James Berry asks HOT HOT HEAT , ‘Where’s Your Head At?
06/03/2003
Any US readers sensible enough to own a copy, or those in the UK with it on import, already know that it’ll take a number of seriously epoch defining albums to shift Hot Hot Heat’s ‘Make Up The Breakdown’ from the higher reaches of 2003’s retrospective lists when they arrive. Remember when the world and its extended family went stir-fry for The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’ on the basis of some pretty smart tunes, sharp guitars and shaggy haircuts? Well, they have all of that. Recall the recent discotheque frenzy for the likes of Electric 6’s ‘Danger! High Voltage!’ and Radio 4’s ‘Dance To The Underground’? They have an album full of ‘em. ‘Bandages’ may well have already snared you, that is just the beginning. They have so much more on top of that, but we don’t have the space to tell you about it all right now. There is however just enough room left for The Heat’s Paul Hawley to let you inside his head for a brief tour…
- Where are you now and what can you see?
I’m in the front room of my apartment…I see a rainy street and infinite possibilities. - What was the last thing you ate?
Oatmeal and tea! - What was the last thing you loved really quite passionately?
The last and most current thing I love(d) are my friends. - What’s the next piece of music you intend to buy?
I think I’ll get some John Cage because I once saw a girl perform ‘Silence’ and I thought to myself “I must have this song to listen at my own leisure” - What was the last film you saw?
“Requiem for a Dream” a film by Darren Aronofsky (he also did Pi). It was brilliant. You can’t help but get emotionally attached to these characters who seem to be good hard working people (or at least decent hard working drug dealers) who eventually free fall down a methaphatmine mountain. Disturbing. It affected me quite deeply, which is rare because not a lot of art affects me that deeply in any direction. - Ever had a reoccurring dream?
I did when I was young…7 or 8. There would be people picking and harvesting what I could only make out as gloomy fruit. They had no face or body, they were just lurking shadows. The sky was blood red as they worked under the constant watch of an ominous black tower. True story. This dream would scare me. - What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done? Why?
This band. For a couple of reasons. (1) Sharing a feeling with people through/with music. Not everyone understands chords, song structures, drums, noises etc, but I think everyone can understand the feeling and the spirit. I sound like a hippie. (2) Learning to have a very, VERY close relationship with 3 other people. Learning to listen, share, forgive weird smells, that sort of thing. Ya know? - Where in the world do you still want to go?
Europe, Africa, Australia, India, Japan, Fiji, China, Alaska…well, everywhere. - Favourite colour?
Forest green. - Any plans for tomorrow?
Band practise, cocktails, maybe take in a show…
‘Bandages’ is out on March 10 in the UK, the album ‘Make Up The Breakdown’ (which you need to own) follows on March 24. There will be touring around the same time too.