Paul Weller in Dubai ....not a review. -- WHO BRINGS JOY

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Date Posted: 14:33:15 11/04/08 Tue
Author: A.K From Timeout Magazine
Subject: Paul Weller in Dubai ....not a review.

Paul Weller in Dubai
Changing man

Time Out couldn�t stop smiling when Paul Weller�s headline slot at this month�s Desert Rhythm Festival was announced. Then he agreed to be interviewed. Read on to discover why he�s the star of our winter preview.Before I begin, let�s start with a confession. Many years ago � 1983 to be precise � in a small UK town, I went to school every day with a badge stuck to my school jumper that said, �The Jam�. Looking back, it was an excellent choice for an eight-year-old to make. Their singer, Paul Weller, was the king of cool; a mod revivalist who looked great and sounded even better. Then there was the music � songs that captured the mood of a troubled nation; melodies you could fall in love to; choruses you�d hum on the school bus. There were many reasons to fall under Weller�s spell, and I did, big time. Even when he split the band at the height of their powers, reinvented himself with the Style Council and reneged � on the surface at least � with everything to which he�d previously adhered. Fast forward to the mid-�90s and the Modfather, as he was now known, was still with us � this time as the spiritual figurehead of the Britpop movement, crafting solo albums that counterbalanced his trademark fire-in-the-belly zeal with a new-found maturity. And now here we are in the present. Weller is still a star, I am still a fan (his new number-one album, 22 Dreams, has been on my iPod all week) and, judging by the energy crackling down a phone line from a rehearsal room outside London, that fire shows no signs of dimming.
Article continues...

'Well you�ve got pop stars and you�ve got f***in� artists, man; and it depends what you want out of it all,� says the man himself matter-of-factly, but not without a hint of pride. I�ve heard he can be a prickly interviewee, but today he�s on good form. Guarded, perhaps, when the conversation strays towards his private life, but happy to talk about anything else. �I�m after fulfilment, y�know?� he continues. �Even after all these years I�m a firm believer that you�re only as good as your last record; you�ve got to always look forwards.� So how, when so many of his peers have faded into obscurity or resorted to nostalgia tours, does he keep those creative juices flowing? Sheer bloody enthusiasm? �I think so man,� he says in his trademark London accent, before chuckling throatily. �I mean, I can�t just say it�s �cos I�m exceptionally talented can I?� He could, and lots of people would agree with him, but longevity requires far more than raw talent. �I think it depends if you�re still a fan of the music,� he says reflectively. �A lot of people in this business get cynical, but I�ve never been like that; I�m never, ever cynical about making music or the whole communion of playing it to people when it�s really happening � that�s a really fine thing that you can�t be cynical about.� For Weller, then, this truly is a life-long love affair. �When I was nine or 10 I used to watch bands on TV and think: that�s f***ing amazing! I always wanted to do it; I just think it�s incredible how music encapsulates people�s feelings in such a short space of time.� And if anyone knows about songs that capture not just the individual�s heart, but the zeitgeist, it should be Paul Weller. The canon of songs he amassed since his days with The Jam are the sort of anthems that take on a life of their own. The privilege of being the author of those songs is not lost on Weller. �It�s amazing really. When I play �Town Called Malice� or �That�s Entertainment� it�s like they�re not my songs any more; they�ve become public domain.� Not that you�ll hear too many retrospective moments at a Paul Weller show. Until recently, he refused to indulge in any form of nostalgia, preferring to concentrate on the newer music. This stance has softened in recent years � these days you�ll likely hear a couple of the older songs � but, true to form, the concentration remains on the here and now. Which means touring the world to promote a new record. Sprawling double album 22 Dreams is easily the best thing Weller has done in years; a rich tapestry of sounds, textures and emotions combining the disparate elements of his career into a new, fresh sound. It was, he says, �a joy� to make. �I couldn�t wait to get in the studio every single day,� he enthuses. �We were doing something different all the time and it was so much fun. A lot of it was new for me, which was quite a feat after all these years.� Judging by the overwhelming response to the release of 22 Dreams � his first UK number one in years � Weller is entering his fifth decade on the verge of a whole new chapter. But whether it marks the next deliberate stage of his career is something he�s less sure of. �I just see it as one man�s journey through life, really� he muses. �With every record you learn something new. Musically, spiritually, as a person� in every way; everything has been leading to this moment. It�s just growing up and moving on.� I wholeheartedly agree with these closing sentiments � that life is all about today and tomorrow � failing only to mention that somewhere in a drawer back home, saved for posterity, is a badge with the name on it of my all-time favourite band. Ever changing moodsIn case you hadn�t already noticed, Weller is a very stylish man. Most of the time.1970s:The Jam era � razor sharp songs, suits and haircuts.1980s:Style Council � experimental sounds and fringes.1990: The Britpop Modfather � possibly having a midlife crisis. 2000s: Age shall not weary those possessed of the Mod spirit.We Got RhythmDesert Rhythm Festival co-stars include carnival funsters Kassav�, reggae veterans The Wailers and rock-pop band ViX �n� The Kix.And, we have two tickets to give away. Simply answer the following: What is the main theme of Desert Rhythm this year? a) Thanksgiving, with how-to-carve-your-turkey workshops b) Halloween, with costume competitions c) St Patrick�s Day. Enter at www.timeoutdubai.com/competitions before October 23.
By Jeremy Lawrence, Wednesday October 08 2008

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