There are some things you shouldn’t do in life. Like bring up the frapes your male friend always falls victim to, resulting in hasty likes and unlikes on your facebook photos. Or going to a vintage shopping fair when you’re hungover, and not in the mood to be around anyone, let alone a glamourous selection of extroverts. And even organizing your birthday party and purchasing a dress you can barely fit into, vowing you will diet for it, only to devour half a bag of popcorn before you leave and a burger in the taxi on the way there. Now that my weekend has been successfully summarized, let’s talk about music.
Things you shouldn’t do and music. Two powerful things in their own right, which both are often very, very appealing. Recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to interviews some very talented musicians, ranging from Django Django to Frightened Rabbit.
Interviewing musicians can be an amazing experience. It’s a bit like admittance to a secret club, where the ‘hype’ is stripped away, and you’re left to deal with a human being, who just happens to have some form of musical talent. That is, the ‘real’ person who is normally saved just for family and friends. The majority of artists will be friendly and willing to answer your questions, which can make the task seem daunting, but if executed correctly, very rewarding.
In music journalism it can be hard to get a sense of achievement from your work (let’s face it, just about anyone can make a decent playlist these days). Producing a good interview then, that can shed light on an artist and their work, and make both their day and yours, as well as those who might read or hear it, is one of the best ways to gain that feeling that you’ve actually contributed rather than continually observed it all from the outside.
The gig circuit is tough, and the lifestyle is not all it’s cracked up to be (unless you’re Beyonce that is). In the words of Scott Hutchinson, the lead singer of Frightened Rabbit, it normally involves sleeping in ‘essentially a large coffin on a tour bus with a curtain’.
What’s more, gigging can become quite a repetitive pattern; the artist will sleep, travel, wake up, gander around town, soundcheck, eat, perform, engage in any nightcaps they so desire, and then return to sleep. When an interviewer is granted permission to break up this cycle with a bit of press, there is basic interview etiquette that is tacitly adhered to. That is, there are, needless to say, some things you just shouldn’t do. As you can imagine, screaming ‘I’m a massive fan, please sign my naughty bits’ makes the list.
Now I’m a big fan of etiquette, but have been prone to accidentally participate in a couple of ‘did she really just do that?!’ moments. I’m that girl you’ll bump into in the doctor’s surgery who will ask what you’re doing there, as if we’d just bumped into each other in a bar. Or the girl that will finish off a tub of peanut butter, minus the accompanying toast, with no shame. So despite my vigorous attempts to follow said etiquette (such as not immediately greeting an artist as if you’re they’re best friend), needless to say I’ve experienced a few blips, or hiccups.
I decided for your enjoyment to compile a list of the worst of these blips (they’re not all mine, I’ve asked a couple of friends for theirs too.), in the hope that they will brighten up your day. Enjoy!
- Introducing yourself to the artist and telling them how much you’re looking forward to their show later. Being informed immediately after that they are not actually the artist, but their travelling companion, and that the person located to their right hand side (who you haven’t ignored per se… but might have not sufficiently acknowledged beforehand) is actually the person you’re after.
- Playing ‘never have I ever’. Just….No…. (although it may give you some insightful information, such a preference for rubber ducks at bathtime).
- Asking them if their top button being done up is as uncomfortable as it looks. Them not laughing in response can make the next question pretty awkward.
- Offering an artist food designed for 5 year olds (Animal Biscuits, fyi) to be greeted with a look as if you’ve just given them Tesco value beef lasagne which has been coated in salmonella.
- Accepting a beer off an act BEFORE the start of the interview. Getting comfortable with the artist is fine and often ensures a better chat, but when you haven’t eaten yet that day you may find yourself laughing just a little too much at their jokes…
- Asking inappropriate questions about preferences for crumpets or toast and squash or juice. Or even encouraging a five minute debate on the ideal density of biscuits. It may seem like a good idea at the time, but will normally result in going so off topic that you’ll end up finding out about their grandma’s favourite ornament, rather than what they’ve got planned for the near future.
- Challenging the artist to a rap battle..when they’ve just spent five minutes explaining their disdain of the rap genre.
- Inquiring as to what part of Wales someone is from to be told they’re actually from Scotland.
- Asking how they found touring with Ed Sheeran. To discover they can’t tell you about that, but they can tell you about touring with Example.
- Telling them how much you loved their latest single, to find out it’s not yet released for another week. Following on from this, it’s probably better to say make sure you do your research beforehand. Preparation for a music interview, just like a job interview, is crucial.
Now I’ve revealed my (and my friends…) shambolic interview behavior, I won’t be expecting to undertake anymore in the near future. But there is an important thing to take from this. Just like things you shouldn’t do though, sometimes, interviews can be really really fun. Artists aren’t monsters, and even though you may mess up, they’ll normally be understanding, especially if you placate them with biscuits. Not sure I’d offer them my burger in a taxi though….