An Interview with Philip Parfitt

  

Photo by Franck Aulnette

"It's 20 years since Philip Parfitt last released music. During the late 80's he fronted The Perfect Disaster, purveyors of dark, brooding Rock 'N' Roll. When they split he reappeared as Oedipussy, but soon disappeared again. Leaving Sussex for an old mill in France he never stopped writing. Now 2014 sees the return of a wiser, more gentle Philip Parfitt with his organic and honest solo debut album."(Taken from Phillip Parfitt's Bandcamp page)    

That's a brief introduction for such an artist like Philip Parfitt. A pioneer in the field of Alternative Rock, a creator of amazing cinematic landscapes of dreamlike music... The man himself is so kind, he agreed

to make this interview happen.

Now, scroll down, so you can read the man behind some of the finest moments in music history talking about the present, the past and the near future. Ladies and Gentlemen: Philip Parfitt.

 It's been 20 years...How does it feel to be back into the music business again?

Well… I was never really intending to release anything again. I had kinda got tired of the Business side of it and decided I'd just record for my friends and family etc and… well, so many people said I should get my arse out of retirement. I did eventually listen. 

And it turned out good, the preview of the record sounds really great. What can you tell us about it? 

The process of writing for me has always been a cathartic/therapy. The urge to express something is often so strong I simply have to write in order to maintain a level of… eh, for want of a better expression, 'sanity'. I think it is healthy to write and to vent one's spleen. This takes the form of lyricism and the language of music for me. I didn't stop to write music and songs and lyrical poems since I was a child. And don't suppose I will until I lose the faculties to do so. 

You're also quite a photographer. Do you think that is reflected on your music? 

The way I see the world is actually what goes into everything that comes out of me artistically, so there is music, there is poetry, there is photography… That is expressed in my outpourings. There are many others too of course. I love to cook and draw and make furniture and build. Essentially I am a builder. I like to touch. I think in 3 dimensional shapes, thoughts have shapes ...like anything else. I believe sound has shape, not in a graphical, linear sense, but when I hear a certain sound it immediately has an imaginary 3 dimensional shape. I've always thought like this as long as I can remember. I am what is most commonly known as dyslexic… but that is a name for some people’s way of thinking. 

What about the recording and the people involved? It seems there are a lot of them. 

On this record there are 8 of them, including my two daughters. I carefully choose my collaborators for their specific skills. I've always done that. Like anyone I guess, but my daughter Candy has a beautiful voice, so it would be mad not to have her sing. The other musicians on this album are again chosen for what they can bring. I looked a long time to find the right people for me. I wanted for this album a different approach to what I had already done. I was looking to use Medieval drone machines, like organs and Violins, that would supply the dissonant harmonics and melodies that I was used to create with feedback guitars. I wanted this but with a softer approach. I saw Christophe and Eva playing one night in a church and I thought: that is exactly what I've been searching for… I invited them to come in my house to explore and there the process began. We found many ways to communicate and I'd already accumulated hours worth of material, so we chose some and did many medieval jam sessions .With tea and biscuits of course… occasionally wine, calvados and various otherness. 

Sounds like it has been an easy record to make. 

Did I make it sound easy? Aghhgghgh sorry!!! No. It was painful at times and joyous at others …half of the musicians live in England and half in France. The recording in principal was at my house then I’d send stuff to England and some of my old Pals played their parts, which I'd listen to make suggestions till I was happy. Then I'd go to England and record for a week with those guys, John Saltwell and Martin Langshaw, early TPD buddies, and Jonny Mattock who played drums on the last TPD album “Heaven Scent” as well with Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized. Then I'd bring it all back home, tinker with it, do some more vocals… etc. Then I went back to the UK to mix and tinker some more. 

So I was wrong. Anyway, it seems you took your time to make it work right. Now let's go back to the past, shall we? 

No problem ..And to be fair the creative thing is easy, the logistical thing is different. 

First comes the most asked question: What made you pick up an instrument and start playing? 

