3607
(0 votes, average 0 out of 5)
Written by Gregg Shapiro
Sep 10, 2011
Andy Bell performs with Erasure at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater on Sept. 18. – Photo: Courtesy
Andy Bell of the duo Erasure was one of the first pop stars to come out – first as gay and later as HIV-positive. I spoke with Bell in late August, shortly after the release of “Tomorrow’s World,” Erasure’s latest disc.
Gregg Shapiro: The “world” figures in the titles of 2007’s “Light at the End of the World” and now “Tomorrow’s World.” Does that have particular meaning to you?
Andy Bell: We (he and Vince Clark, the other half of the Erasure duo) were trying to think of a title for the record and then Vince came up with “Tomorrow’s World,” without really thinking that the last one had the word “world” in the title as well. It sort of ties them both in really. I think that this one is much more optimistic and real-sounding than “Light at the End of the World.” That album was more throwaway, old-style Erasure. It seems that the world is getting smaller and smaller, and we’re having these huge weather patterns going around all over the place. We’re all becoming one community. We’re learning how to care about each other by our own suffering. We’re all morphing into these lab-created people with fake hearts and skin and eyes. We’re creating our own versions of ourselves.
The phrase “be with you” appears in both the song of the same name as well as in “What Will I Say When You’re Gone?” Is there significance in that?
I think it’s probably because I’ve been working so much, and I’m on the cusp of a burgeoning new relationship. “Be with you” is the essence of wanting to be all the time with the person (laughs).
How long have you been together?
One year.
There’s still that fresh bloom on the relationship.
Oh, it’s lovely.
You and Vince co-produced preceding Erasure discs, but on “Tomorrow’s World,” you worked with producer Frankmusik. Why?
I think it was about time. I think it was good for us to hand over, to relinquish our control, in order to see what can happen. I think it’s been very healthy, and Frank has done an amazing job. His musicality in the studio was really inspiring for me. I think it works out in the best possible way.
Where is Frankmusik’s handiwork most evident on the album?
I would say on the single “When I Start To (Break It All Down),” which was originally a beautiful ballad, but he made it into much more of an ELO (electric light orchestra) type of song. And “A Whole Lot of Love Run Riot,” which is one of my favorites, because it’s so clubby and disco and kind of Euro. Frank made it that way.
In “I Lose Myself,” you sing, “I’m not concerned about the bitch I’ve been.” It’s hard to imagine that’s the case, being the nice fellow that you are. But have you been a bitch to some people?
I think what I mean is feeling the bitch inside and suppressing the bitch and not letting the bitch out, which isn’t very healthy (laughs).
“Wonderland” and “The Circus” have been reissued. Can you believe it’s been 25 years?
No, I can’t! It’s funny, when you see young fans who weren’t even born when they came out hardly, and they’re holding the collection like it’s their first record or something. It’s so weird. It’s nice to have the reissues, it’s really amazing.
As one of the most influential artists in the electronic music realm, what do you think of the current crop of practitioners?
There’s lots of people that I like. I hear snippets of things. I love Royksopp. I love Robyn and MGMT. I was doing an interview and somebody asked me if I’d heard the band Hurts, because they sound like Erasure. I said they look kind of pretty – the boys (band-members) do. People always say things sound like us, but I think it has more to do with the music than the singing.
Well, there’s only one Andy Bell.
Yeah, there’s only one me! That’s it! And there’s only one Vince, as well. It’s very hard to have that combination, that rare combination.
