{"id":780,"date":"2018-10-14T05:00:36","date_gmt":"2018-10-14T05:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=780"},"modified":"2018-10-13T21:51:51","modified_gmt":"2018-10-13T21:51:51","slug":"alvin-gibbs-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=780","title":{"rendered":"Alvin Gibbs Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>On a typical rainy afternoon in South Wales the phone rings and on the other end of the line is a buoyant and happy Alvin Gibbs – he being the mighty four stringer from the parish of UK Subversives and former bass player in Iggy Pop\u2019s band, Cheap and Nasty as well as one or two other projects we might get to cover.
\nThe reason for the call is Alvin has just completed his debut solo record and if the first two songs are the yardstick of what\u2019s to come then this might just be an amazing time to jump on the Alvin Gibbs Ghost train and pull up a seat and let the man tell you in his own words what he\u2019s been up to and what he\u2019s about to embark on. Alvin…
\nLet’s get straight into it and begin with an obvious question, why has it taken until now to write and record a solo album Alvin?
\nMmmm, yeah you\u2019re right it has taken quite a while to get to this point. For quite a while people have suggested it to me usually because they like the songs I\u2019ve written and sung on the Subs records as well as others, including Charlie I might add he always said: \u201chey Alvin \u2013 you should record a solo album with all these songs you\u2019re writing\u201d. But my attitude for a long time was \u2013 oh it smacks of self-indulgence and vanity you know? Besides I\u2019m in the Subs and I\u2019ve got an outlet there for my songs and I sing the odd song so why would I do that.
\nThen there\u2019s this guy Christos who\u2019s become a very good friend over the years who\u2019s from Poland and does the European tours with us and as I say I\u2019ve known him for a very long time. When we tour over there he says don\u2019t travel with the band I\u2019ll drive you and we can chat about business and such like. Anyway every year he\u2019s like you\u2019ve got to do this solo album Alvin so many people like your songs you\u2019ve just got to do it and so I\u2019ve been thinking about it and \u2013 well, maybe it\u2019s doable and maybe this is the right time and for me to not think its a vanity project but something worthwhile. So I spoke to Time & Matter (Rob & Mark) and they said they\u2019d love to do it. They put the money up and I wrote the songs. It\u2019s been a really interesting process. Obviously, it\u2019s something I\u2019ve never done before and I didn\u2019t realise how much work there is involved in all the other side of releasing a record but when it\u2019s all on your own shoulders you know you\u2019re forced to face all of that. But I must say I\u2019m really, really pleased with the results.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was going to ask if there is possibly a different mindset or approach to making your own album as opposed to one with the Subs. Are you conscious not to over analyze things like the songs\u2026.who plays on what and the process of it all?
\nI think it\u2019s been liberating in a way as I\u2019ve not been worried about writing in a certain way or style. You\u2019re writing for yourself you know so I\u2019m not tailoring it for the UK Subs. It enables me to write songs I wouldn\u2019t bring to the subs so yeah it\u2019s allowed me to have a diverse range which I hope people will like. There\u2019s a dark almost Nick Cave style song and some that would be the opposite side of the spectrum more in a style like the New York Dolls. So yeah it\u2019s been a great process and I\u2019ve really enjoyed it. It\u2019s a lot of hard work \u2013 to be fair just writing twelve songs and giving you that pressure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you write all the time Alvin? Do you sort of stockpile tracks you think might work for this or that project?
\nThere has been a pressure to this but I kind of work better that way I think. Having said that I quite often pick up a guitar and start to play things that have popped into my head\u2026\u2026It\u2019s funny how things come to you if you hold a guitar long enough and start playing and you think oh, that sounds good. What I tend to do then is record it onto my phone. So when I started on this project I had a look at what\u2019s on my phone and there were maybe five or six song ideas that were there – maybe a riff or progression of chords. Then there was that pressure of the need to write for the album which I quite enjoyed. There were a couple I had that ended up not being good enough but you know it\u2019s funny there are ones you think won\u2019t be good enough initially but once you start recording them and adding the other instruments they take on a certain form, change shape and sometimes go pow! They come alive and can be the best tracks. It was different but it was all enjoyable.\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you find that when you\u2019ve written a song you also start to piece together who you\u2019d like to play on the track? I\u2019ve heard some of the songs off the album and you have Brian (James) playing on \u2018Clumsy Fingers\u2019 was his name instantly lending itself to that track?
\nMaybe not when I first wrote it but after I\u2019d recorded it in a basic way and Jamie (Oliver) played drums and I\u2019d laid down a rhythm guitar (which I do for all the songs on the album) and the guide vocal was on there I then began to think \u201cWho would I like to get to play on that\u201d and \u2018Clumsy Finger\u2019 was kind of obvious for Brian because instantly it was his sort of thing. Brian loves his rock music and that\u2019s kind of a straight-ahead ballsy rock song and suited his thing down to the ground but there are other songs, for instance \u2013 a song called \u2018I\u2019m not crying now\u2019 which has a more swing Blues thing about it. And of course, Mick Rossi was the one for the Dolls or Stones rocker. So yeah, maybe not when I initially wrote them but once they were fleshed out and I needed to think about it there were obvious choices that certainly sprang to mind. I produced this with Steve (Godfathers) at his home studio and he\u2019s a great guitar player. I\u2019d ask him to have a go at this one and he was great to have around for that because he\u2019s a great player. There were others I\u2019d have loved to ask to play, but for one reason or another timing or whatever couldn\u2019t get it done. People like Captain Sensible but everyone seems so busy doing other things and it would go on forever if you waited so some were not possible. There has to be a cut off there\u2019s only so much time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my questions was about that and obviously with unavailability was there anyone you have on hold for a follow-up?
