Radio Brain Drain: An Interview With Colin Newman of Wire & Show # 736

Wire formed in London, England in 1976. And although they were inspired by and emerged from UK punk music scene, they approached music differently and were often difficult to categorize. They were post-punk before that was even a term that people used in a significant way. Their roots grew out of the Watford Art College. Colin Newman and George Gill formed an early incarnation of the band with guitarist Bruce Gilbert. They were initially known as Overload, but once bassist Graham Lewis and drummer Robert Gotobed (Grey) were added to the lineup, they would change their name to Wire. When the band was a five-piece, their sound was quite different. It was more aggressive, had more guitar solos. When George Gill was kicked out of the lineup, new material was written and a new sound began to take shape.

Wire first appeared on a live compilation album Live At The Roxy London WC2. The album was a compilation that compiled bands from the then burgeoning UK punk music scene and featured two early versions of the Wire songs “12XU” and “Lowdown.” The album was produced by Mike Thorne and through his connection to EMI, Wire would eventually get a recording contract with EMI and have music released through their Harvest label. Thorne was also on board to produce them. In fact, he would produce their first three albums. Influenced by music such as the Ramones, and early Pink Floyd, Wire pulled in different moods and tempos to create what would become known as Pink Flag. Mixing it all together, it created a combination of noise with a bit of prog rock influence, psych rock and pop. “Reuters” opens Pink Flag. The song evokes a certain mood, it pulls in elements of prog rock with an undeniable attitude. Yet the sound is difficult to describe as any one thing because it is many different things at once. With its dissonance, catchiness, crescendos and lyrics such as “On the borders, there’s movement/In the hills there’s trouble,” Wire paints a gritty picture for the opening moments of Pink Flag. Throughout the three minutes and four seconds of tension, it reaches a climax before we are taken through the rest of the album, which is a mix of songs cut to their essence sometimes lasting no longer than 28 seconds.

Pink Flag explores a landscape with 21 songs totalling about 36 minutes that deal with lyrics about media and perceptions that surround it, among other topics. “A Field Day For The Sundays” is just 28 seconds long, musically it rumbles with elements of garage rock and pop as the listener is subject to a witty, sarcastic blast of music and words dealing with suburban life. “Three Girl Rhumba,” “Brazil” and “It’s So Obvious” are some examples of Wire’s minimalist approach to the songs on this album. These songs seem like fragments, shards of music that are catchy, yet not over played. They end before they overstay their welcome. “Ex-Lion Tamer” is loaded with jagged guitar stabs and static-sounding guitar distortion. Lyrically with words such as “Next week will solve your problems/But now/Fish fingers all in a line/The milk bottles stand empty/Stay glued to your TV set,” Wire makes a comment of disillusioned people living their lives through what they see on television, instead of finding their own real life excitement. “Mr. Suit” is a barrage of music with satirical lyrics about rebellion, while at the same time celebrating it, “Strange” borrows from the fuzzy sounds of The Velvet Underground, as lyrically the song explores darker themes.

“Fragile” dives into pop with basslines that dance with melody in between scratchy guitars, minimalist drums and lyrics about a broken relationship, “Mannequin” is in a similar vein, as Newman sings lyrics about someone who “Is an energy void/A black hole to avoid.” “12XU” deconstructs rock music and lyrically seems to attack pop culture in an abstract, clever way, “Feeling Called Love” sounds inspired by the catchy roughness of The Troggs, and “Lowdown” is a slow dirge. This song was one of the first songs that Wire wrote together after George Gill left the band. The music was written by Newman based on lyrics given to him that were written by bassist Graham Lewis. The band then completed the final arrangement. This process has been one that has endured throughout Wire’s career, and while they did change up who did what for a particular song, a large majority of the songs within these three albums and in the band’s catalog have been written this way.

If 1977’s Pink Flag explored a musical landscape, 1978’s Chairs Missing ventured out into new, icy waters. Wire has always been a band that would experiment with new things and on this album, guitar pedals influenced many of the songs. Synthesizers are also featured throughout the songs. On Chairs Missing, Colin Newman was also added as another guitarist, in addition to being the lead vocalist. While he did play guitar on some tracks on Pink Flag, he primarily sang. This change was due to the textures and atmosphere that the band created on this album. Recorded once again at Advision Studios with Mike Thorne, “Practice Makes Perfect” starts off the album. The song builds with sonic landscapes as the basslines plunge into deep syrupy melodies amongst duelling guitar textures and lyrics such as “Practice makes perfect, yes I can prove it/Business or pleasure, the more that you do it.” With these words Wire displays an ethos, and an undeniable creative atmosphere in the opening moments of Chairs Missing.

