The New Cue #535 October 6: Tim Burgess of The Charlatans
"I'm a Manchester manifester."
Good morning,
I’m writing this intro mere minutes before sending the edition so all errors contained within it are bespoke and freshly brewed.
Today we have a Life & Times interview with Tim Burgess, whose work as the frontman with the mighty Charlatans has been a constant source of joy since their debut anthem, The Only One I Know, came out in the summer of 1990.
Their tale has since encompassed number one albums and hit singles, prison sentences, tragically early deaths, drug escapades, recovery, numerous songs to learn and sing…and here they are on the cusp of releasing album number fourteen, the gloriously free-spirited We Are Love, due at the end of this month and previewed recently by the excellent title track.
I, Ted, met Tim in a Central London office a fortnight ago to run through the questionnaire with him, but have only just managed to transcribe it this morning, very early, so enjoy my typos. There will be no refunds, however, as this edition is free. But we’d love you to help support our round-the-clock work by clicking the box here…
Or at least letting the world know you enjoyed this here:
See you on Friday,
Ted and Niall
The Life & Times Of…Tim Burgess
What was the first record that you loved?
I loved? Well, it depends. Okay, so if I was six years old, it would have been little Jimmy Osmond’s Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool. I actually got my mum to buy it. Before that, it was a Snow White record. But the first record that I feel like I made up my own mind about - it’s actually mind control, with pop records, isn’t it? - was Penis Envy by Crass. I was thirteen. There’s more of a backstory to it than just hearing it. I was, you know, enjoying my life, listening to the Great Rock and Roll Swindle. That was my entry to punk. My friend came in to school and gave me a copy of Bloody Revolutions by Crass, which pre-empted Penis Envy.
He said, ‘You have to listen to this’. I listened to that, enjoyed it so much that I got into everything that came with Crass, the label, the vegetarianism, the vegetarian soup. I really like the idea that Crass were a punk band led by a young punk from Dagenham, Steve Ignorant, and he passed over the baton to the women in the band, and they took over and sang Penis Envy the album.
What was the last record that you loved?
Loss Of Life by MGMT. It’s a beauty. The title is very intriguing, you know it’s not gonna be a joyful experience. I really like that record a lot. I mean, I’ve liked them before. Congratulation is great. But Loss Of Life just has a real kind of emptiness, a stillness. And the lyrics are amazing, People In The Streets and Mother Nature in particular.
What is your earliest memory?
The biggest one was being circumcised. I was primary school age. I remember waking up in the hospital from the op, I think a little bit early. I was in agony, and - yeah. Apart from that drama, it’s mostly about music, probably hearing Slade.
What is your daily domestic routine?
I’m up early, 6:30. In mid-summer it’s more like 5:00. I’m seasonal. I’ve become pretty good at making coffee, and smoothies as well. I can’t leave the house without coffee. I love to know that I’m getting enough protein, too, but I don’t get it from, you know, food, because I’m a weirdo. I like to get it in powder. So do that too. Then I like to walk around Victoria Park, which is very exciting, sometimes I do it twice. I have an iPod which I like to listen to on my walk. Then normally, about 10 o’clock, I start talking to people on the phone, which is a big thing for me. Lots of texts, too. And scrolling as well, too much really. And because I’m in what they call an LDR, a long-distance relationship, I usually am on the phone at about four o’clock because it’s nine o’clock in the morning over there. And that’s it. I like to do some writing too, but you can write when you walk.
What was the house that you grew up in like?
It was a nice house; it was a new house built in 1975, I think. A kind of Barrett House, you know? It was two up, two down. Clean. Record player. Telly. My dad came home at the same time every day, went to work at the same time every day. It was steady. I just spent all my time with my record player, really, a lot of time in my room with posters from magazines. My kid spends all his time on his game. I guess it’s a similar thing.
What is your worst habit?
Coffee? It’s coffee. That’s not too bad, is it, as a habit. Used to be a lot of other stuff, drinking too much and taking too many drugs. Just coffee now, coffee and protein. You can tell I’m pretty buff.
What is the story of your newest work?
I was kind of obsessed with John Cassavetes for a while. I liked his observations and fixations on love. We’ve all experienced it. It’s a huge topic that there’s so much more to go into, the ups, the downs, the turnarounds of love, the look between a band that has been going 35 years. Romantic relationships have been and gone, but the band’s still a huge part of your life in memories and warm feelings and the future of what’s coming next. That’s kind of what the album’s about. We all got together at a time that felt right for everybody and we went to Rockfield to record it. A place filled with things from our past. So we were looking to do this new, forward thinking album while we’re anchored in the past by location. We’ve not been there as a band since 1997, when we finished Tellin’ Stories.
We were using words about it that are quite pretentious, I suppose, hauntology and psychography, which we talked about a lot as we were making it. Honouring the past but propelling it hopefully into the future.
Has anyone you’ve ever met made you feel starstruck?
