Before I start asking you about anything else... Dude what's the truth behind that whole "I'm Quitting Music – FRANKMUSIK is Finished" drama from couple weeks back? Did your MySpace really get hacked like PopJustice said?My main vice in life are girls. I let one really get to me the night I wanted to stop all the music. I just heard
3 Little Words on
Radio 1 (BBC) and I thought to myself that it just seemed so out of place with everything else that was on the radio. This lead me to think in my drunk state that I might as well give up instead of failing in the public eye. I have a lot on my plate right now from the workings of my live show to finishing the record and I think my problem is that I have to deal with all this on my own. The joy of being a solo artist really rings true in moments of loneliness. I know my job is an odd one and sadly I don’t have “Band” mates to full back on and my family don’t really get what I do either; so I am in my own head most of the time. This is not very good when I over think everything all the time. So the concoction of all of the above with a lot of booze in me just compounded the idea that I should just jack it all in. I said my account was hacked while I worked out what I really wanted to do with myself. Even the next day I was not sure if I wanted to carry on. I never cry and that night I cried more than I have ever done which scared me allot. I met with the label the next day and they just wanted to know what was going on and they were massively supportive and made me realize that there is a lot to fight for in all of this. Now I am just trying to stop my own insecurities about many things in my life get in the way of what I’m trying to do creatively.
It was seriously a nightmare, I'm so glad you have your head back together now. Speaking of nightmares, what are your pet peeves?My pet peeves are community support officers and people who insist on trying to be the funniest person at a party.
I've probably mentioned & asked you this countless times already but you never answered once – I'm not sure what's your current marital status but why the hell haven't you asked Little Boots out yet? You should seriously skip the dating process and get married!Ha ha, girls again! I have known
Little Boots for about a year or so now and we hang out as and when we can. She is wicked fun. I think if I ever made a move then that might just about ruin everything between us. We did a few tour dates together and so many guys were trying their luck with her. Considering this, I didn’t want to become another embarrassing statistic. We are just good friend that’s all. Marriage would most definitely ruin that.
But you've just indirectly admitted that you fancy her!?Who wouldn’t!
Do you think we'd see the day where you'll be making music with her?I have two tracks that I made with her many moons ago. I don’t think I am allowed to put them out. But they were fun and we had a great time making them.
By the way... I read ages ago while researching about you for a piece I was writing, that you posed for a Gay magazine! True?Yep. I have done it twice, both times I have been completely naked. The first one was to do with eating disorders within the young gay community and it's and severely overlooked the issue really is. I think the next time was just for kicks. I have no problem being in Gay magazines considering a lot of my friends are Gay. I also have no problem being naked at any stage in my career seems as I have nothing to hide. Thankfully the one big insecurity I have managed to get over is how much I don’t like my own body. That was a big one for me, but now I am foot loose and fancy free on the subject of my nakedness.
SWEET, Which magazines?This should cover everything you are looking for, or look
here &
here.
I also have to say that it's sad that the media never addressed eating disorders issues with the guys; the stereotype image of anorexia/bulimia is always passed on as a girl…. Yeah it is so pathetic. Mostly the female media do very little to curb the images of skinny and young women.
One of the most exciting announcements recently was your Jacques Lu Cont collaboration... how did he come into the equation? Tell us about the dude…My A&R guy Louis Bloom really wanted us to work together and so he sent
Stuart some tracks and I think he just got it in a big way and said yes to working with me.
Stuart and I first met in a bar called
Jaguar Shoes in East London with my manager. We were basically wearing the same outfit and that pretty much set the tone for the whole time we have been working together. We are like carbon cut outs of each other with a 10 year gap between us. He is a bit of a genius really. He really gives me the same amount of freedom that I had when I made my demos. He just makes sure in his opinion that it all sounds tight as hell and adds some things that I wouldn’t ever think of. He is also mixing the record too. It’s going really well and we are nearly finished!
Ooh were you guys wearing Lego t-shirts under zebra skin overalls? (Sarcasm)I don’t get it ha ha!
