Matt Johnson (aka The The) Interview

[dadniel97]

This is my friends dad , and someone told me that today , never knew he was his dad was famous ! XD

[ThePsychoannalist]

One of the unsung greats. GREATS. Listen to him and learn, young folk!

[lovelifewhy]

When I gave you his Twitter acct, please check it & all the posts, it is his personal acct. Though he`s managing now he foes reply :) Good Luck. Dave

[daypeshmodd]

I REALLY need to write to him & get a reply, cos I got a bone to pick with him.

Matt never stopped making music, only thing is he doesn't release it. Having been a fan since early 80s,I always wanted Pornography of Despair, but never could. Later, I heard about Spirits. Then there's all the film scores &Gun Sluts, New York Trilogy, etc...and as some mentionned, if we could at least get some live shows & the video-movie Infected. Your fans want your work,Matt! Could you plz do smth about it?!

[AccordionMan101]

@daypeshmodd you know, thethe.com has a contact page where you can contact the man himself.

[daypeshmodd]

@AccordionMan101 Thanks. I know he has a contact page, but according to my experience with a couple of other artists, I always figured secretaries would be answering for him, which is why I never wrote.

[AccordionMan101]

@daypeshmodd well, when i ased him, it said "regards, Matt" I hoped this helped. I luv The The

[lovelifewhy]

@daypeshmodd He`s on twitter @mattjohnson I think it`s spelt & that is 100% Matt :)

[daypeshmodd]

@lovelifewhy Thx! I know he is, but I'm not and I'm even more relunctant to being there than he was. Besides, I have too much to tell him.

[abvflux]

Get your ass to making a proper The The album, Matt! Deliver another "Mind Bomb"!

[borntoloop]

@abvflux god no - not another mind bomb...one was sufficient (and very dull)

[abvflux]

@borntoloop You're inhuman if you aren't moved by "August & September" or "Kingdom of Rain".

[borntoloop]

@abvflux inhuman? think you may have overplayed that slightly lol?

[daypeshmodd]

@abvflux Really?! There's only 1 single The The album I don't like very much & it happens to be Mind Bomb. But hey, to each their own! Peace.

[macwhites]

first always hated the name the the but liked the artwork. great songs were this is the day and uncertain smile.i dont like his voice except for those 2 tracks. shame really.

[ninjah72]

to heavy sabre...i presume you didn't get to see the full infected film then?or you wouldn't be saying that...and anyway isn't his music all about creating your own image to it? to be honest i'm too busy singing along to be worrying about it!

[borntoloop]

@ninjah72 I agree re.full infected film...the height of his video making...

[HeavySabre70]

Matt Johnson's music is so brilliant but the video's are such a let down. His music is so visual, so atmospheric but the vids that go with the songs are so dull. Maybe Matt should have chosen better directors for the videos. For that era, compare for example the vids of The Cure compared to The The vids. The Cure's vids are so much more creative and interesting. But its the music the matters and Matt J is amazing in that respect.

[THUNOLDT]

You are Fanastisk Brilliant Matt

[thedigitalcollective]

oh wow he dropped TG's name.wow! cool.i really didnt expect it.

[GlassPike]

What year is this?

[warwickharris]

very interesting listening to what he has to say!

[borntoloop]

mind bomb is terrible 1st Soul Mining 2nd Burning Blue Soul 3rd Infected. 4th Pornography of Despair. All the others never reach the artistic and musical heights of these 4.

[TheStormsbrewing]

@borntoloop I loved Mind Bomb, I think it was my favorite

[ProfessorEggflesh]

@borntoloop - This happens to be the order of my faves as well. There hasn't been such a prefect record from start to finish since the day Soul Mining was released, and Burning Blue Soul is amazingly haunting. I don't know anyone personally who has ever heard of Pornography of Despair, and that's sad. Matt is a true original.

[ChuffinBudz]

Such a shame that true genius can never recognize their massive contribution to so many of us 'Beat(en) generation. True artists have to suffer but Matt Johnson has lived and written so prophetically...well, I just wish he knew how much he'd helped us through. :/

[okee9]

@ChuffinBudz I would say with the likes of Matt Johnson that creativity is an obsession and he isn't satisfied until it's out of his head an in the real world as music/poetry and will work obsessively to get it out there, any praise or adulation that comes because of that creativity is par for the course but not the thing that drives him.

