The DELGADOS

Ryan Taylor

RAD recently had a chance to speak with the members of Delgados, this is how it went.

RAD:: So how's the tour going so far?
Delgados:: It's going all right. We started off in Toronto 4 or 5 days ago.
RAD:: Yeah, your doing a new city everyday, right?
Delgados:: yeah, and this is good 'cause we always cover the same towns when we come to America. Start off in Canada, Toronto, then Chicago, New York. But we've never stopped anywhere near here before. We go from Chicago straight to Seattle.
RAD:: How do you like Salt Lake City?
Delgados:: It seems a bit strange. When I came earlier I noticed the signs in the clubs said something like 'no smoking' 'no drinking' 'no dancing'. It makes you want to do those things, you know what I mean? thinking I don't actually smoke, but it makes me kind of want to smoke.
RAD:: What did you think of the mormon temple?
Delgados:: It looked like Russia or something. I thought the center of town was quite beautiful. A lot of North American cities all look the same, but in Salt Lake City there's something really, really different about it. And for that, it's truly nice. It seems for better or for worse and probably as for better and for worse, it seems very unique.
RAD:: I read a quote from you, "We've got to a point where we don't believe there's any light in people's character," which is kind of the theme behind the album. Are there any specific events that inpired that theme?
Delgados:: I think everybody's sort of multi-faceted. I think like trying to make a point there's some things you have to do. You have to go all the way across to the other side to actually make a point that you're trying to make. People have the capacity to be good, but a lot of the times there's also a capacity for darker emotions. And sometimes you can feel that there's not a great deal of good in people. There's not a great deal of positivity in the human condition. There are other times when you see a little bit of something more beautiful. Sometimes you see things or your friends see things or experience things that make you think well people are really horrible.
RAD:: Are any of the darker themes from hate inspired by any of the world events that are going on right now?
Delgados:: It kind of wasn't. I mean it's a really strange thing. When we wrote the record, we were getting to the point where we'd finished most of the record. We were working on the music for all you need is hate. I had done the chords. And the band was getting together and we were rewriting the song. This was on September 11th. We were in the studio when stewart came through and said, "come and see this." But that wasn't an inspiration.
RAD:: Do you ever draw on political atmosphere for your music, or do you tend to draw more from personal experience?
Delgados:: It's mostly personal. I mean you have things like "all you need is hate". It is kind of personal, but similarly there's also this idea that life's about getting what you want at all costs. Then there's a song like child killers which is about a section of society where children are denied a childhood. But it's not about campaigning for the democrats or republicans.
RAD:: Do you have any favorite songs on Hate?
Delgados:: I don't. I mean, there are things i like about every song on the record. I mean it's funny, but it's not possible for me to have a favorite or a least favorite. There are things i like about all the songs, and i do like the songs. but i do think it's almost impossible to think that clearly about it. It's like we're way to close now. Give it a few years time, 10 years time and maybe i'll be able to say, yeah that's my favorite.
RAD:: Do feel Dave Fridman brings a lot to your albums.
Delgados:: Yeah. I think Dave's one of these guys who if you give him a lot of music and you give him a lot of parts and pieces of real intricate songs, dave can really work well with it and that's exactly what we do on Hate. He gets into it. I think he was really important in the Great Eastern and Hate.
RAD:: Is there anything different about the way you've approached writing and recording songs between the Great Eastern and Hate?
Delgados:: Oh yeah, I mean as far as the songs were written, it's been exactly the same. It's just me and Emma writing the songs. As far as putting things together, it's been massively different. We got to the studio with Hate. We knew most of the string parts. We'd had them scored on a sequencer. And we knew we wanted certain songs to have choir parts or brass parts on them. We were so much better prepared for Hate than the Great Eastern.
RAD:: This is the first album where you've dong the choir thing, right?
Delgados:: Yeah.
RAD:: How was working with the choir?
Delgados:: It was a little strange. They're almost like they're not quite human. They're almost human. You can look at 'em and think, "yeah, you look like a human." But in real terms it's like they're not. They're total machines. It's like if you play bass, then you come along with your bass and that's your instrument. They come along with themselves. They're great. Absolutely amazing. They're great to work with. It was a completely different thing for us.
RAD:: How are you performing the choir parts?
Delgados:: We have some samples. Some of it on the album is sampled too. Like Woke From Dreaming' is a sample.
RAD:: What bands are you listening to these days?
Delgados:: I've been listening to a lot of Lee Berry, Ian Dury & the Blockheads. Some of the first modern lovers albums are great. Godspeed You Black Emperor is also really good.
RAD:: What does Gak mean?
Delgados:: Gak means two things. Did you ever read Dr. Seuss? It's from the one.