One Minute Science - Sunna Interviews

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Sunna Interview:
(with John, Richie, Flatline and new recruit Shane)

Do you think that your music has been received well in the states?
Yeah. I think so. I think it leans towards that market, more that in the U.K. because of our influences. Some of the kids have been e-mailing over from the States who have heard the sound clips, and have been saying that they have heard that we are touring with APC and that the think that we are really cool. I haven't had anybody write to me and say that your band is shit and I don't think you should do the tour, or anything like that, a few people saying that you are really brave.

Brave?
I don't know, I just think that there is some sort of mysterious element about the band (APC) and people have got this thing that they are above, and that they are in another place, I think it will just be a case of getting in there and finding out, none of us have met the band, so we have got no idea of what they are like as people.

Are you doing well in the States?
It is to do with the Hollow Man film, the way the single ('Power Struggle') has been tested and played on radio stations, and there is another two films coming out with tracks on, one called Fifteen Minutes and the other is Blair Witch 2.

Which tracks have you got on those then?
'Power struggle' for Fifteen minutes and 'Not Trading' for Blair Witch 2.

So how do you feel about Kevin Bacon singing your song?
Even better now that film has gone to number 1 in the film charts in the states! So a lot of people are getting to hear it, I think that is the reason for all of the sales.

Do you think that is one of the best things a band can do, get on a soundtrack?
Yeah. A lot of people like all the cred people would accuse us of selling out but......F**k'em.

Have you seen any of these films?
We haven't seen them, we have seen some trailers, and they look really good. We have heard it's great, we are flying into New York on Tuesday night so we are going to go and see it. The first thing I am going to do is get some food and then go to the cinema and check it out. And watch the first 10 minutes, I think it is in the credits.

I know some of you have been in bands before or have all of you?
Well me and John were in a band for 8 or so years, Richard has been in Cable, Shane in the Rolf Harris Quintet, and Flatline has been in a coma. He still is!

The album is coming out in October can you tell us anything about it, the songs or the recording process or anything?
No. The question is when we started demoing, We hired a house down in Cornwall in Constantine, but we wrote off too many bikes and crashed too many cars, so we had to come home. I t was mixed in London, scrapped in London, re-mixed in Bristol, scrapped in Bristol.

Sounds like a trial?
A task it was. It was just really frustrating.

Is that because of other people?
Yeah it was other people who thought they knew how it should sound.

Are you happy with it now?
Yeah, I mean when we first mixed it the actual demos were sounding better, then it just fell flat for about a month. It took longer to mix than to record it.

Have you spoken to Massive Attack or any label mates (I know O.D was re-mixed by Alpha) to do any cross-pollination?
There is probably not much, as they all have the same producer and so it would be the same people working on it any way. James Lavelle is doing a mix, but I think that will be it I think it will be an acoustic song and James Lavelle mixing it.

How is the live process going, I know you have played down at the Water Rats, have you got the sound together as you want it?
Yeah, absolutely. It is a little bit darker, and heavier, like for' Power Struggle' we had to buy a certain type of guitar but it was the wrong thing so we have gone back to a Gibson, and got a fat sound and it is coming along.

Has it evolved much since the first gig?
Yeah, Yeah. We have got the songs completely sorted, and we are confident about what we are doing.

Do you actually rehearse the performance?
Sometimes it is easy to get a bit carried away, John sometimes is gritting his teeth and shaking his guitar about, but it is that sort of music, and if you are that passionate about anything it is quite easy to get carried away with it, and it is as if you were playing a gig.

The video revolves around you lot being surrounded by thousands of bees, was it scary?
Yeah you had 30,000 bees from 6 hives crawling around, it makes me itch just thinking about it.

How did you control the bees?
Just be nice to them. They know if you are going to be hostile. They like bee keepers, one bee keeper was stung quite badly they got into his suit and they got the camera man and he was rolling around. They put them in a freezer so they are really dopey, but they just hoover them up. There was one bee who was just walking across the carpet looking really deluded and lost and I just watched him for about 20 minutes while he walked across the carpet then some bloke just came along and, squash.

Can you describe the other members of the band?
Lets start with Flatline?
He doesn't really talk, he doesn't talk to us, it is all actions, his heart rate is three beats a minute.

