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Life's just a long flight with your old friends: Interview with
International Airport
by Anna Battista
Old friends are great: you can always rely on them, when you're happy you
can share with them your joy; when you're sad they can cheer you up. That's
what International Airport mean for me. I first met them and their music in
1998 in Glasgow, and well, they sort of introduced themselves as old
friends as, on that occasion, it might have been at the 13th Note or at the
School of Art, they played a cover of "Una Stanza Vuota" by Ennio
Morricone. It was a bit like finding a piece of my home country where I
wasn't expecting it to be and I even remember Aki from International
Airport being worried that they were going to cut a poor figure as I was
Italian, I knew the words of the song and they wouldn't have equaled the
original. But instead it was a fine cover and it was fun.
So, let's try to learn more about them. Bassist Aki lists all the
International Airport members: "Tom Crossley, Stephen Aston are the core,
the rest are flexible, Cari Anderson, Julie Greene, Aki Okauchi, Robbie
Wilson, Ali Roberts, Annabel Wright are credited in the album."
"I have nightmares about the good fortune of our meeting. Stephen and I
were at Glasgow University together, since 1993. Airport started to form in
1995/96," Tom, who plays guitars, drums, piano, flute and gets down on the
electronics explains. "We met Aki because we were looking for someone to
play bass. Everyone else we knew already. Aki, Stephen and I shared a flat
for a while, we recorded All City Glasgow there. There is no fetishism
with airports," he adds regarding the name of the band, "Though now I
really notice when I see the words in a different context (some people
might say their intended context). The name was a necessary evil. But
there's no point being saddled with an evil that you don't like, so we
picked words that we did like. Not quite out of a hat, but almost. We
played our first show in 1997, at the Pastels' club Illumination, at 13th
Note in Glasgow. Then, we released our debut LP in late 2000. But we didn't
play that many shows during this period. Mostly ramshackle. We only played
once outside Glasgow, and that was in Dundee. I tend to hide from bright
lights."
Being so many, I wonder how the writing process works for them.
"Normally it is Stephen and I, or one of us, that has the basic track," Tom
explains, "There have been exceptions. People then attempt to convince us
that they have something worth adding." Apparently, the biggest influence
on International Airport was, according to Tom, "The original advert for a
bass player that listed Pet Sounds, Loveless and Starlite Walker
amongst other things."
International Airport delighted me with a Morricone cover. "I think Tom is
a fan of nice old music composers," states Aki, "He talked about musicians
such as Milton Nascimento." Tom acknowledges Aki's suggestion, "I am a big
fan of Morricone. Especially his western soundtracks. There's also some
great stuff he did for those less-well-known (to me anyway) '60s-'70s
Italian films, but a lot of the music on those records is more scary
atmosphere music, which I don't like so much. 'Una Stanza Vuota' appears on
the Japanese version of 'Nothing We Can Control' along with the other songs
from All City Glasgow, (CD only). I don't think we'll re-record it. That
is a chapter past."
International Airport released last year a very cinematic album, Nothing
We Can Control, mixed in Chicago by John McEntire. "That was good fun,"
Tom recalls, "It was mine and Annabel's first proper time in America, not
on tour, with some time to look around and relax a bit. I had not really
worked in a proper studio before, not on Airport stuff. John was really
good. I like the sound of the records he has been involved with, and I'm
really pleased with what he did on ours." But there were also other
benevolent friends who helped International Airport: "Teenage Fanclub lent
us (and Appendix Out) their eight track to do the 'All City Glasgow' single
which features on the Japanese issue of Nothing We Can Control," Tom
explains. The album was released on Geographic, Stephen and Katrina
Pastels' label. "I was aware of what Stephen and Katrina were doing from
when they started doing it. This is maybe some time in 1999. In some way
this must be due to my involvement with The Pastels, but I think only as a
first point of contact. We were going to put out the record already (with
Overcoat / All City in Chicago), and then they decided they wanted to do it
in Britain. I've never had any dealings with a major label. I am
experiencing a sense of community with Geographic and even Overcoat that I
would not have expected from any label. This would maybe be harder to
achieve with a major label, because of its greater size."
Being signed to
an indie label, Aki is experiencing the same freedom Tom talks about "I
personally think it's better as long as you are doing what you want to do,"
she comments. Geographic has got quite a few cool artists on its list and if Aki likes
Future Pilot AKA, so does Tom: "I think Future Pilot AKA is my favourite.
