Holy Shit! A Roses related post! (J.Squire Interview)

Courtesy of Mr E. Stoned off AMSR.

From ucd college newspaper 15/01/03

Firstly congratulations on the album.How have the warm up gigs been going for
you?

JS: First one was great.It really surprised me because i didn't know what to
expect.I wasn't sure whether i could do it or no but it went like a dream.The
audience helped out a lot.The second one was a bit tougher because it was closer
to home.It was in Liverpool but it still went ok and the third one was probably
my least favoutite.

What sort of feelings did your involvement with the recent Stone Roses best of
bring about,with the working on new artwork,etc for it?

JS: Well the painting was already done.It's from back in the day.It dates from
'88/'89

How was it going through the back catalogue for the compilation?
JS: I really didn't have to do that.The engineer I was working with at the time
was a big Roses fan so I asked him what he would like to see on a compilation
and I compared with a quick list I drew up.We whittled it down and my manager
compared notes with Ian's manager and we agreed on a final draft.In listening to
the songs the thing that struck me was how accomplished the playing
was,particularly on the second album.I'd forgotten we had got to that level.

The second coming was almost entirely written by yourself and Ian Brown has
alleged that you ''cut him out'' of the songwriting process.Is this true?

JS: Our partnership wasn't very fruitful between albums.We went away to write
together but nothing came of it.I found I was making more progress on my own,and
Ian said he was quite happy with that.He'd tell me that he was sitting at home
sending me positive vibes to help with the songwriting.But, he could have
written some songs himself,yeah.

Have you heard from Reni since he left in '95?

JS:No,just Mani.

Do you regret not making more,only getting two albums out?

JS:I did.I used to regret that yeah but now I've learned to accept the way
things panned out.

If you could change anything from your past and how your career has panned out
would you,and if so what would you change?

JS: I'd like to see how the Stone Roses would have progressed with a proper
manager.

Would you attribute a lot of the fall out to bad management?

JS:Well that's the reason that we spent so long between albums and yeah I think
that definitely ended our progress.I think that with somebody more trustworthy
we'd have had a brighter future.

Why exactly did you leave?

JS: I could no longer relate to Ian...didn't know who he was anymore.It
developed in the studio while we were recording the second album.

Was Reni's walking out to do with Ian?

JS:Yeah,Ian had a row with Reni and came into rehearsel and told me and Mani
that he'd had it with Reni...,and that he'd never work with him again...and that
he wanted to see him in the gutter.And we said 'Hang on a minute we've got a
tour starting in ten days, or 12 days I think it was.But I knew from Ian's...I
could see in his eyes that if it came to it Ian would walk out.In fact he said,
''It's me or him''.So we had no choice but to look for somebody else.I was
determined to tour the album and there's no way I could have done that without
the singer.

Did you feel then that the democracy had been lost?

JS:Yeah prior to that point no member of the band would have been able to make
that statement.We did run the band democratically but everything changed from
that point on because he held a gun to our head basically.Though strangely I
know that Ian told Dave Simpson(Guardian writer) that it was me that had the
falling out with Reni and that was the reason he left.

Ian has admitted a lot of the blame for the demise of the Roses at your
door,labelling you a control freak and a cocaine addict and that your habit
ruined the band.

JS:Do you believe that?

No

JS:why?

Why?Because it seemed to be used as promotion at a time when his own career
needed a push.But to be honest the whoile thing is shrouded in mystery and a lot
of the silence has been maintained on your part.

JS: Yeah,well I'm interested to know what you think and how you see it cause I
can't tell my story and I can't tell you why but, I know that some people would
assume from my silence that that amounts to an admission of guilt....so I'm
pleased you can see through Ian's publicity machine.

JS: Em.I was lazy really.I find it hard work looking for musicians,looking for
singers particularly.I spent a lot of time looking for the vocalist I worked
with after the Seahorses and I lived with the guy three or four nights a week.He
practically moved into my house and we worked intensively on his voice and on
the songs.and,em,it all fell apart after about a year and I couldn't face the
prospect of going through all that again so short of quitting music
altogether,my options were narrowed down to taking centre stage myself.

