Paul Collins' Beat : The Godfather Of Powerpop!

By Jens http://www.lowcut.dk/040_lc/interview/3.asp

For 30 years Paul Collins has been making powerpop magic with songs
like "Hanging On The Telephone" (The Nerves) and "Rock'n'Roll Girl"
(The Beat). Many new bands claim to play powerpop but Paul's the
real deal, which I witnessed at this year's Rotterdam Rumble where I
met the friendly Mr. Collins. His Spanish backing band was
brilliant, and his voice was in great shape, truly one of the
highlights of the festival. Paul Collins Beat has a new record out
called "Flying High", The Beat's first in 12 years. Take it away,
Paul!

LC: Tell me a bit of where and how you grew up?

Paul Collins: I was born in New York, when I was very young my
family moved abroad. I spent 4 years traveling, a year and a half in
Vietnam and than 3 years in Greece. It was very interesting and it
opened me up to how different life is in different places. As a
result I love to travel, which is one of the things I love about
being a musician.

LC: What was the first kind of music that caught your attention as a
kid?

PC: My earliest influences of music where listening to American
radio in Vietnam, I remember hearing "Big Girls Don't Cry"
and "Lighting Strikes". I also listened to Hank Williams and Ray
Charles as they were favorites of my fathers. After that it was The
Beatles (my all time favorite group) and The Stones and the rest of
the great music of the 60's.

LC: What bands were you in prior to The Nerves?

PC: I had one band that I was in before I moved to California, we
were called Homegrown, we did a few shows and that was it. I also
worked with a girl singer, Tiffany in NY, she had a kind of revue
and we played the gay clubs in the city.

LC: The Nerves?
PC: The Nerves was really my first profesional group, it was a great
experience and I learned so much about songwriting and music working
with Jack and Peter, plus we had a hell of a lot of fun!

LC: Did you buy a house in Malibu from the royalties of Blondie
covering "Hanging On The Telephone", haha? Were you friends of them?

PC: I didn't but Jack made a lot of money off that song! I knew them
but very casually, we were not friends, just aquaintences.

LC: The Beat?

PC: I was very lucky to have been in 2 really good bands! The Beat
was great because we actully made it on to a major lable, toured the
US and Europe and had our records released worldwide. The Beat
created a base forme that I am still benefiting from, I am very
proud of that band!

LC: Did you see The Beat as a part of any scene; new wave, punk, 60s
bands?

PC: There is no denying that The Beat was part of the New Wave/Power
Pop scene, our first tours coincided with the emergence of New Wave
and it was great! We were definately in the right place at the right
time.

LC: Tell me about your solo albums?

PC: The Paul Collins record that was recorded in San Francisco was
for me the first solo album, I had got the idea that since I no
longer had a band it would be good to make a record with all the
really good muscians living in the Bay Area. It was a lot of fun and
I am happy that I got a chance to work with so many grat muscians on
one record, if I had to, I would say that is my one and only solo
album. "Live In Spain" is really like an accoustic souvenir for my
fans.

LC: Rotterdam Rumble was a blast, you seemed to enjoy yourself?

PC: Yes, I had a great time at the Rumble, we met a lot of cool
people and I thought our show was really well recieved.

LC: You play several euro festivals, how is that compared to club
jobs?

PC: I love the festivals, people come from all over Europe, there
was even a guy from the US at Rumble, Brian from the Fevers. It also
great because at the festivals there are lots of groups and people
so you dont have to worry about how many people show up ect. You
also get the feeling that there is a definately a scene coming back
around this music and it's great how the lines between Punk and New
Wave have blured so that you have all kinds of people really
enjoying the music, you can really see it after the shows when the
dj's come on and you can see everyone dancing and having a lot of
fun!

LC: Any chance of coming to Denmark? You told me you once visited
Copenhagen and Tivoli at 8?

PC: Yes, another great thing about the festivals is all the contacts
you make, we met a promoter at the Rumble who is putting together
shows for us in Denmark!

LC: What new bands do you like?

PC: Unknown bands that I hear on myspace, for example The Elephants
from Paris, I love there sound and would like to maybe produce them.

LC: Future plans, recordings, tours?

PC: We are in a state of constant touring, in Spain and out, we are
going to Paris soon, than south by south west in Austin Texas,
march, Japan in September and in between the rest of Europe, than I
will need to make a new record, I am working on the songs now.

LC: Anything to add?
PC: Just that I am so happy with success of "Flying High" and all
the doors it has opened for us and all the work we are doing, I love
to play music and it's been great how the fans have responded after
having been off the scene for so long...I will not let that happen
again!