1) Please, tell us about the origin of the band... how long have you playing in bands?
Friends were encouraging
me to record another album/ c.d. i.e Gerry, Raymond and also the
people who played on the c.d. especially Alan Dornan and of course Vienna
! With regard to playing in bands wait for it ............37 years{{:~)
WOW.
2) Have you played in other bands previously? Which bands?
Other bands The Out
, The Fabulous Wonderfuls and Conspiracy are three and of course various
line-ups of the Green 3. One tour playing guitar for Sad Cafe and two tours
playing a little guitar for Meatloaf.
3) Han can you spend time in both touring with Teenage Fanclub and also rehearsing with your own band?
As with all forms of
creativity you have to try to support yourself and your family while still
having fun and doing that which gives you bliss i.e. swimming, painting,
writing songs, performing on stage and i'm sure this also applies to running
a fanzine! Working with T.F.C. allows me to do this and also to spend time
with great people which in turn gives inspiration when I return home to
work with my music.
4) Describe the way since a song is born until it is recorded and listened to in a CD?
Sometimes by reading something or experiencing
it 1st hand is enough to start me writing .....I feel that most things
come through me ........that is that I don't do this on my own , the 'Big
Fella' helps me. Other songs have no personal experience or connection
...they just pop out like magician's handkerchiefs .....you don't know
what's coming next.
5) Do you live on music? Which other things you do apart from music? Can you describe an ordinary day in your life?
No I have to confess that I have never managed to live by music alone but as I exp-lained in Q3, I am fortunate enough to be a guitar tuner and I also make and sell ethn-ic and fashion jewellery, which has "saved my bacon" many times over the years . When I first "dried up" as a songwriter I started making jewellery .......This helped not only the pocket but also the creative urge. I think it's very important to be creative ......in fact creativity is the key.......we've all come into the world through the ultimate creativity ......It's magic ....two people make love and are sometimes lucky enoough to make another little person or even two !!!!!!!!
The day usually starts with me giving Karen and Vienna a kiss good-bye and going and standing on a market to sell a few items of jewellery, coming home and trying to be a Dad a Friend and a songwriter ....there are no sour grapes in what I am going to say next .......the problem is there are only two levels in music ...for instance take T.F.C. .........fine songwriters ,but don't really get the credit or reward they surely deserve ....on the other hand there's Elton John( bless him) to name but one of a tiny little Super-club who earn more in interest before they turn on the light in the morning than all the rest of us earn in a year ........put together !!! It's not their fault but I think of Music like food . I love prawns.........but I wouldn't want to eat them all the time so I try to eat a VARIETY of things....it 's much more interesting ..............and I think of Music like sport. I can watch football now and again but I wouln't care to wear a football kit to go out shopping ...with a footballer's name emblazoned on the back and anyway there are about 350 other sports besides football ....or maybe we should call it "Rollerball" as in the 70's film with James Caan and all those people who haven't seen it ,should ,and take a look at themselves.
And I suppose whilst
I'm on about it ,who decided to start playing DANCE MUSIC at 9.15
in the morning??? Whose listening ? The 13 yr old schoolgirl or boy
? No ...they are in class ! The 19 or 20 yr old student ? No...... they're
at a lecture or at the library ! The 20 /30 and older upward employed ?
No ........they're in a meeting or working at a computer or behind a counter
or with the boss ! Those employed in a driving job ? No.......they
are listening to a (c.d. pirate or copied) of something they like ! Well
may-be the retired and elderly are tuning in to the "Breakfast Show "
hoping to hear a tune by 'Big Bruvvas' or 'Outcast'.....don't think so
somehow!
NOPE.......... the ONLY people listening
at 9.15 am are the unemployed .....who can't afford to buy food most of
the time (never mind a c.d. ) and the REALLY smart money at record labels
(sic.) who have fallen for the oldest trick in the book and given some
day-time radio D.J.s the license to print their own money .
Not only are they paid to play music on the radio ,they can now go out at night and get disproportionately well paid for turning up with a little box of c.d.s under some grand self-delusion of erstwhile creativity ,Yes I can picture now all those folks turning out to listen to Seb Fontaine as he plays tracks off the new Ben Folds and Eva Cassidy c.d........I don't think sooo! The only music they play is music that will guarantee people will pay to come listen to their ......(drum-roll please !)..........' 1 hr set (live) '
I'm sure if Bob Marley or Curt Cobain had presented a radio show where he only played his own songs or songs that earned him more money there wouldn't be too many t-shirts or posters about with their faces on.........but let's not get too serious {{$~) ..................anyway nobody wants to dance at 9.15 am ...do they???
6) Do you prefer gigs or the studio?
Well I've played lots
of shows and I've only done a little recording so I suppose
I love both the same. One because it is great fun and exciting and I feel
pretty much at home and the other because it's also fun and it's new and
exciting and i don't know what I'm doing half the time ...{{:-)
7) You have played a lot... which bands have you supported? It must be interesting if you could tell us some interesting memories of gigs? The Mark Knopfler one...
