KEVIN GODLEY – Conversations with Himself!
1. You have a new music companion called “CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF”. What is all about?
It’s about developing a new skill. Taking a musical theme into the realm of conversation and seeing if it might deliver any further insight into the subject matter.
2. Does this audio conversation present 2 different personas?
Yes, and two completely opposite opinions.
3. Is this conversation with yourself a way to explore yourself or your latest album “Muscle Memory”?
A bit of both, I guess. The two are one and the same or seemed to be during the recording process.
4. There is an audio part (from 3:07 to 3:11) in the track “Expecting A Message” from “Muscle Memory” which includes some double vocals sounding like talking with yourself. Have you ever thought about it?
I felt like I was talking to myself throughout the making of the whole album, as I never knew if anyone else would ever hear it.
5. Would you like to discuss with us about your latest album called “Muscle Memory”?
Sure! It’s 12 songs that that almost wrote themselves and I found my own voice whilst it happened.
6. Which was the main inspiration for recording and writing the lyrics of this album?
I’d felt a need to make music bubbling up for some time but was unsure of my ability to make it happen.
The catalyst was two musicians, who I didn’t know, sending me two instrumental tracks and asking me to turn them into songs. As I can only play drums this was precisely the impetus and the raw materials I needed to begin exploring the idea seriously. The lyrical aspect was a direct result of living in an era when a lot of political and cultural goalposts were moving. I saw opinions that didn’t make sense colliding with those that did and meshing with technology into something that was difficult to remain objective about. Bottom line: 2017 to 2020 was a shit storm that was bad news for the world but good news for lyricists.
7. What about the other musicians participating on the album?
Without their input there would have been no Muscle Memory. I still haven’t met them, by the way. We’ve talked, exchanged emails etc, but not actually met. There are also over 250 tracks yet to be explored on my computer. Whether I ever will is yet to be decided.
8. Do you miss the days with 10cc?
Not at all.
9. What did it lead you in a different cultural direction after 10cc?
It didn’t lead anywhere other than more recording. But in reality it simply opened things up and said “anything is possible.” Being in a band was great fun but restricting in some ways. 10cc had a reputation for being democratic writers / performers so everything was tried, everything explored, but in the end you’re only a quarter of a unit so a certain amount of compromise was built into our work ethic. That being said the work was all specifically audio related and Lol and myself wanted to stretch into other areas, more visual areas.
10. You have done great work as a director, how do you approach creatively each video project?
Thank you. Kind of you to say so. I approach each job with respect for the song and the artist. If I have neither, I don’t make the film. More than that I try to conceive a film that captures the true spirit of the music without resorting to visual cliché.
11. What about your next move in the music industry? Any plans?
I have a few plans, yes, but it’s too early to paint any detail into them.
Information: www.kevin-godley.com (kevin-godley.com)