Mogwai Interview Summer 2009
By: Toby L
Rockfeedback caught up with Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai ahead of their headline appearance at this year’s Field Day Festival in London. He was a very nice man with very nice things to say, and one particularly nice thing to say about Rockfeedback ourselves... [Stuart was talking to Toby L].
Rockfeedback: How do you feel you’ve evolved as a band over time to the band that you are today, headlining Field Day tonight? What kind of position do you feel you’re in, in your history?
Stuart Braithwaite: I don’t know, probably a pretty good one. People are still interested in our music, and as you said; we’ve made a quite a few records now, yeah, I think we’re pretty happy with where we’re at.
Rockfeedback: How do you think you’ve diversified over time, what kind of conscious steps have you taken to keep it fresh for yourselves?
Stuart Braithwaite: I think anything that’s happened has been quite natural, rather than too conscious. Just bringing different technology into the music and trying different ideas, nothing too radical but I definitely think we’re pretty different from the band we were ten years ago.
Rockfeedback: Bands calm down in that sort of period of time as well, you know what I mean? Even though you were still quite a way down the line, I guess you refine what you do and you become more relaxed in what you do...
Stuart Braithwaite: Oh yeah, we’re definitely less uptight over the things than we used to be, but I think that’s just a general part of getting older naturally you know. Musically; I think we are still trying to do the same things and enjoying the same things.
Rockfeedback: When you talk about the technology and stuff and introducing new ideas, gadgetry and that sort of thing, how does that process come about? Is it as simple as going into a shop and finding a rad piece of random stuff or going on eBay or something?
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah, it’s just finding things. It wasn’t that long ago that we really started using computers, and that’s introduced a lot of new possibilities, and also yeah, just buying things. New instruments coming out, it’s just fun I suppose, boys with their toys... you want to see what they do and what you can get away with.
Rockfeedback: With computers, what kind of element do you feel that’s brought to the band?
Stuart Braithwaite: Well there’s some sequencing that obviously we didn’t have before and also just manipulation of sounds, that’s the main thing.
Rockfeedback: Has that affected the recording process mainly, as opposed to live, or has it been a joint thing?
Stuart Braithwaite: A bit of both, I think we’ve used it more in the studio. We’ve then been able to replicate things live that we couldn’t before.
Rockfeedback: And what kind of ideas excite you as a band? It almost feels like it’s always been quite an infinite thing, you know there’s so many different arrangements, so many different intense emotions and sounds that you craft. So what has been the main stand-out discovery for you guys as you’ve gone on?
SP- I don’t know... we never really talk about things like this, I couldn’t really pin anything down, we tend you just get on with it and just label things as good or bad, so I don’t know, I really don’t. I’d probably have to sit and think about it for a little while.
Rockfeedback: Is it really just an instinctive feeling?
Stuart Braithwaite: I thinks so. It just comes quite naturally to us, just cos’ we’ve been doing it; we don’t tend to talk about things. If something doesn’t work, we’ll just stop and laugh about how shit it was. Otherwise we keep going.
Rockfeedback: What attracted you to headline Field Day? I mean, this is possibly one of your largest London headline shows isn’t it? It’s 20,000 people in a field, quite a different show to see you in as opposed to the Royal Albert Hall or something like that.
Stuart Braithwaite: Umm, you know what, it might it even have been you guys that did it... I saw a show about it on TV and just thought yeah, you know what, that looks pretty good, so...
Rockfeedback - That would have been us, that’s pretty awesome!
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah, you booked us.
Rockfeedback: I love the fact we can be a glorified advert, Rockfeedback can do that to bands, that’s awesome! When you think about the live show, it’s been something that you guys have become really legendary for, and it’s constantly changed; lots of bands have tried imitating it over time. How do you feel when you’re personally performing on stage? What’s racing through your mind?
Stuart Braithwaite: At its best: nothing. When it’s going really well, it’s just kind of blank and it’s just music. If it’s not going so well you just kind of start to think of really mundane things.
Rockfeedback: What sort of thoughts creep in?
Stuart Braithwaite: ‘Did I put the bin out?’, or just any old crap.
Rockfeedback: Do you have to pull yourself back and go; ‘sh*t! I’m at a gig this needs to be intense’?
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah pretty much. Just give yourself a metaphorical slap around the face. But when it’s good; it’s just there, and that’s all there is.
Rockfeedback: Do you kind of feed of the audience as well, or is it quite an integral on stage thing?
Stuart Braithwaite: Umm no... if it’s a good audience, and if it’s an expectant audience, you definitely play better, you know, or if it’s an indifferent audience; sometimes you don’t play badly but you certainly don’t play as well as you do if it’s really good.
