http://powerpop.ru/interview/2007/paul_collins__eng.shtml

Paul Collins was an important figure on the Los Angeles power pop
scene. In 1979, The Paul Collins' Beat penned an album which is still
considered by many as the best disc of power-pop ever. In
2005 "Flyin' High" Paul Collins' eleventh album since The Paul
Collins' Beat features twelve all-new songs.

Paul Collins was born in New York. At teenage age he has taken a
great interest in music and since then many years he sincerely loves
his life-work which has devoted his life.

We know, that many our readers who will find this interview, will
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And the most inquisitive will find a lot of interesting in web search
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Fans of The Ramones learn that till last days lives of Dee Dee Ramone
Paul was his close friend. Looking through pages various web-editions
everyone will find a lot of interesting information and get close
acquainted with the talented musician who has devoted his songs
creativity!

Powerpop.Ru: Thanks, Paul, that agreed to communicate with us. Tell
to our readers a little about Paul Collins from Paul Collins's eyes
view. What better qualities did young Paul Collins had? What
qualities would have in future?

Paul Collins is a guy who started out with a dream when he was 17
years old. He wanted to be in a rock n roll band that became
superstars, just like the groups he admired the most, The Beatles and
The Rolling Stones, real bands that had great songs and great
musicianship. He got very lucky when he met Jack Lee and Peter Case
in 1974 in San Francisco. Here was a band that had great songs and
great musicianship. Paul thought for sure that this band was going to
conquer the world; he had no doubt in his mind about that. Paul was
sure that all that was needed was time, hard work, belief and
dedication and all would be good. Paul learned the hard way that
sometimes that is not enough. Paul spent many years confused about
why things happened the way they did, but he did not stop on his
quest to scale the heights of rock n roll fame. His second group, The
Beat, looked even more likely to take Paul to where he wanted to go…
but it didn't….still Paul held on to his dreams. In the future Paul
would have to start looking at things differently if he wanted to
survive, and he did. He learned that the more important thing is
love, love of life and love of music, that's when Paul came back
after a long absence and made a record filled with love and the
people liked it!

Powerpop.Ru: I heard that in Spain a lot of good power-pop groups. Is
it the truth?

Paul Collins: I don't think there has ever been a lot of any good
groups at one time in any one place, I do believe that power pop is
coming back, all over the place, and that is great. But as it was
when I was starting out, a long time ago, some are good and some are
not. But it seems that these days there are more and more good rockin
young bands and that is a good thing.

Powerpop.Ru: Is Paul Collins the friend of youth? Do you take part of
musical life in Spain (in the organization of musical festivals and
so on)? Do you help young talents? Or as many creative people with
the years you more like loneliness and a creative solitude.

Paul Collins: I try to help anyone I can, musician or not. If I here
a good band or good song, mainly now on Myspace, I take the time to
let them know. If a young musician asks me for advise, I tell them
the truth, as best as I can. You need to spend a lot of time alone to
write good songs, it's always been like that.

Powerpop.Ru: You are for many years ranked as a power pop artist. But
listening to your albums it seemed to me that you never excited
opinion of critics. You simply tried to write good beautiful songs,
not limiting yourselves frameworks of fixed style. Isn't it?

Paul Collins: I love music, I always have, to be called a musician
and a songwriter for me is an honor. For me the most important part
of what I do is to try and write good songs, any kind of song, just
so long as it's real and good. I learned a lot about what makes a
good song from Jack Lee. He was extremely critical and I believe that
you must work very hard to produce a good song, a great song. I hope
that as a songwriter I can draw from all the music I have listened to
that I have loved: rock, blues, jazz, country, folk and rhythm and
blues.

Powerpop.Ru: In your opinion, is there pronounced difference between
talented people living in the Europe and living on other continents?
It seems to me, all physicists of a planet are similar, and all fate-
musicians, theatrical actors, artists are similar.

Paul Collins: I think talented people are lucky to be alive no matter
where they are. I think that the talented people who are able to live
off their talent are very happy and they get to travel through their
work, which for me is a great thing.

Powerpop.Ru: What you see the future of guitar popular music?
In my opinion last thirty years all is very similar, the form of a
song does not almost vary unless the modern sound became more dense.


Paul Collins: I think the guitar is a beautiful and very expressive
and sexual instrument, I don't think it will have any problem
surviving for the next 1000 years or so. I am sure some guy will be
playing a guitar for some girl, as they sit on the moon, looking down
at the earth.

Powerpop.Ru: I know, that Paul Collins very much would like to carry
out concert performances in Russia.
And as a tourist did you visited any cities of the post-Soviet Union?
There are a lot of beautiful cities and they are not only capitals of
fifteen republics of the former USSR.

Paul Collins: I have never been to Russia, but I have read many
wonderful books about it and I would very much hope that one day my
music could take me there. When I was living in NYC I met a lot of
Russians who lived there and I would always say to them, "Someday I
will go to your country!"

Powerpop.Ru: Guitar the basic tool from which you write music. For
many, a guitar is only means for self-expression, but there are a lot
of for whom guitars mean much more (they have many guitars, always
change pickups for them for an original sound, they like to assemble
and strip guitars).

Paul Collins: I own 4 guitars, pre CBS Fender Strat with a custom
John Caruthers neck, a vintage 1969 Rickenbacker sunburst red 6
string, 1984 Guild D25 acoustic and a mid 70's Gibson Gospel
acoustic. I love these guitars and I have had them for many years. I
sometimes think of buying other guitars but then I go, why, I love
the ones I have…maybe someday… All I do is keep them in good repair
as they are working guitars.

Powerpop.Ru: All musicians probably have similar methods of
inspiration. One take a guitar almost every day and during certain
time the inspiration often appears. Another need to be in state of
mind to write a good song. How it occurs in you?

Paul Collins: I have no secret recipe other than spending as much
time as I can trying to write and thinking about music. To me it's
kind of like fishing, you have to have your hook in the water if you
want to catch a fish. Some songs are born full grown, others can take
years to come to life…it's a funny thing…you can not predict it….I
think that is a good thing…but you sure as hell know when a good song
shows up…wow!

Powerpop.Ru: What are your most favourite five albums, created on one
breath and never bother you?

Paul Collins: I couldn't say, but I would probably have one of The
Beatles, one of The Stones, one of mine, one of Johnny Cash, one of
Elvis Presley and one of The Ramones, that's six!! There is so much
great music I am glad I don't have to make these kinds of choices!

Powerpop.Ru: Do you want to tell to our readers something that I
forget to ask you?

Paul Collins: Yes, that we must all bond together in the very many
different ways that each of us can to make our world a better place
so we can all enjoy it. I want to come and see your country and meet
the people and play them my music and then have a few vodkas! Thank
you.