because Doggen can light the guitar strings up when he plays--he's truly amazing. If anything, it's interesting how Spaceman doesn't let Doggen get more of the spotlight.....Julian Cope lets Doggen run completely wild with it in Brain Donor, which is great. J shouldn't probably let it run as wild as Brain Donor, but I do think that he should at least let Doggen let loose with a few solos here and there.

Post by **runcible** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:04 pm

alan_cohaul wrote: I see what you're saying, and in alot of ways, I totally agree. However, i've seen alot of audiences that are very standoff-ish, and they stand at the back of the bar with their arms crossed, wondering whether they'd look like a fool or not, if they just let their guard down and actually looked like they were having fun or enjoying themselves.

Well I didn't see that at the Sage gig; for the most part people shut up and listened.

If you want a mosh pit and drunken singing along to a band the Acoustic Mainline shows were as far from that as is possible.

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:05 pm

runcible wrote:
mojo filters wrote: What I did hear was an audience engaging with verve and vigour to show heartfelt appreciation of another magnificent performance
That sounds a little different to the account JW gave of a crowd 'blaring along to the tunes' - that description, if accurate, would have ruined the gig for me. Massive applause between songs is different, and we've all experienced a reaction to great music when an audience really loves it, and how good it can feel.

Mind you I've been playing some early Spiritualized gigs recently, 1991 mainly, and after utterly incredible renditions of various old favourites there is normally just a ripple of polite applause!

Well how about taking a poll of all the folks here who went to Edinburgh before taking on board one account.

On my early Spz live recordings the audience response often sounds muted and half-hearted...but I guess 'polite applause' is a decent euphemism for that.

As for chucking tabs at the stage, it's not something I'd condone but it gave the great round of heckling with PK that entertained between songs on one of the common live SM3 recordings!

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:17 pm

runcible wrote:
alan_cohaul wrote: I see what you're saying, and in alot of ways, I totally agree. However, i've seen alot of audiences that are very standoff-ish, and they stand at the back of the bar with their arms crossed, wondering whether they'd look like a fool or not, if they just let their guard down and actually looked like they were having fun or enjoying themselves.
Well I didn't see that at the Sage gig; for the most part people shut up and listened.

If you want a mosh pit and drunken singing along to a band the Acoustic Mainline shows were as far from that as is possible.

Yes but that was a different gig altogether - my seat kept creaking everytime I moved to avoid DVT...the 2 girls near me on the left who kept going in and out sounded like they were wearing lead-lined combat boots...different venue/different acoustic...but at the end of the day you want folks to enjoy themselves, and there's certain degree of latitude of acceptable behaviour that goes along with rock'n'roll that made it the phenomenon it is today...or we could just revert to the stuffy, staid days when Elvis wiggling his hips was not suitable viewing matter for TV audiences.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:28 am

it's because the edinburgh crowd was so vociferous that it makes it a more compelling document. it wasn't the norm. the precedent has been set long ago; dylan 'albert hall', suicide and their 23 minutes in brussels - these are so effective because they're not the run of the mill concerts, and edinburgh was in a similar (though paradoxically it was blind affection that drove the noise) vein.
i guess there is a fundamental difference here, and i understand the wishes for silence, i had travelled hoping for such behaviour! and for the most part we shut up during the songs, completely dumbstruck by the magic unfolding in front of us before an awesome, post-song appreciation that matched the loudest experiences i'd ever had (and it's here, i agree, the true beauty of the night resides): but the thunderous sing-along of the opening refrain of lagwfis on that night is something that will stay with me forever, and i'd be amazed that anyone who experienced frowned upon it.

Jasonsmith · Post by **Jasonsmith** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:03 am

I've seen five acoustic mainlines gigs (Brighton, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Luxembourg) and I would say that the Edinburgh show was the best performance by the band. The sound guy in Luxembourg also told me that J thought this was the best gig he'd ever done. Having said that on the night in Edinburgh I did find the "whooing" , shouting, and whistling in the middle of songs and the constant stream of people who didn't seem to be interested to the bog/bar incredibly annoying. Nevertheless, at the end I also felt that I'd been present at something very special.