Rockfeedback: When you think about your favourite bands you’ve seen live, what kind of effect do they cast upon you that makes you make you think; ‘f**k! This is the reason they are one of my favourite bands’?
Stuart Braithwaite: If you’re thinking ‘I would love to be doing that’. Well that’s a musician thing, but I think watching someone and thinking it’d be absolutely amazing, that’s what makes you want to do it. To be in Sonic Youth, or you see My Bloody Valentine and you’re like ‘ah man!’
Rockfeedback: They still have those qualities, both those bands.
Stuart Braithwaite: Oh yeah they do, they’re amazing. They were bands we were into or still are into, but they were really big influential on us, especially the Sonic Youth film; The Year Punk Broke.
Rockfeedback: How amazing is that film?
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah it’s brilliant, it’s absolutely brilliant. So getting to do even the same things as these bands is massive and is also getting to play shows as well, it’s great.
Rockfeedback: The thing I like about that film; with a band like Sonic Youth is just that sheer irreverence. Cos’ they’re such serious musicians but off stage they kind of completely take the piss as well in that context. They’re very down to earth, humble guys. I think when you first started out; there was an element of that, that sort of cheekiness. Like you definitely took the piss quite a bit didn’t you?
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah a bit.
Rockfeedback: Outlandish quotes, all that sort of stuff. What stopped that? Was it just like getting frustrated at people expecting you to give statements?
Stuart Braithwaite: What would stop that [the outlandish quotes]; when I’d meet people and they’d go; ‘do you know what? You’re actually a nice guy’, and I’m thinking; ‘wait a minute; why wouldn’t you think I was a nice guy? Oh, cos’ I’m always talking shit'. Also I’d rather talk about music I like. People are less interested in music you like; but it’s much more productive. Who cares if the guy from Mogwai doesn’t like Maroon 5... it’s not really news worthy, so...
Rockfeedback: It is to me. I want reassurance that these people should be slammed.
Stuart Braithwaite: But you know, I think you probably know yourself what’s good and what’s bad.
Rockfeedback: But it must be fun to have a platform to say stuff like that. If you were a 14 year old kid in an area where all your friends are into Maroon 5, it’s like; I know its harsh to pick on Maroon 5, but f**k it, like it’s reassuring to know that a band you care about like Mogwai is representing your thoughts.
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah also I think there’s an element of; no one will look better, do you know what I mean? When you’re 22 and you start coming out with stuff like that, you’re just gunna’ look plucky. When you’re 32 you start coming out with stuff like that people think you’re just saying it cos’ they’re playing stadiums or something and that was certainly never the way we looked at things. Even by slagging off big bands. It wasn’t like; ‘we should be big like those bands’, it was just like; ‘did you hear that? That’s awful’. Yeah I think we’ve kind of tried to leave that behind.
Rockfeedback: Is there ever any sense of ‘right we need to pause’, like re-evaluate what we’re doing or do you just feel like; ‘this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life’, I can’t think of doing anything else?’
Stuart Braithwaite: I don’t think there’s any kind of feeling that we want to stop. I would imagine as we get a bit older we won’t do so many dementedly long tours or anything like that, like most bands do, kinda slow down a bit. No, the 5 of us like hanging out and making music together and unless any of those things change, I don’t see why we would stop.
Rockfeedback: I like that idea as well, and you’ve remained friends throughout the process...
Stuart Braithwaite: Yeah definitely.
Rockfeedback: You know just as a friend point; when you think about Scotland and Glasgow, do you feel justified in keeping out of the of the traps and lights of London for example, you know like having that kind of more insular distance in a way.
Stuart Braithwaite: Well I actually did stay down here for a little while when my wife was working down here. It just didn’t really suit us. I wouldn’t slag off London, it’s a great place, but it’s not for me, you know. I kind of like Scotland and being in Scotland. Just compared to Scotland it seems a lot more rushed and frantic and all that kind of stuff. I think if you grow up here then you miss that, but I’m not even from Glasgow, I lived in the countryside so like it’s kinda a bit of the shock to the system.
Rockfeedback: How is country life?
Stuart Braithwaite: Country life is good.
Rockfeedback: What sort of activities go on in terms of the country, is there kind of a seedy underbelly in a Lynch-y way or ...?
Stuart Braithwaite: Well I’ve got some pretty weird neighbours but weird in a good way. Yeah nothing much happens, we walk the dogs, drink in each other’s gardens...
Tl - Sounds idyllic ,my God. I want to be in an influential band in the country and just keep doing it forever.
Stuart Braithwaite: You’re making it sound pretty good.
[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIBED BY JACK BARTROP]
Artists in this article: Mogwai