The Sound - Mid-show interview (Live 1984) - Adrian Borland

[swanky23]

I wonder if he meant that the Smiths are doing shit in the charts? I can't imagine any musician saying the Smiths are shit (unless you're a closed-minded metal head who plays only 7 or 8-string guitars with ridiculous distortion).

[MickHaines]

@swanky23

Well, basically, The Sound were struggling and The Smiths were media faves at that time. In 1984 many people thought the Smiths were just 4 totally overrated arrivists. Also, thos ewere the days of football-styled band rivalries: music fans weren't necessarily open-minded, you know. So some were either supporting The Smiths OR New Order/ Factory and here Borland calling The Smiths 'shit' sounds like a City fan calling United 'shit'...

[swanky23]

@MickHaines Perfect analogy! Like Noel Gallagher ripping on Mani because he's a Utd fan. Although the Sound are awesome, I think Adrian went a bit far... "New Order and us"? Not exactly how it turned out hey mate lol

[rael1999]

New Bands like The Smiths are shit lol.....epic fail Adrain !! If one band's music has lasted the test of time with each new generation of musicians it's Morrissey and Marr's legacy !

[Stefaniapl1]

they were and still are great!!!

[Soulinisolation1]

Love how they storm off when the interviewer mentions those four forbidden words 'Echo and the Bunnymen'. I think comparisons with Bunnymen are a bit lazy, they were more like another forgotten group The Comsat Angels for my money

[claudiocitarella]

GREAT ADRIAN!

[TheMagmagoblin]

What did he think of the Fall?

[rioko666]

The Smith are Shit!  jajaja

[NMillar917]

wish i could here the questions!!!!

[SpleenMeurtrier]

@NMillar917 I have translated them, but I can't post a link here. And it's too long to post it in comments. Leave something in my shoutbox and i'll answer.

[scrambang]

Second Layer was Adrians best stuff...(and that's saying a whole helluva lot!!)

Shit interview, not the bands fault though.

He's right about the Smiths: Shit!

[ABorlandFan]

What a frustrating interview for them. You can just see they don't want to be doing this interview, they're sweaty and exhausted from performing and have to go back on stage after!

[edbtres]

this woman is insane and she keeps asking questions for them to agree with her or not, this is so crazy and weird.

[dayeekiiins]

"...The Smiths are shit...we don't hang around with other musicians, we have our own friends...and we're gonna be around a lot longer than, people who did the other thing.."

Wow...what can you say to that?

[pyenapple]

It's sad, I imagine that attitude is almost completely borne of frustration: The Sound's relative lack of success. Adrian was very driven and, frequently one who lashes out in this manner also focuses a lot of anger and frustration inward. "The Smiths are shit" is a ridiculous statement on the surface: obviously they're a talented group, Adrian wouldn't be blind to that.

[rayheyheyhey]

@pyenapple

Its just a matter of his personal taste cause to me the Smiths are shit as well hehe, always have been. Their music is allright to me but that whiny singer ruined the music to me, morissey sucks imho but its personal I guess hehe :-)

Dont shoot me now ya hear!!

[dustiking714]

@pyenapple Yeah, I think that's true. But I can understand that frustration. Adrian was a musical genious and deserved the fame of The Smiths (I think The Sound is better though). I can't understand either why Adrian didn't made it to the top.

[Arthounot]

Another interesting question for a guy not talking spanish. What ARE the actual questions?

[dayeekiiins]

In my opinion, the only reason they never made it to the top, was their lack of influence with other bands, and the media, always trying to sell sex, not so much music, as it is today. He was ahead of his time.

[gordonw01]

I love there music but they give a terrible interview..they come across as sullen,cocky,and a bit pompous really.Just my opinion.Perhaps it was the fact the interview was a bit of a shambles.

[zoniggboum]

it simply sucks if you're not interviewed in your mother tongue...

[Takac1979]

What is this with foreign interviewers?! Whenever an Anglo-American star gets interviewed the journalist is always some dumb disinterested idiot ...

PS

I'm not English or American.

[fugamante]

Right... you ain't nothing, are you? Man, the interviewer is an excellent one, the questions are really interesting, sometimes it seems that the translator didn't do his work well enough. But I swear to you, the interview is great.

PS

I'm an american who was born in a spanish speaking country.

[backspinking]

The Sound is second to The Smiths

but then again thats just my opinion lol

[Arthounot]

@backspinking somewhere it is said, the Smiths are shit. But that's not my opinion, Smiths is just somewhere down the list in my humble opinion.

:)

[timexrunningxout]

hah, Adrian is rolling over in his great to that comment! Poor guy.

[NMillar917]

legends!!!!!!!!!!!

[Syndikati]

esta chica ha sido una autentica tonta...lol...ohhh my god...lol

[HAMSO61]

would of been interesting to hear what he thought of meat is murder and the queen is dead as they were released after this.wonder if he'd of thought the smiths were still shit then?

[gratis242]

los mas grandes...

[Lindalontra]

Esta jornalista (se é que é uma) é uma anta !

That idiot journalist !

As Adrian able to answer the questions that woman?

adrian, i love you.

the sound forever!

[plopperdeplop287]

intelligence, emotion,power.thats right.

[I008782]

I would also be interested to know why he hated echo and the bunnymen . Can anyone tell ?

