MOUTHY ISSUE TWO
May 2003
ADRIAN BELEW
interview by Ian C Stewart

About your onstage appearance with Les Claypool in Columbus, Ohio. As a Columbus resident, why Columbus!? And do you have other memories of Columbus, Ohio?
AB: The Columbus show was the closest to me. Les and I have often talked about working together. I have many good memories of playing in Columbus with King Crimson or The Bears and the Frog Brigade show is one of my favorite evenings there. But what happened to the Skyline Chili next door?

Will the collaboration with Claypool and Tool's drummer be ongoing?
AB: Les and Danny played on several tracks for my new solo record. But also during the eight days we recorded together we recorded many new ideas and jams with which to create a trio record. No, we haven't chosen a name.

After the Japanese reissues of your first three albums, will they be released domestically?
AB: There's no plan of that happening yet. The records Lone Rhino, Twang Bar King, and Desire Caught By The Tail were remastered and they sound terrific. Anyone interested can purchase them at my e-store at adrianbelew.net.

How's the current label situation working out?
AB: I have my eye on a select few labels to handle the new solo record as well as the box set of rarities (called Dust) and the new LesAdrianDanny record. King Crimson has just signed new deals for the US and Europe with Sanctuary Records and with Universal Japan for the Asia territories, but I have no label at this moment.

What's your favorite place to play live?
AB: Generally speaking, the US is the best most convenient place for performances, but I enjoy all the countries I play in and am looking forward to my twelfth visit to Japan in April and our two-month tour of Europe this summer. My favorite place to visit is Italy. Food, art, and motor scooters.

Will there be a DVD of your solo stuff? AB: There is a DVD in the making of the recent shows of The Bears, but no plan as yet for an Adrian DVD.

Do you have obsessive fans and if so are they a pain in the ass?
AB: I love the fans of my work. They're my lifeline.

What's the strangest recording session you ever did?
AB: Probably my very first studio record with David Bowie and Brian Eno in Switzerland in 1978. Brian and David asked me to play the songs without ever hearing them beforehand (I didn't even know what key they were in) in an attempt to record my "accidental" responses. The event was made even stranger due to the control room being on the first floor and the recording room on the second floor above it. There I sat alone in the recording room hearing a count-off in my headphones and having no idea what to expect to hear next or what to play. This was done for twenty tracks, some of which became the Bowie album The Lodger.

Are you excited about any new bands?
AB: LesAdrianDanny, King Crimson, and The Bears. How many interviews have you done in your entire life?
AB: In December I did a solo promo tour of Europe involving seventy six interviews, six live radio programs, and one TV performance. On the average I do a hundred a year, so by now I'm way past a thousand. Good thing I have such a big mouth.



www.adrianbelew.net


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