I ,some times solo,
and sometimes with my friends in bands have supported Pixies , Tina Turner
, Curtis Mayfield , Icicle Works, Asia, The Mighty Diamonds, John Cooper
Clarke, Meatloaf, Sad Cafe , Heavy Metal Kids, British Lions ( Mott the
Hoople really) , Dire Straits , Don Mclean , Dr Hook , Toyah , Rita Coolidge
, Shakin'Stevens , Pablo Moses ,The Move, The Freshies , The Boomtown Rats
, Snowy White , Fairground Attraction , Jilted John , Misty in Roots, Chameleons
, Tractor,John Martyn, Timbuk 3 , The d.b's , David Essex , Paul Brady,
Jools Holland , Geno Washington and last but very not least ...Teenage
Fanclub {{;-)...... (and a few others , probably, but sadly not Elvis.)...
{{:~(
8) Which bands have said good things about George Borowski?
Most of them I think
. Well I hope so.....apart from Jools Holland . But he wasn't
there when we played anyway I will
try and find some quotes for another time ............ Perhaps
we should have a regular article in your 'zine ...news and anecdotesand
topical stuff . We could call it ' notes from george's guitar ' let
me know..eh ?
Oh this is a lovely one , Curtis Mayfield
( to Chas Banks , his tour manager at the time and one of my dearest lifelong
friends) : " george is a real white nigger "
9) How many records have you released?
2 singles ' Who is innocent / Linda's just
a statue ' by The Out on Rabid Records and (nearly Virgin)
single of the week in 3 out of 4 British music papers (I'll
tell you a little John Peel story next time) ' 79
' Being in love / Here come the girls
' by The Fabulous Wonderfuls on Eagle Records
lost at sea unfortunately . ' 81
2 albums both vinyl one who's title
I can't remember at the moment so I don't want to mis-name it on Samizdat
co-written with Jan Sikorski , a tribute to Lech Walesa ' 83
The other ' The Bait' on White
Rhino ' 89
1 c.d. album '12 Cecil Road'
on GG records and tapes limited edition all gone now
and you've got a copy!!!
Forthcoming c.d. album due for release
on Ozit/Morpheus Sept/Oct I'll let you know
as soon as I have a date. We're still
looking for a Spanish label ??? any Ideas are
welcome.
10) How it feels like being a one-man band? Are there any other members in George Borowski?
It's sometimes a bit
lonely , well perhaps not lonely but a bit ' on your own ' and in
the band lots of people in fact everybody except for ' slackie'
,whose on the new
c.d., have played sometimes 3 and
sometimes 7 and all points in-between ...Netty & I have even done a
couple of duo shows.
11) In your records, you write and arrange the songs, produce them, play almost all instruments... is that a way of not losing control over the things you do?
Well I only really play the rhythm
- guitars and a few bits of cello-ey stuff and I only play those because
I can hear it all ..in my head ..everything I've written it's all
in my head. Maybe control ...never
even thought about that , good question , I'll come back to you on that
one .
12) There are many Glasgow-based bands such as Astrid, The Delgados, Snow Patrol, Teenage Fanclub, Arab Strap, Belle and Sebastian, Camera Obscura, Idlewild, etc. What do you think of the scene in Glasgow? Are there any interesting new bands you would like to recommend?
I don't spend a lot
of time in Glasgow as I'm based in Macclesfield 16 mls south of
Manchester but I'll be up there playing
a few shows so I'll keep my eyes and ears open and keep you posted ......Watch
this space {{{{:~)
13) What are your all-time favourite albums?
Oh eck !!! We......llllll
this weeks top three ( in NO particular order ) Revolver :Beatles
Are you experienced : Jimi Hendrix
Pretenders 1: Pretenders ....... Same time next month, for another big
three.
14) And the last album you've bought?
Managed to find a vinyl
copy of Pretenders 1 in near-perfect condition . Wow ! Magnificent guitar
playing by the late James Honeyman-Scott and by Ms Hynde herself .....In
fact a great team effort by everyone Play it loud in a big room
on a ghetto blaster ................................
" that's the way God planned it , that's the way God wants it to be "
15) Which are the main things that influence on you when it comes to writing songs?
Life .
16) Have you ever been to Spain? Will you do a spanish tour?
I've been to Spain many
times .......only played the once , in Barcelona , I would LOVE to tour
if you can fix it Senor
Rafa I will send
many sweets !
17) How did you get in touch with Teenage Fanclub? How long have you been working with them? Have you ever played with them?
I met T.F.C. 10 yrs
ago through Chas Banks . I was working with the Pixies ...T.F.C.
were supporting . We have worked together for 9 yrs . I played keyboards
and some guitar and harmonica for about 3 tours until Finlay joined
on
a permanent basis . I was also invited
to play acoustic guitar on ' I don't want control of you ' on ' Songs from
northern
britain' and auto-harp and backing vocals
on ' Ain't that enough ' for 'Top of the Pops' . I have also played
tambourine on
' Feel a whole lot better ' and piano
on 'Neil Young ' for the independent t.v. programme ' The White Room '
as well as a
number of B.B.C. radio 1 sessions.
And I'd just like to say that Teenage Fanclub are the most gracious
, kind and
honest people I have had the pleasure
to have met and worked alongside . They are gentle men in the truest sense
and long may they sail, regaling us with their unforgettable songs laced
with truth and the Celtic way !!!
18) If you want to add anything, this is the place!!!
It's 5 a.m. may all the chords of peace and love ring for you goodnight . sleep tight . God bless
