TALive caught up with Damon Gough while at home in Manchester as he prepared for his upcoming tour.
TALive: It's no secret you're a big fan of Bruce Springsteen who sang "Born in the USA…" So, it’s clear you were able to connect to his music despite being from England. As you prepare to tour the US this spring, how do you anticipate American fans will react to a record titled “Born in the UK?”
GOUGH: I don't know. I mean, I've already done one US tour last year, and things went ok with that. I think when I play live whatever the connotations an individual album has goes out the window. It's just based on the fact that I'm a songwriter and I've got this record and it just happens to be called "Born in the UK." Some people read into that and some people ignore it.
It’s quite a personal thing for me. Bruce Springsteen is only one level… I wouldn't ever compare my music to Springsteen's. I wouldn’t ever say his music influenced the way I write. I think, more important than that, he just changed the way I looked at my life when I discovered the songs from the road when I was 14. In essence, I'm just sort of paying back, in tribute, the fact that that song in particular was something that meant a lot to be and then made me discover the rest of his music.
I don’t feel like I’m doing myself any justice by continually talking about Springsteen because people just think that's all I'm about. I'm actually my own singer-songwriter in my own right now, which Bruce would acknowledge as well 'cause I've met him a few times and he's been very kind about what I do. The title is just…it came out of a fluke. I was just singing a song one day without any words, and the line " I was born in the UK" came out and I went with it as an idea and then decided to call the album that because I thought it was funny. I think that people might not think it's a serious record because of that, since it's just a joke title. But for me it’s an important closing of a chapter that I'm just sort of saying "This is who I am. This is what my deal is." I was born in England, and I don’t why that is. I don’t know what difference it makes I couldn’t really care.
TALive: Considering the struggle you endured in the studio prior to releasing this record, what would you recommend to another artist who is facing similar challenges?
GOUGH: If anything is really not working out, you should just bite the bullet and walk away from it, really. But it's never that easy in practice to do that. In essence, writing songs generally or being creative or offering something to the world whether it’s a piece of art or piece of music that's creative-- it's quite a difficult thing to do. It’s very rewarding when things go well. But also, each time you do it it’s very scary because you know you're going to be judged. I've had equal and opposite praise printed, and not just on this album but on previous ones. There's been points in time where I feel like I've been credited far too heavily with just being a good songwriter. And people have thrown out words that are inappropriate such as "genius" and things like that, and you say, “well I cant live up to that.” By the same token, I've had some really scathing criticism-- people saying I'm just some windgy old bastard who sings about fey, twee things such as your family and issues like that. But I just feel like I'm a fairly decent songwriter that's doing the best I can to do something of value...Which is why I take it seriously and why I had to quit the attempted record because I didn’t feel it was quite up to scratch for one reason or another. It just didn’t' feel like the right record to release at that point.
So, I try to learn by it. I try not to take it too seriously in a way because I don’t think enough people care about it for me to worry this much. I’ve still got some decent fans all around the world. I think in America, generally, and on this record in particular, I feel like it's been received on a more honest level than perhaps it has been back home. I feel like Americans appreciate in a different way. Like in more, "it's just a good record let's forget about all the other things" way. At home at the minute I don’t think I'm taken as seriously as I should be as an artist for some reason. I'm not as cool as people used to think I was, or, that's what I feel like.
TALive: So has that pressure of being judged not diminished at all, even after 5 records?
GOUGH: Oh, for me I feel like I've made 5 albums of equal standard of songwriting. Some have been better received than others. But I think I can honestly say that I think each one is as good as the previous one. So that's my job done. My last album, for example, didn’t get a lot of credit; I think it's probably my best album ["One Plus One is One] for me personally, that is. But to get anyone else to agree with you is impossible. There's a lot about my first album just being my best, which I thoroughly disagree with. But, how I can argue with someone who likes the first album? It's not their fault. I think I've equaled that first album every time, or bettered it, because its more focused now. I don’t know, people's opinions are inexplicable at times. I feel I get judged on a level that is a little bit unfair as well. I don’t think people generally listen to the whole album. And unless you do, you don’t get the whole picture. If people just hear the singles that come out, I don’t think they really get a good picture of the music I make.
