Photo credit: Sheva Kafai
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown".
This is an excellent quote about the fear of the unknown. Which explains what it’s like getting into the music industry. There isn’t anything to fear under the typical definition of what frightens you. The unknown is causing all types of feelings and uncertainty. After all, success is never promised or guaranteed. Especially when it comes to the music industry. Regardless of how good you are at your craft; the unemployment line always awaits struggling musicians and artists. How do you cope with the fear of the unknown? It starts with building a foundation on the things you can control. Which includes a fallback plan. While you are working to build a career in the music industry, you can plan for the unexpected. Some may feel that all the money they make from gigs needs to be reinvested into their music career. This seems feasible, but is it smart? No. Money that you receive from gigs should go into a “savings account” or under your mattress. 😊
Focus on your education, and an alternative path. Not all resources need to be invested into a career that doesn’t promise success. An education, from either a community college or technical school is ideal. This will help build your confidence and reduce the fear of what is unknown. Moving forward. We are here to interview talented artists in the music industry. Today we have welcomed Modern English as our guest.
INTERVIEW WITH MICK CONROY OF MODERN ENGLISH
Guitar Thrills: Interesting topic. Newcomers may not get the sense of it. After all, failure in the music industry is not an option. Even if they fail at first, success is all about failing multiple times. Getting back on your feet after failing is key. While all the popular key phrases have truth to it, they are not soluble solutions. They are fallible. They are meant to encourage and help grasp the reality of failure. However, nothing is better than confidence built upon a backup solution. Our guest isn’t new to the music industry. Modern English has been polarizing the music industry for decades.
Guitar Thrills: It is excellent to have you as a guest today. I have enjoyed your music for decades. A unique punk sound that transcends time. Did you believe that Modern English would have remained in the music spotlight to this day?
Modern English: Absolutely not something I spent much time thinking about. I joined the band when they were called The Lepers when I was 15. Within two years, we became Modern English. Our thoughts were about getting gigs where we could back then. Maybe get a single out and hopefully John Peel might play it. We lived together in squats in West London, normally after about four months we would get evicted, then we would find another squat. Generally we would plan for about three-to-four months in advance.
Guitar Thrills: Did you experience immediate success as a band? If so when and what country was your music heard the most?
Modern English: When our second LP, After The Snow, was released in America, it coincided with MTV being launched. The single from that album was “I Melt With You.” That did pretty well and got heavy rotation. It was also in the film Valley Girl so success came after several singles and our first LP had already been released. It’s all relative, though. We did a couple of John Peel Sessions earlier, which then was, to me, the ultimate in success.
Guitar Thrills: Did you get into the music industry with the mindset that you were going to be successful?
Modern English: We only wanted to play music and be a band writing, recording and playing live. Success was far from our thoughts. As with most bands, we were mainly focused on making music.
Guitar Thrills: Did you have any fail-safe plans in case you were not able to establish the results that you wanted? If so, what is your plan outside of the music industry?
Modern English: There was no Plan B. We were working class lads from Colchester with mundane jobs when we started; we were passionate about what we were doing, so really, returning to our old jobs or the dole was our alternative option.
Guitar Thrills Broadcast
Guitar Thrills: Do you know when it is time to give up on your dreams as an artist? If so, what is a good indication of it?
Modern English: Most of us are in our sixties now. We do still love and have enthusiasm for what we do. Playing new music and continually writing is something I have always done. If the audience has gone, I will still be making music, if only for myself.
Guitar Thrills: I have listened to your music many times. What bands were your inspiration for your sound?
Modern English: The list is endless. Bowie, Velvet Underground, Brian Eno. I am constantly listening to and looking for new bands. KEXP in Seattle and BBC 6 Music and Radio 3 play good stuff.
Guitar Thrills: Did you ever get a chance to perform with the bands that you grew up listening to?
Modern English: In 1983, we did a North American tour opening for Roxy Music. We all grew up loving them. Recently we toured with The Veldt, an amazing band from North Carolina. Back in the day, it was always good fun playing with Bauhaus and The Birthday Party in tiny London clubs.
Guitar Thrills: Modern English has always used different instruments to generate their unique sound. Did you have to change the instruments used and more bands change their musical dynamics?
Modern English: We are always interested in sound — how to make things sound different. We do a lot of manipulation in the recording process.
Guitar Thrills: The song “I Melt with you” became a hit in 1982 as it was featured in one of my all-time favorite films “Valley Girl”. Then it became a HUGE hit in the U.S. in 1997 and thereafter. Also, the movie Stranger Things had an impact to the song’s popularity among a different age group. What do you contribute to the success of that song?
Modern English: Loads of hooks! But of course trying to over-analyze a song as to why it strikes such a chord with so many people can lead you nowhere.
Guitar Thrills: What opportunities have you yet been able to experience as a band that sticks out to you the most?
Modern English: Hmmm … Maybe next year some South American dates would be nice.
Guitar Thrills: What is Modern English accomplishing today? What albums are you working on?
Modern English: This year saw the release of 1 2 3 4. We are thrilled that it has been received with great critical acclaim and new fans. We launched on the release and stayed on the college charts in the U.S. for much of this year, which we toured extensively around the world. A very busy year indeed for us. Me and Robbie [Grey] have already written a good amount of songs for our next LP. Busy, busy. Always writing!
Guitar Thrills: Has modern music made you rethink your style and sound? Is there a strong fan base for the same punk sound of the 80’s in your opinion?
Modern English: This year we played a lot with the Buzzcocks, a punk band from the ‘70s. It was great to see their audiences of all ages getting into what we were doing. The energy was inspiring. Recently the Modern English sound has become more aggressive and powerful. I think the next album will contain quite a few short, sharp and punchy songs.
Guitar Thrills: How long do you plan on making music?
Modern English: As I said above, I have a studio. So forever.
Guitar Thrills: We hope that you never stop producing great music. Your sound is etched into our memories and will never be forgotten. Thank you so much for joining us today. We know you are busy but invite you back anytime you would like. Our door is always open.
A RECAP OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
