Matt Johnson In Conversation

The Lloyd Cole Part of the Interview.

MJ: Well, one of the ideas I’m now seriously considering, and which has been suggested to me by both Jim and Lloyd Cole, is doing a solo tour, not under my own name but just without any backing musicians. It’s something I’ve never, ever done in all the years I’ve been playing concerts. Since I was ... what is it ... about 11 or 12 years old, I’ve never really been on stage alone ... and it’s a strange thought but it really excites me. Just an electric guitar, a bare lightbulb and myself in an intimate venue ... alone with my audience. But will there even be a tour or not? I honestly don’t know at this moment. That’s a long conversation I’ll be having with myself and my family over the summer.

HB: That sounds like it could be very, very exciting. It’ll be interesting to see how your audience react to that one. You just mentioned Lloyd Cole. You sang some backing vocals on his last album didn’t you? How did that come about?

MJ: Lloyd and I used to have small studios/offices down the corridor from each other at Harold Dessau studios in downtown New York. It was like a sort of miniature, funky Brill building really. They had a main studio, which is where I recorded much of NakedSelf, and a nice rehearsal space, plus also a bunch of rooms that people would rent for their own use over the long term. It was a great place with a wonderful atmosphere. Lots of wooden floors, high ceilings, dusty velvet curtains and slow moving ceiling fans. Totally unsuited to being a studio in a technical way but with a really warm and inspiring atmosphere. It was my favourite studio outside my own place in London. We all really, really loved it down there, but sadly it’s since been demolished. There were quite a few people in there at it’s height from the mid to late 90’s and many of us would often pop into each other’s rooms to borrow equipment or just have a chat and a cup of tea. Lloyd and myself would often do that of a morning, bitching and moaning about the state of the industry or Britain or raving about some new piece of equipment or whatever. I sang on his album first I think and then he returned the favour by singing on GlobalEyes on NakedSelf, although his album came out quite a bit after mine.