NEWS
Mike Skinner: 'The loudest crowds are the youngest and the oldest, and there's just a dip in the middle'
19 October 2023
Mike Skinner joins Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1 to discuss details around his debut film and new album The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light. Mike discusses making the film on location, Paul McCartney and Central Cee, ABBA and Fred Again, writing new songs for The Streets, his father and his love of Raymond Chandler.
Mike Skinner on The Streets…
Because I'd been thinking about lyrics for 10... Well, longer than 10 years without stopping. There was something in my brain that was really tired at that point. And it took about, it was at least five, six years before I was able to sort of... But what I found, it was like the floodgates opened. It was this film. As soon as I worked out that I was going to do this film, I was like, "Okay, well, now I'm going to have to write some Streets songs." And it was easy. It just all came out.
Mike Skinner on ABBA and Fred Again…
I mean, actually when you go and see the ABBA thing, that's what Fred Again should be doing next. But it's a purpose-built venue. That's the thing is, it's very difficult to do that sort of thing in a traditional theatre. Because you haven't got the trusses back behind the people.
Mike Skinner on Paul McCartney and Central Cee..
I mean, I think the gigs are really loud, I find, when the band is really new and the crowd are really young, right? And when they're really young, they just obsess over it, and they shout really loud. But then if you've got a song that's really old. So, it's like you're either sort of Central Cee, or you're like Paul McCartney. And if you're Paul McCartney, it's like absolutely, everyone knows the words to this because you've got five generations behind you that all heard it in their parents' car. So, it's like the loudest crowds are the youngest and the oldest, and there's just a dip in the middle.
Mike Skinner on saving the film budget and filming on location…
I think if I hadn't have been in it, then it would've probably cost a lot more than I spent, because there was just so much to film. And I tended to film wherever I was at the time. And the really big thing, the only thing that made it possible was that I was DJing. So, we would, like for instance, The Warehouse Project in Manchester, I was DJing there, so we basically just said, "Can we film backstage and film while I'm on stage?" And they were like, "Yeah, cool." And they didn't really know what we were doing.
Mike Skinner on his father and Philip Marlowe (character created by Raymond Chandler)…
And maybe there's a bit of nostalgia because my dad was in the Second World War, so he was more like a grandfather in age to me. So, I've got some weird references that come from my dad. But no, to me, and just the same as you. I wasn't thinking, "Oh my God, the 1940s are amazing in LA." I was just thinking, "The stuff this guy's saying is so cool, I just want to be like that." Actually, even though Philip Marlowe books are my favourite books, the films aren't the best film noir. Big Sleep isn't my favourite, but there's a film called 'Out of the Past' where all you have to do is just Google the lines from it, the dialogue, just do movie dialogue Out of the Past. And there's just so many quotes, it's absolutely amazing.
Mike Skinner on The Streets…
Because I'd been thinking about lyrics for 10... Well, longer than 10 years without stopping. There was something in my brain that was really tired at that point. And it took about, it was at least five, six years before I was able to sort of... But what I found, it was like the floodgates opened. It was this film. As soon as I worked out that I was going to do this film, I was like, "Okay, well, now I'm going to have to write some Streets songs." And it was easy. It just all came out.
Mike Skinner on ABBA and Fred Again…
I mean, actually when you go and see the ABBA thing, that's what Fred Again should be doing next. But it's a purpose-built venue. That's the thing is, it's very difficult to do that sort of thing in a traditional theatre. Because you haven't got the trusses back behind the people.
Mike Skinner on Paul McCartney and Central Cee..
I mean, I think the gigs are really loud, I find, when the band is really new and the crowd are really young, right? And when they're really young, they just obsess over it, and they shout really loud. But then if you've got a song that's really old. So, it's like you're either sort of Central Cee, or you're like Paul McCartney. And if you're Paul McCartney, it's like absolutely, everyone knows the words to this because you've got five generations behind you that all heard it in their parents' car. So, it's like the loudest crowds are the youngest and the oldest, and there's just a dip in the middle.
Mike Skinner on saving the film budget and filming on location…
I think if I hadn't have been in it, then it would've probably cost a lot more than I spent, because there was just so much to film. And I tended to film wherever I was at the time. And the really big thing, the only thing that made it possible was that I was DJing. So, we would, like for instance, The Warehouse Project in Manchester, I was DJing there, so we basically just said, "Can we film backstage and film while I'm on stage?" And they were like, "Yeah, cool." And they didn't really know what we were doing.
Mike Skinner on his father and Philip Marlowe (character created by Raymond Chandler)…
And maybe there's a bit of nostalgia because my dad was in the Second World War, so he was more like a grandfather in age to me. So, I've got some weird references that come from my dad. But no, to me, and just the same as you. I wasn't thinking, "Oh my God, the 1940s are amazing in LA." I was just thinking, "The stuff this guy's saying is so cool, I just want to be like that." Actually, even though Philip Marlowe books are my favourite books, the films aren't the best film noir. Big Sleep isn't my favourite, but there's a film called 'Out of the Past' where all you have to do is just Google the lines from it, the dialogue, just do movie dialogue Out of the Past. And there's just so many quotes, it's absolutely amazing.