How do you communicate?
He only hears certain frequencies, big mice talk to him.

Lets move on to Shane?
We have not met Shane yet, he's new. It has only been a month. no, two he auditioned in June.

And what was it about Shane - why did you take him on?
There was no one else! (Shane incidentally is sitting with the rest of the band and sharing in the piss-taking)

What about John?
Big it up boys. You do what you are told, alright he is definitely not like anyone I have ever met before, but it is hard to say anything as he is the boss man, you've known him for age you talk about him, there are no half measures he is a very powerful person he does everything to the extremes in good and bad things.

Richie?
He's tall, he used to be in the Dukes of Hazzard.

In your opinion who rocks the hardest?
It is so easy to get caught up in what is the current fad, I mean attitude wise bands like Metallica who just do their own thing, and really just do it for themselves, they have slogged it out for years and although the kids aren't really buying it at the moment I have a lot of respect for them.

American bands?
Yeah, there aren't really any British bands who are doing anything of their own merit they are all just jumping on band wagons, there is nothing really going on.

So it has just lost its way a little bit?
We tend to ignore the commercial music, hedonistic pop, plastic pop. Some bands like Prodigy and Propellorheads who have introduced a hard core element, and big beat and drum and bass, it is in your face music, but this is the turn around you can only take so much happy house.

What about your references?
You can't deny that bands like Saxon and Magnum, on a British scene you would not have many bands, I mean bands like Metallica were influenced by Motorhead, Saxon and Iron maiden. For me the British scene was always the punk element and America was always Rock, I am not into American Punk they haven't quite got it.

Would you like to spear head a British revival?
I would hate to think that someone would just categorise us as a type of music, but I would be honoured if someone turned round and said you are spear heading the new, new wave of British heavy metal but I would not say we are essentially a heavy metal band, it is just the way things have turned around, but I would be honoured, but we are not trend setters we are just doing our own thing.

Finally lets just recap on what you have got coming up over the next couple of months?
Solid touring, lets get America. MTV, we are doing a program next week, 20 favourite videos by Sunna. The album is out in the States on the 15th then we tour, then over to France and the European release, then a European tour and the album is out in Europe on October the 23rd.

How would you feel if you did really well, in America but not so well in the U.K. would that bother you?
I think it is important to break it here. But you have to understand that the British music scene is very snobby whereas everyone else in the world is happy to hear what is coming over before just categorising it or saying this is shit this is good, the British music press is so far up its own arse at the moment by championing these shit daytime radio bands RnB and crap arse stuff. I would like to do well in the U.K. it would be really good to do it at home but I am not going to worry about it.

When did you first take up music?
"I didn't even start listening to rock music until about 1989. I was a late starter. I think 'Paradise City' by G'N'R had just came out as a single here. It was about then that I hooked up with a new group of friends. It was inevitable that we would form a band. So I guess it was around that year."

Where is the band from (as in, where did the band originate)?
"SUNNA originated in Bristol in the west of England."

How was the band formed?
"That's a toughy for me. I joined really late. Jon (vox) and Ian (guitar) had worked together about 7 years previously in a band called CHILLUM who were signed to RCA. When that finished, I think they kinda stayed together and continued knocking out material from home."

What fascinated you about music (what made you interested in forming a band)?
"I've always been a dreamer. Every time I talk to my mother about what's going on with SUNNA, she always says "I'm so proud, I knew you'd do this, you always said you would". She was right. I'd always dream about playing shows and being famous when I was a kid. I mean it's a little different now I'm here . It's a lot more hard work than I thought it would be."

What would you say are the band's influences?
"I know Jon and the rest of us are really into bands like NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN etc. It's hard to really justify without really just reeling off all the bands you like. I could list 'em for hours!!!"

How did you get the name, Sunna?
"I think Jon went thru a load of names based around the word SUN, like but too many ended up being the names of huge corporate companies who wouldn't be too happy with being associated with our fucking noise. Not sure how it ended up being SUNNA, but roughly translated it means 'faith without religion'. I may be wrong!"

Did you have any other band names before "Sunna"?
"I don't know, I joined too late in the game to find out if they had any others!"

Who is in the band, and what is their part?
"JON HARRIS - Vox, guitar; IAN MACLAREN - guitar, b/vox; FLATLINE - decks, samples; RICHIE MILLS - drums, samples; SHANE-O - bass."

