Bic Runga Interview with
Campbell Smith - 6 April, 2000
Interview by: Campbell Smith (Bic's manager)
Website: www.bicrunga.com/studio.html
The New Album...
BR: Ok talk to me!
CRS: So what are you up to, what are you doing?
BR: I'm just making my album at the moment, ah..
CRS: So what’s the date.
BR: The date today would be the 3rd of march, Its nearly Boh’s birthday.
CS: It is, its your sisters birthday.
BR: No actually its the sixth of march today.....
CS: Yeah, its the 6th of March..
BR: So is your watch American?
CS: Yeah, it's the sixth of march it says ,3 then 6. So its the sixth of March. Sorry to throw you like that.
BR: That’s all right.
CS: So it’s the 6th of March, so Are you recording now?
BR: I'm working with a guy called Duncan Haynes, he's a string arranger and we’re sort of playing with the idea of going to Bombay, in India, to work with string players over there, not for any other reason but ah the fact that I want to go there and check it out.
CS: To India?
BR: Yeah.
CS: So.. your going to arrange all the strings over here, with this guy Duncan,
BR: Yeah.
CS: Then go over there and do that. How do you know about who plays the strings there, what have you heard?
BR: Ahh, I just know that they’ve got a really good film industry there and i'm kind of interested in that whole Bollywood scene, i think it's kind of cool, um, so, yeah, I want to check it out.
CS: Where is it, Bombay?
BR: Ah, in Bombay, yeah.
CS: So all the songs, have you written all the songs you think you need for the record.
BR: I've written most of the songs.. I don't think I have enough singles as a.. I think I could do with some more singles, I think a lot of the album tracks are going to be fine but you need a, you know, radio song.
CS: A radio song?
BR: Mmmm.
CS: And is different in anyway’s than the record Drive?
BR: Ah, it'll be quote different to Drive, most of drive was written when I was about you know, 19, so ah, and I've done a lot of things between 19 and 24, I’ve seen the world, and um I've um just sort of grown up so it'll, it'll be a, I think it'll be a better record.
CS: So is it heavy metal
BR: Is it heavy metal?
BR: (Laugh) No, it's not heavy metal), but I'm really into sort of, the bands I really like at the moment, I really like Kruder & Dorfmeister a lot, there’s a great record called the KD sessions, a whole lot of remixes of their things, and um, I quite like, um, this band Air from France, um, the thing I like about those two bands are its kind of slick, its digestible, its easy to listen to.
CS: So..ah.. apart from the strings and that, you've done, you've laid over the drums, the bass parts, the rhythm tracks down, how’s that process?
BR: Umm, I’ve been working with a few different drummers, I’ve also done some programming as well, I quite like programming, you really get to get exactly what it is you want, um, because your sort of, your using a graphic interface, you can sort of shuffle things around graphically literally as well as um with your ears.. Its good fun using Protools and Logic Audio, its nice to work from home as well.
CS: So in terms of, like, timeline, how long is it, how long do you think it will be before the records finished?
BR: Ahhh…
CS: Do you think you’ll have a record made for, like, this year?
BR: Umm, I think the album will be…I think the album will be finished, the album will be out before the end of the year, I hope, umm, I still want to make a couple of trips overseas, find some players in LA, and as I said, in India, but yeah, we’ll see.
CS: So it’s all going along OK?
BR: Yeah, it’s all working out fine.
CS: And will you be playing live again soon, do you think , I mean when the records finished?
BR: Mmm, I haven’t figured out how I’m going to play live, umm, because the drums are quite heavily programmed, and there’s going to be a lot of orchestral instruments as well, so it’s a case of finding the right players, that could be a wee while, and it will be a lot of work, cos it has to be good, and I think a lot of my live, ahh, live stuff’s, sort of keeps escaping me, I never really feel on top of it,….it’s umm, yeah.
CS: It needs some attention?
BR: It needs some attention.
CS: You will be putting a band together, it’s just a matter of how and what it is, and what makeup it is?
BR: Yeah, I’ll definitely put a band together at some stage this year, find some players.
CS: And tour after the records come out?
BR: Yeah
CS: Any places you particularly want to go and tour?
BR: I really want to go to England, and Europe, I really miss England and Europe a lot.
CS: You having a good time?
BR: It’s a lot of work, this whole second album syndrome that people talk about, is for real….
CS: It’s true?
BR: it’s really real…and I don’t think I’ll really have such a hard time making a record again, because it’s just kind of, umm, it’s a case of trying to cater to the audience you already have, and then, but without producing the same thing, and sort of extending yourself, whilst still being, you know, digestible, cos there’s, I have a natural tendency to just want to divorce myself from everything that’s ever been released before, but I don’t know if I can do that.
CS: So what do are you doing now?
BR: It’s a lot of hard work, and I don’t sleep very much, but umm, but we’ll get there. It’s just going to take some time.