I think it is just a primitive urge to communicate. like any other creature on the planet we are given certain codes to investigate, share, or not. My gift, if you can call it that, is to communicate ideas in melodic form. I first had the idea that I would be a singer in a band when I was around 5/6. My elder siblings went into the Stones, Dylan, Small Faces, Kinks… etc, so I was exposed. Then, as a young teenager, I got into Pink Floyd, Kevin Ayers, Bowie, The Velvets, Cale, Eno, Roxy Music… etc. Punk happened and I was flying. 

Which one was your first band? 

My first band was at school. We were named Alfie's Psychedelic Pin Cushion… for obvious reasons. 

Hahahaha!!! Great name. Which one was your first recording band? The one who made you part of the music business. 

Orange Disaster. We recorded a few singles, one of which was released on our own label and through Rough trade in 1980. Something's got to give. Then we released a different version of that in France, on a French label. But I had dabbled before with various things that were not fruitful.

After Orange Disaster came Architects of Disaster, and we did one single but we split after a promising period. The others went on to form Fields Of The Nephilim, and in 1984 I formed The Perfect Disaster 

Do you think TPD is a cult band nowadays, or even back then? 

We were definitely an acquired taste and not mainstream at all. Most people didn't get us. Too diverse and not falling easily into any niche. But I'm so happy to find out some cool person has been into us for thirty years. 

With Perfect Disaster you predicted most of the Shoegaze & Dream Pop scene of the 90's, but to me TPD sounds more straight into the eyes... with all its cinematic feel. Am I wrong? 

No, you are not wrong. Cinema has always been an influence. I loved the way people like John Cassavetes could just character evolve. I loved his way… and many others. I soaked it all up as a kid and like anyone regurgitated it, hopefully, into something interesting. Warhol too was good in this way. And Polanski of course ..Sergio Leone's collaborations with Ennio Morricone are part of my landscape, for sure that has influenced my way of being as an artist. Without doubt. 

I think “Asylum Road” has the same urban cinematic vibe as Lou Reed's "Street Hassle" Which one is your favorite Perfect Disaster record, the one that makes you proud of? 

I like different parts of all of them, but the one that I feel is most complete as a document, and in terms of providing us with the promise of what we were is “Up”. 

Perfect Disaster seem to be one of those forgotten bands from that period, at least to the new audiences. Do you think that thanks to the internet all of those forgotten bands can have a second chance to be heard? 

Yes. In short, it does give an opportunity to explore the previous.

Whether or not anyone is turned on to anything is still though dependent on it getting exposure, but I like the way people are tuning into good stuff, some of which is mine. That ain't too bad... 

When you started there was this whole D.I.Y. attitude going on. Do you think nowadays that attitude is back, but with more resources at hand like bandcamp, social networks and all of that? 

Definitely. And it is putting music back in the hands of the people making it and that cannot be bad. 

After TPF you formed Oedipussy and went on to do some collaborations. What can you tell us about that period? 

Ok, let's see… At the time, towards the end of TPD, we had been playing regularly with Spacemen 3 for some time, and myself and Jo Wigs (Breeders) had played on Pete Kember's (Sonic Boom) first solo album, and Spacemen 3 had already covered TPD's “T.V. (Girl On Fire)”. Jason Pierce and I had discussed recording… we later wrote four or five long drone type pieces, some of which appeared later on Spiritualised's first album. Before Oedipussy I had another project that was called Psychotropic Vibration. We did some BBC sessions and released one song on the Volume 3 compilation series that is called “Welcome To The Jesus Timeshare Experience”. It was very improvisational and most 'songs' had a free structure. This was shortly before Oedipussy, around ‘92. It was a collaboration with friends Julian Nelson, Kev King ,Rich Geismar(last TPD) drummer Once that had run its course I then embarked on a solo project that became Oedipussy. I recorded loads of songs and invited friends to come and play. These were Jason Pierce and Terry Bickers(House of Love, Levitation)who both contribute guitar. There was a lot of guitars on that album and I played a lot myself too… layers and layers of drones and feedback. Laurence O’Keefe on bass and Dave Francolini (both from Levitation) drums, as well as many others. It was fun and we had a lot of space to enjoy. 

