FIST OF KNOWLEDGE

MARINA MEROSI - ZIG ZAG – 1984

Soho, it’s raining on a cool grey Wednesday. Outside people are busy negotiating the winding streets, umbrellas in hand, bravely battling against the elements, but inside an Italian café in the midst of all this cosmopolitan hustle and bustle, Matt Johnson is gingerly spooning a bowl of very hot tomato soup.

He’s only in his early twenties, but Matt’s seen a good few years in the music business, having released several records with The Gadgets a couple of years back and a few singles (like his current album) under the guise of The The, but perhaps the first real insight given into the heart and mind of Matt Johnson was ‘Burning Blue Soul’, strangely fierce and poignantly beautiful it’s a classic album.

Since then, he’d recorded ‘The Pornography Of Despair’, which was supposed to be released last year, but which may now be issued as a limited edition of 30,000.

The reason for that album’s non-appearance was Matt’s restless perfectionism; he just wasn’t happy with it. Matt subsequently moved away from the production of Mike Thorne, with whom he had worked on ‘Uncertain Smile’ , to that of Paul Hardiman (incidentally both producers had worked on all three Wire studio albums) and started work on yet another album which became ‘Soul Mining’.

I suggest that though obviously more ‘commercial’ than ‘Burning Blue Soul’, in so far as it’s more easily and instantly accessible to a wider audience, ‘Soul Mining’ is not the big ‘Pop’ sell out that other less scrupulous artistes might have made. To me, it’s simply a progression into new and different areas; the result is rich, warm and inviting. Matt agrees: ‘Points are just clarified – it’s more explicit.’

Pop? The young Matt Johnson, like most kids, wanted to be a pop star. ‘But I less and less want to be one now’ he explains, having recalled his formative years,’ because I can see the shitty side of it – how transient and worthless it is: I’d much rather be taken seriously which thankfully, I think I am now…I’d much rather have people listen to what I say than be some twat out of some highly successful band who ain’t gonna be there in five years’ time and no-one’s gonna remember: I’d rather make my way up very slowly and surely and just influence and inspire people hopefully, because I’m putting a hell of a lot into it and people do get a lot of pleasure out of it:

I want to be successful – I’m not against that at all: but I think cheapening it – just having success as an end in itself – success as the ambition and the end; I think that’s a really shallow attitude.’

Quite obviously Matt’s into a literal Soul Mining… quite obviously, he would never be content to merely scratch feebly at the surface: It’s part of his strength of character; music is his raison d’etre. He talks of digging deep within himself to follow his own instincts. So he feels he’s being pulled towards what he just knows is his own destiny?

‘Yeah,,,, and I can’t argue with it – that’s basically what it is…I suppose it’s like a gift in a way, having some kind of talent, but I don’t abuse the gift: I look after it, and I also find that I can work a lot less than a lot of people and get ten times more work done. Like I remember Jimmy Greaves used to say that – and I mean, he was one of the best footballers ever in this country. He said he hardly used to go training, he used to be down the pub, and there’d be all those people who weren’t that good who’d be working out every day. He used to turn up, score a hat trick, be the hero and earn lots of money.

‘But I just know deep down’ continues Matt,’ – it’s a kind of knowing that I am gonna be very successful and I know that whatever I do, it leads me onto that, so when I have to work hard I will work hard – I know when the chips are down, but a lot of the time I don’t have to slog myself around ‘cause I know that everything’s gonna be O.K. – it’s that optimistic thing inside me knowing – and to think that I’ve come from say the age of 11 or 12 and I knew then that I was gonna be successful, and now having had the album of the month in all the papers, straight in at 27, having a big record deal with someone; it’s just through my own faith in myself. By having faith in yourself, you draw things towards you like a magnet; by being positive, you make things happen – if you’re the opposite and you’re defeatist, then you’ll probably have a really low life. ‘But you’ve got to have that optimism; that kind of strength: that fist in you that knows.’

I read a review of ‘Soul Mining’ which suggested that Matt’s lyrical capabilities were balanced precariously between that tender naivete and an undeniable genius: I’d say that description comes close to summing up the Johnson charm, for Matt explores the core of a deep, dark emotion, writing about the feelings that surround mortality, unfulfilled promise and unrequited love, yet he’s also acutely aware of the simple beauty in existence: shafts of light filtering through a window: sand, sun and simple expressions – a smile – and contemplating life from the delicious comfort of one’s own bed. I think he’s got a better grasp of life than most: His music is so….human.

Matt admits to having become far more analytical of late (a consequence of increased responsibilities) and so in his attempt to define his own appeal, he admits that his lyrics are ‘quite confessional’ – they touch people.’

They do seem to be rather personal.

‘They are – they’re very personal: maybe people see things in my lyrics which they feel themselves: People hear them and say ‘Fuck’ that’s how I feel – maybe that’s what it is: I write things which a lot of people feel and I want to get closer and closer to that ‘till I ‘m writing songs which are like harmonious with everybody,’ and then Matt pauses and says very thoughtfully: ‘In that way I would be in quite a powerful position, where I could probably alter things.’ I laugh.

‘No…seriously!’

Oh, I believe him.