Interview: James Hollingsworth
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Image
Bristol based singer/songwriter James Hollingsworth took some time out to do this week's TSM Radio interview. On James' website he has a section which has links to other people named James Hollingsworth. I thought this was a good idea so I googled my name only to find out that it is shared with a second hand toilet roll sales man from Scunthorpe, a bearded lady and a bloke from Massachusetts who likes to wear rubber outfits and fill them with helium then roll around on the floor all day like a weeble. Needless to say I will be giving the annual 'Aynz' gathering a miss this year.

Mooses' heads and other items of elaborate head-wear are best avoided with low ceilinged venues and summer events.


What is the best music to listen to when traveling?
I do most of my travelling in my car. So I find that a complete Philharmonic orchestra neatly stashed in the curved space of the glove compartment works well, or failing that, my i-Pod playing rock music cuts journey time at whatever speed you travel (eg the new Rush album) and Psychedellic Trance
certainly gets you right in, what I shall choose to call today, "the zone". Try Shpongle.
Do you have anything prolific to say today?
Yes, see my answers to Questions 1, 5, 7, 8, 9 and indeed 10
Fancy Dress? - What shall I go as?
I don't know, what sort of thing do you like? You should go to one of those
fancy dress boutiques and have a browse. Useful tip: Mooses' heads and other items of elaborate head-wear are best avoided with low ceilinged venues and summer events. Check ahead to determine suitability, then go hog wild. Treat yourself. Have fun! Loosen up!

Does it bother you when people are over friendly towards you?

Yes, a bit. But then they're probably like that with everybody so I don't
take it personally. I just make the right noises, no feathers get ruffled
and they go away quite happily usually and I can make a discrete run for it.

Do your dreams often involve peanut butter?
As far as I'm aware, the legendary 'peanut butter' motif has yet to
insinuate itself into my subconscious meta-awareness. I have had lucid
flying dreams that become normal dreams where I pretend not be be capable of flight, however. I remember walking about 2 inches above the floor like an incognito superman. Perhaps this is to avoid treading on pieces of toast that have inexplicably landed peanut butter-side up? I'd have to consider the matter in more depth to come up with an answer that more properly describes the psychic dynamic involved here, but while I find it unlikely that I would use this concept as the basis for a meditation, I'll get back to you if something does come up.

Retro Question: 8 track player or record player?

Record player, definitely. And remember, Cassettes are Retro too now, mind. I also have mini-disc and a cassette 4-track.

In your opinion what is the definition of technical guitar playing?
I have no opinions on anything. Opinions are an illusion brought on by
excessive identification of the self with the babbling mind. "Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment; Cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment is intuition." - Jalal ad-Din Rumi, 13th Century Sufi poet and mystic. There's a song using his words on my MySpace, btw.
How do we beat 'The Man'?
With a table-tennis bat. But seriously, folks! (insert the cheesey grin of
the overbearing MC in spangley suit - applause welcome) I think that the
nation state may be one of the best institutional defences against a Global
Totalitarian dictatorship, but nations must learn to cooperate in a spirit
of trust instead of one of constantly competing for power and wealth. We
should abandon the idea of striving for constant Economic growth and adopt
the principles of Permaculture (micro-management of the environment by working with natural processes instead of trying to impose artificial and unsustainable systems upon it). We would all do well to do our own personal research into the nature of consciousness, Time, the implications of Reletivity Theory and perhaps most profoundly consider that in a Fractal Universe we are all the centre from our own perspective. Minimum wage commitments by large multinational companies should be more closely monitored in poor countries and journalists should not be made to be afraid to deviate from the 'consensus' (which is actually an agenda supporting the status quo of an unequal distribution of wealth. Alledgedly. Look up John Pilger on Googlevideos, he'll put you right. And Noam Chomsky. Dig him too.
Sorry I appear to have adopted a hippy-esque dialectic). We should all eat more humous. And, hey! It's Fair Trade Fortnight by the way! Go down the Co-op and buy some bananas.

Who'd win in a fight-Steve Guttenberg or Ted Danson?
(this question is sponsored by Becka Switchblade)
Hmm. This is a toughie. At 6' 2", Ted has a longer reach than Steve (height 5' 10.25", although reports differ, some say Steve is actually 6'), but Ted's an older man, and their 11 year age difference has an important impact on physical fitness in middle age. So although I think Ted may do well on points, Steve would win in the end through sheer brawn and stamina.

Can you feel the sunshine?

What, now? No, I'm inside typing an answer to an interview question. It's
nice outside, though. Sometimes I do feel the emotional state of ecstacy, though, which is a great metaphor for 'feeling the sunshine' and indeed is perhaps what this cryptic question is aimed at. Ahhhhh, Bliss, it slips into my consciousness unannounced, and is as impossible to grasp by the mind as sun-baked silver sand by the fingers. So just Let it Be... and await a copyright lawsuit from Sir Paul McCartney forthwith. Just joking, Paul.




 

Tags

alternative rock gig news disco rave album review happy eggs graeme mearns Interview a girl and a gun killola revere spitzer the scratch link to us 468x60 neon plastix greg elder matt richards glam repeater nacional france shirley super cute voices disco house iamchemist saintsaviour USA kung-fu grip shoegaze rotating leslie techno beat poets the future process king furnace scottish electroacoustic the secret meeting broadcast 2000 serpico isa & the filthy tongues cactusk northern ireland electronica grand atlantic rock the arkanes collide ireland darkwater autokratz playtone the schla la las symbo power pop suds and soda dirty fingernails operahouse the council punks not dad f451 brian monster eats the pilot becka switchblade electro electroclash finland the beat poets hotel motel yokozuna punk rock the butterfly garage plastic passion the greenmatics butler - williams the new music show kunk new wave hey bulldog the hussys the fall the rise stinky munchkins australia electro clash podcast voxpop kapitan da marshan dweeb disco dance house pop Gabby Young and The Other Animals the d and m show south central poland old sarge the sugarettes rave lr rockets roy moller Swing dave papa la bas the graeme mearns band butler-williams netherlands pharmacy spirits 51 breaks joe hay Folk Rock matt trip hop anders manga acoustic indie pop hello tokyo star chamber cult of sue todd smudge james adkin popup dave wave the neutrinos patchwork grace hoboken all the kings men indie powerpop mobrule laurel collective billy liar punk there will be fireworks futuristic retro champions zalinski mindrought the rgbs ali me my head

Sign up today!