SIMON FOWLER of OCEAN COLOUR SCENE: Make The Lyrics Your Own
An interview by Sarah Kidd.
Ocean Colour Scene once toured with Oasis who were at the time one of the most notorious and volatile bands on the English music scene. With the iconic Moseley Shoals already up their sleeve, Ocean Colour Scene then dropped their album Marchin’ Already just a year later and knocked Oasis off their No. 1 album perch!
Despite being one of the most iconic ‘Britpop’ bands of the 1990’s alongside bands such as Pulp, The Stone Roses, and of course the aforementioned Oasis; sadly Ocean Colour Scene never made it down to New Zealand … However they plan on making it up to us by playing the entire Moseley Shoals album in full – along with a few other OCS classics of course – at their show next Monday at the iconic Powerstation.
I caught up with lead vocalist Simon Fowler recently to talk history, Oasis and birthdays…
Moseley Shoals is now twenty-one years old, yet there are songs on that album that have obviously stood the test of time. Do you feel that’s a testament to the amount of time and love that you put into creating that album?
“It’s really strange because we have been playing the album in its entirety last year and it does seem to mean so much to so many people; I don’t think we realised really at the time just how big it was because we were so busy. But looking back on it, it’s a pretty good album! It flows really well.”
The Riverboat Song – which is of course one of the most iconic songs off the album – is synonymous with Ocean Colour Scene, can you tell us what that song means to you?
“The starting point of that song was Steve came up with lyrics and Damon came up with the chorus chords and my lyrical idea was taken from Apocalypse Now – there is a scene where they are on a boat and they come under fire. But that was just a trigger point really, what the rest is about I don’t really know! [laughs] I just sort of flowed with ideas which came from there!”
I think because the lyrics are so interesting people interpret them in many different ways; as either a love song, or as a revenge track etc.
“Yeah I think so – let’s leave them to do that then I think, tell them to just make it up [laughs] they can come up with a meaning because I haven’t got one” [laughs]
I understand that you also have a strong love for the tracks ‘Fleeting Mind’ and ‘The Circle’ – I think ‘The Circle’ is a track that many people love. But ‘Fleeting Mind’ – what in particular about that track makes it so special for you?
“It’s just a really unusual song, the subject matter, the lyrics are unusual … I stayed up all night writing that one! I wrote another song that night as well ‘It’s My Shadow’ so that was a good night’s work but again the lyrics are sort of … I was very under the influence of alcohol and narcotics when I wrote that song to be honest!”
Sort of explains the title then sometimes – big nights where you seem to struggle to capture those moments within your mind…
[laughs] “Yeah that is an element of what that song is almost about – is that sort of my fleeting mind. Yeah I had a very, very fleeting mind at the time!”
You toured with one of the most infamous bands of their time which was of course Oasis – what one memory or lesson did you take away from that experience?
“Yeah, blimey I don’t know, there’s lots of memories … we’d be staying up all night! But just, when they were on form, when they were being friendly towards each other they were just so funny!
They were great and we had a great time with them. We introduced them to Paul Weller and they became great friends, Noel and Paul. So the whole thing was very productive and great fun … and not much sleep”
[laughs] I can imagine there wouldn’t have been much sleep with those Gallagher boys!
“Their first couple of years playing live they were brilliant and then obviously we played Knebworth [11th August, 1996] with them, that was pretty exciting, one hundred and twenty-five thousand people”
Yes, although while it may have been a dream come true for many bands I know a lot of people – considering their very well-known behaviour – would have also been wondering how you survived around those two.
[laughs] “You knew when to go to bed … yeah; you had to be sort of pretty astute”
So with your album Marchin’ Already [1997], which displaced Oasis in the number one spot on the British Charts; did that feel like that was an amazing achievement or was it something that you joked about with the Gallagher brothers?
“Noel sent us a [gift] pack, ‘Congratulations to the second best band in the world’” [laughs]
That album [Oasis – Be Here Now] was basically number one around the world – and you guys knocked it off its perch!
“Yeah, that’s right yeah … serves them right!” [laughs]
Ocean Colour Scene songs have often been dismissed by critics as too ‘Dad-Rock’ or too chill – I personally like the simplicity of them and the way the lyrics make you think. What were some of the common sources of inspiration for the music that you wrote?
“Well I think for everyone I would imagine The Beatles – I just about remember The Beatles splitting up, I was five when they split up. But my personal source of influences was Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan that type of thing as well as well as English Folk Music. And also David Bowie growing up, that was very crucial”
I don’t think there is a person in the world that hasn’t been influenced by David Bowie though [laughs]
[laughs] “Yeah – I think you’re right!”
We have had some amazing artists in our time – but never have I seen the world as a collective mourn an artist more than David Bowie…
“No … it was strange wasn’t it? Yeah it was – Britain almost came to a standstill, it was very weird”
Besides the obvious – and you just mentioned a few of them – but who was your biggest influence at the time of making those pivotal albums and who would you say is an influence now in these more modern times?
“Now ..? I still listen to the same music as I listened to when I was growing up to be quite honest. The Stone Roses are pretty important cause they sort of brought together a lot of sounds of music and they gave a new exciting sort of swagger to music; so I think The Stone Roses were what you could call a catalyst.”
So Britpop was of course a term that bands like yourselves, Oasis, Pulp, The Stone Roses etc were all thrown under – did you agree with that?
“We never thought of ourselves as a pop band really, we were a bit snobbish for that! We always thought of ourselves as a rock band, so to suddenly be described as Britpop seemed a bit weird. But I know what they mean – I don’t mind.
Well there’s Iggy Pop as well … and I don’t mind Iggy Pop!” [laughs]
Many years ago you were publicly outed for being gay, do you feel that the world is in a better place now for artists to be open about their sexuality?
“It’s my partner’s birthday today!”
Is it?! Well say Happy Birthday to him for me! [mutual laughter]
“But yes – yeah. The world is a far kinder place”
You are still touring on a very regular basis – do you still enjoy it, and what motivates you to keep getting back out there on the road?
“Yeah I like it – I like travelling! I don’t like sitting on a plane for as long as you need to, as long as I have to, to get to you lot – that’s horrendous! But I like travelling, I like hotels, I like staying in hotels and just seeing different parts of the world. Obviously we have to go to Australia first – so hopefully we’re not too knackered when we get to New Zealand!”
The last full studio album that Ocean Colour Scene released was back in 2013 which was entitled ‘Painting’ – any plans for an album in the future?
“Well I was with Steve and Oscar the other day and yes the plan is – yes I am going to start writing”
Is this going to be the first time that you have been to New Zealand – either with the band or for personal reasons?
“Yes it will be. We went to Australia last year and that was the first time we’d ever been there! All the British bands came over in the 1990’s, we didn’t for some reason – I don’t know why …
We are New Zealand virgins!”
Ocean Colour Scene hit NZ for two shows at the end of this week / early next week – a show at Wellington’s Opera House on the 19th November as well as a show at Auckland’s Powerstation on the 20th November. Tickets from both shows are still available from mjrpresents.
