Journey of a lifetime

WHITLEY Bay, September 1982 was the first gig where I saw Paul Weller. It was The Jam, of course. Since then Weller has been a staple of my gig-going life thanks to the Style Council, the Paul Weller Movement and now just plain Paul Weller.

Approaching 50 and with a new album, 22 Dreams, just about to be released, I went to meet him backstage before his recent Middlesbrough Town Hall date.

Here is an extract of the question and answer interview that followed:

I'm curious to hear the new album, I've only heard the new single, Have You Made Up Your Mind, there's a new lineup too, what can your audience expect?

We're just trying to do something different - step it up and move it along a bit. Steve White didn't fancy doing the tour, just wanted some time off.

We've been at it for years, he just wanted a break. But in a way it's been good, we've got a new drummer (Steve Pilgrim), keyboard player (Andy Crofts) and bass player (Andy Lewis).

It's a new set, it's good to change things and see where you can take it.

It's great all five of us singing, good harmonies. I've never been able to do that before, they're good all-rounders.

Do you think you needed a change?

Yeah, definitely. There was a point last year - I'm not knocking anyone in the band - we'd worked solidly for four or five years, it got to such a standard, I just thought we could carry on doing this for another ten years and I don't want to do that, I want to do something different. I'm not dismissing the other players, they're all great musicians. It's been good for us, we've only done five or six shows but every night has been different.

Are you playing new songs, trying them out?

We've had different reactions. It's always difficult playing new stuff to people who haven't heard it. I would say the reaction has been really good for all that, people have stayed, dug it and gone mad for it at the end.

I read that you thought people will either love or hate this album, do you need a reaction?

Yeah, I hope people will love it, I think there's some parts of the record maybe people won't like, or expect, which is a good thing. There's no one track that sounds like the next, it's like a real little musical journey.

How does the creative process work, do you have ups and downs?

You have times when you're more creative than others, but it helped with four of us producing it at our own studio. We just worked whatever hours or days we wanted, no clock-watching.

The more we did the more we wanted to do. There's 21 songs on the album, but we ended up doing 26/27. It was a very creative time and fun to do. The further we went with certain styles of music the more we thought we'd try this as well.

There's instrumentals, a spoken-word piece, there's pop songs if you like, other kinds of freaky bits, it's hard to explain, there's a bit of everything, it's a journey.

Is the journey going to go on?

I hope so, who knows, after most albums I think I'm not going to do that again, I'm creatively depleted. I think with this record I'm quite looking forward to the next one. I think there are other places to go now. . . unless it completely bombs and no one buys it.

Are you bothered about that?

I'd be a bit gutted because I think it's a top record, I want people to like it, but who knows in this day and age What are your memories of North-East gigs?

It's always good here in Middlesbrough, good sound and the crowd are really up for it. We're back at the Arena in November, it's always top in Newcastle, but the City Hall is my favourite, I've got good memories there, last time out the City Hall was great.

Are there any angry young men these days, have they got anything to protest about?

I think it's harder to protest now, everything is so mainstream. In an ironic way it was easier 20 years ago or more, because it was much more extreme. You had Thatcherism, you were either for that or against it, there was a very defined line drawn. Now you've got your Cameron and your Blairs, they're all the same, they come from the same public schools, went to the same colleges. I think it's harder to be an angry young man now.

What about bands name-checking you, have you heard any good new bands?

I really like the Laura Marling record, she's got a nice voice, a good songwriter.

I haven't heard any bands that really knock me up, maybe I haven't heard the right ones. I like the Enemy, I think their lyrics are really good, they're trying to say something, to make a statement about society and what's around them, that's quite rare these days. And the Arctics, not explicitly political, but socially, saying what's happening.

Can I ask you about your age?

I'll be 50 in a couple of weeks, rather shocking, the scariest thing is if the next ten or 20 years go as quick, well f*** me. That's why you've got to get stuck in and just enjoy it.

Have live gigs still got the buzz for you?

Definitely, we've only just started on this tour, so in six months time it might be another story, we're taking it all over. A few festivals in the summer, then Japan, Australia and the US.

We've got a European tour in October, then the arenas in November, so it's going to be a pretty full-on year.

How's your dad?

He's all right. He had to retire through ill-health, about three or four years ago, just getting old like the rest of us, but he's okay.

And your kids?

They're all good. Nate my eldest boy has done some demos, started writing and got a band together. My eldest daughter is just naturally gifted. She's started writing her own tunes. She's got a great voice. I've got a daughter 12, same birthday as me, another aged eight, and my little lad who's three.

Full spectrum, they're brilliant man.

With that the interview winds down and Weller signs memorabilia for the fans waiting at the stage door. I get my picture taken with him and then I'm being ushered out by a huge minder. It's slightly surreal meeting one of your alltime heroes. All the questions you want to ask, but forget to. His music has been the soundtrack to my life, but he was very charming, good company, no illusions shattered. Maybe I'll ask him about that Whitley Bay gig next time.

22 Dreams is available on June 2 on Island Records.