If you could pick any band to tour with, who would you pick (other than APC)?
"Personally, I'd love to tour with the FOO FIGHTERS or, just for the stadium mentallity, METALLICA!!!!"

What is the best thing about touring? The worst?
"Best thing is the hour you're up there. It's like another existence completely. It goes so quickly and you walk away not remembering a damn thing about it!! Hanging about in strange cities is great too. Also places you've been before are great. Worst thing is travelling by day. BORING!!!!!!! It's okay when you travel over nite and wake up at your destination, but when you're awake and traveling in the daytime, especially in the states because some of the journeys are so long, it can drive you a bit nuts!!"

How did you hook up with APC for a tour?
"Basically, the band MASSIVE ATTACK own our record label MELANKOLIC. MAYNARD and BILLY from APC hooked up with them in London a month or so ago. Records were exchanged and MAYNARD and BILLY were apparently really into our forthcoming ONE MINUTE SCIENCE album. So I think they asked if we wanted to do it."

What is it like touring with APC?
"Haven't done it yet!!! We'll let you know in the next edition!!!"

How is the APC tour treating you (gaining a lot more fans, I hope)?
"As above!!!"

What's you favorite song to play live, and why?
"It has to be our show closer, 'ON ONE CONDITIONING'. It's a real dark and sinister number, which builds and builds on stage like it doesn't on the record. It ends up being real heavy and really kicks!!"

How did the name for the album, "One Minute Science", come about?
"Hmmmm, another one for the brainchild Jon Harris, me thinks!!"

Who produced the album?
"The album was produced by NEIL DAVIDGE, who worked on MASSIVE ATTACKS last record MEZZANINE. Him and Jon worked extensively for about 18 months on the material. Apparently Neil is a real taskmaster!!"

When is the album being released?
"The album comes out in the US on August 15th. So that's 2 days for you lot to learn your moves and dance routines!!!!"

What would you say your favorite song(s) are from the album
"Personally, my faves are 'FORLORN', 'I MISS', 'GRAPE' and 'ON ONE'. the first of those are quite mellow and orchestral. The last two are belters!!!"

If you were to do a cover song, what would it be, and why?
"There is one BEATLES song that I really love. But I can't remember the name of it to save my life. I'll have to come back to you on that one."

What are your influences on the style of music?
"Did I not answer that one earlier??"

Sunna is beginning to get praise as a hard rock band with just the right amount of dark, Gothic touch, but their lives weren't always so easy. Lead singer Jon Harris spent time in Israel in a kibbutz before he returned home to start life as a singer-songwriter and form the first of many bands.

The first incarnation of Sunna were dropped from their record label after the execs tried to force the band into a more mainstream and funky sound, which they refused. The band was unceremoniously booted from their label and management company, forced to start over at square one.

After Harris accidentally met up with members of Massive Attack in a Bristol studio, he played guitar on the group's highly acclaimed Mezzanine album. The songs he was working on in that studio caught the ears of the members of Massive Attack, who signed Sunna to their Melankolic imprint label, despite the quite obvious lack of trip-hop stylings present in their music.

The rebirth of Sunna has seen them rise from the ashes a more confident and happy band whose members, Harris, Ian McLaren on guitar, Richie Mills on drums, Shane Goodwin on bass and DJ Flatline, are finally free to create the music they want. Their luck still hadn't run out as the band landed a slot opening for A Perfect Circle on their American tour. iCAST caught up with the band in Boston on their first night playing in the U.S.

The band was understandably nervous; we hear that certain members may have actually tossed their cookies, while others just spent the day taming the butterflies in their stomach. Despite the bad case of the jitters, Harris and McLaren played on the street corner for spare change and McLaren and Richie Mills chatted with us about their signature sound and style.

Ian McLaren: This is where it goes. [Indicating acoustic guitar] It was brilliant because there's no technology, there's no bollocks, it's just like, "Let's have it on stage," and go.