\nWell, yeah let\u2019s see how this does commercially I wouldn\u2019t want to get ahead of myself never say never I obviously want to see how this goes but it\u2019s been great so far. So far so good the reviews of the single have been great and people seem really enthusiastic which is really humbling and we\u2019ve almost sold the entire first press on pre-order which is amazing and encouraging. So if the album does well or as well as some people have said it will, I might well be encouraged to do it all again yeah ha ha! But I\u2019m certainly going to put a band around it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For live shows\u2026.any idea who you\u2019d have in the band?
\nI\u2019ve kind of got a core of the band along with myself there\u2019s Jamie. Jamie wants to do it. I did say you\u2019re in the Subs, you have your own band you play with other people as well haha but he said he\u2019d find the time and wants to do it. Tony Feedback is a friend of mine and he\u2019s going to do it and I\u2019d like to get some guests like Leigh (The Ruts) who also plays on the album\u2026.get him to jump up and play a few songs. James Stevenson (Chelsea, The Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel) as well as maybe two or three other guests to get up and play which will also make it more of an interesting experience you know\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does it help to have a good address book then?\"\"<\/a>
\nYeah, it does haha. I think it gives it some authenticity as well pulling in people who have their own audience. Maybe people who like them might not gravitate towards it on their own might see that this one is on there so might check it out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m happy to admit that when I first heard the single I was expecting it to be good but I was blown away by how exciting it sounded\u2026you really captured a moment in there its really energetic and vibrant and from the floor toms and bass its really going for it.
\nThank you, I really appreciate that but in all honesty, there are better songs on the album in my opinion and I appreciate that you\u2019ve not heard it all yet. We had to decide on a couple of songs for a single and in fact, there were two songs that hadn\u2019t even been recorded when we were met with that deadline. Rob and Mark needed to get moving in order for us to meet our set deadline so we went with those two. I think there are at least four songs on there that could have been singles and there could still be a second single later from this album \u2013 I\u2019m glad you get them and like them.
\nLee (Ruts) plays some lovely intricate stuff on \u2018Ghost Train\u2019 and it really helps. Brian\u2019s bonkers work on the single really helps and gives it some character.\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure as a fan \u2013 I can honestly say that people will be blown away when they hear these songs and if this is an indication of the quality then I\u2019m excited. As a fan of your work with Cheap & Nasty, I think there will be fans who aren\u2019t Subs fans who will love this.
\nIn fact, as you mention that era Timo plays on this album as well. I was really pleased I got him to play on this album as well you know, people will maybe be familiar with his work with Johnny Thunders as well. It\u2019s nice that there are elements from throughout my career on this record back through Cheap & Nasty and other influences right the way back. There is some Stonesy stuff on this as well as the Iggy influence – it\u2019s a nice balance. It\u2019s great to hear that you like it – thank you.\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s move onto the lyrics for the album. I\u2019ve told you before when we\u2019ve met that \u2018Neighbourhood Threat\u2019 is exceptional and I really mean it when I say it\u2019s up there with the best books of its kind Like Ian Hunters \u2018Rock And Roll Star. The way you write flows, its really engaging and the reader feels like they\u2019re on the road with you. So did you enjoy writing the lyrics for the songs as opposed to writing for a book?
\nYes, I like writing. Been doing my memoirs for T&M and I\u2019ve really enjoyed it \u2013 I only wished I had more time but I\u2019m so busy with the Subs and now, of course, this solo record. I do enjoy writing lyrics and prose. I like the process I enjoy telling stories and recounting things. For me, I\u2019ve always liked the confessional lyrics. It\u2019s funny now I\u2019m 60 (its hard to believe but it\u2019s true) I\u2019ve noticed that actually on this album there are a fair few songs dealing with the issue of mortality. Obviously, when you reach 60 you kinda go oh hang on a minute haha its like there isn\u2019t a large amount of time with which you have left to do things. That\u2019s another of the reasons to be fair why I\u2019m doing this now is if I don\u2019t get this done now it\u2019s never going to happen. I do like to think about using my time wisely whilst I still can and all that sort of thing. It\u2019s a natural consequence of aging I suppose.\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I love listening to lyrics and trying to work out who or what they are about and going back over some of your songs and reading \u2018Some Weird Sin\u2019 I had a light bulb moment that Midnight Emperor was about Andy McCoy and the tour of Japan…
\nOh yeah, that was awful. The label had these guys to show us around and stuff.
\nLike \u2018Ghost Train\u2019 deals with mortality and what you were saying just now…
\nYeah, it\u2019s a dual meaning really mortality and were born \u2013 using it as a metaphor, then we\u2019re on this journey where the inevitability is this train has the same final destination for us all. The other side of it is the frightening political situations everywhere at the moment. People like Trump and Putin these guys are leading us all through scary times with the decisions they make and there doesn\u2019t seem like there is anything we can do. We\u2019re on the ghost train just riding along and hoping that things don\u2019t get worse and we don\u2019t end up heading down the same roads as the 1930\u2019s. Democracy can be overtaken by something more sinister and dark \u2013 or maybe its just me being paranoid…<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re definitely not alone in thinking that…
\nOh good, I\u2019m glad of that haha! But I do think people should be aware that a government can send people to another country and just kill people for speaking out\u2026\u2026scary stuff.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With regards to your writing have you always kept diaries?
\nYes, obviously it\u2019s been a very important tool for me. I\u2019ve got quite a good memory as well \u2013 it\u2019s funny, sometimes I write something and I cross-reference it with my diary and wonder how I remembered it like that. It\u2019s good to keep and they\u2019ve been really useful. On that Iggy tour, I did a page \u2013 page and a half every day. I can fact check my past but at times it\u2019s been really useful. I\u2019m sure if Andy (McCoy) was to write a book about that tour it would be very different from mine\u2026..\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

