Andrew Johnson, an interview
Andrew Johnson has just released The Island (Parts 1, 2, and 3) so John Michie tracked him down to discuss life, the music business, and… (checks notes)… going to prison? John, we can’t publish th–
John Michie: Hello Andrew, how are you?
Andrew Johnson: I’m not too bad. Just got over a knee injury in time to take on a new puppy, Iggy.
JM: What does your typical day look like?
AJ: Well, it’s just changed because of the dog! Up about 6am to take him into the garden. Usually spend the day writing or recording or doing management admin with/for Amelia Coburn or my own bread and butter work. I also do a little bit of teaching with adults who have learning difficulties/ disabilities and then gig most weekends.
JM: Can you describe your method to songwriting?
AJ: I don’t really have a method. I grab inspiration from all over and tend to only write when there’s a spark of something there. I generally get a melody or a lyric in my head and go from there, but I also write from bass lines, keyboard, or drum parts. I sometimes hear a complete song and arrangement in my head, but can also work from scratch with instrumental ideas taking shape as I jam along with myself. Plaggy Bag was very much like that. Another version using some of the same lyrics appears on the second Dirteens album. This was the original though despite being called “Take Two.” I have been using found sounds and lyrics a fair bit this year too. Using books etc to find interesting phrases and writing around that or even creating entire lyrics like that. If I find myself falling into a routine in the way I write I’ll actively try to change it.
JM: What is your greatest non-musical influence?
AJ: Just life really and people. That feeds into most of my songs. What I experience myself in relationships with people or witness in others. I sometimes dig into my past to exorcise a ghost or two. I find inspiration in visual arts too. Photos, paintings etc. anything can trigger an idea. A broken bottle by the side of the road and I think about what happened to get it there. I quite often hear someone say something and then I’m off writing in my head.
JM: You have carved out a good knowledge of the music business... Have you ever said 'no' to an opportunity? How did you decide to say no?
AJ: I’ve turned down too many opportunities to count to be honest. They were the right decision at the time based on personal or moral grounds. Usually because I was committed to something already. Some I see as missed chances in hindsight but I don’t really regret them because it was right at the time. These days I just say “yeah why not?” but I’m a bit long in the tooth to get too excited about it. It’s a different story when opportunities come Amelia’s way (who I manage) as she’s young and got all that time ahead of her to chase it more. We’re still fairly choosy about venues etc though and try tk make decisions that are right for her in the long run.
I’m not sure I do have a great knowledge of the industry. I feel very much outside of it. I don’t mind. I do know you have to be pretty ruthless to really succeed (i.e. make people a ton of money) or have someone being a bit of a c*nt on your behalf.
JM: Describe your favourite and least favourite part about the music business?
AJ: Favourite is that there’s a way for someone like myself to put their music out there which is easy and relatively cheap. I keep total control of my output and can release, edit and shape however I want.
Least favourite is just the acceptance that there aren’t really many avenues for truly independent artists to “break through”. Without a team or financial backing you’ve got pretty much zero chance of succeeding (there will be very rare exceptions of course). Getting heard beyond the underground is nigh on impossible - or so I’ve found. I gave up sending stuff to a lot of DJs a while back. I’ve sent enough stuff and been ignored to get the hint. There are the odd few that support me though and that’s great.
JM: What is the best advice you’ve been given?
AJ: I think the thing to cling to is to do it for the art not the commerce. It’s just a form of self-expression to me. Of course I want people to like it and I don’t sit doing this thinking it’s a pile of shit but I don’t need people to like it. I wrote and recorded long before there was a way to get it in front of people and I’ll keep doing it regardless of success.
JM: What is the best song ever written?
AJ: I’m a big believer in the difference between a good song and a good record. There are some great records that aren’t really great songs but they just sound fantastic, usually in a particular context - like live or in a club. Voodoo Ray for example - great record but really not a great song. There are then songs which can be stripped right back and pushed and pulled all over but still hold together. I think the perfect balance is maybe A Day In the Life by The Beatles which is a great song and record but there are thousands of equally good songs really. Any song that doesn’t feel “written” and the mechanics don’t show is a great song. Prettiest Eyes by The Beautiful South is a song that means a lot to me the older I get.
