Paris (AFP) - For many, he's best-known for
fronting "The Jam" and "The Style Council" in the 1970s and
1980s. But Paul Weller, on a new tour and bringing out a new album, is
determined to not be prisoner to his past.
"I
always want to do something different and something new, you know?" he
told AFP this week on the Paris leg of his tour.
"There's
so much old stuff around. People looking back -- it just bores me. I'm not into
the old nostalgic culture and I want to make something new, 21st century."
Certainly
on stage, the singer-songwriter and musician shows little sign his 56 years are
slowing him down. His face is lined, but he has a wiry physicality and his
voice is as soulful and clear and ever.
"The
stage is my life, it is an immediate connection and communication with the
public," he said.
"It's
fascinating really, incredible. Nerves, adrenalin, excitement mixed. There are
very few things in life when you could connect so many different types of
people together."
His
Wednesday gig in a Paris concert hall called Bataclan wasn't entirely sold out,
but the hundreds who did turn up were enthusiastic and of all ages.
It was
hardly a retrospective show of his punk-rock "Jam" or soul-pop
"Style Council" days.
None of
those bands' old standards were played. It was all tunes from Weller's solo
career and a few from his upcoming album, "Saturn's Pattern", which
will be released next month.
"I
play just stuff from my solo records," he said. "We keep it exciting
for us you know. And you could never please everyone."
His
current life and family serves up much of his inspiration, and his wife,
backing singer Hannah Andrews, has lent vocals to his last four albums.
"I
wrote many things for my wife," Weller said. "We're married for five
years, we've been together for 10 years. We've got twin boys, they're three and
a bit."
After
France, Weller and his band - including Steve Cradock on guitar, Andy Lewis on
bass, drummers Ben Godelier and Steve Pilgrim, and keyboardist Andy Crofts --
headed to the Netherlands for a couple of shows, and will take the tour on to
Belgium and Germany.
In June,
they will start their American leg on the east coast, then head west in
September. At the end of the year, they'll be back in Britain for another big
national tour.
Although
he's embraced his nickname as "The Modfather" for influencing much of
the subsequent music out of Britain, especially the Britpop wave in the 1990s,
Weller said he doesn't think of himself as a big star.
"I'm
only interested in music," he said. "I've been around for a long time
now... it's about 40 years, so it's a beautiful thing, really.
"I
see some people from the crowd sometimes who have been there since the
beginning and they bring their kids, they bring their teenagers, I love it -
it's great."
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