Shaun · Post by **Shaun** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:29 am

I agree with what runcible is saying, by and large all of it too. Edinburgh was something different to the rest of that tour, more like a euphoric end to the tour which kind of gave you gooosebumps being there, so to hear Jason say that is no big surprise.

Out of the 3 i went to it's the Nottingham Acoustic Mainline that remains, to me anyway, the one that lifed me the most. Manchester sounded by far the best one and Edinburgh held the atmosphere in a very different way plus as Bza says, it extend well beyond the gig as well.

After watching a short AM in Birmingham during the support slot for Massive Attack i am pleased i haven't got tickets for any of the April dates for all of the very reasons runcible gives.

helterskelter · Post by **helterskelter** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:24 am

I totaly agree with the general sentiment here that you should be quiet at quiet gigs simply cause you can't actually hear the music and absorb it but for full on electric gigs has no one here ever drunk too much and sung along, accidently bumped into people cause your off your tits?

Don't get me wrong, I'm reserved, polite, respectful etc etc and don't get in the state that some do at gigs but some of my best nights at gigs are th eones I can't even remember the next day but I know I liked it!

By the way, I'm pretty sure that the original plan was to take the official recordings from the Brighton and London gigs, or at least these were the occasions where Tim Holmes, x-death in vegas recorded the gigs for an official reason! I don't know if they did record any further gigs using Tim though.

He's an interesting guy to check out - anyone else agree?

G* · Post by G* » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:33 am

Yeah, I agree with that. I liked Dead Elvis and The Contino Sessions. Scorpio Rising was a bit of a love-in cameo-fest, mind.

Post by **runcible** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:38 pm

mojo filters wrote:
Well how about taking a poll of all the folks here who went to Edinburgh before taking on board one account.

On my early Spz live recordings the audience response often sounds muted and half-hearted...but I guess 'polite applause' is a decent euphemism for that.

Yours was the account that described the gig in a way I wouldn't have enjoyed - 'blaring along' sounds awful. What other opinion was I meant to form?

On really early Spiritualized gigs you must remember what mellow affairs they were - everyone sat on the floor and the whole feeling was very special. It took about 6 months before people began to stand as the music got noisier and noisier each time. The feeling wasn't 'half-hearted' at all, that was just how the recordings showed it. Listen to Spacemen 3's 'Performance' - there's barely more than a clap after each song yet I know someone who was there and said it was incredible - the audience was more stunned than anything.

As for audiences going bonkers I saw Poison Idea about 15 years ago at the Marquee in London and the crowd went absolutely nuts. They were diving off the back of the auditorium into the crowd and off anything they could stand on. Half the time the stage was full of punters with plastic glasses, beer, anything being chucked all over the place and an endless avalanche of people jumping all over the place - the band appeared not even slightly concerned at the carnage roaring around them, and indeed joined in to some extent. The fact that the stage-diving started when the DJ played Ace of Spades before Poison Idea took to the stage should have been warning enough I guess. On that occasion the entire crowd seemed to be into the same vibe so it didn't matter. I stood in amazement as I have never seen anything like it, before or since. The fact that the music was so good that night obviously helped but I'll always remember it as one of the most exciting live music experiences I ever encountered.

jason_godman · Post by **jason_godman** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:43 pm

I had to ask two people behind me to stop discussing their Star Trek DVD's during Teardrop at a Massive Attack gig recently. Now that's some rowdy, raucous, rock 'n' roll behaviour that I just couldn't accept. Perhaps I'm getting old at 23.

dselevan · Post by **dselevan** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:22 am

Has Edinburgh been posted here yet? I got it on a trade, a nice 2 CD set if anyone wants me to Megaupload it please let me know.
d

toomilk · Post by **toomilk** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:50 am

twas posted.

dselevan · Post by **dselevan** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:12 am

purespace · Post by **purespace** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:05 pm

I'm inclined to agree about the noisy audience bit as being annoying, etc. But when I first heard the Edinburgh gig after downloading it from this site (and a BIG thanks to the ones who made it available), I couldn't help myself and busted out laughing (in a very good way, almost a laughing with an appreciative tearing up sort of thing) each time the audience went nuts whooping and hollering and, to me, really showed the love and reverence the crowd had for Jason and the music that night. Drunk, intoxicated, whatever, it just made me feel so good that Jason and co. were really being loved that night and appreciated. Even though the audience is so loud at times that I have to turn the volume down, that audience support still sends chills down my spine on each listen. Wish I had been there.