JM: Imagine... current relationships aside. If you could date any other musician, who would it be and why? Debbie Harry?
AJ: Probably someone I wouldn’t feel too artistically intimidated by! Kate Bush is just too good, but I’d love to be around someone like that and create art that pushed some boundaries. She was also a bit of a dream around 1978!
JM: If you could go back to one year and re-live it, what year would you pick and why?
AJ: I think 1992. It was a bit of a fork in the road for me. I took a particular route and had a great time but I do wish I’d pursued my own music more when in my 20s knowing what I know now. I’d have killed it!
JM: What is the most trouble that you ever have gotten into?
AJ: Ha. I’ve not been in a huge amount of trouble to be honest. Not that I’ve been caught for anyway… I used to work in a clothes shop years back and I got hauled in with another lad because someone had been calling sex lines on the shop phone. It wasn’t me so I was pretty pissed off at the insinuation. I used to get stopped a fair bit by the police when I was doing disco shows in the 90s. It was always funny when they asked to see what was in the boot and I had a pair of mannequin legs, toy guns, cardboard masks of Starsky and Hutch, and a box with a wig and fake moustaches. Had similar at airport security too. They still let me through with toy guns back then!
JM: If you went to prison, would you focus on physical fitness or reading books
AJ: Books. I don’t read enough really and when I do it’s usually music related. I’d like to read more classics and fiction. And everyone knows a well placed Shakespeare quote can get you out of any scrape, yes?
JM: What conspiracy theories do you believe in?
AJ: Not many to be honest but I’m interested in them definitely. There’s often a seed of truth in all of them but it rarely ends up being what the theorists believe. JFK is the daddy of them all though. Definitely something unanswered there. I listened a lot to a podcast about conspiracy theories during lockdown. Most didn’t hold up to scrutiny, but a few did. The private prison set up in the US is well dodgy and seems to breed crime to create prisoners/customers. I went through a phase of believing all the UFO stuff back in the 90s but I don’t think there’s any real evidence that we’ve been visited by aliens yet.
JM: Tell us your favourite record(s) (apart from your own)/ artists you are excited at the moment?
AJ: I’ve got a few, fairly obvious, favourites like The Beatles but I also love funky stuff like Sly Stone and Can. I’m forever trying to unify the melodic stuff I love and the funkier side of things. There’s A Riot Goin’ On and Tago Mago meets Sgt Pepper would be my perfect record. I’ll make it one day. I love Fontaines D.C who are the pick of the crop of new bands for me. Sonically interesting and progressive with a distinctive voice. There’s a ton of bands and acts the twitter crew are into that are great too. Sunzoom is great and has that groove driven psychedelic thing going on. A bit like yourself. The band Benefits are saying some important stuff at the moment and, again, sonically interesting. It’s not easy listening, granted but it feels like you need a band saying this stuff right now. It does seem to be mostly the older performers that are politically engaged but you have people like Sam Fender and Jamie Webster that are pretty switched on too. There’s also my protegé Amelia Coburn who I think is one of the finest young songwriters in the world, let alone the UK. She’s writing stuff that will stand the test of time for sure. Her melodic invention and lyrical creativity are as good as anyone that’s been and that’s before you get to her performance power too. She really needs to be seen live for the full effect.
JM: What is the largest dream for you with music, art to attain?
AJ: The weird thing is I don’t really have dreams. I’m in a situation where I can write and record as much as I want. I guess maybe to spend time working with a producer and doing it “properly” just the once to see what happens but I also think I’d lose the creative freedom I enjoy. I’d quite like to hear other people interpret some of my songs and see how they stand up to that.
JM: Now, we have had all the reality on Earth, let’s look up the sky? Would you be the part of the Mars settlement with Elon?
AJ: I was a kid of the space-age, just about, and saw Star Wars first time around so of course I’d love to go into space and travel. Not sure I could be arsed with 5 years of Elon on the journey though. I think there’d be a mysterious ejection of an escape pod at some point with one of us in it.
JM: Any final words?
AJ: Thanks for asking me to ramble on. Don’t let the bastards grind you down!
The Island (Parts 1, 2, and 3) is really a nine-minute song, but you need to subscribe on bandcamp to hear its full glory.” The 3-parter, however, is available everywhere you stream music.