Simple Minds - The Golden Dream of the '80s

To mark the new Simple Minds tour, coming to Italy in late July (the 26th in Modena, Piazza Grande, the 27th in Rome, Ippodromo delle Capannelle, and the 28th in Grado, Gorizia, Diga Nazario Sauro), we caught up with Jim Kerr for a wide-ranging chat. About the past, present and future of Simple Minds. And about why their golden era, that of early-Eighties new wave, has come roaring back in recent years.

You've decided to dedicate an entire tour to your first five albums. Personally, I'm thrilled, since I consider them your best work, but I also think it's a pretty bold choice: aren't you afraid of throwing off all those fans who mainly know you from "Don't You" onward?

Those were five special albums, before the big success. We wanted to rediscover the songs we'd left behind and give a gift to people like you, to our hardcore fans.

Yes, it really does feel like a gift to the earliest fans.

Yes, I think you have to look at Simple Minds' history in perspective. For a lot of people our story starts with MTV, with "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and lots of other big hits. But I think we've been very lucky to have a whole earlier career as well.

Indeed, and what a career...

Well, yes, an important part of our history. There were several reasons behind this decision to go back to our past. First of all, a genuine desire on our part to go back and listen to and play that material, to reconnect with those songs. And I have to say it also mattered that we were aware there are a lot of bands out there influenced by that musical period, by those sounds. And then our record label decided to reissue, remaster, repackage, re-everything... those five albums. So it was the right time to go back and work on those songs. This year we did a tour playing only those, and that kind of setlist was perfect for smaller audiences. Then, at bigger venues and festivals, we mixed those songs with the later hits, and that worked really well too.

So in Rome as well you'll be playing songs from your first five albums?

Yes, you'll have a great time!

This year is also the thirtieth anniversary of "New Gold Dream", which for me remains your masterpiece. How did that album come about, and why, after all this time, does it still manage to keep all its magic?

I remember the atmosphere we worked in really well, it was one of those rare cases where everything came together perfectly. Every day we'd fall in love with a new idea. It all came to us naturally, almost effortlessly. In the end nothing is perfect, but for its time it was. A record that sounded deeply romantic back then, and still does today.

Yes, one of those records that absorbed the deep spirit of that era, which is basically the quintessence of new wave...

Yes, actually it's a great blend of pop songs, experimentation, electronics, dark, rock. It really is the quintessence of Simple Minds.

Now more than ever, in these last few years, new wave is coming back into fashion. They've even coined the term "nu new wave" to define this movement. What do you think about that?

Well, let's get one thing straight right away: there were some great things back then, and then there are things that remind you of great things. There are some decent bands, like Horrors, but I don't think anything sounds as good as Associates, Echo & The Bunnymen, Smiths, Killing Joke, Teardrop Explodes, Human League, Magazine, Ultravox... It seems clear to me that a lot of new bands are influenced by that sound, but I don't see any step forward, really. Honestly, I don't think it's even close.

Of course, for anyone who lived through that period, it's hard to find anything better than the originals...

Exactly. But I do like your term "nu new wave", I'd never heard it before...

So, when it comes to the likes of Interpol, Bloc Party, Editors and company, you really can't save a single one of them?

I prefer Anna Calvi, she's truly fantastic.

It's also one of my favourites! Definitely more original than a lot of those bands, actually…

Yeah, it sounds really original. And it's got Italian blood in it too!

You really do have a passion for Italy… Where does this special feeling come from, one you've kept up over the years? I know you're often here and you even have a hotel in Sicily…

My first trip abroad, at twelve years old, was to Italy, to Rimini, with school. And it was wonderful. Italy has been part of me since I was a kid, and I grew up with a passion for your football, for instance. Charlie Burchill even hitchhiked around Italy. I don't know how, but Italy became part of us. We love its landscapes, its art, its people…

And you have a lot of fans in Italy too…

Yes, they've encouraged us a great deal throughout our career. Personally, I owe a lot to Italy, to our fans, to the people in Sicily, to my friends… I've had some of them for thirty years now. And Charlie shares this passion too. In short, we're not Italian, but maybe we love Italy more than a lot of Italians do.

In Sicily you also met Franco Battiato: do you like his music? And what do you think, generally, of the Italian music scene?

I think Italian artists have always been among the best when it comes to pop, to melody. And Franco is obviously a special artist.

He too, in a way, is part of new wave…

Yes, that's true, he's unique.

For a long time you were compared to U2. There were even those who created a kind of rivalry between you. Did that comparison weigh on you?

Actually, we have a lot in common with U2 beyond our Celtic, Scottish and Irish blood. We shared the same ideals and the same political causes. But above all, there's great mutual respect between us: we're two unique bands, each in our own way. I'm also a huge U2 fan myself.

Are you also friends with Bono?

Of course, we grew up together… And tomorrow I'm having lunch with him.

So, no more rivalry then.

Oh yes, of course. And we also respect a lot of other bands, The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, Depeche Mode… we were all kids who grew up together.

A lot of early-80s bands are back in the spotlight, and there's been a wave of reunions too: what's the secret of that generation?

For me it was the last great period of creativity and innovation, a season of extraordinary richness. Hip-hop itself was born in those years. In short, it was a time when imagination was running at full strength, and that helped create such a rich scene.

You're moving forward too. Do you already have plans for the new album?

Yes, we're working day and night. We're recording a number of new tracks. I mean, it's great to have this huge history behind us, but we also want to keep adding new chapters.

After all these years, have you ever felt tired, or wanted to pull the plug on the band?

No, right now I have more energy than ever! Ten years ago there was a difficult moment, I'd lost a bit of motivation, but now there's real commitment on our part to keep going.

Were you disappointed by the negative reception of your recent albums, in terms of both critics and sales?

Well, our last album was in the top ten in the UK and Germany, and it got good reviews (luckily he hasn't read our review, ed.).

And anyway, even the latest Bob Dylan album didn't sell much, nor did the latest Paul McCartney…

True, that would be a long conversation. Either way, selling records isn't something you care about that much these days, right?

Right, we've already sold enough records, we're lucky guys!

Which Simple Minds album is your favourite?

Attualmente è “Sons And Fascination”.

One of the most experimental…

Yes, an experimental record, but above all one full of solid rhythms and great melodies.

Right, it was a very “forward-thinking” sound. I think that today, with the new frontiers of electronic music, it's also possible to reconstruct those atmospheres without falling into a rehash of tired old stylistic tropes. I'm thinking, for instance, of the latest John Foxx & The Maths album, “Interplay“… did you like it?

Yes, a lot. In fact, I wrote a song together with John a couple of months ago.

So, long live new wave and Simple Minds…

You're a gentleman, thank you!

(full version of an interview published in the newspaper “Leggo“)

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