[ August 31, 2001 ]
Tiscali: Taking the Biscuit
Tiscali
Taking the Biscuit
Haven't heard from The Beautiful South lately? That's because their lead singer Paul Heaton has been busy working on a new solo project under the moniker Biscuit Boy. Musix met up with him to get the lowdown on his love for Lionel Ritchie, Rich Tea biscuits and texting Norman Cook.
How did this project come about?
I've wanted to do a solo album for a long time, so the first thing was to tell the other members of the Beautiful South. I had a list of musicians and songwriters that I wanted to work with, so I approached the songwriters first with the hope that they would also want to play on the record.
The first two people on that list were Joe Strummer from The Clash and Lionel Ritchie. Lionel Ritchie was only able to write in July, which was too late, but Joe Strummer immediately said yes. So I wrote with him and a couple of members from his band. It worked straight away.
Why Lionel Ritchie?
I realise that he's hit on a low point in his career, but that doesn't make him a bad songwriter. I think he's a fantastic songwriter; he's the best-stylised writer I can think of. He's like the black Elton John. I thought that the mixture of his chords and my lyrics would be quite a clash - a good clash. I think musical clashes always make the best music.
Does that mean this is the end of The Beautiful South?
No, this is a side project. But I've definitely enjoyed it enough to do it again.
Have the other members of The Beautiful South heard the album?
They've all got the single. I don't think they'll say that they like it though. I think they can't help feeling a little left out. None of them are being vindictive or bitter - we never had an argument in twelve years - but I'm sure they feel a bit jealous of the other musicians.
Where does the name Biscuit Boy come from?
I just like the idea of a biscuit boy somewhere. You know how they found wolf boy who was brought up by wolves - I like the idea of people finding a biscuit boy who has just eaten biscuits all his life he's slightly round and if you touch him he crumbles.
Do you eat a lot of biscuits?
I'm supposed to say no, because I'm worried about my weight, but actually I don't eat enough! My favourites were Sports biscuits - they used to be those round biscuits with a stickperson playing a sport in the middle. I went looking for them the other day and they've changed them to skateboarders - I was very disappointed.
So it's not those anymore. Rich Tea are probably my favourite now, which is funny because I don't even drink tea or coffee. The reason is because I used to eat a whole packet of Rich Tea for my school dinner every single day of my school life.
Are you still friends with Norman Cook?
Yes. He s one of those friends that I don't have to stay in touch with, because as soon as I see him we're back on a level again. We text each other about twice a week, but it usually ends in insults or filthy jokes!
Would he work on any of your new stuff?
Yes he would. He helped us with difficult Beautiful South tracks. There s definitely a song or two that he could do something with on this album. I haven't approached him. Maybe I'm approaching now in a quiet way; maybe you're saying I should approach him by asking that question!
Tell us about the album
Well, it's more open to interpretation than Beautiful South stuff. Technically the Beautiful South is about songs. The production is dressed down to ensure that you hear the lyrics and the melody, ensuring that the song survives. This record is more dynamic; it's a sound thing rather than a lyric thing.
Are you hoping for chart success with Biscuit Boy?
I'd like the album to sell well, but to me if it sells 100,000 I'll be happy. Anything more than that and I lose track, it means nothing after a certain figure. My success is only a limited amount.
Will you be touring?
Not with The Beautiful South, but I might do a couple of gigs in America, some here, and a few in Europe. I'd like to keep it minimal, but we'll see. It depends on how well the album sells.
Biscuit Boy s debut Mitch is released on 3 September.
Delores / Link to Here
[ August 29, 2001 ]
BBC: Heaton's new band takes biscuit
BBC.co.uk
Heaton's new band takes the biscuit
29 August, 2001
The way Paul Heaton says it, working with new musicians for his latest project is like cheating on four different partners.
Heaton has been head of the Beautiful South family for the last 12 years and his strong, incisive lyrics helped them become one of the most successful British bands of a generation.
But a new Beautiful South album would be a flop, he thinks, so he has found some different musicians, written some new songs, and created Biscuit Boy.
"It is not the end of Beautiful South - it is just the right time to try something new," Heaton says.
"The idea to have a solo project had been milling around in my head for the last five years."
"The reason it happened this year was because I really didn't think radio or the media were ready for another Beautiful South record."
Although the 39-year-old songwriter calls Biscuit Boy a solo project, he has enlisted two members of Joe Strummer's band, The Mescaleros - Martin Slattery and Scott Shields.
Beautiful South fans should not be afraid that the songwriter has gone off on a tangent.
"It sounds like me," Heaton says.
"I think most of Beautiful South's ultra-fans like us for our lyrics anyway."
Heaton is taking full responsibility for the band and its fortunes, pointing out that it is the first time he has really had to trust his own judgement.
There is no-one to play his compositions to and no-one else to blame if it goes wrong.
The finished album, Fat Chance, is "all right", he says.
"Listening to the whole album, I don't think there's much weaknesses."
He also says it took him a while to remember not to ask hotel receptionists which rooms his Beautiful South band mates were in.
Songwriting partner Dave Rotheray did help out on new single Mitch, but was not involved in any of the other songs.
"He's obviously really envious and quite sad that he's outside the project," Heaton says.
"He really encourages me - 'That sounds really good, that, Paul' - But you can just see this little disappointed look on his face."
Thanks to the two new musicians, the songs are more "dynamic", Heaton says.
This means the music itself plays a much bigger part than with The Beautiful South, where it is usually a pleasant background for a strong song.
"This is what is good with working with new musicians," he says.
He had to bite his lip when he wanted to tell Slattery and Shields that a song they were working on sounded "like Chris Rea", though.
Persistence
"I thought, nah, you can't say that, it's one of the first songs we've written.
"We persisted with it, and it sounded great.
"They were really interested in creating all these little sound pictures. With Beautiful South, if the song isn't perfect, we just bin it."
As a result, the new musicians - who play at least four instruments each - have opened Heaton's eyes.
"It has exposed the members of Beautiful South a bit," he says.
"They just stand there till they're told to do something."
Heaton describes one song on the Biscuit Boy album, Proceed With Care, as "a real dull song to me", but one that Slattery and Shields transformed.
"It sounds good. You can listen to it and it's got loads of little bits which I keep noticing."
Despite the enthusiasm, he adds: "But I haven't got time for loads of little bits at my age. I need the song out front."
Heaton continues to write songs in preparation for when the time comes to reconvene The Beautiful South.
When that happens, he is going to go back to his tried and tested methods of writing and recording, he says.
But whoever he works with, Heaton still taps into the English consciousness with his wry chronicles that have mass appeal.
Negative
"I want to write things that make sense to people, particularly women," he says.
"There's very few records in the charts which target women, other than in a negative way.
"What about pensioners? What about 40-year-olds who have split up with their husbands?"
He then decides that 40-year-olds who have split up with their husbands must be too distraught to go into record shops because not many of them are buying his music.
When they get over it, The Beautiful South will return.
Until then, Biscuit Boy will keep the fans happy.
Delores / Link to Here
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