Justin Currie - the Imaginary Interview

I'm just a (semi)regular putz; a common blogger and guitar player with his own small spot carved out on the internet.  The likelihood that I'm going to meet my idols and inspirations is not tremendously high.  With that in mind, I'll just carry on this interview with Justin Currie as if I were actually interviewing him. 

Warning in advance: I cannot be responsible for the quality (or presence) of the answers.  I can barely be responsible for the quality of the questions.

You might remember Justin Currie as the singer/songwriter/bassist/guitarist of Del Amitri, a rag-tag, ever-changing group of Scots who managed to chart quite a bit.  Justin is out on his own, with a pair of solo records under his belt.

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I came to the Del/Justin party quite late.  I vaguely remember a few of their tunes having strange instrumentation (for me) and wanted to check into things a bit further.   The following interview took place at several keyboards when I had time and space to flex my musical curiosity.



Congrats - you've written one of my favorite songs: Sleep Instead of Teardrops.  That tune hit me like a pair of falling anvils.  It's not often that I seriously listen to words (I'm a guitar player) but this one had me very curious: what the hell happened to you to spawn this song?  It's so intense that I figure it was about an event, rather than summoned from your imagination.




I don't know if it's you or your producer but I notice someone is absolutely nuts about compression on acoustic guitars (to the point of Serious Squashage<tm>).  While compression always has its place, why is the attack of the guitars beaten into submission?


Where did the omnipresent accordion come from?  Is it the same place as the mandolin?




I read that the Dels had something of a Living Rooms of the Fans tour on their way up.  How have things changed now that you're singular?




You mentioned that when you hit big, you went through an expensive guitars phase.  Tell me about what you bought - don't keep us in suspense...


You seem to like smaller-bodied acoustics live.  Tell me about them.




Why do you sometimes insert pauses in your singing?  Is this a signature thing?




What are your favorite and not-so-favorite things about writing, recording and touring?  Do you prefer performing live in a band or solo?




Who do you listen to?




Name your top guitarists.




What famous women have you boinked?




What influence, if any, have Peter Cook or the Pythons had on you?




What is the weirdest thing that happened to you on tour?  The funniest?




What's next? (and please tell me it doesn't involve Lady Gaga)

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Thanks to Justin for this imaginary interview and for sharing a bit of himself with some fans. 

Perhaps if I try really hard, I can get an interview with Jimi Hendrix.  This is a difficult feat, even for an imaginary interview.