fR312 PAGE 27 1/5/09 15:59 Page 1
27 f
root salad
12 shots from the fRoots
Rocket Launcher
a dozen leading questions to fire at Devon Sproule
If you were given the funds to organise a that kind of thing. I’ve since improved my Canada too. A hero of mine. And he sang
concert bill, who would the artists be? foreign language performances! on my new record! While we’re on the
If I was feeling adventurous and had a What’s the professional achievement
subject of older men, I saw Prince on Leno
good clean-up crew on hand, I’d probably you’re most proud of?
last night. He and his band are about the
hire Alabama 3. Their live show isn’t so
My new record, Don’t
hottest things on the block!
much up my alley – too pre-recorded, not
Hurry For Heaven. I still
enough live stuff – but their backstage
like my last two records
scene totally makes up for it. We were
quite a bit too, thank
both on the bill at the Trowbridge Village goodness.
Pump festival and our dressing rooms
What’s the most
were right next to each other. I have a
embarrassing thing you
video of me and my band playing drunken
ever did in public?
hackey sack backstage. In the background
of the video, the A3 folks are sidling suspi-
I was backstage at the
Womad festival, walking
ciously in and out of their dressing room.
by some folks interviewing
Talk about a rough, badass-looking bunch!
this gorgeous Chinese girl
Which totally obscure record do you most
in these beautiful flowing
treasure and would like more people to
robes and scarves. I
know about?
tripped over a road case
It’d have to be a record called Landau, and hit my knee really
by a Toronto artist called Mantler. I first hard and lay on the
heard it while on tour in England. My
ground moaning. Eventu-
friend Rich booked Mantler at his club Tay-
ally, my drummer George
lor John’s House in Coventry. We had just
carried me out of the cam-
gotten back from a long, late-night drive,
era frame.
winding down, having a nightcap, hang- Which song or piece of
ing out with the dog. Rich put on Landau music would you most
and I ended up dancing to the whole like to have written
record, shuffling around in front of Rich’s yourself?
fake fireplace, while he and Chris Gar-
If I could write a Bach
neau, our friend and tour support, sat on
fugue now and then, I
the couch and laughed at me.
think my brain would be
What was the best live gig you ever saw? healthier. But I have a feel-
I’ve seen Lucinda Williams three times
ing that writing a fugue is
– though two of the three shows, I was
pretty tricky. Just learning
wracked with nerves, having just opened
to sight-read in my life-
for her. I also adore her Live At The Fillmore
time is probably goal
disc. So it would be that or the show where
enough. Guess I’ll just have
my husband Paul Curreri recorded his live
to stick to Sudoku or what-
disc, Are You Going To Paul Curreri. That
ever.
was pretty thrilling. I didn’t even mind
Who was the first
when some girl threw her bra on stage!
musician or singer you
And what was the worst?
were inspired to emulate?
Well, I don’t care what any of my hip,
I think I did a pretty
ironic friends say: I can’t stand Neil Diamond!
good Roy Orbison impres-
sion when I was little. My
Photo: Judith Burrows
What was your own best ever gig?
dad sang the orchestral
Last year at Union Chapel in London parts, as backing to my
was quite the magical one. More recently, I Only The Lonely. When my music tastes dis- If you had a rocket launcher, who or what
did a side project called Devon Sproule & integrated – say, around 12 or 13 – it was would be the target, and why?
Her In-Laws with my brother-in-law Matt more like a note-for-note vocal version of
I just got off the phone with my friend
Curreri and our friend Ray Suen, who is the sax solos from The Bodyguard sound-
Rich (also the founder of Tin Angel
also a touring member of The Killers. In track. Grating Ani Difranco covers local cof- Records, based in Coventry). He was telling
addition to both Matt’s and my originals, feeshop followed. Finally, a return to my Vir- me about this band that he’s been dealing
we did some jangly old covers: Stones, ginia roots, and the Beatles, and the rest of with (not a Tin Angel band), and what a
Zombies, Petty, Neil Young. the good stuff. Hooking up with Paul Cur- bunch of prima donna jerks they are. So I
And what was your worst?
reri helped a lot in that recovery process.
guess I’d have the rocket hit them, as long
Once I forgot a shitload of lyrics dur-
Who was the last-but-one musician or
as it didn’t hit Rich too.
ing a show in Spain. It was the first time I’d
singer you lusted after? Devon Sproule’s latest album, ¡Don’t
played to a crowd that wasn’t primarily I don’t know if I could say I lusted after
Hurry For Heaven!, is out on Tin Angel:
English speaking. I just couldn’t stop think- him, but I do think Jesse Winchester is the
www.tinangelrecords.co.uk
ing about what the lyrics sounded like to sexiest guy over 60. He’s sort of an under-
www.devonsproule.com,
the audience, which of them made sense, ground legend here in the States and in
myspace.com/devonsproule F
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