Maybe Maher Shalal Hash Baz too, but it is harder to remember them. I see
Sushil more often, I like to keep close tabs on the objects of my devotion.
But everything that has been released so far, I have liked and would have
bought anyway, regardless of any 'label mates' connection I might feel."
Tom is also well known for having collaborated with other Glaswegian bands,
"I am currently playing with The Pastels and Appendix Out, and have been
for several years. I don't know if this is a collaboration, more of a
sound-generating input to people's music. I have done things with others,
Lucky Luke, V-twin, the Zephyrs in Edinburgh (Jonathan and Gordon from
Policecat). The Geographic compilation that we are currently involved in
feels like a kind of collaboration. A community action project, as I said
before."
Knowing so well the local bands also means that his favourite
local artists are "Future Pilot AKA, The Pastels, Appendix Out, Bill Wells,
Policecat, Royal Bronco, Boards of Canada, The Delgados, Lucky Luke and
Teenage Fanclub," but for Aki it is almost impossible to choose a Scottish
artist she likes best: "Oh, this one is difficult. Each of us likes one of
them for something slightly different. I like Appendix Out, if you are
talking about a new band, but The Pastels are doing something interesting
all the time."
At present the members of the band are scattered around. "Tom, Anna, Ali,
Robbie and Stephen are in Glasgow right now," Aki explains, "Cari is in
Edinburgh temporarily, Julie is in London doing her photography course and
I'm back in Tokyo." "I am in Glasgow right now, in the university," Tom
underlines, "writing emails when I am supposed to be working! I would
certainly consider moving outside the city boundary, get a nice house in
the country. But I think I would like to remain in the west of Scotland for
the moment. It depends on my wife, and who else is around."
Right now there aren't any definitive plans about the follow up to
Nothing We Can Control. "I don't know how it is going to sound yet. More
live. It depends on how long we take to record it. Nothing We Can Control
took nearly a year, on and off, and I hope we can do the next one in a few
weeks," Tom states, "I haven't really thought about singers or producers. I
just think what can we do with the people we know, and who already play
with us. I tried to learn the trumpet for the Geographic compilation but
eventually we had to concentrate on writing the song. I enjoy playing music
with other people. I would like to do more in the way of remixes -- I have
only been involved with one (Pastels remix of Cornelius) and really enjoyed
doing that. So if anyone has a track I can experiment with."
Tom at present is working hard: "We have just recorded a track for a
Geographic compilation to be issued on Trattoria (Japan) sometime over the
summer. It is a great CD with other bands such as Appendix Out, Pastels,
Future Pilot AKA, National Park, Empress, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Barbara
Morgenstern, Pedro. Then I think we are going to do a series 500 12" for
Domino. Then plans to play live as soon as we can get it together. " So
will you ever be able to catch them playing somewhere this summer? "I am up
for some tour," Aki admits, "but I don't know how it will be possible with
me being away. I hope that somehow I can help somebody to bring the whole
band to play in Japan. It would be fun!"
And while we wait for Aki to ship the whole band to Japan, let's spy in
their record shopping bags and see what they've bought recently "I just got
the first three parts of the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music.
I was really into volume four which I got first because it wasn't so
expensive," Tom says, "I also got an Astrud Gilberto record, I forgot the
name -- the one with Gil Evans, and a green sleeve, which is really great,
and 'Music by Madonna. Also the new Mouse On Mars LP. They were amazing
live, one or two months ago." "I bought Ida today and I like Gnac. But
I've been trying German rock and jazz. I haven't found any good one yet,"
Aki adds in a quandary.
I also ask them about their favourite fanzine. "The
only fanzines I've read recently are those that have had International
Airport interviews," Tom reveals, "but Robots and Electronic Brains is a
good one." While Aki takes us to Japan choosing the colourful Beikoku
magazine as her fave reading.
Being Tom so absorbed in his musical projects, you happen to wonder what he
would do if he weren't in a band. "Part of the time I would be doing what I
do at the moment, computer programming at Glasgow University. But I would
probably need to be doing something else too, so I don't know. Maybe I'd be
a fitness freak. Sort my back out." Aki concludes with an advice for those
who want to follow International Airport's example, "Don't be discouraged
by anyone's opinion and just do what you like."
You never know what will happen tomorrow: you might find yourself waiting
in an airport lounge for a flight which will take you far away or you might
just keep on going on living your old and boring life. Who knows. Whatever,
bear in mind that old friends will always be there for you, like an old
piece of music, like International Airport.
Issue 6, July 2001 | next article
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