Black Francis: Raw, Uncut & X-Rated
Black Francis talks about his new album and gives a lesson in life, death and the birds & the bees.
Posted 19th February 2010, 4:00pm in Interviews, by Alexia Kapranos
RAW. UNCUT AND X-RATED: Black Francis talks about his new album 'NonStopErotik' and gives DIY a lesson in life, death and the “birds and the bees”, plus tells of his masterplan to save Abbey Road studios. Hi Francis. I’m calling you from Stockholm so I hope they’re looking after you over there in the UK. I wanted to say firstly, congratulations on the new record, NonStopErotik. I would agree with those critics who are calling this perhaps your best solo record.
Thanks!
So, judging from the album title and the names of the songs, like "When I Go Down On You" and "Rabbits", is it safe to say that the main theme of this album is the “art of lovemaking”?
“Lovemaking” is certainly one of the subjects on the record. The overriding theme is “sexuality”, but if it we were to discuss “sexuality” about you or about me, it could be a long, complex analysis. If I was going to reduce it to saying “Yeah, it’s about sexuality”, then I would’ve called the record “Sexuality”. But I think “NonStopErotik” is a little more open-ended and references a pan-European word that you would see in Germany or Sweden, maybe like something you would see outside a strip club or a hotel advertising an adult movie channel – “Non Stop Erotik – 24 hours a day – Check It Out”.
You got the Sweden part right because since I’ve been here I saw that on the ferries between Stockholm and the Baltic countries, they have a free porn channel on every room’s TV, and also, my friend was living with a Call Girl!
Oh gosh! My record touches on that side of the spectrum, but it isn’t like a nasty dance album. I hope it’s complex!
You’ve said on your website that the album references the “female anatomy” and I would point to the title track as the most explicit example of that, don’t you think?
Yes, the lyric goes “Pardon, my cliché, but I want it with you”, so that’s a combination of romance and lust, which is an important component of love for most people and especially for younger people, and certainly for human psychology. And “I want to be inside of you. All the way. In every way.”
So that is about wanting “all” of somebody?
It’s open to interpretation, but the character of that song is saying, “I love you, but it’s really important for me to express my love and have at least some matriculation here. We need to make love. I need to put my penis inside of your body” – it’s as simple as that. That’s why you exist. That’s why I exist. Because a man said to a woman or a woman said to a man, “I want you inside of me”. It’s sexual and it’s base, but it’s also really beautiful, poignant and special. Why is it that we’re not just talking about how your mum and dad got together, but also talking about your friend’s roommate, the Call Girl. Why is it that both of those two extreme events are connected on the same subject? Why is it so important? It’s a biological thing. The human race must continue. If people fall in love and have the soul mate connection, then so be it. And if it’s base, like some guy wants to fuck some girl, so he hires some call girl, so be it! Our biology is not concerned with these differences, but it is satisfied by the opportunity for life.
I’d like to add that I also see a “death” theme on this record, like your choice of the cover song “Wheels” [by the Flying Burrito Brothers], where it has lyrics like “When my time is up” and the character repeats that he’s “not afraid to die.” Does this accurately reflect your particular viewpoint on death?
You’re correct by saying death is part of the album, because death is part of the life cycle. In death, the next generation get on with it and create the next generation. Then there’s the more bohemian/artistic concept of explaining sex, especially the orgasm, in terms of dying. I’m not sure why that is exactly but I suppose it’s because the energy of the sexual act is alive, desperate and moving towards an end. It starts somewhere sweet and simple, and ends up in an intense moment, which climaxes and is then over, like life! It has a beginning, a middle and all moves to a conclusion, and hopefully the orgasm has been experienced by both partners! Then it’s over… and they are spent! And that sex is dead. Fortunately though, it gets resurrected in our natural lifetime, as we’re not like bugs that live for 5 days! I guess that’s where the death analogy comes in.
Actually, the song “Rabbits”, for instance, is about the death of my father and is a play on words since he died of a heart attack by falling out of a boat into some rabbits. This is sexual because certainly, as men, we take a lot of cues from our father, be it the way that we look, the way that our penis looks or our behaviour. Even if not socially, biologically we inherit a lot from our father, so it was valid for me to keep that song on the record. Also, in the English language, people reference “rabbits” to say “They screw like rabbits”, so although the song has existed for some time, I asked myself , “Does it fit on the record?” I was like “Death/Sex” “Yes.” “Father/Son?” “Yes” “RABBITS?” “YES!” Of course, it fits.
Overall, the record is base and there’s sexual fantasy, but most references are cryptic in the romantic songs because I’m not completely shameless. I’m not going to start singing about sex acts without any love involved, but if I will, I will disguise it in code and poetry! I don’t want people to think that it’s strictly about sexual acts – but it’s sex in life and individual psychology and anything you would discuss at your therapist’s office.