Yes. Alex Ferguson. So, my dad started supporting Manchester United in 1956 and he told me about all the stories. I’m United fan, but I don’t see them nearly enough to call myself one. My dad was a season ticket holder, though. There was an opening in the 90s of The Red Café at Old Trafford. All the players were going to turn up, and I got invited. Bill Wyman was there, Caroline Aherne, all these celebrity United fans, David Beckham was there. My dad was with me, and my thing was to get him to meet Alex Ferguson. Eventually, made it happen. And Alex was asking about the band, and he said it sounds like it’s too fucking loud for me.
Do you believe there’s a God, and if so, how does he manifest?
I do, and I enjoy God energy. I feel that it’s a light, it’s a glow, and it’s within. I do TM (transcendental meditation) and I’ve done it since 2008, twice a day, and there is a light where it’s like below the surface, and I think that’s the God. Or it could be the sun. But it’s a similar thing, when your mind relaxes and takes deep dives into God consciousness. I manifest stuff all the time. You know, you imagine you just want something to happen, imagine that it is already there, and see how long it takes for it to happen. I’m a Manchester manifester.
What do you wish the 18-year-old version of you knew?
That if you didn’t pay your rent on time, you wouldn’t get kicked out immediately. I think there’s always a panic at the end of the month, but I reckon you had at least three weeks to sort it. So that would’ve cut down some anxiety.
Do you mind getting older?
Tim Pope, the video director, once said to me that no one likes getting older, but no one wants to die young. I’m with that one.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Well, Tim Pope again, once told me to get up in a small two-seater plane to shoot a video, to fly that plane. I did not want to do that. But he said it would look amazing, so I did it and it was totally amazing. So that was good advice, even if we probably could’ve done it with cutaways.
What is your pet peeve?
When I have to move out of the way of electric bikes. I just feel that I’m going to die being hit by someone riding an electric scooter on the pavement. Once I was walking down Parkway in Camden with Lawrence and he told me to get on the pavement because I deserved so much better than being killed by minicab.
What is your favourite film and why?
It just depends on how much I’m enjoying the couch. I love Once Upon A Time in America, I love The Exorcist. I love Jaws. I love Blade Runner. I love Wings of Desire. Don’t make me choose. Depends on the mood.
Have you ever been arrested?
Yeah, a few times. What’s the best one? Well, we all were on a plane once with the Charlatans and we all got arrested. There was some smoking going on, and there’s some drinking going on. I remember Rob [Collins, keyboards] was drinking Bailey’s at the time and it just went everywhere. No one was happy with Bailey’s all over their seat in the middle of a flight. There was a passenger in front of me who put his hand over the screen the back of my seat, on purpose. I didn’t do anything, but Mark [Collins, guitarist] tickled his finger, and he got up and whacked my head rest. Everything got out of hand then… we got arrested and wound up in downtown New York police cells without our shoelaces. Martin [Blunt, bass] was actually not involved at all. He’s on the other side of the plane asleep, and he still got arrested.
When and why did you last cry?
Probably at my dad’s funeral, although it was kind of a weird feeling because it was during Covid, and there was only ten people allowed. I said some words and it was very emotional. I was upset, because my mum would have wanted something more, but she was being amazing and keeping the family all together, being a stoic, Northern mum. I really didn’t do a good job of the speech. Before that would’ve been Rob Collins’ funeral.
Do you have a temper? And if so, how does it manifest?
I get very angry, especially when it’s around people that I know. I don’t get angry to the man on the street. Making music makes me angry. Communicating the ideas, it’s frustration more than anything.
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
There’s this famous lighting designer called Andy Liddle who worked for New Order, a legend of light. He was working with us, and when I gave up drinking, he said to me that he thought I was close to being a goner. I didn’t feel it at all. I just thought I was giving up at the right time. The other time was when Rob and his roadie John organised some drugs to be delivered to Rockfield when The Charlatans were recording Tellin’ Stories. It wasn’t happening quick enough, so I think they cancelled it, but didn’t tell the guy they were getting them from somewhere else. I came out of my room and there was a lad there who put a knife to my throat. I just thought, I don’t really know whether you’re gonna do this or not. Then the door swung wide open, it was Martin [Blunt] coming out of his bedroom, wondering what the noises are. He might have saved my life.
Do you have any phobias?
I don’t really like mice and rats that much in a house. I’ve lived with them lots and it’s not for me. In LA, I had rats in the air conditioning, you could just hear them running around.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
The ‘70s. I think maybe on set watching a Ken Russell film, The Devils probably. I wouldn’t mind going back and witnessing some events that I wasn’t old enough to take in.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Magician, a really good magician, like Houdini, a fucking top level escape artist. I’ve been pretty good at escaping some situations, but this would be top tier.
What’s the secret to a happy relationship?
Absolute honesty, just no-holds-barred honesty.
What is your greatest achievement?
It’s very easy: being in a band that stayed together for 35 years through all the things that we’ve been through. And being a dad. I think they’re both things that mean the most to me.