TLOBF Interview :: Albert Hammond Jr.

By the magical powers of the internet, Jude Clarke recently caught up with Strokes guitarist and one-time junior rollerskating champion (seriously) Albert Hammond Jr, to quiz him on his second solo album ¿Como Te Llama?, the pros and cons of solo work, and his future plans.

To someone who hasn’t listened to it, how would you describe your new album? Would you say it has any specific “themes”?
I would say it’s a different side to me than my first. It’s still a melodic record but I tried to branch out from what I have done. I feel like I have accomplished that and am still accomplishing it working on new material. I think it’s a great record that you can really listen to over and over again and find new things about it. I go through phases where my favourite songs change just from having listened to it.

I think the stand-out tracks are ‘G Up’ and ‘Feed Me Jack…’. What are your favourite tracks, and which are you planning on releasing as singles?
My first single is ‘GfC’ and I hope the next one will be ‘Victory at Monterey’, and if I’m lucky ‘Feed Me Jack’ as a third. My favourites are ‘Borrowed Time’, ‘Rocket’, ‘Bargain Of The Century’ and ‘Victory at Monterey’.

Are your lyrics generally real (autobiographical), or fictional (or a mixture of the two)? If fictional, where do you get the inspiration from?
I generally play and play till something sticks to the song and sounds right and I go from there. I imagine that a lot of it is autobiographical but if you asked me I probably wouldn’t admit it.

What are your main musical influences and inspirations? Are the things that influence you in your solo work different from those that influence your work in The Strokes?
Influences are influences. Anything that gets you excited about discovery works for me.

What are the good things about doing solo work, as compared with working as part of a group (and one that always appears to be pretty “close knit”)? The bad things? Which do you prefer?
Well I’ve always felt part of a group. Even more so now. I love bouncing ideas off of people that you trust and respect. I love bringing in band members into your head and trying to get them to understand what you hear. When they get it, it works wonders.

What do you think you would be doing now, for a living, if you hadn’t “made it” as a musician?
I haven’t a clue….

Do you have any plans for future collaborations and/or producing work?
I’m building a studio in upstate New York and I’d love to produce bands or work on film scores there.

Which is the most enjoyable: writing music, recording music or touring?
I don’t think anything beats writing a new good song.

When are you touring the UK next? Are you doing any of our festivals this summer?
Maybe next year’s summer festivals, but for now it looks like I’m going over in fall or winter.

What are your thoughts on the decrease in sales of physical records (CDs / vinyl etc), and the problems being faced by some record labels? Do you think D.I.Y. is going to be the way to go in the future? Would you, with your solo stuff, or with The Strokes, ever consider “doing a Radiohead” and releasing your music for free on the internet?
Can’t wrap my head around how I would begin to write down all my thoughts on this question. One day I’ll let you know.

Finally, what bands and artists are you listening to at the moment?
The Dead Trees and The Kinks.

Read TLOBF’s review of ¿Como Te Llama? here.

Links
Albert Hammond Jr.