Difference between revisions of "Roaring To Go - Beat, 19th June 2013"
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− | Generation Terrorists came and went in 1992, and that should’ve been it. Except it sold, and so did Gold Against The Soul, and so have the Manics’ eight albums since. And here they are today. “I think what changed was the love of music, really, and the love of being in a band,” says Wire. “The fact we’re still together now when all our contemporaries have either split up - or split up and reformed and split up again | + | Generation Terrorists came and went in 1992, and that should’ve been it. Except it sold, and so did Gold Against The Soul, and so have the Manics’ eight albums since. And here they are today. “I think what changed was the love of music, really, and the love of being in a band,” says Wire. “The fact we’re still together now when all our contemporaries have either split up - or split up and reformed and split up again...I think we were lucky. If we were [starting] a band now, we wouldn’t have the longevity, because you don’t get the chance anymore to grow like we did.” |
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− | “It’s a really good point, because we were very blatant about the idea of getting into the mainstream,” says Wire. “I mean, it’s hard to explain to people now in what was a totally different landscape. You had a very elitist alternative/indie scene - which we did admire [for] a lot of that music. We grew up quite snobbish ourselves. But then all of a sudden when you realised how big The Smiths were, or The Clash, or you listened to Exile On Main St., we kind of thought | + | “It’s a really good point, because we were very blatant about the idea of getting into the mainstream,” says Wire. “I mean, it’s hard to explain to people now in what was a totally different landscape. You had a very elitist alternative/indie scene - which we did admire [for] a lot of that music. We grew up quite snobbish ourselves. But then all of a sudden when you realised how big The Smiths were, or The Clash, or you listened to Exile On Main St., we kind of thought...[if you] feel you’ve got something to say then you want to try and reach as many people as you can.” |
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− | “I think it’s a class thing. I think there’s a definite working-class vibe to it, about self-improvement and self-empowerment, especially in the South Wales side of it. I also think there’s such a vocal tradition here - it might sound a bit clichéd, but even James was in the school choir, and you can hear that | + | “I think it’s a class thing. I think there’s a definite working-class vibe to it, about self-improvement and self-empowerment, especially in the South Wales side of it. I also think there’s such a vocal tradition here - it might sound a bit clichéd, but even James was in the school choir, and you can hear that...[the Welsh] really are amazing singers. There were a lot of indie bands with that kind of phased, out-of-tune sort of singer, but that explosion in Wales in the ’90s, every one of them was more from the Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones tradition of just being brilliant vocalists. And it was a really political place to grow up in as well - obviously you had a lot of strikes and discontent, growing up in the ’80s, and it all produced a distinct sort of sound compared to the rest of Britain.” |
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− | Almost as soon as he mentions class warfare - that battle cry of any musician worth their salt in ’90s Britain - Wire checks himself. “Sometimes I feel like our generation is too obsessed with it,” he says, wary in the knowledge that he’s not speaking to old clichés now, but determined to go on. “We grew up through so much turmoil politically, perhaps we’re still using it as some kind of chip on our shoulder. But for me growing up, it was the whole idea of self-improvement through working-class education. I was lucky enough to get to university and do a degree in politics, and it was all tied in with something: pride in work and dignity. Whether all that stuff really exists anymore, I’m not really sure | + | Almost as soon as he mentions class warfare - that battle cry of any musician worth their salt in ’90s Britain - Wire checks himself. “Sometimes I feel like our generation is too obsessed with it,” he says, wary in the knowledge that he’s not speaking to old clichés now, but determined to go on. “We grew up through so much turmoil politically, perhaps we’re still using it as some kind of chip on our shoulder. But for me growing up, it was the whole idea of self-improvement through working-class education. I was lucky enough to get to university and do a degree in politics, and it was all tied in with something: pride in work and dignity. Whether all that stuff really exists anymore, I’m not really sure...But I’m not going to let it go (laughs). I think all people need a bit of a little thing that keeps them inspired. There’s a kind of poetic artistic side to the band and there’s more of a working-class political side. Sometimes one outweighs the other.” |
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− | “I don’t know what it was, really. The whole premise behind it was never to endorse any sort of government. We just felt | + | “I don’t know what it was, really. The whole premise behind it was never to endorse any sort of government. We just felt like...one, we wanted to do something completely different; to launch an album where you can’t make any money selling any albums, because there’s an embargo with Sony/Columbia - they didn’t even sell records there - so it was much more of that Situationist idea of subverting [capitalism]. But then again, it’s certainly caused us a lot of problems over the years, whether it’s visas with America, or going to former Eastern Bloc countries who obviously had a hideous time under communism - they don’t think it was a good idea that Castro turned up to one of our gigs. |
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− | “So it’s a fine line. I’m not sure - it certainly wasn’t a massive success, but maybe in 20 years’ time I can look back at the pictures and the footage and think it was | + | “So it’s a fine line. I’m not sure - it certainly wasn’t a massive success, but maybe in 20 years’ time I can look back at the pictures and the footage and think it was...at least it was extraordinary. It might have been extraordinarily shit, but at least it was extraordinary.” |
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Latest revision as of 21:29, 12 October 2018
Title: | Roaring To Go |
Publication: | Beat |
Date: | Wednesday 19th June 2013 |
Writer: | Chris Martin |
Photos: | Alex Lake |
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It’s early on a midweek morning, Cardiff time, and Nicky Wire’s voice crackles down the line from his home just outside the Welsh capital. Over the years, Manic Street Preachers’ success has taken their bassist, lyricist and chief mouthpiece Wire all around the world - from Thatcher’s Britain to communist Cuba - and yet he’s never really desired to depart the working-class surrounds of his youth.
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