Wreckless Eric Returns to the Pig
JUDE MONTAGUE interviews Eric Goulden, AKA Wreckless Eric, about his new acclaimed album Leisureland out now on Tapete Records.
JM: hat’s your connection to the South Coast of the UK?
EG: was born in Newhaven and grew up in the area.
JM: hat do you think of Hastings/St Leonards? When were you last here?
EG: ctually I’m here quite often! My daughter lives nearby with her husband and three kids. I’m a grandad!
JM: an you explain how Leisureland relates to coastal resorts like Hastings?
EG: ome (not all) of the Leisureland album is set in a British seaside town called Standing Water. I made the place up – it’s an amalgamation of a lot of places! Hastings was widely regarded as a poor relation to Brighton. It’s come a long way but I’m sure there’s still a lot of social dysfunctions here. I hope it hasn’t become too gentrified.
JM: believe you came before to the Electric Palace – do you have something to say about that?
EG: loved that place! I did a show there with live projections about twenty years ago. I wanted to play there again but no one answered my emails! Perhaps one day…
JM: here’s a lot of local manufacturing history of musical gear – VOX etc.? Do you have fond memories of any vintage equipment or any experiences you might share?
EG: ox was originally Tom Jennings – Jennings Music Industries. I used to have a Vox Continental organ built by Tom Jennings – circuits mounted on linoleum, that kind of thing. There’s also Charlie Watkins of Watkins ‘Copicat’ fame. Charlie had a music shop in Balham in South London. I took my 12-watt Watkins Scout amplifier to him for repair. He remembered building it in the very early sixties. The amplifiers had differences depending on the components they had available.
JM: hat are the secrets to good songwriting?
EG: was hoping you could tell me! I think songs need strong lyrics, but there’s a difference between strong and effortful. Some people think a lot of words is good, but that isn’t necessarily so. Editing is key.
Wreckless Eric appears at The Pig, White Rock, Hastings on Weds 25 October – tickets £18 in advance from Eventbrite. Supported by Montague Armstrong. Leisureland, the new album by Wreckless Eric, is available from Tapete Records on Bandcamp.
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