IM: And I like the fact that you can turn up at any pub or f**king anything, do you know what I mean? Stand up, sound check in about three seconds and that was the set. But obviously it's impossible to do that with what we're doing.

iCAST: But right now Sunna still has that raw energy plus other layers. The electronic parts --

IM: I think the reason is it's almost done backwards. Where I think bands fail is that they try -- they want to have the technology kind of aspect, so that's the immediate thing that's incorporated, and then it's, "Oh my god, we've got to write a song around this." Do you know what I mean?

IM: I love the sounds, but where's the song, you know what I mean? And we've done it, it's come from the roots, and then we've incorporated everything on top of it. You've got to have the foundation haven't you?

iCAST: You can always tell; if you can take everything down to an acoustic set like you did today and it's still a song, then you don't need all the other layers.

iCAST: It's very cool. One thing that I noticed about you guys which is great, when you're singing, the two of you, there's not an inch of an English accent. There's nothing, it's all like Bruce Springsteen.

What I think the great thing about rock music and pop music as well is that the English is language is great, it's excellent for it, you know what I mean? I've heard French bands come in and sing it all in French, and it's just like, "Yeah, okay." And that's why I think they all sing in English. It's the way it goes.

RM: When you have a chance, just pop in and say hello. But don't do in there, "Are you alright?" His head is...

IM: Yeah, you know, you've got difficult nights with no sleep, no sound check, it's bit experimental.

iCAST: This is the very first night you are in America, kicking off the American tour, so how do you feel?

IM: You will cough and then you go, "Oh yeah, that's what I did." You know what I mean? We're all nervous. But it's not about the studio to me. I like the studio, you've got all the other bollocks that goes with it; this is it. This [performing live] is the real deal.

iCAST: I always wonder, because for different bands it's always different. Is the magic in the studio or is the magic when you're playing --

IM: Absolutely, it's all about playing live, definitely. It's one of these things where, like, times like now and you've got all the kind of technicalities to get over and then you get on the stage and it's all the music there, and you come off and while you're on stage it's just like, "This is it, this is it."

iCAST: I want to find out -- I asked you earlier back at the restaurant, what's the name of the song again, [sings] "I don't--"

IM: Is it really? Andy Wallace obviously, you know, did the Nirvana stuff. He's taken it away and remixing it for the second single. It's going to be kicking, yeah.

iCAST: So the song, ["I'm Not Trading"] you said, is about the last incarnation of you guys?

IM: Yeah, it's about the last record company and all the kinds of dealings that we had to and the kind of pigeonhole they were trying to put us in.

The song that actually got sung to RCA wasn't actually that kind of rock-orientated, but to be honest, neither was the song that got us signed to Virgin. It's just the way we groove. It's brilliant, it couldn't have worked out better, because the learning curve -- the whole RCA experience, getting dropped by the label, they wanted to turn us into -- not the Backstreet Boys exactly, but something a little bit more kind of funky and Princey, almost. It was a long time ago.

A lot of people don't even like touring, they just like to sit in the studio and be the studio wizard or whatever. Not me, or not us, I think.

iCAST: That's what it's about, that connection when you're on stage and you're just there and you're all feeling it together. It's like nothing -- fantastic.

iCAST: So you say that you have enough material now that you're ready to just go full force and --

IM: As I said, what happened is that we got dropped from RCA because we were going down the rock avenue, and they said, "You know, if you're going to do this, then we're going to drop you," and we went, "Excellent, that's exactly what we want." The Management Company dropped us the day after, which isn't what we wanted.

So then it was like, "Right, start back from the beginning again, churn it all up again. " And basically, when we finished the album the first kind of rehearsal experience we had was us just going down those old -- just having a laugh, me and Jon just having a laugh playing those old songs and Virgin was going, "What the f**k is this? This is amazing." So we said, "Oh, it's just an old tune," and they're going, "This has got to go on the album." Straight whisked off into studio, recorded it, swapped over, it was just such a rush job.

IM: So yeah, we've got a situation now where I'm actually more excited about the second album than I am this album [One Minute Science], believe it or not. I think that the songs are much stronger, much more about what we want to do. They're in "Power Struggle," "Trading," "Vain" -- "Trading" is actually an old song as well. There's a few old songs in there.

IM: Yeah, but there's just so many tunes we can just pull out, and that's why I think it's going to be very excited to do, there's new tunes as well. I'm really excited about the second album, which is mad, isn't it?

iCAST: That's great. I can't wait to hear it, but that's going to be a year from now?

