France Inter - C'est Lenoir
On Wednesday january 21st,1998 unbelievable truth were interviewed by Bernard Lenoir and Lydie Barbarian on France Inter.
HIGHER THAN REASON
Lydie Barbarian : How did the band form ?
Nigel Powell : It was in 1992.I had known Andy since school and he was in Russia as part of his university course and he wrote to me, saying he'd written some songs and that he'd like to play them with a band when he came back.So, I organized it.
L.B.: But it didn't happen right away.Right ?
N.P.: It did then.We were together until 1995.But then, things started moving quite fast.We had a big management company looking after us.And we were offered a large publishing deal.And Andy... run away.
L.B: Why did you go ?
Andy Yorke: I got scared.I thought that this was all happening too quickly.I was being pushed into something I wasn't convinced it was right for me.And, at that time, I wasn't entirely happy with the music either.So, it was a combination of facts which made me leave.And the band got very upset.Not surprisingly.
L.B. : What happened again when you went back to Moskow ?
A.Y. : So, I went back to Moskow in 1996 and I lived there for 6 months, working as a translater.Just having a completely different life from my home.But I took my guitar with me.And I began to write songs again.Without pressure, I found it easier.
L.B. : Now, you feel ready ?
A.Y. : Now, I feel really happy with it.
N.P. : I think now we feel really more in control of what is happening to us, whereas before, we didn't really have any idea of what was happening to us.
L.B. : Could you introduce the next the next song you chose, which is Stone, which was the first single for Virgin.
A.Y. : It's a love song I wrote when I was in Moskow.
STONE
L.B. : Does it annoy you, the fact that obviously people will notice and know that you have a very famous brother ?
A.Y. : It's a fact of life.It has positive sides and negative sides.One of the negative sides is that I have to talk about it all the time.
L.B. : Knowing what kind of life your brother has, do you feel frightened because of the way of life he has, and that you may end up having the same way of life ?
A.Y. : That's a difficult one.I think the main thing for me is that, if we become successful, I hope it will happen by stages and gradually, so that we are able to adjust to it, step by step.The actual lifestyle in principal doesn't frighten me, but there are certain things which I want to avoid.
L.B. : What are the things you want to avoid ?
A.Y. : Obessive fans.Feeling I don't have a choice anymore, that I'm trapped in what I'm doing.
L.B : Does everybody sing that well in the family ?
A.Y. : No, it's some kind of freak of nature because no one else in the family has any musical talent.
L.B. : Do you want to intoduce Building ?
N.P. : Actually, we released this as a single before we signed to Virgin on a small english label called Shifty Disco.We thought, at that time, it was one of our best songs, certainly the most evocative.
BUILDING
L.B. : How did you find your name ? Does it have to do with Hal Hartley ?
N.P. : Yes.It's his first film, The Unbelievable Truth.I was just a big fan of pretty much all of his films.And it was on the list of possible names when we were trying to name the group.And we chose that one.
L.B. : Did you also call yourselves Unbelievable Truth when you first started ?
N.P. : We went under a few names which were very bad and we eventually settled on this one.
L.B. : Who was playing piano in Building ?
N.P. : That was me.
L.B. : Did any of you study music ?
N.P. : Not formally
A.Y. : I took some singing lessons at school.
FINEST LITTLE SPACE