This is an interview with Polish website Muzo.tv, and I'm guessing it took place on either the 4th or the 5th of April when Editors were in that country on the European tour. This time Mr Williams and Mr Lockey are assigned to the driver's seat for this leg of the promotional campaign. It's an unusually long chat, just under 24 minutes, which is great because it acts as an opportunity to explore ideas without just fishing for soundbites, which a lot of these press junkets are. Also, the interviewer here is very good at just taking a step backwards and allowing a conversation to go its own way without verbally stepping on toes.
One thing I'm picking up on from watching multiple interviews is that spirit of independence in Editors, and it appears to be at its strongest in Justin. It's evident in his feelings about evolving as a band, and the amount of attention you should give to fan opinions, namely not much. If every artist patiently waited for their fans to tell them what to do next, the whole situation would collapse into an unfocused hot mess (probably with a crappy soundtrack).
I do feel a small amount of guilt for being part of an issue that Elliott brings up, that of living in an age where people have recording devices like phones and are able to chronicle the every move of a band, whether its good or bad. I do remember the days of going to gigs and people just watching the show, rather than working on getting the best angle for the screen their watching it through. I am, of course, a part of that problem because I do share recordings from gigs but in my defence it's purely so that people who weren't able to make it get a chance to experience an Editors show, however vicariously that may be. But I do take his point that the increased levels of fan scrutiny bring an extra level of pressure to any new bands trying to break through.
The question of what the most humbling thing in your career is brings up an answer which felt familiar to me. This notion that even when you're up on a stage in front of thousands of people, at some point they're going to uncover you as the imposter you really are. Somebody who doesn't deserve to be in that position. It was familiar because I do remember Brian Molko from Placebo saying virtually the same thing, that he struggled with the voice in his head which was constantly telling him that he was shit and that somewhere down the line, he would be discovered as such. I also looked back at an interview with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, and how he was so in awe of his playing that he used to believe that Johnny Thunders from The New York Dolls came from another planet. That was until he was actually in a band and he realised how human he actually was after all. It's easy to forget
And how about this for a fun fact; Justin didn't actually own a guitar when he was asked to join the band. Craziness.
Would you believe that even 6 years after the fact the subject of the break up of Editors Mk1 comes up again? Something that was brought up back then, that of the band being less of a democracy in the early days is confirmed here one more time. After hearing Justin and Elliott talk, I wonder if the outcome could have been different if all 4 of the original Editors had met when they were a little bit older and had responsibilities away from the band? When, as Justin says the fact that you have families gives you a whole new perspective on what you should be devoting your energy to, and arguing with your bandmates becomes trivial. It seems to have fostered a greater spirit of cooperation. Of course the argument against that scenario is that you may not have had the same loud, visceral quality of music that you find on The Back Room and An End Has a Start if youth and inexperience weren't playing a part. There's something about a group of young people trying to find their way, and probably themselves as they go along that charges everything with much more power. They were learning as they did it, whereas Justin and Elliott were already veterans of playing in bands before they joined.
Please know that I'm taking absolutely nothing away from The Artists Formerly Known as The New Guys, and I don't live in the past with a shrine to Editors Mk1 just longing for the time when they all get back together. This is just a subject that has so many different potential angles and outcomes depending on a simple change in circumstance.
Enjoy the chatter ;)
stream it here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
