they reflect your personal and artistic growth over the past decade? Behold the Man as in here I am … This is me … Take it or leave it! The Album is as much inspired by Joy as it is by Rage.As said above, the kicking against the pricks in ‘Ecce Homo’ to the feelings of loss in ‘Lamento’ to the remembrance of ‘Beautiful Youth’ and freedom of expression in ‘When the world was young’. The past the present and the future all embraced in a human way … well my own sense of the world according to me. You’ve mentioned before how influential David Bowie and other avant-garde artists were to you growing up. Can you tell us about the first moment you realized you wanted to pursue art and music? Yeah Bowie opened up doors and was a huge touchstone as a kid but it was Punk and its explosion that hit hard and inspired me to form a Band, the then Virgin Prunes in 1978. It just jumped in and DIY was the philosophy. As a founding member of the Virgin Prunes, you pushed boundaries in both sound and performance. Howdo you look back on that time, and how has it influenced your solo career? Hugely influenced the today Gavin Friday … it made me who I am …Have nothing but love and respect for the Virgin Prunes era … but that was then this is now. Your solo albums, like Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves, showcase a theatrical and cinematic style. What inspired this shift from the experimental punk roots of the Virgin Prunes? Travels in Europe and Touring in early 1980s opened up the world of Euro Influences from Brel to Brecht to Classical and Jazz. You’ve collaborated with U2 and Maurice Seezer, among others. What do you think makes a creative partnership successful, and do you have any dream collaborators for the future? Hard work basically and a zone / connection where one can get lost in the music. Its almost like a magical unseen glue but its all about focus, hard work and a connection to the Heart. Always open to new collaborators … As a visual artist, your work often intersects with your music. How do you balance the two, and do you see - 15 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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