We’re back on-line, and what better way to do it than with the second instalment of The Leisure Society Q&A. Following on from Nick Hemming’s answers to the regular Suitcase Orchestra Q&A, which you can find here, Christian Hardy attempts something new. This time, the questions are set by Paul Weller, Morrissey, Neil Young and, erm, The Baha Boys…amongst others.
What’s Your Flava?
Mashed Potata.
Are Friends Electric?
Yes. In Japan.
What Time Is Love?
If you’re looking at your watch then it isn’t really love.
Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero?
John Craven.
Have You Ever Had It Blue?
Yes, in France. Turns out I prefer it pink.
What Difference Does It Make?
All the difference, since you ask.
Who’s Zoomin’ Who?
I don’t know what this means.
Are You Ready For The Country?
We just got back, but I’m already ready to return. We’ve been making a record don’t you know.
Is She Really Going Out With Him?
She seems to be, I don’t see it lasting though.
Who Let The Dogs Out?
The people responsible for Loose Women.
Can You Dig It?
No I can’t.
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
I barely know you, but you seem nice.
Visit The Leisure Society here.
Currnetly touring as part of the Willkommen Collective tour, The Leisure Society’s Nick Hemming downed tools long enough to do the Suitcase Orchestra Q&A.
If I were to play just one of your songs to someone who hasn’t heard your music, which would it be and why?
A Short Weekend Begins With Longing – it pretty much sums up the themes of loss & longing present throughout our first album, complimented by a typically Leisurely musical arrangement.
You are being sent to the moon. You’re allowed to take 1 album. What is it?
Roxy Music – Stranded. It’s one of my favourite albums of all time & I think it’d soundtrack the desolation of the Moonscape perfectly. Before Bryan Ferry became an M&S crooner he was undoubtedly one of the most poetic men in pop.
On the subject of being sent to the moon, what 3 things would definitely be in your suitcase?
I’d need some form of musical instrument, so I guess a Ukulele for it’s portability (although apparently in Space no one can hear you strum). A copy of Albert Camus’ The Fall, it’s such a densely layered book you could read it a hundred times & still discover things, about it and yourself. A pair of binoculars to peer back at the Earth with.
Tell us an interesting fact.
Planting a pip from an apple will produce a completely different variety of apple tree.
Tell us about a band or singer we might not have heard of who should be featured on Suitcase Orchestra.
Kristin McClement – a fellow Willkommener, she has the most incredible voice & writes beautiful, dark, brooding songs.
In the song ‘Music Is My Boyfriend’ by The Hidden Cameras, they talk about making toast with music and washing his dirty underpants – what would you do for music?
Since I picked up a guitar at the age of 17 I pretty much sacrificed everything in order to play it as much as possible, so there’s very little I wouldn’t do for music.
What film would you be a character in?
It would have to be a Wes Anderson film. I adore his aesthetic & feel a strange kind of pathos toward his detached, dysfunctional characters.
Recommend a book.
Bruce Robinson – The Peculiar Memories Of Thomas Penman. A hilarious & incredibly touching read.
Which literary character would play you in the book of your life?
Unfortunately my life is far to banal too be made into a book.
What’s the worst record in your collection?
I’ve got a couple of embarrassing dance 12″s that I bought when I was immersing myself in club culture in the mid 90’s. They’re buried deep in my parent’s loft.
What question should I always ask in a Q & A? And answer it please.
Q: What’s the meaning of life?
A: Anything you like (a great SFA lyric, especially the way it’s delivered by Gruff Rhys)
The Leisure Society play Kendal Brewery Arts Centre on April 7th.
Visit their MySpace here.
Tomorrow: Part 2. Christian Hardy answers questions set by Paul Weller, Aretha Franklin and The KLF, amongst others.
