20 Questions with…Attic Lights

I’m yet to work out if it’s a good thing that star fucker extroadinare David Gest has recorded a ‘monologue’ over the instrumental break for the new Attic Lights single ‘Bring You Down’. The story behind it is far more entertaining than the actual output. It involved a chance meeting with the spoon faced wonder, a 3am phone call from an excitable record producer and a drunken telephone conversation with Big Star legend Alex Chilton – who is apparently David Gest’s best pal. Who isn’t his best pal? Seriously.

Anyhoo, before we end up sounding like the Daily Star we shall move swiftly on. The original and Gest free version of ‘Bring You Down’ is out now – and if Celtic power-pop with a healthy smattering of Phil Spector-isms is your cup of tea then head on over to the bands myspaz page now to hear it – or even better buy it. Not before you’ve read the 20 Questions though. That would just be plain rude.

1. Describe your sound in 3 words.
Punky Beach Boys

2. What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
R.E.M. – Document – I seem to remember that I was in Ayeshire at the time, possibly on one of my many family caravaning holidays.

3. What’s the best cure for a hangover?
Easy question – Irn Bru!

4. What’s on your rider?
No one has actually ever gotten the rider correct yet, but what should be on it is:
1 x bottle of whisky (nothing fancy)
4 x Guiness
20 x Lager
4 x Strongbow (for the tour manager)
12 cans of Coke

5. How do you get ready for a live show?
I guess the biggest thing we have to do these days before a show is a vocal warm up – we never used to bother but now we’re playing more shows if we don’t our voices get pretty sore. Sometimes I wish we had never became a harmony band – life would be so much easier if all I had to do was play bass

6. What’s your favourite song to play live?
My favourite song to play live is probably ‘Bring You Down’ – myself and the drummer get to do big Specteresque rythms, and we usually play it last so it means I can get myself a drink afterwards.

7. What’s your guilty pleasure?
‘Top Gear’.

8. Who would win in a fight, a stoat or a goat and why?
The goat would win, goats are well known for having no sense of fair play, although the stoat would have the moral victory.

9. Who’s your favourite new band at the moment? Tell us a bit about them.
My favourite new band of the moment would have to be some fellow Glaswegians – Isosceles. I’ve seen them a lot and they never get boring – great tunes with guitar and funky keys rocking over it. They are playing Glastonbury this year – you’ll be hearing a lot more about them soon I’m sure.

10. Who would play you in a film based upon your life?
Who’s that kid that was in ‘Jerry Maguire’? He was great and must be due for a comeback at some point.

11. Dead or alive, what 5 acts would you have play with you at a festival?
OK here goes…
The Beatles (how could you not want to see them live)
Van Morrison – I’ve heard he can be an absolute cunt, but so what, I’m not trying to get off with him.
Ben Kweller – I saw him do an acoustic gig in Glasgow and he was fantastic, and a bit drunk, I’d love to see him with a full band.
Roy Orbison – one of the all-time greats
Nirvana – when I was in school I had a ticket for their show at the SECC but he killed himself before he ever got to play it. I’ve always wondered what it would have been like, and I still have the ticket.

12. If push comes to shove, what is your all-time favourite album?
Lost Blues and Other Songs by Palace Music – hate to say it but it did change my life.

13. What’s your most memorable on the road story?
Probably being left by the rest of the band after a gig in Inverness. I had forgotten where we were supposed to be staying that night and I’d also left my phone in the van so I had to sleep by the river that night. Thankfully I was in a certain mindframe where this seemed like a lot of fun.

14. If your life flashed before your eyes, what would be the highlights?
First kiss, Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds in front of me, listening to ‘War of the Worlds’ while on mushrooms.

15. What’s the best piece of advice someone has ever given you and did you take notice?
If you want someone to like you, remember their name. I am trying to get better at this – I now picture the person whose name I am trying to remember getting off with someone famous of the same name.

16. If you had to leave a body part to science, what would it be?
My eyes, people often compliment me on them and being blind must be rubbish.

17. What’s the best book you’ve read and film you’ve seen in the last 6 months?
Best Book would be Derren Brown ‘Tricks of the Mind’ – it helps with memory and also spotting the weak-minded.
Best Film would be ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ – I went myself while on tour and had a stupid smile on my face all the way through it.

18. What three things could you not live without?
Golden Virginia tobacco
Women – sounds a bit sleazy but when you think about it there really would be no point of hanging about without them.
My family

19. Tell us a fact about yourself we probably don’t already know.
I once worked on a market research project asking women about their experiences of incontinence.

20. And finally, we’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
I would have to go for my top five heartbeakers:
Saturday Sun – Nick Drake
Love Hurts – Gram Parsons
Let it Die – Feist
New Partner – Will Oldham
Cry Softly Lonely One – Roy Orbison

[Download Attic Lights music]

Links
Attic Lights [myspace] [official site]