TALive: You are sort of notorious for being very honest with people, especially when you are performing. You've never had any reservations about confronting people who are being annoying. What are your biggest pet peeves out on the road?
GOUGH: Well there's really only one thing that can possibly frustrate you, aside from missing home and all that which can be difficult to deal with. But, that's personal and shouldn’t really come to play in the gig. The only time it ever does is when the sound isn’t good on stage and you can't hear. If I'm gonna be 3,000 miles away from home, and I've got a gig to do that night and the sound is so bad that I can't even hear my voice and sing the songs well, then…I saw this thing the other day, it was like a press TV show on telly about the bad boys of rock 'n' roll and one of them was Axel Rose for storming off stage about umpteen times because the sound is terrible…and everyone's saying he had no right to do that. But, I can totally sympathize with that because if you can't perform because of technical problems, then it's impossible. That happens and that's a nightmare.
Or if audiences are just chatting all the way through the song, then that can piss you off obviously, because.. its not that you want to be the center of attention, but if people are there to see a gig and you're there to play a gig then you expect a little bit of mutual respect.
TALive: Well I appreciate when you address it because a chatty audience member can ruin the show for other audience members as well.
GOUGH: It completely depends on the day of year,the night of week or whatever is happening in your life at that point as to whether these things get to you or not. I played in Cleveland once and the back half of the room was so disrespectfully chatting at the bar, I said,"Well why don't you just fuck off to the bar next door and chat there?" and I actually walked off the stage and pinned this guy against the wall and threatened to punch him because he was chatting all through the set, and you could hear him from the back of the room. I'm not in the business of doing too many times. That's the only time I've ever walked off stage to threaten an audience member (laughs).
TALive: In Athens, Ga. you handled a rude audience by spontaneously singing for people at the bar to "shut up." GOUGH: I remember that gig. It had something to with there'd been a big football game or something and everybody was completely and utterly drunk. And it was a rowdy bar I think.
TALive: That's most weekends in Athens.
GOUGH: Ha, yeah. Well, I felt like I handled it really, really well. I didn’t go too crazy that night because I had to appreciate that they'd all had a big day and that was that.
TALive: Is it true that you prefer not to have a set list?
GOUGH:Yeah, generally, but normally it just naturally evolves into a set list anyway. I tend to write down a long list of songs that I can choose from so I've got them kind of next to me on the floor. Then after you do about five or ten shows on a tour, you kind of get used to a certain way of playing them anyway. But generally I don’t even ever look at the list. It's just there as a comfort thing. It really depends, each night is different. I can kind of just shout out the next song to the band, and say right we're doing this one next, keep it going as a natural thing. Other nights you just have to refer to the list because your brain is not in gear. I generally avoid a set list if I can because it makes me feel restricted. It's nice to switch it out just see 'cause occasionally it might just work better to start with a song at the piano, or start with a solo song, or start with the whole band and deconstruct it down to solo or vice versa.
TALive: One review I read referred to "Badly Drawn Boy" as your alter ego. Do you think that is accurate, or is it just a stage name?"
GOUGH: It's just a means to end, really. On my first EP, I needed a name, and I didn’t at the time feel like using my own name because I didn’t feel like it would have enough impact for some reason. I had this name "Badly Drawn Boy" and I thought, well, I'll just use that for the EP and then I'll think of something better. I ended up not having time to think of anything better because things took off so quick, and loads of record companies were calling me up and the name Badly Drawn Boy had already become notorious. So I ended sticking with it by accident.
I think early on it did me proud in the name. It intrigued people. It sort of made them think, "What's this about? Who is it? Is it a band?" I think still people are confused in America... some people still think it's a band . but, I mean, because I got out playing with a band it's forgivable. But, it's the same as Bob Dylan going out with different bands. I've had about 10 different backing bands in the last 10 years. It's essentially a pseudonym, which I don’t know, I think one day I’m going to lose it if it's possible to. I mean, it'll be possible because people know it and know the music by it. I don’t think it's an alter ego, I don't think I essentially change. It just gives me something to aim for. Like, Badly Drawn Boy music has a certain sound. There's gotta some charm in there . I've grown to really dislike the name, personally. Which is a bit of shame really.
Featured Show:
The Loft
Atlanta, GA
Wed March 14, 2007
-Michelle Gilzenrat
Manchester Orchestra
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