As Maximo Park travel the length and breadth of the country plugging their album, thrilling audiences and just generally playing the part of the jobbing pop stars, I couldn’t help wondering if they were as bored with rent-a-question interviews as I am conducting them. In a world where a computer and the address to Wikipedia is all you need to find out where they made their album, how they all met and other such innocuous trivia, Fused decided to not let the opportunity slip to quiz them about the hard-hitting issues. So when Fused met up with Duncan and Archis, we got the most pressing of questions out the way first – the people have a right to know!
What’s your favourite pie?
Duncan: I like Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage.
Archis: Chicken and mushroom.
Good choice. Can you tell the difference between Shepherd’s and Cottage?
D: Well, one’s lamb and one’s beef, right? Yeah, I’d probably be able to tell but I like both, that’s the thing, I do like both.
Phew! Now that one’s out of the way, perhaps we should talk about the album. There’s a song on ‘Our Earthly Pleasures’ called ‘Nosebleeds’; what’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?
D: Probably when I broke my arm. I broke my arm and had to have a piece of metal put in ‘cause it was broken really far away and they had to bolt it together.
Did you cry?
D: No, I didn’t cry. I was very drunk when it happened!
A: I trapped my finger in a train door. Touch wood (knocking on his own head) that’s the worst I’ve had.
If you could make the music video of your dreams, who would be in it and what would it involve?
A: I don’t think we’d be in it! I’d probably get a double – Steven Segal probably!
D: I like that Dee:Lite video, you know that ‘Groove Is In The Heart’ video. Something like that with Bootsy Collins with his big star glasses. Yeah, I’d probably try to remake that video.
What’s the strangest rumour you’ve ever heard about yourselves?
A: That we’re ‘art rock’.
Well how would you describe yourselves then?
A: …varied influence indie rock.
(Laughter) Not really as snappy though!
D: I don’t know, it’s weird. We get misquoted quite a lot. I know it’s annoying for Paul cos lyrics are always being misquoted. I don’t know, I don’t think we’re big enough for bigger rumours to go round.
Seeing as you’re quite well toured by now, in your experience on the scale of rock ‘n’ roll excess, who would you put at the top, who’d be at the bottom?
A: Hmmm, well we have been out with a few who like a drink, like The Blood Arm…and Art Brut, they love a drink.
D: Razorlight seem quite composed but I heard one of them’s a bit of an alcoholic! The Cribs, they get pretty wasted, they’re up there. And the least rock ‘n’ roll? I think probably the Kaiser Chiefs - they always seem really sensible.
A: Primal Scream, they’re pretty rock ‘n’ roll.
D: Yeah, Mani bought us some drinks and we went out with him and stayed out really late partying with him and the rest of the guys. Bobby Gillespie was off somewhere else, but I saw him wondering round at five in the morning. But yeah, probably Kaiser Chiefs are the least rock ‘n’ roll…but who else?
A: You know that band Phantom Planet?
The ones who sang that ‘California’ song?
A: Yeah, they’re not very rock ‘n’ roll.
Ha! Well that’s not really the scoop I was looking for!
(Laughter)
D: Well, Fields Music are good, but they’re not very rock ‘n’ roll.
So where do you fall in?
D: Well, we like a drink and we do go out quite a lot, but I don’t know. We’re probably just above midway, maybe rising up a bit. But it’s all a bit cliché, so whatever we do we try not to do it under that banner and just let it happen.
Well you seem like quite a well-read band. If you were to write your own personal biography, what would it be called?
D: Hmmm, well Archis likes to sleep a lot, so it might be something along those lines.
A: I don’t know I’d probably just call it ‘Sorry’.
D: Paul has a nasty habit of keeping people waiting…all day, so his would probably be something like ‘Still Waiting on Me’ or something like that. I don’t know, what would mine be called?
A: ‘Derby’.
(Laughter)
A: Or ‘Derby Lad, Made Good’ or just ‘Ay up, Duck.’
D: (Laughing still) There you go, Archis has just named it for me.
Maximo Park’s album ‘Our Earthly Pleasures’ is out now.
Words: Cassie Smyth
Illustration: Newtasty