“Another The Letter” is a short track, but one that features a prominent analog Oberheim sequencer that was played by producer Mike Thorne, while “Men 2nd,” “Marooned” and “Sand In My Joints” continue the ongoing nautical lyrical theme that is present throughout Chairs Missing. “Marooned” is a great idea of the atmosphere that Wire is able to create. With lyrics by Newman and guitarist Bruce Gilbert, this song floats with slow pulsating basslines, ringing guitar chords, drums that feature only hi-hats and cymbals and synthesizers/keyboards that dominate this songs landscape. Lyrically, the song tells the tale of a sailor “Adrift from Arctic waters” that captures a sense of madness that the character is experiencing in the song. “Sand In My Joints” is a fast punk song with jagged guitar sounds, grainy basslines and a guitar solo that consists of noises, the song is the first song to be recorded with bassist Graham Lewis on lead vocals. It references a theme of drowning in the physical and mental capacity with lyrics such as “I’m King Canute’s daughter/Like a lamb to the slaughter” and “I’ve got sand in my joints/I’m counting the grains/And they’re so sharp/I’m feeling the pain,” the song could take on many meanings, it is both witty and serious at the same time.

“Heartbeat” replicates an actual heartbeat and is loaded with atmosphere and lyrics that were inspired by being reviewed on stage. Additionally, the song features Flautist Kathryn Lukas to add more layers to the track. “Mercy” adds further dark textures and a sense of unease with its prog rock influences within almost six minutes time, while “Outdoor Miner” drifts into pop territory. Another Newman/Lewis composition, “Outdoor Miner” tells the story of a serpentine miner, an insect that lives in a house made of leaves. Lyrically, it may be as simple as that, but this song features abstract lyrics that can pull in different meanings. The song was extended and made longer for a single release and reached number 51 on the UK singles charts at the time. “I Am The Fly” features guitar effects that seem to replicate the movement of a fly. The song, also released as a single, was inspired by guitar pedal effects and Newman’s anti-blues obsession. It features lyrics such as “I am the fly in the ointment” and “I shake you down to say please as you/Accept the next dose of disease,” that make up this abstract outsider theme said to also have been about how punk was over. “I Feel Mysterious Today” touches on a witty lyricalness and music informed by pyschedelia and progressive rock, “From The Nursery” is a heavy hitting track in the vein of Pink Flag-era Wire, while “Used To” is layered with fuzzy guitar, melodic yet icy basslines and drums that feature only hi-hat by Robert Grey, “Too Late” ends Chairs Missing with its punky dynamics and lyrics that take on multiple meanings. It could be seen as a reference to Wire’s forward looking musical future.

Wire’s 154 was released in 1979. The album was different from its predecessors in a number of ways. The songs were longer, the tempos were slower and the experimentation with synthesizers and electronics were used in a larger way. The atmosphere that was explored on Chairs Missing was executed in more detail here and has a cohesiveness to it. Musically, that album started out similar to 1978’s Chairs Missing. Early versions of these songs can be found on the DVD/CD release of Wire On The Box: 1979, and also in the demo versions of songs found on the 2018 deluxe edition of 154. At the time of creating this album Wire had just completed a stint of live shows in Europe and the material was road tested. Tensions amongst the band were also high. They would split up shortly after this before returning with The Ideal Copy in 1987.

“I Should Have Known Better” opens 154. Sung by bassist Graham Lewis, this song is executed with cloudy sounding synthesizers and weightless sounding bass that mixes in with the guitars and precise drums. With lyrics such as “I’ve redefined the meaning of vendetta,” and “Your bite is worse than my aggression” this song also evokes an epic feeling and an emotional depth. “Two People In A Room” is a more aggressive song, while “The 15th” is more laid back with fuzzy guitars, bass that seems to levitate in between the drums as the synthesizers that come in add a sense of unease and eeriness. “The Other Window” is sung by Wire guitarist Bruce Gilbert. Lyrically the song draws on a theme of travel, which is prevalent on this album, while musically it revels in its dissonant locomotive rhythms. “Blessed State” also sung by Gilbert, deals with another ongoing theme of troubled relationships.