[chillart22]

I love "Hanky Panky",actually just bought it again and it's still as great as it was in '95.

[Rourkeangel]

THE THE ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love all of the albums, Matt had real talent, gr8 voice and imaginitive song writer.. thanks for posting this loverly interview

[rhodkemp1]

well the last two comments were obviously made by total cocks. "pseudo pretentious" - such clarity of insight. give yourself a doggy treat.

anyway, impressive geezer - talented, well-grounded, thoughtful. i'll buy him a pint some time. sheer quality of his work is amazing.

[mingmong21]

this man is a penis

[bbc4001]

Pseudo pretentious twat!! A certain smile.... well we're not f***in laughing. Maybe he's infected HAHAHA aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggghhhhh­hhhhhh. The sort of shite that held up the roof of the Moles Club in Bath for many many too many years.

[Henrymood8]

Shut up you twat

[ThisCharmingFan]

Great interview. Matt Johnson is an underrated genius and a very intelligent and good bloke. His albums are brilliant. Wish he was still making music and touring. Hope he comes out with something in next few years. It's been 10 years since NakedSelf- the last The The album proper.

[ProfessorEggflesh]

@ThisCharmingFan - Ditto. I haven't experienced such lyrical genius since Burning Blue Soul and Soul Mining to this day. Of course Tears for Fears 'The Hurting' lp was pure genius, but Matt's work just digs deep into my mind with a euphonious shovel. My personal fave is Another Boy Drowning. No one makes music like this anymore.

[borntoloop]

@ProfessorEggflesh I go for "Song without an ending" - if that song wasn't written for every post adolescent awkward male out there, then I don't know (other than some smiths tracks, I s'pose) any better...

[ida2x]

Thank you for posting this interview.

[MOMMAKUH]

There's supposedly a movie called Tony coming out where The The does the musical score, anyone know about this?

[karenballcabot]

I found this on Wiki, "In June 2009 it was announced that The The created an original soundtrack to the Gerard Johnson film Tony. The official The The website describes the film as 'a dark character study that exposes the sinister secrets of a lonely London life.'"

[DrBojayGupta]

What's Matt doing these days? Dusk was a revelation and I wish five more like it had followed.

[raycrochet]

same here, Dusk was everything i felt and wanted to feel!

[andymill32]

Three classic timeless albums. Soul Mining, Infected and Mind Bomb

[AlphaOmegaFilms]

So pity that so talented musician doesn't play no more. Just hope that he is happy in his nomusical life.

[cheonmunka]

I bought Soul Mining in '85 from mem.. It's still one of my best records.

Was precious item to me back then.

[wilgar69]

Does anyone remember that when Soul Mining was out on pre-recorded cassette it had a few tracks on side 2 that weren't available on the vinyl? - to my knowledge these tracks have never been released on CD and i would appreciate it if anyone knows whether they are available anywhere.

[ThisCharmingFan]

wilgar, yep I had that cassette too in the early 90s and evr since i lost it years back I've never been able to track down those extra tracks. One was called 3 Orange Kisses from Kazan and I'm sure Siouxsie Sioux was on one. Anyway I got them finally few months back. The CD was only meant to have 7 tracks on anyway and the reissued version had the 8 tracks that ends with Perfect. I have the cd and prefer just the 8 tracks but it's good to have found the rarer tracks from that cassette.

[45junkee]

In Yorkshire we call them T' T'

[theBESTelvis]

the mans a genius...

there was 2 amazing albums released in 86 that blew me away..THE THE 's INFECTED. & TALK TALK's THE COLOUR OF SPRING...two works of art... still listen to them both all these years later...

please check out talk talks masterpiece to,

[eilismaireg]

ha ha

[DilatoTechInvest]

mad feckin genius

[mrpepperman]

Matt is a genius and when he got together with Johnny Marr it was a perfect combination.

Sony get the films in the shops on DVD format, won't make you as much money as Britney, but will keep TheThe fans very happy.

[90125y]

This comment is spot on. How on earth is 'infected' or 'the the versus the world ' not out on DVD.