His Autobiography was certainly an unusual read haha!
\nHe had a bit of a pop at me but I didn\u2019t make him out to be the devil…it\u2019s sad that guy could have had an amazing career he\u2019s such a talent. He could be up there with the great players but ego and other things sadly got in the way…<\/strong><\/p>\n

So he wasn\u2019t a name you looked up to call to contribute to this album then?
\nHa, ha no, no…He\u2019d have demanded an expensive hotel in London, a limo from the hotel to studio, first-class travel he\u2019d then disappear and probably end up not doing anything (Ha ha ha ) and blow the budget haha\u2026..But to answer the question it\u2019s fair to say I wouldn\u2019t work with Andy in any capacity haha I actually did a bit of digging for the updated Iggy book and was putting together what people had been doing since and with Andy it was a couple of singles since Hanoi reformed (<\/strong>and one LP Greese Helmet) in well over a decade…<\/strong><\/p>\n

He did do Big Brother in Finland I believe…
\nOh did he\u2026ha ha ha!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyway getting back on track… When you tour the album \u2013 you mentioned live dates. Will it be a UK Subs like tour or something more scaled down?
\nIt would probably be two or three dates maybe some festival dates next year maybe Rebellion so that would be good. Some of the people I\u2019d have as guests would probably be there as well with their other bands so that would be something to look at.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>That must be a great feeling playing Rebellion with the Subs, knowing stuff like this year you were the only band to reach capacity in the Empress and have the situation of \u2018one out – one in\u2019 over the whole four days which is some achievement by anyone’s standard.
\nYes that\u2019s wonderful, it\u2019s wonderful that people like the band so much, it\u2019s a really productive time for us
\nAs a fan of a certain age, the output from you guys over the last decade has been the best for me you just seem to be getting better and better. From \u2018Work In Progress\u2019 to the single and this EP we\u2019ve never had it so good as Subs fans\u2026..
\nI think part of it was when Charlie was in sole control he just wanted to play and stuff and maybe there wasn\u2019t so much quality control\u2026..things were rushed and when I came back and Jamie and Jet as well, when it became a proper band again, we said we had to do it properly or not at all<\/strong><\/p>\n

