Soft Science

how i think it went

fellas, is it gay to be a 1975 enjoyer?

" We played a show a couple of years ago that we knew every record label in the kingdom was coming down to. It was in London, which can be tough enough as it is. Anyway we were really shit and I think it was because we were almost pandering to what we thought these labels wanted from us. It was shortly after that show that we realised that the whole major label world wasn’t for us – we just decided to do exactly what we wanted and if people were in to it then that would be awesome. We decided we did not need to look outside of what we do creatively to validate ourselves."

"One more time, London! This song goes out to the Malaysian government, you fascist bunch of cunts. You're all fascists! You fucking fascist cunts!"

"Do you like me?" I've really enjoyed our conversation, I say. And it's true: he's been funny and unguarded, and intensely passionate. No, he says. That's not what he means. "Do you like me as a person?" I'm rather taken aback. For a start, it's not the kind of question the makers of No 1 albums tend to ask of anyone, bar, possibly, the occasional supermodel. Then there's the fact that I am old enough to be his father. And, finally, there's the small matter of my having met him for the first time just an hour and a half earlier. I clarify my position, explaining that it's hard for me to hug him to my bosom in the circumstances. "Yeah," he says after a pause. "You're totally right, of course. The reason I was asking you is more: that's the way I think. I really care whether people like me or not."