Interview James Morrison
Thomas Jackson meets the singer-songwriter at Harewood House
Interview: James Morrison
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Unfortunately, James Morrison’s up-coming gig has been cancelled by MA Concert due to “unforseen circumstances”
Spending a rainy Tuesday meeting the press in a stately home probably isn’t the heights of rock’n’roll excess dreamt of by an aspiring musician, but the manner in which James Morrison welcomes our meeting at Harewood House says more about the man than our short chat ever could. The warmth he exudes is palpable, and clearly one of the reasons he has rapidly gained such a wide fanbase, a couple of whom are clamouring for pictures in the rainy grounds whilst his embattled PA tries to get his charge in front of the right cameras. Morrison’s having none of it, even promising to return once one of the ladies in question has figured out how to operate her camera.
Born into difficult circumstances – he tells me he “stopped breathing four times and technically died. The doctors advised my mother to turn off his incubator” - it’s telling that he refers to this sickly childhood self in the third person throughout the interview, seemingly keen to keep as much distance between then and now as possible, although he is clearly aware that he is “lucky to be here”. With an alcoholic father who walked out on the family when he was four, it would have been easy to hit a downward curve, but James is pragmatic about it, “there were some dark times, but all the good times outweigh them. If I’d had everything I wanted as a boy, I wouldn’t be the person I am now.”
After receiving his big break supporting Corinne Bailey Rae on her 2006 club tour, Morrison has now run the full gamut of venues, and is looking forward to playing Harewood House. “I’m really excited. I love these sorts of places. I’ve played a lot of outside gigs, with the forest shows last year and stuff, so combining the two is great.” There is, however, an intimacy to smaller shows which he clearly misses, “the bigger the gig, the less it’s about where the music came from. If it’s a cramped, sweaty club you can see everyone and you’re all in it together, but it’s totally different if you’re miles back and you can’t even see who’s onstage.”
Harewood House is a long way from Morrison’s musical beginnings busking and playing open-mic slots. He’s incredibly keen to stress the importance of honing your craft like this, “I used to play anywhere – old people’s homes, hospitals, places where people didn’t even want to listen. It strengthens you as a performer. I’d play ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ three times a day. There’s artists nowadays that don’t have that training. They don’t go out and play gigs. Maybe they’re a good singer, they spend five years in studio and then they’re expected to play live. I know at least three people that have records out that have that problem. They just can’t do it.”
Morrison is equally damning of TV talent shows, although he offers a more reasoned argument to the usual hatred of anything Simon Cowell produces, “I just think they do it is the wrong way round. People get to know the person through the show, and then they get to know their music, so all the mystery that I think is good to keep to yourself is gone by the time they make an album. I prefer they way I did it, just slogging it out for a while, and hopefully you get a lucky break.” It’s not just the ‘X-Factor’ though, and he’s just as quick to point out there’s little around the current musical landscape which inspires him, “it’s all autotuned crap if I’m honest”.
Whilst obviously happy to dish out advice, James is just as open to it himself, and laughs when asked about the most memorable piece he’s received in the business, “It’s gotta be from Rod Stewart. He said to me, in a really dry way, ‘Ere, bit of advice for you mate. Don’t fuck it up!’ I didn’t really know what to do with that. More usefully, someone back in the day said to me ‘if an opportunity comes your way, make sure you’re prepared for it’ and that makes a lot of sense to me now. So many people want to be an artist, but if the opportunity came along, they haven’t got any songs recorded, they haven’t got a demo, or a sense of what they want to do. It’s good to think about all that stuff anyway. Even if no-one’s interested in what you’re doing have it ready. Have faith in yourself.”
Unfortunately, James Morrison’s up-coming gig has been cancelled by MA Concert due to “unforseen circumstances”
Posted on Thursday 3rd June 2010
Harewood House
Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds, LS17 9LG
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