He's Waiting For Your Answer : The Simon Curtis Interview

In one of the web's first exclusive interviews about his solo music, Simon Curtis gives EQ a little more insight into the taboo subject matter on his album "Alter Boy", his thoughts on the electronic digital music revolution, and how he has channeled Darren Hayes, Britney and countless other talents to come up with the pop resurrection sound on "Alter Boy". 

Simon has also graciously provided us with an exclusive mp3 album sampler of "Alter Boy" which you can Download Here. It features the songs "Broken", "Answer", "Put Your Makeup On" and "Alter Boy".

Originally published in February 2007.

EQ: Hey Simon! So - give us the latest update on "Alter Boy" - last we heard you were label shopping...what's that process been like?
Simon Curtis:  Well, it hasn’t started yet! Things do look as though they will kickoff very soon, so I am quite thrilled.  Definitely can’t wait to hear what kind of reaction the music elicits from record execs. I will most certainly keep EQ posted.

A lot of your lyrics touch on some taboos...do you think America is ready for a young man like yourself to be singing about such saucy subjects?
Yes. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes! I think things have stagnated so long here, not just musically, but culturally as well, that it is high time someone stirred things up a bit. There are a few topics on the album that I definitely think would cause a bit of controversy, and I wholeheartedly welcome it. Not to go all Mrs. Clinton on you, but I do feel it is time to "start a dialogue" on many an issue, and what better way to do that than through pop music?

There really is some pretty heavy stuff there when you peel away the gloss and glitter; My opinion on "organized religion" and the negative effect I think it has (and has always had) on humanity as a whole, "satirical commentary" on the part of the country that I grew up in, quite bit of "provocative sexual subject matter" (which, although played out in the media and rather cliché, still has an air of controversy I think when coming from a young man who looks like a mouseketeer!), and not to mention a rather weighty song concerning my father’s battle with "bipolar disorder" and its effect on my family and life.

I do have to say though, that I think by far the most controversial song is "Sugar Sugar White". That is a song that I really hope will eventually get people not only in America, but everywhere talking about a big, big issue that everyone (especially the media) seems to ignore. I'll let that song speak for itself…

What electronic songs have had the most influence on your music?
I saw quite quickly how much I loved Max Martin. He and Rami have made so, so many of my favorite songs and sounds that I just can’t convey it properly. Max, Rami, and Kristian Lundin all etched out a sound that is to this day still, untouchable; Chords you can sink your teeth into and really feel (have you heard 'Baby One More Time' and 'Since U Been Gone' acapella? Just sick.), drum programming that is absolutely impossible to replicate live, iconic synths, vocal production that is disgustingly polished and just an overall mastery of the quintessential Swedish sound.

We almost died when we heard 'Return To Sender' for quite obvious reasons that it was almost a complete tribute to 90's latino electro-hair band, Linear...how did this song come about?
Jeff, my producer, loves early nineties music more than words can describe. He had the notion of me covering the song, and when he played it for me I didn’t exactly jump on the idea. A couple of months later, I was digging through tracks that Jeff had produced on the computer and stumbled across his instrumental cover and realized how much I loved the track itself. Not knowing it was a cover at first, I began writing a completely different song to it. Once Jeff informed me that it was indeed the Linear track, I made some alterations, turned the tables on the original song’s subject, and made it a kind of tribute song.

The track on that song is so great; totally wonderful early nineties synth in all its glory. Unfortunately there aren’t any plans to actually include this song on the album, but who knows…

What do you think about the digital music revolution? Personally we love it that we don't have to buy physical CDs anymore...What online resources do you utilise in trying to promote your music?
The day Napster (in its original form) died I was honestly heartbroken. I love downloading music for free, and to see that hindered I think is terrible. Free downloading never, ever stopped me from purchasing music I like, or anyone I knew for that matter. Infact it promoted it. Harvard University released a study at some point within the past two years revealing that at the height of the golden days of Napster, music sales in the U.S. were the highest they have ever been, and that the two were somehow inextricably linked. That bastard Lars Ulrich and all the goons over at the RIAA didn’t quite get it in my opinion, and neither did the labels, as their reluctance to embrace the internet is one of the huge factors as to why they are suffering the way they are today (that and years of really terrible music, but that’s another interview). As a consumer and as a recording artist, I just never saw a problem with free downloading. If your music is enticing, people will buy it regardless.

To me there is nothing that will replace going out and buying an album. I love the feeling of opening it, pouring over the insert, reading the lyrics, studying up on who worked on what, etc. Nothing beats that, especially when the album is a good one. Call me a nut, but I just love the smell of a new cd too.

So far promotion has been strictly relegated to blogs and wonderful bloggers such as yourself.

Jeff, your musical writing partner seems like the coolest guy on earth - how did you come about working with him?
He will be honored by the compliment I am sure! I actually met him when I sang in the "Britney Spears Samsung Superstar Karaoke Tour" (which was a nation-wide talent competition held by her management and corporate sponsors). Despite being the only male contestant, I won the local portion of the competition in Tulsa, Oklahoma and afterward he approached me with his card. I always give him a hard time because the first thing he ever said to me was that he was "putting a boyband together". I just kind of laughed it off with my friends who were there at the time, but a few months later I found the card, gave him a call, checked out his sound (which floored me), and have been working with him ever since. Needless to say, the boyband never came into fruition, ha!