IM: I said that it's going to go down really quickly, you know? It's going to be -- we can bang it out within about four months or something like that.

IM: The toughest, yeah, because it's like any band that kind of makes it -- Like Portishead, had a real trouble with -- it's like, 14 years to write your first album, and then four months to write your second and it's got to be better than the first, it's really tough. But that's why I'm really confident about it, because we haven't got that problem because it's things that you --

iCAST: So in essence you're already beyond that problem. Thanks very much for talking to me.

iCAST: We're going to see some live stuff with you in there and I'm looking forward to it, definitely.

RM: Just chilling out with the kids. Quite an impressive line, or is it? I don't know. Pretty scared now.

RM: I'm trying to chew my own face off. I've no teeth left to grind. No, we're getting there; we're getting there slowly. I think we're going to have to do our sound check or our line check --

iCAST: Unfortunately. Now, your sound check is going to be the first song of the set?

iCAST: Did you hear it with the harmonica in the background? That was cool. You should have invited him along.

RM: I think if "Not Trading" comes out as a single, it could have that sort of anthemic; that sort of Rage Against the Machine thing where all the kids just chant and hopefully it can become anthemic.

RM: So you've been really busy this afternoon with the other boys, sorry I haven't been around.

RM: Yeah, things can get a bit carried away sometimes. I tend to throw my drums in the audience and throw them at people.

RM: We'll see. Might get lucky. It just depends on whether we can replace the drum kit every night.

Jon Harris (Sunna)

What were the first and last albums you bought?
First - Kings of the Wild Frontier
Last - Kings of the Wild Frontier on CD

First or worst ever job?
Dishwasher and kitchen porter

Best and worst gigs you've ever been to?
Us and us

Favourite pudding?
Australian crunch and green custard

If you could go back in time and see any musician/band perform who would it be?
Chillum

If you could be anybody of the opposite sex who would you be, any why?
Cameron Diaz

What is your porn star name? (Use the name of your first pet and your mothers maiden name)
Sophie Bowden

Favourite film of all time?
Hollow Man

Marmite- love it or loath it?
Love it

What is the punchline of your favourite joke?
Get the beers in you c**t! Bollocks I'm watching the match

Ian (Sunna)

What were the first and last albums you bought?
First - The Great Rock and Roll Swindle
Last - Downward Spiral

First or worst ever job?
Dishwasher at Sydney Opera House

Best and worst gigs you've ever been to?
Sunna and Sunna

Favourite pudding?
Chicken Vindaloo

If you could go back in time and see any musician/band perform who would it be?
Bauhaus

If you could be anybody of the opposite sex who would you be, any why?
My girlfriend so I could f**k myself!

What is your porn star name? (Use the name of your first pet and your mothers maiden name)
Sooty Carter

Favourite film of all time?
The Omen

Marmite- love it or loath it?
Love it

What is the punchline of your favourite joke?
Suck mummys cock

'Wherever we were it was always Shane's feet and his toes getting in the way,' laughs an amused Jon Harris sitting comfortably alongside fellow Sunna guitarist Ian McLaren, 8,000 miles, 100,000 album sales and a whole fortnight on from playing to packed 4,000 seater American venues supporting A Perfect Circle.

Eleven blokes travelling within the cramped environment of a tour bus is, one would imagine, an aromatherapist's worst nightmare. Luckily it's just the two of them here, in a confined office at Christchurch Studios. Bassist Shane Goodwin, drummer Richie Mills and DJ Flatline are elsewhere. But despite living on top of one another on tour the Sunna lads have only fond memories. And anyway the smell wasn't the problem.

'I'm on stage singing and trying to revisit the mood of 7% and out of the corner of my eye I can see Shane's right foot and his big toe,' says Harris through bated laughter. 'Shane doesn't do shoes on stage or he falls over,' explains Ian, when he's not laughing. 'Anyway Shane had to go across the stage and his big toe got caught up in Jon's lead and nearly pulled him off the stage.'