So the theme is really the “life cycle”. About “Rabbits”, actually one reviewer said they thought it was based on Donnie Darko. In the past, I know you have alluded to surrealist films such as Eraserhead and obviously Un Chien Andalou in ‘Debaser’, and things like aliens and the Bible have been reference points within your songwriting. What were your sources for this record?
Maybe the Bible and pornography! And filmmaking. Filmmaking and pornography! Pornographic film that’s connected with one dimensional and 2D depiction of the sexual act, which predates photography. That’s what men do! As soon as men are old enough to have sexual feelings – they draw! They get out their pencil and pen, and walk to a cave and start drawing sex, and the female form.
The other side of sex is the procreation, and you're a family man with 5 children. Some people comment that punks have less and less angst as they get older. How, if at all, has fatherhood had an impact on your songwriting?
It just inspires me to write more because Baby needs a new pair of shoes! I have responsibility as a man to my clan of people, so I am inclined to be more creative. It only affects my songwriting in that they have already given me number 1, a beautiful perspective on life. Number 2 is that I want to be good because one day they may have some understanding of and appreciation for who I am and what I do, or at least, for the financial benefit connected to it. They’ll realise that’s how my dad made my living! Maybe they’ll be singers or control my copyright after I’m dead and gone. In a way, I want to be more honest and more naked. I wouldn’t have called a song ‘NonStopErotik’ before I had kids because I would’ve felt too bashful! Now I don’t give a fuck what people think because I’m more concerned with being an artist. I admire good bakers but I’m not a baker! I want to make good art, and I’m not going to make good art by censoring myself. I’ve got to lay it on the line and be the real deal! A good artist doesn’t hold back.
You are a good artist, and that’s what we’ve known you as for the last 23 years!
Yes, but some of the records sell and some of the records don’t! Does that mean that it’s good art or bad art? I don’t want my family just to take the aesthetic out of it because it’s more than that – it’s also survival! I want them to have a good life, a bountiful table, and money in their pocket.
Outside of the sphere of ‘artist’ though, you produced Art Brut's album “Art Brut vs Satan” last year. How was the experience as a producer? Is there anymore production work coming up?
If people ask, then sure. But I’m an artist, so I’m not inclined to go looking for production gigs. I like producing, so I’m open to do it. Number 1, someone would have to ask me, and 2, I hate to say it, but they have to be artistically so fucking good that I don’t care if they don’t have a record deal, but I want to be associated with them because it’s that good. Or they have to be working artists for me to get involved, otherwise what am I getting out of it? I’m taking time away from my family and my own artistry, so I need to have a reason to be there. To be honest though, these days there are not a lot of bands looking for producers because they can’t afford them. It’s a funny time in the music business – don’t get me wrong, I like it as there are a lot of freedoms right now, like immediate satisfaction. Like, “I did something today. Let’s stick it up on the internet”.
So then, are you glad the Pixies hit before this digital age, or do you think file sharing is helpful to new artists? And why?
Yes, I’m very glad because I financially gained from it, independent of the internet. If I had to do it arm and arm with the internet, I’m not sure it would’ve had the same result, in terms of being commercially or artistically successful or getting noticed.
Having said that, I’m not complaining about where we are now because it’s kind of cool that anyone can do it and there are a lot of tools out there for people. Of course, you can have all the tools in the world, but it’s what you do with them that counts!
Yes, it all comes down to talent anyway. My final thought for you Francis comes from the interesting fact that you developed your screaming vocal style from one of the tracks from Abbey Road "Oh! Darling." So, what do you feel about the news that EMI has put the Abbey Road Studio up for sale? Do you think it’s important to keep it as a functioning studio?
Yes and no. I mean, what is a studio? Is it the location? The physical building? The contents and the elements within it? It’s hard to say. Is it going to be sold for 30 million, right?
Yes, 30 million pounds is what they hope it could fetch.
If this was 1990, they wouldn’t have a problem, but here is an idea that I want to present to you as a hypothetical scenario – I’ve been thinking about this for a few days actually.
If some record label were to buy Abbey Road, they could get the music business back on track because of the reputation of that building and the reputation of The Beatles. It could be a safe zone for the artist and their record company to each arrive at a happy compromise on the age-old battle of ‘art vs commerce’. In a nutshell, for an artist, you could say, “I’ll work with your staff and your producers, I just want to work in that building because it’s Abbey Road.” This is because it’s a problem when record companies own their own recording studios because no artists want to work there because the boss guy will be there hanging out with his stupid ideas!! So I think it would keep artists and the record company honest, so let’s keep it all about the art, but not let the artiste run away with things. So the label would say, “You are going to work with our engineer, etc” and you could pay the producers and engineers a stipend because they want to work there because it’s Abbey Road. That’s my thought for the day.
Thanks so much Francis. I wish you luck when you pitch that to your record company tonight at dinner!
Cheers!
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