TIM BOWNESS - eleven short film stories

20. March 2019

Tim Bowness

TIM BOWNESS - elf filmische Kurzgeschichten

He has to laugh when you talk to him about his typical melancholy and also: "I don't like to talk. I never liked it before. I'm much better at writing. If you like, I'll be happy to answer your questions by email," Tim Bowness admits right at the beginning of the conversation. But he doesn't get away that easily. Especially not if you have the reserved British singer on the phone. Furthermore, Bowness, who for many years and various albums together with his musical partner Steven Wilson forms the artpop/artrock duo no-man, has a lot to say about his new solo album "Flowers At The Scene". An album that offers his typical artpop with melancholic songs and for which he was able to win the support of an illustrious group of musical guests.

eclipsed: Your last album "Lost In The Ghost Light" was a concept album. Now it's eleven independent songs.

Tim Bowness: Yes, I wanted to consciously create short stories and not a coherent concept. Every single song is like a little movie. I tried to look behind the headlines. For example, I read in a newspaper the headline that a child was killed. I imagined what that would mean for family and friends.

eclipsed: You have prominent guests with Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), Kevin Godley (10cc), Andy Partridge (XTC), Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) and Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree).

Bowness: Already when writing the pieces I had clear ideas as to what should sound like, which voices and instruments I needed. Thereupon I simply addressed the musicians concerned. When I wrote the song "It's The World", I immediately had Peter Hammill's voice in my head. I was always a big fan of Kevin Godley and 10cc. My very first single I owned was a 10cc single. When I was a schoolboy, my favourite singers were Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Peter Hammill, Kevin Godley and David Bowie. It's a great feeling that two of these five are now on my album. With Jim Matheos and Colin Edwin I knew exactly what I wanted from them and that they could also surprise me. It was interesting to see how Jim, who usually operates in a harder environment, sounds in a new context. With this album I also afforded myself the luxury of having several drummers and bassists with me. So I had different versions of the same songs and could choose the best ones.

eclipsed: "I Go Deeper" and "Borderline" were decoupled as video singles. Why these two songs?

Bowness: Those aren't necessarily the outstanding showcase songs. But there was immediately a consensus with the record label which songs we should choose. It could have been five or six others. Even though it became eleven independent songs, it has not only become a collection of songs.

eclipsed: You let it be known that Flowers At The Scene was a fresh start for you.

Bowness: All my albums - solo or with no-man - were somehow connected. Each album was in some way an answer or reaction to the predecessor. Without the predecessors no album would have turned out the way it did. The last album "Lost In The Ghost Light" is the end of this chain for me. "Flowers At The Scene appears to me independently. Maybe because I now have completely new musical partners.

eclipsed: Steve Kitch of The Pineapple Thief has taken over the mastering. Steven Wilson the mix. And he's also in charge of production alongside you and Brian Hulse. It's called "produced by no-man."

Bowness: Steven was initially only planned for the mix. But soon it turned out that our ideas about the sound of the album remind us of no-man. He also quickly came up with his own ideas about structure and sound. That came very close to the no-man style. Therefore the production is something like a no-man production. The difference to no-man is that Steven didn't supplement my songs and specifications, didn't rework them like he does with no-man. Nevertheless: We also started real no-man sessions during the recording of "Flowers At The Scene" and worked together on songs. After the solo album was finished, we continued with the no-man sessions. This will continue when Steven finishes his solo tour in April. So I can imagine that a new no-man album could be released at the end of 2019 or in 2020.

eclipsed: Your co-producer and keyboarder Brian Hulse was in the 80s - before there was even no-man - together with you in the band Plenty, with which you only last year - 30 years after your active time - released the newly recorded debut "Hide". Did that have any influence?

Bowness: Only to the extent that I worked with Brian again after so many years. He brought me back in a certain way of singing and composing. A species I haven't had in a long time. Back in the late '80s, I had to make up my mind: Do I go to London and focus on no-man? Or do I stay in Liverpool and continue with Plenty? I've never regretted choosing no-man. Even though Brian helped to shape the new album as co-producer and keyboarder, it is not a new plenty album. Because I alone have set the direction.

eclipsed: The album has many different moods. Hard songs, soft songs, melancholic songs, happy songs. What mood were you in?

Bowness: I was pretty positive. I just found it interesting what happens and how everything develops. I had this new approach and wanted to keep everything dynamic. Everything was fresh, even when it was sad lyrics.

eclipsed: The album also captivates with its fine arrangements. Are these your ideas?

Bowness: Yes, these are almost all my ideas. I just knew exactly what I wanted. But of course these are all good musicians who have also made suggestions. For example, Ian Dixon, the Australian trumpeter. He recorded the trumpet out in the Australian outback. On a rainy day. That landed on Rainmark.

eclipsed: What comes first with you: the lyrics or the music?

Bowness: In general I first have the music and the melodies. Then come the lyrics. Of course I have a collection of so far unused lyrics or unused single lines, from which I use myself also sometimes later, if it fits to the music. I always say: "A bad song with great lyrics remains a bad song. A great song with bad lyrics is a great song."

eclipsed: No matter if there are the typical Tim Bowness lyrics or not, but lines like "A journey too far, but not far enough" and "My mouth is moving, but the voice isn't mine" from "I Go Deeper" are really typical for you, aren't they?

Bowness: Yes, I think these lines are typical for me. I hope, however, that the term "typical" is to be understood positively in this context. In the sense of your own handwriting. Not in the sense of boredom. I don't want to be boring or do the same thing all the time. I want to keep surprising you.

eclipsed: Years ago we already talked about your lyrics line "Maybe there's more to life than just writing songs. Maybe not" from "My Revenge On Seattle" from the "Wild Opera" album. How do you see that line today?

Bowness: Back then, in the mid-90s, I was a little frustrated. I wanted no-man to go right and I noticed that Steven Porcupine Tree became more and more important and that no-man would be just a side project. Of course, I think Steven did it all right back then. Porcupine Tree are a fantastic band. So luckily, he focused on Porcupine Tree. But it still wasn't easy for me back then. This line of text was created in this phase.

eclipsed: Your career has lasted about 30 years. A long time. What were the most important steps? The highlights? The lowlights?

Bowness: I don't really think in terms like "career". I just look ahead and want it to go on. But a low point was certainly the phase when we had no record contract with no-man at the end of the 90s, beginning of the 2000s. We didn't know what to do then. But exactly out of this phase a highlight emerged: With "Returning Jesus" and "Together We're Stranger" we found a new sound. That's what we wanted to sound like. "Together We're Stranger" is my favorite no-man album.

*** Interview: Bernd Sievers

TIM BOWNESS - Borderline (Lyric Video)