Q&A With Scout Niblett
By: Music Staff |
Saturday September 10, 2005 |
| "I've never enjoyed playing shows as much as I do right now. and that's mainly down to Jason Kourkounis bashing the drums. It feels like there's an annihilation taking place to me when we play. Honestly I can't get the rock out enough right now." |
| Scout Niblett has release four full-length albums, as well as one EP, in four short years. Her latest and her first for Beggars Group/Too Pure (after leaving Secretly Canadian records), Kidnapped By Neptune, has admirable qualities according to Static staff writer Nate Roth in his review of the album. "...if not for the cryptic lyrics, then for the massive "Happiness is a Warm Gun" cut and paste quality of the tracks that are at one point intriguing, the next grating," Roth states. Chicago knob-twiddler Steve Albini "recorded" the album.
What's the last song that flat-out scared you? "What If" by Bongwater on the album The Power Of Pussy What was the worst show you ever played, and why? Playing with my ex-boyfriend in Bristol a couple of years ago. We were on tour and we broke up while on tour. This was the last show together. It was just me and him doing solo sets. Pretty intense. I ended up crying while I accompanied him sometimes on the drums. What will you do immediately after completing this interview? Go for a walk around Oslo to buy cigarettes and look at the birth chart I'm doing for someone, and then ask my pendulum some questions to see if some thing will come true. What artists have you discovered in the last 6-12 months and how has their work influenced yours? I have discovered a band called Two Gallants and a singer songwriter called Jose Gonzales and I love them both. Both share a potency in their songwriting that gave me a lift of inspiration. its mainly to do with their honesty. What can fans expect to get at one of your concerts that they couldn't necessarily get on your album? They will get the undeniable force of rock face to face. I've never enjoyed playing shows as much as I do right now. and that's mainly down to Jason Kourkounis bashing the drums. It feels like there's an annihilation taking place to me when we play. Honestly I can't get the rock out enough right now. Rock jams with Kourkounis I think are in order. But nothing is out of the question. And I'll always play the drums and sing... that's a given. And anything else that feels right will just happen and I'll just go with it if I know what's good for me. That's when I do the things I'm most proud of....when I don't know where something is going, so its like a musical adventure. What other creative mediums would you ever care to dabble in? Why? I like to make films and do drawings and visual art in general. Its kinda just something Michael Jackson - pedophile or misunderstood eccentric? I used to cry when he came on the TV as a kid. I loved him so much. I went to see the Bad tour in '88. I only like his stuff before and including Bad. As a person I have no idea what the hell he gets up to. I don't think I need to know or have an opinion on it. Have you ever stolen anything? Yes, I used to steal Cadbury crème eggs at Easter time as a kid., I'd wear mittens to conceal the act. As a kid, like 5-12 years old, what music did you listen to? Pop music on the UK radio, and then also my moms records like Blondie, Abba, The Beatles, Rod Stewart, Elvis, Barbara Dickson, The Police, Paul Robeson, The Everly Brothers. then my Uncles' blues records and my Aunties' soul records. When I turned 16 I started listening to music that I heard over the airwaves like Hendrix, and at parties that kids at school had, or what the boys I liked listened to...stuff like the Pixes, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur jr, Bongwater, The Misfits, Black Flag, Danzig, Samhain, Beefeater, Fugazi. and Nirvana later on. What periodicals, if any, do you subscribe to? The Mountain Astrologer. Name something non-musical (e.g. book, person, building, animal) that has inspired or influenced you. Dane Rhudyar (astrological writer), Alan Watts (philosopher of sorts), Walt Whitman, my art lecturer at college "Shelley Sacks," and my music teacher at first school "Pam Millington." Do you download music without paying for it? Yes I do. Do you read music criticism? Who are some of your preferred critics, if any? I like Everette True as a music writer. And its great when some critics actually seem to be tapping into what your doing. But each person has their own opinion, and most critics never seem to share any of mine. What's the best thing about being a musician...? Singing your heart out, free booze, lots of opportunities to meet people, traveling. Its all good. |