[ShivaCVIII]

Some sort of contractual thing between Sony and The The I think. They should be deffo on DVD. I'll start a page on Facebook....!

[FukinMikeAlright]

Can someone Tell me what it was that Johnson n Marr actualy worked on which albums or tracks?

[francoarba]

no news of any new record. not even on his web site

[brack909]

check out the "Mind Bomb" album

[eilismaireg]

the beaten generation

[Buzku]

The whole Mind Bomb and Dusk-albums.

[twenty4hourworld]

AMAZING man and amazing talent!

[craigaspin]

I have a lot of respect for Matt Johnson's views and talent..

[kissmybuttdimple]

this guy is incredible...

[MCSin2007]

could not agree with sledge more

Infected is a truely great album

my other 4 would be 'Machine Head - Deep Purple', 'Led Zeppelin III - Led Zeppelin', 'Turbo - Judas Priest' and 'Herzeleid - Rammstein'

=D

[Sledge101]

If I could only listen to five albums for the rest of my life, 'Infected' would be one. And I never knew there were videos for Out of the Blue (Into the Fire) and Mercy Beat!! Killer!

[MrBField]

hey guys and girls.

They just don't sign people like this anymore.

I guess there producers or engineers or session heads.

But life was so much more fun when these guys (n' girls) were in the POP charts.

Leeona Lewis, god 'elp me.

[KURTZDADDY]

20 years later The The still rock hard

[phillipdaly]

thanks for that.

he's a top bloke

[bertingen]

The The God has spoken!!!!

God created our world in 6days, the seventh day ..............he ROCKED !!!!

[mapgoon]

Saw them live in 1993 in Minneapolis, good show. Too bad it takes him 7+ years between albums...he's a real talent.

[arizonawoodman]

I hope The The NEVER TOURS AGAIN.  They SUCK. I paid a huge amount of money to hear a concert where they refused to play This Is The Day. FUCK YOU MATT JOHNSON.

[harpo10]

Wah,wah,wah, they wouldnt play my song!! boo hoo! Grow the fuck up! Some of us would kill to see them regardless of the setlist crybaby.

[arizonawoodman]

Piss off you sad twat.

[harpo10]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!You mean if they had played your song you would be raving about how fuckin awesome they are?

[arizonawoodman]

Awesome?? LOL--hardly. They only had two good records to begin with and they refuse to play both. But now are so fucking desperate for money they have to sell one of those songs they would'nt play to Target! I hope they are starving. We know you're not starving Oprah...oh I mean harpo. FUCK THE UK AND ALL THEIR SHITTY MUSIC.

[Redenty]

How old?? Grow up!!!

[Arthounot]

Boohoo how ontopic

[murcury]

I hope he tours again.

[chinkogakusaizo]

Good to hear that he was influenced by TG and Cabs.I'm a big fan of Cabaret Voltaire and also Matt Johnson from their very early days.One of the most decent interview that I've seen on YT.Thanx for uploading this.

[caligari89]

THANK YOU MATT ! Thanks for sharing your wisdom ! You tried to teach us something through your music. Unfortunately the world has even worsened since the 80's. The human race is about to reap what it's sown...

[robert0414]

what a great interview ... thanks

[TheMercyBeat]

Thank you for posting as well as reminding me of that rather superb interview indeed! I remember seeing it on MTV back in 1989, 1990. Matt's words of wisdom fell right into place once again!

[3rdStoneFromTheSun]

MATT JOHNSON IS GOD!

Check out the 1st song he's done in years on his website!

He's back!?!

[pinthias]

No one takes time to ever say THANK YOU MATT! You did it. Fucking gun slut!

[cocksmoker001]

johnny marr on harmonica...love it!!!

[987markc]

Thanks for posting. The The most under-rated band ever; Infected an all time classic; Out of the Blue best song of all time.

[EsromFF]

I love The The - wish they put out more

[HarryTheHippo]

Very cool! Thanks!

[commonergirl]

what a good interview, thanks very much!

[rustybuckets07]

nice one...thanks for the post.. :D

[RiquezJP]

Never seen this one before - thank you for sharing!

[Dubh86]

Thankyou!x

[kreestof62]

What a superhero Matt is!!!!

[monkaey]

thank you for posting.