




|

Marks
Answers (sort of) Part 1.
A STEP BACK..........so im
sitting in a hotel room in new york with a list of 25 radio interviews
for that day .......im watching CNN and
eating my room service breakfast ,sitting on my plush comfy sofa ...........its
the 80s and SO are on there second american tour ....the band are wandering
around the hotel ,or eating breakfast or swimming or doing what people
in bands do .......and im sitting in my very nice suite answering questions
,talking about myself, making stuff up ..and occaisionly telling the
truth .........3or 4 doors along a very plush,silent,timeless corridor
..marcus sits with another list of 25 interviews eating breakfast .................about
lunch time amongst an avalanche of questions ..live on WHVY,OHIOs only
alternative rock station ........." so , mark .........WHY DO YOU
DO IT..."...........easy ........i mean im sitting in my very nice
suite with a free mini bar and room service and whatever ..........talking
about myself ..and back in london my dads working his way through the
traffic ..driving a van ..starting at 7.30 in the morning ..............WHY
DO I DO IT..i mean that has to be easy ...........doesnt it ...im on
tour ,im in a band ,ive got a record deal ,ive got a record at no 35
in the american charts ..........and im being paid to do it .........when
really i would do this for nothing ...............im a musician playing
live ..people in the audience are singing the words to a song that i
wrote .....................etc etc .........and then i heard myself say
.........."well its really about puting something onto a blank
sheet of paper ...first theres ..blank and then ,..........an idea .........(maybe
it was the 20th interview that day ...) "........"well ...........your
listening to mark long the singer with trhe new english rock band ..SO
..on WHVY ..OHIO only alternative rock station ...and this is ARE YOU
SURE................." A
STEP FORWARD.......south london ..early morning ..sitting in my studio
at the top of the house ...my (then) 1 year old daughter having a peacfull
morning nap ..........its warm ..im singing a river by joni mitchell
.........its almost a new century ...........and in front of me a blank
sheet of paper ...........the first in a couple of years ........( at
this point ..if this was a FILM ..THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST SONG ON THE
NORTH PECKHAM SKYLINE ALBUM )..... but it didnt work out like that ...but
it was a start .........that buzz i suppose ...that feeling that kind
of drives it all forwards ..an idea .....the reason why i did it ..why
i wanted to do it in the first place and the reason im still doing it
..............to write a song ........................................ |