Интервю с Michael McKeegan и Neil Cooper (Therapy?)

After the TV crews “stole” Therapy?’s frontman Andy Cairns , our interview team got a chance to talk with the other 2 members of the band – bassist Michael McKeegan and drummer Neil Cooper. After a quick introduction the five of us got into a quiet little corner where we had a short, but memorable talk …

THERAPY? : A lot of the bands nowadays are manufactured.

By Nedko Ignatov (ArthurDent), Victor Ivanov (pestilence) and Anton Andonov (Torden)

Michael McKeegan

– We had recently found out that you’re planning to release a new album. Tell us something more about it !

Neil Cooper : It’s called A Brief Crack Of Light, and it will consist of ten new songs that sound fucking good ! We started recording it at the end of the past year and finished by this summe

r. We’ve produced this record ourselves and we’re very proud of it!

Michael McKeegan : It has nothing to do with our previous producer, we just decided to try it this way and see what happens ! We haven’t turned our back on experimentation, and there’s certain elements in all of our records that make them sound like Therapy?. Although the new album incorporates a lot of different elements I wouldn’t consider it progressive. This time the sound is more modern. And I can’t think of a band that sounds like Therapy?, and it’s cool that we’re not anybody’s version.

– Neil, I see that you’re wearing a LARD t-shirt. Would you care to share your inspirations with us? Do you feel influenced by a given band or genre as far as the new album goes?

Neil: Haha ! Well, probably Dead Kennedys! Anyways, we’re still listening to the music that inspired us in the very beginning, but I guess you can’t call that a direct influence. We never say “Let’s sound like LARD!”. It’s more about achieving a certain vibe and atmosphere. We might use some electronics, some weird sound and production and so on. The truth is, that we’re getting older, and our attitude towards the music industry has changed quite a lot. At this moment we’re thinking about what can we say with our music. We don’t rely on looks and gimmicks and we’re not talking about how we’re the next big thing. A lot of the bands nowadays are manufactured. It’s mostly about doing what we do .

Michael : Yeah, like Mastodon for example!

Neil : Yeah, Mastodon’s one of those bands that do what they do and just fuck everyone else !

– Every one of your records sounds different from the others. Is there an option to return to your origins ?

Michael : Well, I don’t know. I don’t think that I’m the same person that joined Therapy? years ago. Unless we had a time machine! We can try to sound like we did before, but there isn’t much sense in that, is it? We  just play what we like and we’re getting better at it, haha! It’s more about looking back at the youthful energy that drove us back then.

Neil : Although we do play some of our older songs live, we make them sound heavier and more powerful, since we have matured since then.

Michael : It’s a matter of reputation – I wouldn’t play anything I’m ashamed of, otherwise I’d feel like an asshole, or a phoney, or a fake! And I think our audience appreciates it !

– And when you start writing new material, do you still feel that youth energy, like you did 20 years ago?

Neil : Well, I wasn’t in the band twenty years ago, but when the three we get together to write new material, there’s one word that can describe the process – honesty. You can record an album, and when you listen to it 2 or 3 years later and hear it in a different way. I still get excited when a song’s finished and it’s good, like it has always been. But there’s work to be done. Work on the sound in the studio, thinking about how the song’s gonna sound live. Nowadays we look more into that.

Michael : Yeah, you’re right. We probably analyze more now.

– But doesn’t that take a lot of the spontaneity off?

Neil Cooper

Michael: No, it’s still a creative process, the spark is there. But at the same time we find ourselves thinking “Wow, that’s a cool riff, but do we want to play it 5 times, or 20 times … Let’s go with 5 times!”. In most cases we still use simpler structures.

Neil : Yeah, and we still love getting in the room and making some fucking noise!

Michael : Hahah, that’s true !

Neil : What I meant was, we still really love just making a racket !

– A few times in in the past you have found yourselves without a drummer or a contract. Do you think that the bad stuff is behind you, and what’s left to look at is a bright future ?

Michael : Well, when you’re in a band for twenty years you’ve got to know that life has its ups and downs. Sometimes you’ll have a good year, and sometimes – not. It’s hard to predict what’s ahead of you. We have big plans for this year and next year and we know there’s always obstacles so we are ready for them. We have never panicked, no matter what has happened to us as a band.

– At different points of your career you’ve made some very original covers of obscure bands. Will you be making a new cover anytime soon ?

Neil : At this point – no. We’re looking into our own material right now.

Michael : I think that with cover versions you have to find your own approach and to sound different from the original. All of our covers have that distinct Therapy? feel to it ! And it’s not mandatory to do songs that everybody expects. But at this point we’re not planning any cover songs.

(The festivals head of PR walks by and tells us that there’s a schedule to keep and we’ve got no time left)

Michael : Oooh, time for bye-bye? Boo-hooo !

– Well, guys, thank you very much for the interview! Good luck tonight!

Michael : It was our pleasure! Cya later!

Therapy? & ArthurDent

Published in Pro-rock  magazine, issue #84.