Seems that it was a very busy period. Was it different from TPD or maybe the same but with a different approach? 

Well, the main difference was in fact that I just wrote all the songs alone rather than Jam them with Dan, which is what mostly happened in TPD. Usually I'd have a lyric or riff and I have planned sessions with Dan (Cross) and we'd come up with something. He was amazingly gifted at interpreting what I'd like, in fact he was the best I'd played with at doing what he does. With Oedipussy I had accumulated a lot of songs and had already started demoing when Chrysalis signed me. I had then to just record the first album (“Divan”) and play with my friends. 

And then you stopped playing. What led you to that "retirement"? 

Actually it goes on a bit before I stopped publicly appearing. Chrysalis wanted me to do some shows and I was into it. The problem was that most of the people who had played on the album were otherwise engaged, so to speak, and I had already another album in the pipe, so I then embarked on putting a new band together in readiness to record and go on the road. This was with the producer of the first Oedipussy album (JC Concato) who was also a very nice guitar player. We recruited his Brother on Drums and another frenchman called Norman Langolf. 

So… It didn't work out? 

Well, it worked out to a certain extent. We did do some shows in the UK and France, we recorded a second album (as yet unreleased) and they said they loved it etc etc, but it was never finished to my liking and the A&R guy was so off his face he couldn’t piss, and I think the accountants got fed up, so it was shelved. After that I had a rough time getting out of the deal and while this was going on I formed another project called Littleweed. I have an album's worth of stuff that will surface before long. Some is very nice, I did some with JC Concato and some with Tricky's Producer Pete Briquette. 

So now you’re back in business again. The new songs, with their acoustic nature, are perfect to tour, even by yourself. Any chance to see you back on the road? 

Yes. We/I have plans and there are various options and some lovely offers from friends to come and play. I can do some solo shows and have a gang of buddies who can join me as and when. I have already started to lay the seeds of a new album, after this one is out, and I can play when I feel like it. But I don't see, at least for a while, any full scale tour machine rolling up and down the motorways. If things sound like they'd be cool, then I will consider the urge. These days I can be found, there was about 10 years where I was quite a recluse. But, yes, I am happy to be releasing some music after a while, and I have accumulated quite a lot so, hopefully, some bright star will help me get that all over the place.  I think, 20 years since anything came your way... 

Speaking from the heart. Do you consider yourself a cult artist? 

I am an Artist, it is what I do.I don't think it is for me to say whether or not I am Cult Artist. Funnily though, recently a few prominent artists have cited me as an influence, which is odd but fun. Some too, like Documenta Drone Pops, have gone one step further, they covered TV Girl On Fire…nice version. Maybe all those who have at one time or another been under the influence should gather on a hill top somewhere and play one chord for half an hour or so, it might help the cause….say 'D major',one of my favourites. 

To end with. Anything you want to say to all your followers and the ones to come? 

This part of an interview is always so difficult, because somewhere I am amazed that songs I wrote and recorded thirty years ago still have a life. But then I was never into following a timespan and I'm the worst at following directions. I usually turn left if told to turn right. So, if people get turned onto my music, old and young, I'm happy to share it. There are no rules to this. Try to be yourself is what I say. And if other people think it's cool then that is fine by me, but if they think it sucks… that's ok too. It just ain't for them. I love it when people go: “wow!!! thank you for this song, it helped to keep me alive”, in whatever shit situation they were in. I mean, what else could an artist possibly want. So I say: Thank you ..and bear with me. There is still a twist.

So this is it. Interview is over, but now you can go further and in order to do so we suggest you to folow this links below and....

Go to Philip's Bandcamp page and make a pre-order of the new album.

Click like on the facebook page maintained by himself to stay updated

And click like on The Prefect Disaster facebook page to show the world you have good taste.

  The Perfect Disaster: Down (Here I Go/Falling/Down)

Thanks to Philip Parfitt for his time. Special thanks to Patricia Martinez for making this happen.

© Pabletefy Musicblog 2014