Beth Gibbons Interview (Portishead) Part 6 (Final)

[newladylazarus]

An amazing, insightful and a "normal" woman who has so many things to say. This interview is a gem and I don't think she isn't enjoying it. She comes out as one of the most intelligent people in the business. Not everyone who writes brilliant lyrics has to be a "talker" as well. Many excellent writers when interviewed cannot express themselves as easily as they would have done in writing but that's normal. But people expect everyone to be perfect and do everything naturally and brilliantly.

[narvinyelaify]

1. It's such incredible luck that we have this recording! Because, basically, it explains the mystery (of why Beth refused to talk to journalists). For some time I was unable to get it, what's so wrong with doing interviews, isn't it just wonderful if people like your songs and are interested in you how you work and what you think and what you read, and your influences, isn't it good to talk to them and tell them?

[narvinyelaify]

2. And here it is! There's no mystery! The amazing thing is that Beth doesn't at all sound like somebody who DOESN’T want to talk. I know people (whom I like and whose career I'm also following) who hate doing interviews and truly don't want to talk about themselves, they talk strictly only about their recent project being promoted, all else is shut.

[narvinyelaify]

3.But they can’t avoid giving interviews, so by now they've done many and said much more than, say, Beth has, but they have revealed much less than she did in just this one.

She, clearly, doesn't mind talking, she IS really talking, even to this guy who isn't a paragon of intelligence and tact.

[narvinyelaify]

4. The trouble is not that he's dumb, smug and tactless... I don't think this is what she's most annoyed with, she is friendly and she does answer the silly questions, she is shy but she is open! God, now and again he even interrupts her when she still has something to say!

The interviewer isn't too bad as he is, the fundamental trouble is that he has no true INTEREST in the person he is interviewing.

[narvinyelaify]

5. And it's slightly humiliating even for me (being a devoted fan and being interested) to listen to such a conversation. She is really talking to him as to a real person, but he isn't, he is merely using her, collecting raw material to concoct another superficial article which is not even aimed at people who know and care anything about Beth Gibbons and would like to know more.

[narvinyelaify]

6. Who is it aimed at? Most likely to catch the eye of new people who've never yet heard of Portishead... make them buy the record, perhaps?

I can tell you that it’s annoying for a fan to have to plod through dozens of articles which all contain 99% of the same information to glean a grain of something new and meaningful. And for the artist it must be so much more annoying tiring and even insulting, to be answering all the same questions over and over again from indifferent people...

[narvinyelaify]

7. (who think it their hard duty to HAVE TO ask about the Bristol scene and trip-hop. No, you don’t have to! We’ve heard about that thousand times already! It’s enough.).

This isn't communication, it's manipulation. And she didn’t want to be manipulated and probably wanted even less to learn to manipulate back (and thus play the game).

Finally I think I’ve got it!

(Beth is weird, though… She is absolutely truthful! That’s an aberration…)

[Dragonetti1976]

"I first heard her voice acouple years ago when my woman played some music, and i swear her sweet voice stopped me in my tracks, a chill ran down my spine with shiver's, she is truley a beautiful artist alive here in this world for all of us out here with some sence to appreciate something real that touches our soul, I would of soooo much to love to have been her Baby-Daddy! i'm Sick' but i tell you, now she is apart of my everyday life when I listen to some REAL good fucking MUsic that I love."

[azwel]

that picture of her up there looks like thom yorke in 93 or whatever

[mashechkala]

Oh, dear, what an angiush...

The interviewer is an arrogant fool, of course, and boring as fuck... (and he got a bit of education from this, now he knows words like 'atmosphere", and 'presumptious' - good for him!)

But let's not put all the blame on him, he's doing his "job" in such a way, because people are wanting and buing this stuff! For example, we here listening to this.

But Beth is truly a treasure!

[seamuszolly]

This interviewer is a moron.

[wings4marie]

She's simply exquisite. Too beautiful for words. :)

[kjgoya777]

I don't think the interviewer GETS IT...he does ask a few silly ???'s...but he does get a response from her...She is genuine...

[defpoet28]

I seriously want to punch this interviewer in the bloody face. He's SUCH a thick moron, with the questions he's asking and the wanker comments he injects.

[brittanycouture18]

shes an Ab Fab fan!!! :)

[djculic27]

the interviewer is spontanious and too direct and english people are not too comfortable with that and that is why she sounds unsure and uncomfortable.. plus she never does interviews and now we know why... imagine being interviewed by this guy all the time. awful!

[dipsilalaundco]

@djculic27 you're wrong. he's great.

[Malexnder]

She seems very lost and unsure about a lot of things.

[borgesian2]

the interviewer asks idiotic questions, what a waste, she rarely talks to the media and when she does she gets this guy, she is so clearly uncomfortable with some of his questions....

[Edwiness]

@borgesian2 I like Portishead/Beth Gibbons as much as everyone else here. But cut the guy some slack, she's obviously not the easiest to interview and at least he doesn't crawl up her arse like some music interviewers do.

[buckfushes]

love portishead

[pLauren]

nice interview!

[iambeetle]

dummy is not crap! who said that?

[nikezooms]

i love her