D. · Post by D. » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:44 pm

tracks 11 and 15 are messed up.

ribblemanilla · Post by **ribblemanilla** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:04 pm

Cheers for posting the gig, delighted to get a copy

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:08 am

Thanks for that - I got a download soon after the gig but lost it in a PC Catasrophe...this sounds much better and just takes me back to that night...as I was turning 31 I was also sitting on fire and I know which I preferred.

I like the way this d/l shows how engaged and up for it everyone was that night...I don't hate the BBC because they don't piss on me, but rock'n'roll gets me where I'm going!

I'm sorry if anyone was inconvenienced by the noise - the better volume (compared to Sage for example) and acoustics meant although I could hear it, it really didn't spoil any of it at all...can't see Jason topping that gig on the Acoustic front - I need my next electric mainline, and if it helps it come along I got my pins, spoon and swabs ready and waiting

alan_cohaul · Post by **alan_cohaul** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:16 pm

mojo filters wrote:Thanks for that - I got a download soon after the gig but lost it in a PC Catasrophe...!:

Very good reference to a SP3 song, you sly dog!

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:24 pm

alan_cohaul wrote:
mojo filters wrote:Thanks for that - I got a download soon after the gig but lost it in a PC Catasrophe...!:
Very good reference to a SP3 song, you sly dog!

Why thank you...such a gentleman not to reference the glaring spelling error

BTW I was clearing out a load of shite from my myspace messages and comments (again) tonight and thought I recognised your link - is that your band?

Spamuel L. Jackson · Post by **Spamuel L. Jackson** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 4:21 pm

Spaceman wrote:Someone mentioned me in the same breath as Brian Wilson recently and that was just completely bizarre. He's such a big part of who I am.

Mondo righteous.

alan_cohaul · Post by **alan_cohaul** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:27 pm

mojo filters wrote:BTW I was clearing out a load of shite from my myspace messages and comments (again) tonight and thought I recognised your link - is that your band?

Yup. Your name is Guy, right? How's everything, man?

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:43 pm

alan_cohaul wrote:
mojo filters wrote:BTW I was clearing out a load of shite from my myspace messages and comments (again) tonight and thought I recognised your link - is that your band?
Yup. Your name is Guy, right? How's everything, man?

It is indeed...things are ok. Will have to take another listen to your tunes sometime soon!

alan_cohaul · Post by **alan_cohaul** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:44 am

Cool! I have an insane photographic memory for names and people, about 95 percent of the time.

Now if that only worked for everything else (rubs chin)....

KevW · Post by **KevW** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:43 pm

Sitting On Fire
Devil Town
Soul On Fire
Baby I'm Just A Fool
Goodnight Goodnight
Funeral Home

I don't know these songs. Anyone got any info?

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:49 pm

Sitting on Fire/Soul on Fire/Baby I'm Just A Fool/Good Night Good Night are new Spiritualized songs.

Sitting on Fire is my favourite its a gorgeous ballad, soul on fire is basically gospel, Goodnight a lullaby and Baby i'm just.. is a Dylanesque acoustic rave-up.

Devil Town/Funeral Home are Daniel Johnston covers

KevW · Post by **KevW** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 1:17 pm

angelsighs wrote:Sitting on Fire/Soul on Fire/Baby I'm Just A Fool/Good Night Good Night are new Spiritualized songs.

Sitting on Fire is my favourite its a gorgeous ballad, soul on fire is basically gospel, Goodnight a lullaby and Baby i'm just.. is a Dylanesque acoustic rave-up.

Devil Town/Funeral Home are Daniel Johnston covers

Ah right, thanks. I knew the other DJ cover.

Spiritualized

Interview with Jason in Word..

Interview with Jason in Word..

Re: Interview with Jason in Word..

Re: Interview with Jason in Word..