What are you listening to at the moment? C'mon give us a plug for another artist! Is there any particular artist you like?
As far as current artists go, I am going to have to hop right on the Mika bandwagon. I love how he is Freddy Mercury incarnate and somehow manages to channel Hedwig and The Angry Inch while still being totally accessible. Plus he has been my friend on Myspace for several months now and we actually corresponded several times before he started blowing up! We each mutually enjoyed one another’s music, and shared a few words of encouragement with one another. Needless to say I go on and on to anyone who will listen about how cool I think that is now that he is gaining so much notoriety! Haha, oh the joys of MySpace Music and the discoveries/networking it provides.

Speaking of which, go check out Nathan Walters on MySpace and listen to "Romance You", absolutely incredible, haunting ballad.

In the realm of established artists, I have always had a penchant for the female pop greats; Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. Like any and all aspiring popstars, I have a massive amount of respect for Madonna. She is really the only person who somewhat exemplifies what I want to accomplish and aspire to achieve within the music industry. My biggest male influence is by far, your favorite artist, Darren Hayes. 'The Tension and The Spark' alone has had such an influence and impact on me, and everybody always says I sound like him (which I take as a gargantuan compliment). Not to mention Savage Garden’s first album was one of the first cds I ever purchased.

Our favourite song from Alter Boy is definitley 'Answer' - can you shed some light on it...it was number one on Electroqueer for a few weeks!
Wow, I am honored! Thanks!

Yeah, that song is a special little pet of mine too. At the time we recorded it, both Jeff and I really decided that the album needed a little fluff to go with all the heavy stuff. At this time Jeff went the Swedish route and came up with "Broken", but I wanted something that was a bit different too. I actually drew a lot of inspiration for "Answer" from the recent summer hit "Me and U" by Cassie. I wanted something moody, simple, subdued, yet danceable, and in a way, cool. Not cool as in the slang definition, but actually cool temperature-wise; like see-your-breath, Winterfresh gum cool (Christ my analogies), and that track is what we came up with.

It started off with the bass, the "drr drr drr drr drr", which ended up becoming the prevalent synth that the song was based around. Jeff was messing around on the keyboard, found that sound and I freaked out and made him play it over and over and begged him to loop it. Jeff hates looping tracks mind you, as he finds it boring and unchallenging, but I insisted and finally got my way. The rest of the track came in under an hour and I had the song written by the end of the day. It came really quickly.

Like I said, I really tried to do something different, something sonically simpler, with that song, and I think it ended up coming across in the final product. I would like to have more songs in the vein of "Answer" actually.

What does your family think about your music...do they dig all this saucy stuff you sing about?
My family is 100% supportive of me and my music and they absolutely love it. The song "The Capricorn Disease" is really hard for them to listen to, as it deals with such a personal, deeply painful family issue, but beside that they don’t really have any qualms with the album. Of course they wish I would omit the bad words, but hey, it is what it is and they understand.

I can’t listen to my music in front of them though, or pretty much anyone for that matter! I get so terribly shy it is ridiculous. I just blush, duck, hide, and wait until it is over!

And finally...we are curious as to what "Electroqueer" means to you?..We get a lot of different definitions of the word from fans and friends...What are your thoughts on being labeled an 'EQ Royale' artist...We hope you don't mind it, because simply put...we love ya!
That is so funny, because the first time I got a message from you I said to myself "Electroqueer"…are you serious?" "What the hell is this?" But I soon realized what it was all about, and was pleased to find a very entertaining, well-written blog at the heart of it! I think it is great and I am honored to be held in such high esteem on the site. As soon as I read the first article I realized that the title "Electroqueer" wasn’t really pertaining to sexuality, but rather musical identity; A badge of musicality and musical preference in the context or frame of sexuality and sexual preference. I find it to be quite a clever play on words actually.

Thank you for all the kindness, nothing but love here too! Can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support Raj!

EQ would like to give a special thank you to Simon Curtis for taking the time to answer our interview questions. Please make sure you stop by Simon's MySpace page and take a listen to some of his tracks in full and send him a message or comment.

And don't forget to Download the 'Alter Boy' album sampler.

Comments

[Poster Girl]

Great job with the interview! The sampler is an interesting listen, too--how the songs are mixed together, and some of the clips of the songs seem different from the original versions I've heard (though I think that's just mild remixing of the beginnings and ends to get them to fix together).

[Paul loves electroqueer]

great interview raj. You know i adore simon - i can't wait for his music to get out there! And for him to be huge!!

[Will]

Wow, that was great. The more I read about Simon and the more I listen to his music the more I realise what a nice guy he is and what potential he has for a great pop career. Really interesting, thanks.

[Mickie]

Excellent interview Raj and i have to say a HUGE thankyou to you for bringing Simon to my attention!
He is without doubt a very talented artist who i hope to hear a lot more from.;)
Much love to you and to Simon for this interview and a glimpse in to how the songs have evolved.
Hugz
Mickie x.x.x

[Oscar Cavalcanti]

I do hope you'll read this.
I think you should upload simon's lyrics.
His musics are awesome, but I can't find lyrics of him.
PLEASEEE, do u have any lyrics of him? if u don't want to upload that, send me by emaill!
PLEASSSEEE""

THxx