Luckily a premature stage dive was narrowly avoided and the band were able to complete their set of invigoratingly refreshing tunes that have already drawn comparisons to the mighty Nirvana. 'That's you journalists,' accuses Ian mockingly. 'One review says that we've got in our time machine and gone back to 1994,' adds Jon. 'But we don't see it as solely the grunge thing. But that grunge thing comes from the Sex Pistols and Killing Joke. And if you're doing rock music with distorted sounds there's always gonna be some band from history you'll be likened to.'

But other people's music is usually the last thing that influences him. 'My initial influence comes from my Dad because he always had instruments in the house,' he says. 'Songwriting comes from experience, not from listening to other people's songs.'

Sunna were signed to the Melankolic label by Massive Attack's 3D who first met Jon when he played guitar on their Mezzanine album. 'I think it was the punk element of what we're doing and the honesty of the lyrics that he liked,' says Harris.

And much the same can be said of America, where extensive radio play and round the clock MTV2 exposure pushed things along for them nicely. 'We'd get out of the bus and there'd be big 'Welcome Sunna' banners,' says Jon. 'It was mad, but the film thing was a good opportunity to get our tunes out to the masses.'

The 'film thing' he's referring to is the reason why Sunna were 'broken in', in America first rather than the UK. Hollow Man - the American box office number one in which Kevin Bacon is seen driving along, car stereo cranked up, hollering his heart out to the band's second single 'Power Struggle' - received it's first screening in the States, so it seemed the perfect opportunity for Sunna to get out there and get heard. And if they follow their incredible 100,000 US album sales over here they'll be laughing.

It's hard to imagine what it must be like watching a Hollywood movie star screaming away to one of your songs on the big screen. Jon was decidedly unimpressed. 'It was quite annoying actually,' he laughs. 'He can't sing and they'd remixed the track so that my vocals would really duck and Kevin Bacon's just squeaking out of tune over the top so it hasn't really done us that much justice.'

Their debut album 'One Minute Science' could be just what you need to get you through another dark and depressing winter. Or if you're looking for that Friday night 'going out' mood riser, it's sheer gusto energy will have you leaping round the house like a pissed up toddler.

Through all 11 tracks Sunna carve an innovative circuit of beautifully deranged and delicately-heavy rock songs. 'I'd laugh if it weren't for my tears,' croons Jon on second track 'Preoccupation' as his husky tones surf delicately over the top of a lamenting acoustic guitar, giving the album one of it's more tender moments. Then soon after raging drums, serious guitar chords and the roguish vocals of 'Power Struggle' come crashing through the roof like Concorde checking into that Paris hotel.

Most of the songs on the album drip passion. And there's more where they came from. In the seven years it has taken Sunna to get this far the band have already written four more albums, casting aside that difficult second album syndrome many musicians suffer from. 'All four of us are really excited about recording the next album,' says Ian. 'We can't wait to get our teeth into it because we know it's gonna be better than this one.'

Until then Sunna will be supporting the Smashing Pumpkins in France, promoting the album in the UK, climbing aboard a few more tour buses and attempting to avoid Shane's feet at all costs. 'People sometimes feel edgy on tour, because it's not real,' says Ian. 'You might have a go at someone without actually meaning it. But we'd take it out on Shane every time, which was great,' he laughs.

'But we're sorry Shane. Honest,' grovels Jon.

"Didn't really have any expectations at all you know? Obviously we wanted it to take off...but really we just took each stage as it came."

"Great. We did the Perfect Circle tour. We were chucked in the deep end straight away, and we learned a lot, and it was good for us."

"Not at all. We just did one little UK tour, going around with all the crappy gigs, and that was just our warm up for this Perfect Circle tour. And after we did that we went and did three gigs with The Smashing Pumpkins in France. We played the embassy in Paris and played to about 19,000 people. It was wicked. Then we went back to the UK and did three weeks with little crappy gigs again, but the audiences were good."

"I just loved it...it's just really exciting. It's not a major important thing whether you play in front of a big crowd or a small crowd...as long as the crowds are good. As long as they've got energy and the response is nice - whatever size gig you do is going to work."

Playing in front of that many people...I'm sure would be intimidating at times...

"I think you're a bit more separated from them...I think it's actually easier to get up in front of that many people. When we'd do a showcase thing in London, you get all the record company bods come along...that's a bit more intimidating I think. It's a bit more intimate, people are dogging you straight away...there's no mosh pits or anything. It's a bit weird when you don't get that rapport - and people are just sort of standing there - I think that's a bit more intimating than a big moshing crowd."