“A Touching Display” clocks in at almost seven minutes. Sung by bassist Graham Lewis, the song seems to concern itself with a lack of communication as it creates a heavy atmospheric complexity. The later half of the song features electric viola from avant-garde musician Tim Souster. “On Returning” follows next. This track is a more upbeat, energetic track sung by Newman as the synthesized sounds of a Yamaha CS80 is played in the background by producer Mike Thorne. The synthesized signals sound distressed as Newman sings on the topic of travel, holidays and sunburns. This song seems to pull from the opposite of the nautical theme that was prevalent on Chairs Missing. “Once Is Enough” creates its own world, mixing elements of layered vocals, the banging of various pots and pans and discordant sounds. “Map Ref. 41°N 93°W” is perhaps one of the strongest moments throughout the sonic journey of 154. When listening to the track you can hear its transcendent quality as the chorus hits with the lyrics “Interrupting my train of thought/ Lines of longitude and latitude/ Define and refine my altitude,” one can’t help but think of the lines that intersect in this song. This pop psychedelia influenced song has been described by Lewis as being a “travelogue” inspired by his travelling from L.A. to New York in 1978 and crossing the Midwest. It’s coordinates lead to Centerville, Iowa. “Indirect Inquiries” attacks with brooding, darker tones as “40 Versions” ends 154. “40 Versions” explores the idea of multiple personalities, but this song with lyrics such as “I never know which version I'm going to be/I get the feeling my mind is deceiving me” and “In between are where only edges can be seen of the spaces,”  takes on further context when considering the band’s artistic evolution from 1977-1979.

About a year after 154’s release, Wire would go their separate ways, exploring different musical projects and solo careers. They reconvened in 1985 and returned with the album The Ideal Copy in 1987, which explored more electronic sounds. These first three albums, however, show the evolution of a band driven by an undeniable creative ability. They have received critical acclaim for many of their more recent releases such as Object 47 (2008), Red Barked Tree (2010), Change Becomes Us (2013), and Silver/Lead (2017). From the early jagged sounding Pink Flag rhythms to the post punk sounds explored on Chairs Missing and finally to the atmospheric creative exploration of 154, Wire proved themselves to be different than the rest. They have continued to make interesting music that proves their ability to push creative expectations into new directions.

Checkout this interview that Dave and Adam of Revolution Rock did with Colin Newman of Wire:



Wire Play List:

1. Wire - Prove Myself (Demo) (1976 Demo - 2010)
2. Wire - After Midnight (Behind The Curtain - 1995)
3. Wire - It's So Obvious (Live) (1977.04.02 - Live At The Roxy, London - April 1st & 2nd 1977 / Live At CBGB Theatre, New York - July 18th 1978 - 2006)

Colin Newman Interview Part 1

4. Wire - Low Down (Pink Flag - 1977)
5. Wire - Mannequin (Pink Flag - 1977)
6. Wire - Ex Lion Tamer (Demo) (Pink Flag: Special Edition - 2018)
7. Wire - 12XU (Pink Flag - 1977)
8. Wire - Culture Vultures (1978 Peel Session) (The Peel Sessions Album - 1989)
9. Wire - I Feel Mysterious Today (Chairs Missing - 1978)
10. Wire - Two People In A Room (154 - 1979)

Colin Newman Interview Part 2

11. Wire - Ignorance No Plea (I Should Have Known Better) (Demo) (154: The Special Edition - 2018)
12. Wire - Once Is Enough (Demo) (154: The Special Edition - 2018)
13. Wire - Outdoor Miner (Demo) (Chairs Missing: The Special Edition - 2018)
14. Wire - French Film Blurred (Version 1) (Demo) (Chairs Missing: The Special Edition - 2018)
15. Wire - On Returning (154 - 1979)
16. Wire - Another The Letter (Live) (Wire On The Box: 1979 - 2004)
17. Wire - The 15th (Live) (Wire On The Box: 1979 - 2004)
18. Wire - I Am The Fly (Chairs Missing - 1978)

Colin Newman Interview Part 3

19. Wire - Map Ref. 41°N 93°W (154 - 1979)
20. Wire - The Other Window (154 - 1979)
21. Wire - Our Swimmer (Notre Dame) (Live) (Document and Eyewitness - 1981)
22. Wire - Song 1 (154 EP - 1979)
23. Wire - No Romans (Demo) (Chairs Missing: The Special Edition - 2018)
24. Wire - Love Ain't Polite (Demo) (Chairs Missing: The Special Edition - 2018)
25. Wire - Sand In My Joints (Chairs Missing - 1978)
26. Wire - Three Girl Rhumba (Pink Flag - 1977)
27. Wire - Dot Dash (Dot Dash Single - 1978)
28. Colin Newman - Alone (A-Z - 1980)

Colin Newman Interview Part 4

29. Colin Newman - Not Me (A-Z - 1980)
30. Wire - Read and Burn (Send - 2003)
31. Wire - Stealth of a Stork (Change Becomes Us - 2013)
32. Wire - Blogging (Wire - 2015)
33. Wire - Short Elevated Period (Silver/Lead - 2017)

Download this episode here.

On August 25th, 2018 a repeat of an episode featuring an interview with Television's Richard Lloyd aired. That show (episode 737) can be downloaded here and the play list can be found here.