Albert Hammond Jr - The awakening of a singer-songwriter

Yes, exactly.

What kind of impact did a change like that have on the way you make music? Would you be able to compare the before and after?

Essentially, no. Maybe getting clean simply allowed me to become more creative again, as paradoxical as that might sound. Actually, during that first "sober" period I felt confused, I wasn't yet able to feel the benefits. But in the long run it made me more creative. When you start using heroin, you use it as a way to take control of your mind, and it seems like it can offer you ways to unleash your creativity. But in the long run I think it takes away more than it gives you. You can achieve the same results without it. I mean, once you've opened that door it's incredibly hard to close it. But if you keep going... I don't know, in the end it was simply a method of self-destruction, and I started being afraid I wouldn't be able to make music anymore. It would have taken away the very reason I'd started using in the first place.

Fair enough. And we're all glad to have you back in such great shape, the new EP really brings back the golden moments of the Strokes. Tell me instead about when you started working on the record. When did the first flashes of inspiration arrive?

April. I called Gus [Oberg] on my birthday, telling him I had this line I was working on – it was from "Cooker Ship". I felt it was something new, something I hadn't created in a while. When you get that feeling, you have to take stock and start exploring the idea. So we got to work and all this great stuff came out of it. It was exciting, I was super excited, Gus was super excited, Julian was super excited too.

I read something about a reply email of his full of "YES! YES"

Yeah, there were quite a few "Yes"es...! And I was so nervous anyway! I didn't know what he'd think of it. I think the closer you are to the person whose opinion you're waiting for, the more you want to look good in their eyes.

...the more weight their opinion carries?

Yes. Or maybe you're just so excited that you can't wait to get feedback from people you respect. Julian, Gus, the guys in the band. I was so thrilled with what I'd done and I was hoping to get them at least as excited as the record had gotten me.

I completely understand. Earlier you mentioned Cooker Ship. It seems to me that the lyrics of this song somehow echo the track by an artist you yourself have repeatedly cited as one of your main musical references: "Heroin" by Lou Reed. Would you agree? Was that intentional, or just a happy coincidence?

Yeah, that's true. Actually I think it was subconscious, it's natural for your reference artists to surface every now and then in your music. Honestly it's a pretty funny story, because I don't think I got the reference quite right.

Right, Lou Reed sang about "a clipper ship"...

Exactly. Actually my song originally went "grey crystal ships", even though it didn't make much sense. You know, when you're writing lyrics you often end up writing things that don't make much sense [laughs]. I just liked the sound of those words when I said them out loud. Then it turned into "a great cooker ship". Then my mom, hearing it, asked me if the song was about drugs.

You obviously denied it right away...

Yes, yes, although my mom is obviously aware of everything I've been through. Anyway, that's when I realized how similar it was to that Lou Reed song. Everyone assumed I'd landed on that line because of the heroin references. Actually it's all a coincidence. I just liked the way those words sounded put together. And for me they didn't have one single meaning. They meant a whole lot of things. They had a strength of their own, you know. They felt convincing to me.

So when you write the lyrics for a track, you start from a "core" of key words, and then build around them, is that right? Walk me through your creative process.

There's never just one method. Usually I start by writing a couple of lines, sometimes they sound powerful enough right away, other times I have to start over from scratch. If you find the right lines, you then have to ask yourself, "Why did I think of this? What does it mean?" You know, in a bigger-picture sense. What else can you say starting from those lines, and sometimes you can even tell a whole story through them, other times you're not so lucky. In my lyrics I feel like I'm saying something very personal and meaningful, even if I haven't yet managed to fully grasp what that something is at its deepest level. But I know there's something behind them, they're not just words strung together at random.

Going back to your influences, which artists and genres shaped the way you play and, more broadly, the way you make music?

It's hard to say, influences settle in over the years, and above all they keep changing without you even realizing it.

So tell me what you were listening to during the period when you made this EP?

A year before recording AHJ I was listening a lot to Wipers and Misfits. That's mainly the genre I was into at the time. Sometimes Wire, a few Buzzcocks songs, The Clash. Then obviously I was also listening to other things. Beethoven, Etta James…

Wow. Pretty varied musical tastes, then.

Yeah, I like all music. All good music. I listen to a lot of classical composers.

How are you finding things at Cult Records? I imagine the main reason you ended up there is your friendship with Julian, who founded it.

Yeah, Julian and I lived together for seven years when we were younger. We're still great friends, and beyond having a huge amount of respect for each other, we always have really interesting conversations. So it all started from a chat. And when one of you takes on something new and interesting, it's always nice for the other to be part of it. It's a bit like rolling the dice together, you don't know how it's going to turn out, nothing's set in stone, you just have to wait and see what happens. There's something exciting about that. And we both love creating something innovative and putting it out to mainstream culture without necessarily having to water it down.