I really dug the album. I got into it. I was wondering on some of the things you said in the bio - discussing faith without religion, and you're spiritual but not religious...you touched on those aspects of being, but nothing ever really defined that...do you have anything you want to add to that? To explain that a little deeper maybe?

"I just think there are paths - and a life mission...I think if you actually get on that path, things will become good. I've always maintained that same focus...I've never over expected...I've literally just gone with my gut feeling on most things that I've done. I've always found that these little synchronicities crop up every now and life delivers to you that you are on the right path. And this is kind of the way that the album is created. The other people who got involved...the similarities and interests that people had - it was all very synchronised. And so from all that- and when the bands come along, and the way band members meet each other, the way everybody works together."

I'm glad to know that someone out there follows their instincts instead of being told what to do.

"It's one of those things where a lot of the time, I've suggested things to the record company, and they've disagreed with me, and later on down the line my gut instinct was correct for them. That's kind of how I've come to this place where I'm going- there's definitely something going on. I don't believe this guy called 'god' thought it out for me- I just think it's an awareness of your surroundings...being in tune with the people around you."

The natural flow. I totally agree with you. How did you get together with the band- because you're primarily the song writer for everything, and the lyricist...great lyrics on Forlorn by the way...

"Thank you very much. Yeah well I had to suffer on it. After I read it actually, I thought, 'this is quite a selfish song isn't it?'"

"This is the response I'm getting on the lyrics...it seems to me that it's more thought provoking...rather than people going, 'Oh this guy's f**ked up', or 'this guy's really pissed off!' People are coming back to me and saying 'God, I identify this to my life...' Which is great. I would much rather get that, than people making assumptions about me."

I think listening to that song...I definitely identified with some of the lyrical content- as far as my own path goes. You say anger is a motivation for you, though? What gets you angry?

"A lot of human behaviour makes me quite angry...I'm not really into competition much. Conversely this music industry thing- with chance and all that- it takes something that I feel quite passionate about and turns it into a competition. That's a bit of a wind up for me. And then again, this thing with wars and armies and teams...I don't get this human nature thing of 'being the best,' 'having to win'. All that stuff is a bit over my head..."

So tell me a little bit about how you met with the guys in the band, and got that together.

"I had another band, and Ian, my guitarist was in that - I met him through my producer...and when we were recording the album, Flatline, a DJ just happened to sort of turn up at the studio one day and was asking for work experience. He'd just done a college course, and just came to the biggest studio in Bristol and was trying to get some work there. And there was nothing going for him, and there was no work there for him. But the day he turned up we were just creating some stuff. We let him in to have a listen, and he was really enthusiastic and asking loads of questions about it - and he sort of disappeared and then he'd just crop up every now and then. And then we went off down to record more, and he just turned up there. He was not involved, but on the outskirts all the way through the recording of this album. And when it got to the stage where I was going to put it together live, I didn't want to play any DATs or sequences or anything. I wanted it all to be live. And I was saying, 'How am I going to get all my samples, how am I going to have them played?' And suddenly this Flatline guy just popped into mind, and he just worked straight away. Richie, our drummer, auditioned basically, and that was through a friend (we both had the same friend), and he put us in touch with each other. We were auditioning six drummers and Richie was the first one, and before he even got on the drum kit we knew this was the guy. He wasn't necessarily the technical drummer - the best one out of all six - but he had the charisma, and his persona was cool, and we clicked straight away. And again, Shane was introduced to me from the same friend and he just worked straight away. The five personalities in the band are all very strong characters, and it sits really well. It's quite important that you click as people..."

"In my adolescence I experimented a lot with drugs...the mind-bending, door opening..."

"It's after though...I find that with those mind-bending drugs like that, you open all these doors in your brain and you end up with shit loads of questions about life in general- and then when you come down off it you still have all these doors open in your head..."

"I'm quite really into Eminem. I think he's got guts. I just think he's got attitude, and he comes across really realistic."

"I think he's quite passionate about what he does. He's better than all this shit you've got around at the moment that's pop music."

It's just the phase that music goes through- it happened in the 80s, it happened in the 70s, it happened with every style of music...it's just got to go through that to come back I guess...