With a Hammersmith Apollo show on Oct 15, plus a singles comp and a special twentieth-anniversary edition of his classic ‘Rattlesnakes’ (both out now) we gave Lloyd Cole a tinkle. He lives in New York now, you know.
What’s your favourite city?
Melbourne.
Aren’t you a New York City boy?
The New York that I loved does not exist any more. The reason I love Melbourne is probably that I don’t know enough about it.
What’s the best thing you can cook?
Thoughtful pause. Full breakfast. I even make American-style home fries.
How about the eggs: sunnyside up?
I do them to order. I even poach them for my wife.
What’s the weirdest story you’ve ever heard about yourself? When we were starting there was this story that I was a heroin addict in Glasgow. It couldn’tbe further from the truth. Maybe I’d done one line of speed in my life!
Describe your average fan.
Don’t have one. In San Francisco last year we had three generations:
grandpa, mum and dad and the kids all coming. Then there are 25-year-olds who got into their older siblings’ music.
Or the wife who’s been forced to listen to it for 15 years and finally gives in and comes to the show.
When was the last time you used public transport?
I use it all the time. In New York I got so sick of having to get out of taxis saying ‘look I don’t want to die’! I’ll use the tube in London. When I lived there in the ’80s, it was more difficult because people would start following me, but that doesn’t happen any more!
What’s your most extreme perversion? My obsession with golf course architecture.
The buildings or landscape architecture? The landscape. I’m actually a member ofa web chatgroup.
Isn’t that sad?
You should check out this great course in Dinard, Brittany. It’s got a cute art deco clubhouse. It’s not very sophisticated, though.
You know what, some of the best courses in the world have got sheep on them. We were in Anglesey recently and there was a nine-hole course that was really rough, all built around clumps of heather. It was fantastic.
They didn’t have any rental clubs so we played lawn bowls instead. Very rock ‘n’roll, don’t you think?
What’s the worst thing about having your job? Being away from home too much. Youcan’t bring the kids with you. Well, you can, but I don’t want to have rock ‘n’ roll children, thanks.
Voting: if you’d been in London, who would you have voted for mayor?
I believe that if you want quality of life, you have to pay for it, so Red Ken! The problem in America is that we pay taxes and we still get nothing. Oh sorry, we get an excellent military the less said about that the better.
Publication: Time Out
Publication date: 06/10/04