Interview with Peter Murphy: August 2006

q1;
"The question of motivation in 'these' times bears no relevance to the way I work.
Timelessness, and a keen sense of independence from trend is key. To speak to 'the
current time' is limiting and ultimately vacuous. By anchoring yourself as an artist
to pragmatism, social comment and 'attitude' renders the work short lived,
subjective and shallow. - Work in the now, whilst not being tied to it."

q2;
"I would expect that anyone who has an inkling of what I do principally as a solo artist
and Bauhaus will know to expect something with a vitality that is rarely seen.
Their expectations are well founded. The only mild problem that occurs with some of
the more adolescent audience (and often this adolescence is not determined by age,
but often as those who claim 'they were there first time round', bring with them such
a self-created arrogance, that they inevitably fall into the 'they were better then'
hang up and just decide to deny what they see in front of them.

It's a sign of complacency in them and a calcification of their own vitality revealing their
propensity to live in the imaginary reinventions of what they thought they saw 'back
then'. Sad.

The best audience are those with none of their own self created 'gods' of
expectation. often the newer audience who still have some life in them and an
implicit purity of approach. They are mostly the most intelligent audience members."

q3;
"I never know what to expect from an audience, except in my experience, the Italian
audience have passion that is tangible."

q4; (on gothic name tag)
"I don't think about it to be truthful."

q5;
"Bela was written as a band working out the idea together, plugged in. Daniel had
the chords and had called myself and David with the general idea for an atmospheric
platform for a piece. Dan and David made the association with the sensuality of the
Vampirical theme, (David suggesting the use of Bela Lugosi , the most unlikely pop
icon who played the part). Once we met, it was written in a one take with Daniel
suggesting we mike up the snare drum and I effect it with delays.

A week later, going into Beck Studios to record our first demo tape, Bela was the
first song that we recorded. As a singer who had never sang into a professional
microphone before that point in time, it is gratifying to remember that the Bela
vocal was the first vocal performance that I'd sung and recorded proper; all
recorded in one live take (as was the whole song) . Marvelous!"

q6;
"Influences come from a myriad of things, music a small part of that. A look in the
street, finding a spot and people watching, musing the signs and indications of
interior with the exterior, walking slow and looking up. Silence, listening,
preparing the space and time to manifest ideas in their correct and appointed time
and this appointed time is it`s own , and so my work is to attune myself into
recognizing these moments, not under or over-reaching; like beating a drum whose head
is made of the finest rice paper with mallet and not breaking the skin. Keeping the
beat alive."

q7;
Have you heard the Nouvelle Vague cover of Bela? Album just came out a
few weeks ago and it's pretty interesting (bossa nova version).

"Covering Bela is like trying to describe how water feels, but sweet anyway; it can't be done!"