Did it take you a while to get in the mould of a singer, to gain the confidence
in your voice?

JS: Yeah,more than confidence though,kick starting the thing because I never
used it before.

How did you prepare for it?

JS: From scratch,just sang every until I thought I'd got to the stage where I
could invite an engineer over to record,and we did a couple of days work,and I
was horrified with the results. He gave me a lot of encouragement,and we agreed
to a bit more a couple of weeks later,and it slowly got better. We proceeded to
make the album on that basis ,bringing musicians in.

On taking the role of singer, was it easier to look within yourself, and to
reflect and be honest lyrically,given that it wasn't someone else interpreting
your words?

JS:Yeah that is exactly right.I hadn't anticipated that taking on the mantle of
singer would change the way I write songs, but it did.Probably too much on
reflection.I'd like to combine elements of the two.I love what it does to the
lyric.

Did you approach the album on more of an acoustic basis initially?

JS: Yeah I did.I think that is evident from the record.I'd like next,when I've
got a stronger voice, to write songs with the electric guitar, and not focus so
much on the vocal.

Did you focus almost entirley on the vocal for this album?

JS: Yeah,it was all about the vocal.When we started,I didn't know whether I
could finish the album or not.Next time around,I'd like to bring in more or the
guitar playing into the songwriting process...get the riffs going again...

Did it help in the songwriting process, given that you took a lot more time out
than you did prior to the Seahorses?

JS:No,because although I didn't produce any music,publicaly anyway,in the
Seahorses,I did spend a lot of time with the band...No,I didn't take much time
out really,until the period that I contemplated singing or not.There was a band
that was ready to gig and record an album.Three of them have gone on to form The
Shining.

Why did that collapse?

JS:The drummer and bassist walked out and the singer persuaded them to come
back.But,I decided that if they were going to be that flaky, I didnt want to
continue.

What inspired you initially to persue music and form a group?

JS:Seeing The Clash at Manchester Apollo in 1977.The Complete Control tour I
think it was called.It was the first gig I'd been to.I'd been listening to the
bands music for about a year and was obsessed with them and it was the first
time I's seen them in the flesh.It was just the most exciting thing I'd ever
experienced,being right down at the front and getting thrown over the barrier in
to the pit and being taken out by the side and being put back in again.I can
remember feeling at the time 'This is where I want to be' but I figured it would
be more comfortable on the other side of the fence.

Did guitar playing come very easy for you?

JS: No,not at all.It was that year that I first started playing.I was fourteen
and it was after hearing 'God save the Queen'that I decided I wanted to learn
how to play.I've still so much to accomplish.

When did you feel you began to grow apart as songwriters,and can you pin-point a
catalyst to it?

JS:No,there wasn't a catalyst...I don't think.The ideas usually came from
me,because Ian didn't play an instrument.So,I'd be roughing out the songs and
we'd fine tune them together.But,somewhere in that period,after writing and
recording the first album..........we weren't working at each others homes
because we had children.So we'd go away and rent a house somewhere for a week or
two weeks and try and write.Very little came of it.

Why do you think people took to the roses so easily and that they're still as
popular as ever,if not more so?

JS: It's got to be down to the music that we made,the records that we
made.There's got to be something in the songs and the way we played them that
keeps people interested after the band has ceased to exist.The spirit of the
people that made the music has been captured..

With the Roses,there've been so many conflicting reports with regard to a
reunion.You stated recently,that you'd ''rather remove your liver with a
teaspoon.'' But you've also stated that you believe it will happen some day.For
the record,what are your thoughts on a Stone Roses reunion?

JS:It's something I could never contemplate until I find out exactly what blame
Ian lays at my door.

Would you be open to a reconciliation with him?

JS:Yeah.I don't believe in bearing grudges.But if he stands by everything he's
said then I would rather remove my liver with a teaspoon. I'm still in touch
with Mani and it would be a lot easier if the rest of us could communicate.It's
difficult.