Paul Weller Speaks To BBC2

Paul Weller was on Radio 2 Breakfast yesterday morning speaking to Amol Rajan who’s been depping for Zoe this week.

Here are some quotes from their chat covering his lockdown, on working with Game of Thrones’ composer but never having watched it, his postponed tour, whether drive-in gigs are the future of music and watching football without crowds:

Amol: How have you found the experience of lockdown?
Paul: I’ve tried to use it really positively and so I’ve just been writing and we’ve recently started recording again so I’ve just been stockpiling songs and making the most of it.

Amol: You’ve worked with magnificent composer, Hannah Peel, she’s worked with you on this record. She composed the music for Game of Thrones. Did you know Hannah before, did you watch Games of Thrones? How did that come about?
Paul: I’ve never seen Game of Thrones. I’m not ever afraid to say it, actually, I’ve just never seen it.
Amol: Why would you be afraid to say it, a lot of people haven’t seen it…. It’s a big indulgence, isn’t it. It’s about 65 of them.
Paul: Yeah, way too many for me. But I’ve worked with Hannah before.

Amol: Can I just ask you about the practicalities of making an album in lockdown…are you trying to use technology and Zoom etc.?
Paul: With the wonders of technology I’ve been recording here in my studio and then sending them out to our bass player and our drummer, guitarist, whoever it may be, and they’ve just been sending it back so you know. Kind of not ideal because you’re not face to face, but at the same time it still keeps you working and moving along so we’ve been lucky

Amol: You had to postpone the tour – can you tell us a whether it’s definitely going to be happening, when it’s going to happen and although the wonders of technology are a glorious thing as you say – they are never going to replace live gigs are they. What do you think about this idea of drive in’s as the future of gigs?
Paul: They’re certainly not my future. I’m waiting for it all to happen again, hopefully by next year. We’ve rescheduled everything – starting next March and then fingers crossed that it’s all good by that time but you know, it’s not the same is it. It’s like watching football ….

Amol: Have you been trying to watch the football without the crowds?
Paul: Yeah, it’s very odd yeah.