How's the progress of the album coming, please tell all there is to tell?It will be an eleven-track album with a secret track at the end. There are going to be a few surprises on there but I think what is even more exciting is that we have done a lot of other tracks on together that won't be going on the album but will be released as exclusives and B-sides. We have done some really out there versions of original tracks. I think the biggest surprise will be how ‘
Confusion Girl’ now sounds. It’s completely different. At one point
Stuart and I had our studios back to back in the same room. That was a sight for saw eyes.
When do you expect to release it & will there be another EP after 3 Little Words or you'll be going for the album after that?I think the vibe is to get one proper single out in January and tour through January and February. The album will then drop in March I think.
This is a total fan greed question, but how come there aren't tons of remixes of 3 Little Words? We kinda expected an army of them since you've remixed for a lot of cool bands & artists!?What I do for other people is generally my own creative soul screaming to do some work. I get paid for some remixes but I mostly just ask if I can do them with money or no money. Obviously not everyone is as generous as me.
Care to list your remixography for us?Telepathe, Chromeo, ClikClik, Death Can Dance, Paul Weller, Furthest Drive Home, GO:Audio, Heads We Dance, I Haunt Wizards, IAMX, Mika, Remi Nicole, I Was A Cub Scout, Goodbooks, David Swinburn, Dead Disco (Little Boots Ex Band), Alphabeat, Barringtone, Butterflies On Strings, Black Ghosts, CSS, Teef, Bloc Party, Radiohead & remixes of my own ‘In Step’ & ‘3 Little Words’.
Currently remixing/finished remixing for anyone?The Bleeps will be getting my remix treatment. I am also working with a singer called
Elle Goulding and I will also get some more things finished for a Grime act called
Tinchy Stryder in the near future.
We really loved the homage to Tom Hanks' BIG in the video of your newest single – It's so rad… Take us behind the scenes through text & was that giant keyboard built specially for the video?The marketing director at
Island Records loved this idea but I wasn’t sure how easy it was going to be to get right. Especially considering I had to dance in it! The keyboard was especially made for me and it was so scary when I walked into the TV studio and it was just sitting there in all its glory. The choreographer was a legend. She made me feel really at ease and stuck at it with me and was very patient. The shoot was a very long day but we got there in the end. The dancers were cool too. One of them goes out with one of the guys from
The Mystery Jets. I am really happy with the final edit and I have learned a lot of things from the whole experience from my general use of performance to never dancing again.
And did you get to take the keyboard home with you?Yeah it is in about 50 pieces in my garage. I think
Universal want to put it in their foyer.
Who's responsible for your amazing artwork? A guy called
Alberto Seveso who is quite a genius in his field. The album is called
Complete Me and everyone thought his work really summed that up in many ways.
Your album is titled Complete Me!?That’s right. It is supposed to ask many questions. Who is it completing? Me? The listener? Or is it a complete version of me? You decide.
What about that Boys Noize collaboration? It's being described as a 'Stranglers - Golden Brown' rip off & some say it doesnt sound like his remixes… how much of it is Boys Noize?I think this has slightly been marketed wrong. I had always thought
Alex was just doing post-production. But its been called a remix by everyone. I did most of it and
Alex made it sound good I guess with a decent mix and a fat bass line and beat.
This is totally random but what do you think of the ever growing number of secret identity music outfits? Any idea who Fake Blood could be, some say it's you?I myself will be doing a secret project very soon and it’s going to be crazy. I have this huge act that I am going to completely mash up. We will put out three tracks and that’s it. But you won’t know it’s me and the other guy!! Oh and yes I know who
Fake Blood is. I wish it was I but sadly it isn’t, I am sworn to secrecy by my management.
So far everyone's convinced for many reasons that Fake Blood is actually Theo Keating… anyhow, will that secret project of yours see the light anytime before the end of 08?It might just... *Grin*
Finally, What would you like to dress up as for halloween? I would dress up as a transgender
Palin.
Sassy!________.
♫ FRANKMUSIK - Happy Endings (Demo)♫ FRANKMUSIK - Pinch Myself (Demo)♫ FRANKMUSIK - Shoot The Breeze (Demo)♫ FRANKMUSIK - So Keep Telling Yo' Self (Demo)♫ FRANKMUSIK - Unreachable (Demo)FRANKMUSIK MySpace/Blog.