Was that around the time just prior to work in progress?
\nYeah, yeah, it really gave the band a boost and slowly we built it up again to where we are now. This might well be the best it\u2019s ever been in terms of sales and shows. There were some funny times \u2013 looking back to the 90\u2019s I can remember Charlie phoning me up one weekend and he would go \u201cAlvin its Charlie. Got a couple of gigs would you mind filling in on bass\u201d and I\u2019d go yes sure no problem. Then he\u2019d go ones in Newcastle then the next night we\u2019re in Exeter and it wouldn\u2019t make any sense. Then he\u2019d have me at his house at 1 o\u2019clock on the day and I\u2019d get to his flat, he\u2019d let me in and he\u2019d say I\u2019m just on the phone. I could hear him pondering and the phone would go down. Then he\u2019d pick it up again and I\u2019d hear him ask someone hi it\u2019s Charlie you haven\u2019t got a van we could use have you? The day of the show ha, ha and he\u2019s only just thought of booking a van! I seem to remember we ended up catching a train with our instruments and using the support bands amps. Another time that comes to mind was a show in Nottingham where we turned up at the venue and I turned to Charlie and asked him where\u2019s the drummer? And Charlie looks at me and says \u201cI thought I\u2019d forgotten something\u201d he\u2019d only forgotten to sort out a drummer! Then he went on stage and asked if anyone in the audience was a drummer who knows our songs. Ha, ha can you imagine it, ha, ha, it was so embarrassing. Those days thankfully are over.
\nWhen Charlie\u2019s in charge these things happen\u2026..Charlie\u2019s been writing his book for about 15 years and a few years ago I went up to him for a joke and said Hey Charlie, how\u2019s yer book going? And his reply was \u2013 oh not bad I\u2019m up til I\u2019m eight years old. So fifteen years and he\u2019s only got til eight years old haha! He did ask me to write it with him but we\u2019ve just not got the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s another thing maybe people don\u2019t know about you, Alvin. Where the hell did you find the time to get your BA Hons in History?
\nWell yeah, that\u2019s another thing I did that was pretty stupid ha, ha. The short answer is I don\u2019t know where I got the time from. But there you go I did and I got a 2:1 which I\u2019m happy with. I found myself doing it on fire escapes, backstage, vans traveling places. I had to come back to the UK every year for an exam and do you know\u2026..I really, really enjoyed it. It was such a great experience and an immense sense of satisfaction going to the Barbican to collect my scroll. I love history and feel I learned so much doing that\u2026..its one of the best things I\u2019ve done in my life and would recommend it to anybody. It\u2019s something I was enthusiastic about and got into it on a much deeper level. Other things it taught me was with history it\u2019s about analysis and reading between the lines and not take things for granted, critical thinking and such likes Things that have been good for me in general in life.
\nI think it\u2019s not such a shocking thing it\u2019s all about being creative with history and music things tend to lend themselves it\u2019s not all about clich\u00e9s. Look at me I live over here in France\u2026I love the culture, the wine is lovely and a lifestyle I couldn\u2019t afford in the UK. It\u2019s totally different to what people perceive. You know I expect they think I should have an anarchy sign painted on the wall and pictures of punks and not art or antiques. I don\u2019t know what people would expect ha, ha. Don\u2019t play to the clich\u00e9 I say.\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was there I let Mr. Gibbs get about his business. It was a pleasure to talk to someone so articulate and happy with his achievements and excited about what\u2019s on the horizon. Click the links to read Alvin\u2019s memoirs Time & Matter<\/a>, pick up a copy of his stunning album and if you can still get hold of a copy\u2026.I can\u2019t recommend his tour diary from that Instinct tour enough ‘Some Weird Sin’<\/a>\u2026.An incredible book by one of Rock and Roll\u2019s finest – Alvin Gibbs \u2013 legend.<\/p>\n

Alvin’s solo album will be available via Time & Matter music.<\/a>\u00a0 Other retailers will also stock it if not just ask them<\/p>\n

Buy UK Subs Here<\/a><\/p>\n

Alvin’s Memoirs<\/a><\/p>\n

Pictures courtesy of Time & Matter\/Timo Kaltio\/Johnny Hayward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a typical rainy afternoon in South Wales the phone rings and on the other end of the line is a buoyant and happy Alvin Gibbs – he being the mighty four stringer from the parish of UK Subversives and former bass player in Iggy Pop\u2019s band, Cheap and Nasty as well as one or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[144,122,146,141,103,145],"class_list":["post-780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-alvin-gibbs","tag-andy-mccoy","tag-cheap-and-nasty","tag-iggy-pop","tag-rebellion","tag-uk-subs","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=780"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1122,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions\/1122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}