Music Q&A:
Heath Common
The Melody Maker journalist turned songwriter, poet and performance artist has been described as West Yorkshire's Kerouac-songsmith. He tells us about his new album
What informs your songwriting?
I was born into a family that was forever on the move and the constant moving around continued into my adulthood, so I tend to write very much about my many and varied experiences during life.
Have you evolved as an artist over the years?
I’d like to think so. My perspective on life and the ways in which I perceive different social and political issues has certainly changed and developed.
What are you up to at the moment artistically?
My new album Heath Common And The Lincoln 72s has just been released on Hi4Head Records of London and in the near future I’ll be performing with the brilliant psychedelic artist Patrick Wise and the great improv pianist Paul Taylor at the Sage, Gateshead and the Spirit Of ’67 festival in Harrogate (22 July).
What’s on your rider?
A hot, vegetarian meal along with cans of Red Stripe.
Tell us you most embarrassing or surreal experience.
Knocking Sting over as he ascended a ramp to take the stage at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. He took a right bash but It wasn’t deliberate (honest). I just wasn’t looking where I was going and his “people” suddenly descended from nowhere to give me what we might call a damned good talking to.
What song do you wish you’d written?
Bill Is Dead by The Fall.
What’s your worst lyric?
“In the sky was a city, ik city, slick city that is.”
Photo: Melanie Smith
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