Thanks

[pattismithsonian]

Why did they refuse to answer any question concerning their relationship with Echo & the Bunnymen?

[Amuroray1969]

Adrain was right to mention his definition of success, The Sound was successful in their own terms and rights. The world system tells they are a failure but in all truth they did what they want and was able to pull it off.

[Amuroray1969]

Shit like this is why geniuses like Cobain and Borland die. they don't deserve this shitty world system in the music industry run by money hungry business men that conditioned the people's minds of what is good and bad. U2 was not stupid enough to buy its crap! they resisted & fought back at the evil system of the music industry!

[pyenapple]

Then why didn't U2 stop Island Records from suing the crap out of Negativland in the early 1990s? I think U2 are far more indoctrinated into the music industry than you think, it's just that they became huge enough to push back against it: a freedom almost every other band envies.

[Amuroray1969]

what does U2 have to do with this Nagativland? who are they? what business does U2 have with them? are they related?

[durant8]

Rip adrian.. the smiths is best band 4 me!

[burlearth]

The Smiths, shit, what a dick.

[newwavepop]

wow its so amazing to see an interview with him, i cant really say much about it since i dont actually hear the questions just the answers.

[mthelmut]

He should have at least mentioned the Chameleons, who I think are WAY better than Eurythmics and New Order . . we all know Mark Burgess is obviously a big Sound fan, not to mention the White Rose Transmission stuff they did a few years later . . .

No mention of the Comsats, either . . .

[pyenapple]

Maybe he was purposefully just mentioning the bigger bands, as they were ones that had made it to the top o' the heap and, as such, easier to dicuss in a broader sense of critiquing the current crop.

[Soulinisolation1]

@mthelmut Mark Burgess isn't a big Sound fan, he said he wasn't keen on their guitar sound as I asked him but he did say he thought Borland was the most talented solo singer/songwriter that he had ever met. He did sing Sense of Purpose and Possession and the Sound of Adrian Borland tribute gig and wrote a song called Adrian Be. Comsats are great too!

[yiayia0000]

i think you are wrong Mark Burgess playing an adrian borland song possession and sense of purpose. there is a youtube video

[yiayia0000]

you are very wrong there is a youtube video who Mark Burgess sing Sense of Purpose and Possession

[Soulinisolation1]

@yiayia0000 I'm not, as I asked him personally and he says in his autobiography 'When The Sound had first emerged, I paid then scant attention as their particular guitar sound did not appeal to me, but I became close friends with Adrian and believe him to be one of the most talented solo singer/songwriters I've ever met' That Sense of Purpose clip is from a tribute concert for Adrian Borland, so he would sing his song really. It doesn't matter, personal opinion. Sound and Chams both amazing!

[backspinking]

LMAO 00:55

[Xiroi87]

Anybody knows what that was about Echo and the Bunnymen? They just run away!

[pyenapple]

I think she brought up the question of them sounding similar, or that Echo & the Bunnymen had achieved success whereas The Sound hadn't, despite being on the same label (Korova) for a time...? Obviously Adrian didn't want to talk about that, it was kinda of an insensitive question, really.

[Xiroi87]

Thanks but it's not that. I understand what she says and it's not what you think. She said "I'm going to be naughty now. You told us not to ask you/mention anything related to EATB. Why is that?" And then they got up and left.

I assume they might have some kind of problem with EATB or something that someone might know about. That was what I wanted to know, not what she said, which I obviously understand (I'm from Spain!).

[pyenapple]

I think they had a chip on their shoulder because people compare the way they sound to EATB, and EATB were successful and The Sound weren't. Basically.

[Xiroi87]

Ok, that does make sense! Still it seems a bit too much not wanting to even hear about another group just because they were more successful.

[lucieguerlet]

Xiroi

You don't sound like... an artist

When you invent music like Adrian, what's the point being compared to someone else ? especially when the journalist doesn't know antyhing about music

[Xiroi87]

LOL, I may not sound like an artist but I worked many years in the record industry and I know a bit about promotion. I never said anything about being compared, but discussing other groups in interviews (influences, similarities, differences) is not exactly new. It's marketing and labelling (which is necessary to sell the album, because this is business, in case you forgot). Besides they DO talk about other groups in this interview. Getting up and leaving is not exactly a very mature reaction.

[Xiroi87]

Oh, and FYI, this journalist knew a lot about music, the translation probably sucked, because their replies don't always make sense to the questions. How can you assume she's a bad journalist when you don't know her or understand what she says? Their replies were not very brilliant either, I prefer to be kind and think it was just a bad translation they got rather than they could have tried harder.

[lucieguerlet]

That's what I said.

You worked in the record industry, you're not an artist.

You sound just like fat sport's journalists who criticize sportmen who failed...

Bye

[Xiroi87]

Lol, I won't say what you sound like, only that you don't have to be an "artist" to have an opinion and I suggest you ponder what criticizing a journalist you don't even understand what she says makes you look like.

In any case I'm not fat, never been, actually. I hope you "the artist" are not so focussed on your "art" that you don't have the time to do some sports (professional moaning is not one) Bye.

[zandras3ddo]

adrian was a genius indeed. this interview must have been his worst torture.

[essielbe]

ahah genial