Do you find it's harder making music for a friend's label? Do you feel more pressure?

No, actually, it's easier. You don't have to fight for what you want to do. There's two of you working side by side to make something better. It's like working with great producers or musicians, it makes everything simpler. Obviously you always feel the pressure to do good work, no matter the context. But when you're surrounded by the right people you can just focus on that, without worrying about your ego or other little issues that don't have much to do with the music.

Are you saying other record labels pushed you toward more commercial music in the past?

No, no, no. I've been really lucky. With The Strokes I never once walked into the studio and got asked to record a certain kind of music.

It should also be said that The Strokes established themselves pretty solidly in the market, it wasn't just a matter of luck.

Yeah, but also because we fought for it ourselves, starting with the contract. Back then labels didn't know our music would achieve certain results. But if they'd told us our sound wasn't for them, we would never have signed.

When did you realize music was your true passion, or that you'd make a career out of it?

Which is really the same thing. Woody Allen said something along those lines: "Figure out what you love doing, and if you seem to be good enough at it, you'll find a way to make a living from it" [I scoured the internet for a good half hour and couldn't find any quote that even remotely resembled these words, ed.].

It's not really that easy, you need a good dose of luck.

What I'm describing isn't easy at all, not in any way. Especially at the start. But I think that's the mindset you have to try to live by. Otherwise, why are we here?

Great philosophy.

Woody Allen. I really like him, I follow everything he does.

Tell me instead about your first direct experiences with music.

I recorded my first track when I was 14. I'd always felt the passion, but at first it wasn't anything concrete. It was at 14 that I felt I could really do it as a job.

I read that you and Julian used to take guitar lessons together.

Yeah, actually I started first. I'd gone to get a guitar from Richie's and I found out JP [Bowersock] taught there. I was living with Julian at the time. He came for a lesson and it went great. In our place all the doors were always open and we'd hear everything that was going on. Julian heard us and immediately asked, "Oh, who's this guy?" - actually, I think I'd already done two or three lessons with JP - and he asked if we could do a double lesson. Me first, then him, or vice versa. It seemed like a great idea to me, and to JP too. So we started spending afternoons with him, talking, or rather listening to his life stories, or his culinary anecdotes.

Were there decisive moments in your career after which you thought about changing the direction or genre of your music?

There still are. I don't feel remotely sure of what I'm doing. Time passes, various things happen. But maybe when I was 12-13 I discovered Buddy Holly, at 16 Guided By Voices, at 18 the Velvet Underground. I think Guided By Voices had the biggest influence on me. Then meeting the guys was obviously the most important event. I also naturally judge things based on how successful a record is. But I gauge that right after the recording, not based on sales figures. You have no control over those, but after being in the studio you really understand whether you've achieved the best possible result. The biggest shows, and so on. The first world tour, now that really was something.

I can well believe it. How did you feel right after recording this latest EP?

Great. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing any of this. I was thrilled, proud, I wanted to share my work with people. I couldn't wait for it to come out. It always happens like that: you write a song, you record it, and then you're so pumped about the idea of showing it to an audience. That momentum carries you through until the tour. There are moments when you're more tired and you ask yourself, "How did I end up here? Oh right, I wanted people to hear my songs!"

So after a while you get tired of touring too?

Well, obviously, you get tired of everything. There'll be moments when you'll probably even need to pee real bad. But it's part of the life I chose.

You've got to stay strong...

Yeah, I mean, it's not that terrible. But it's a job like any other. If you like it, you'll be happy to go most of the time, but there will also be moments when you're not so happy. It would be abnormal if it weren't like that.

What are you listening to right now? Have you discovered any interesting new artists?

Unfortunately not. On tour I have little time, I tend to listen to music I already know, sometimes I even prefer to stay in silence, or watch some TV show. Anyway, I think I'll discover something soon, you're not the first one to ask me that. I feel like there's some truly fantastic band out there that I should be telling you about right now. There are so many things... I can't wait to play with Rey Pila [his supporting act, ed.], their music is definitely interesting.

I'll be coming to see your show in Milan, any previews?

It'll be a really great live show. I've already pleasantly surprised a lot of fans during the tour in North America, so I can assure you that you won't be disappointed.

Will you give me an autograph?

Yes, of course.

Thank you so much, Albert. Sorry for keeping you up this late.

Don't worry about it, what do you have to apologize for? Have a good evening - or good day...? - and thank you!

Ride the wave of great music

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