Forgetting Luka Modric: An Interview with Eugene McGuinness

Forgetting Luka Modric: An Interview with Eugene McGuinness

31 July, 2012
by: Domzig

Chatting Olympics and haircuts with Leytonstone's finest musical export.

Have you ever done that thing when you imagine meeting the you from five years ago and having a drink with them?  If you haven’t, you should. I always find it surprising how much your general outlook can change in just a few years, I can picture the younger me thinking ‘who the hell is this person?’ as I tell them how I get drunk after three pints and feel queasy at the slightest whiff of tequila.

For Eugene McGuiness it would almost be a pointless exercise. If he wanted to know what the 2007 version of himself thought, all he has to do is whack on Spotify and take a listen. Signed to Domino since his career started a few years ago, he’s gone from a fresh-faced uni graduate plugging away on an acoustic guitar to a sharply-suited, quiffed-up rocker recalling the new wave–meets-beat pop sounds of early Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.  

Underneath all of the alter-egos and sonic experimentalism, there is a playful honesty to the way McGuinness makes music. At times it feels like he uses music like a kid uses play-dough, shaping and bending it to suit whatever flight of fancy he just so happens to feel at any given moment in time. In a city filled with self-righteous singer-songwriter types banging on about the state of the world or how they got dumped last September, it’s quite refreshing to find someone who doesn't really care that much and is generally up for having a laugh.

With a brand new album hitting the shops soon I called him up to talk about music and then ended up chatting about the Olympics, haircuts and Luka Modric. It’s always the way right?



So do you still live in Leystonstone?
Yeah, I’m an East London boy. I lived in Liverpool for a bit, but now like the prodigal son I’ve returned. I love London; it’s the best city in the world.

What do you reckon to the whole Olympics thing? A lot of people down your way don’t seem that happy about it?
I was chatting about this the other day, and I think it’s a great thing. The whole idea of the Olympics being here is such a massive thing, and you may be cynical about it, but I really think that like Glastonbury or Christmas or whatever, it’s kind of what you make of it.

You’re probably first person I’ve talked to about the games who’s been generally positive. Have you got tickets or something?
No. To be honest, I think it’s a fantastic thing for the overall spirit of London, but my interest in Hungarian shot-put is sort of limited.

You’re in a unique position for most musicians in that you’ve been with the same label for quite some time now. How do you feel you’re music has developed?
For me, quite naturally, it should always develop and I hope it’ll be different in a couple of years than it is now; I definitely don’t want to be writing the same song for the rest of my adult life. But there is this element that you can’t escape from; there’s a thing that I do that’s just in me, it’s a part of my character or my soul or something.

I mean, what I do now is probably a lot more direct and honest than things I was doing a few years ago when I was young and still finding my feet, but it’s still sort of the same.

Yeah the early stuff had more of a folk vibe...
Er, not really.  I really dislike folk music, and that was one of things early on that really threw me. When I first got signed and started recording you don’t really think about how you’re going to be perceived, but I suppose that when you’re a young lad with an acoustic guitar, people get those connotations and I sort of got locked in with that jangly folk stuff that was going on at the time, and I didn’t like it all.

Is that why you’ve got more power pop/rock as the years have gone by?
I don’t really know what power pop is, but I know that folk is generally about having a flute and singing about why you can’t get kissed, and I know I’m definitely not into that!  I’m into a lot of ‘60s rock, a lot of soul music, Bowie and the pop music I grew up with like Oasis and Blur. I think my music is a mish-mash of all these things, which is what I think pop is really. Simple songs to get you going, but not simple to the point that they treat you like a simpleton.

I have to ask you about the haircut, how come you lost the bowl cut?
That was five years ago, times change. I got bored.

Yeah, but the bowl is back in now. What with the Stone Roses and everything...
I’m not in the Stone Roses...

Good answer. So with the new album, how are you hoping for it to go down?
For people to buy it; I’d be into that. I’d be surprised if it did mind; it’s such a personal and un-edited record, it almost came straight out of me and on to the record, but yeah if people were into it, I’d be really happy. I’m really proud of this one.

OK the last question is in two parts. You’re a Spurs fan right? What do you reckon to the whole Luka Modric saga?
Well, this is where I piss people off, because I don’t think like a lot of Spurs fans. I even quite like Arsenal. Modric is a world class footballer and he’s not on a world class salary, so if he wants to play for Real Madrid he should, there’s nothing worse than moany footballers; the world is full of them.

Very diplomatic...
Yeah in the old days I used to get proper riled up about it and hate people for no real reason, but now I’m a bit older I’ve kind of realised that it’s not that important.

OK, last question part 2, how would you feel if one of your songs became an Arsenal terrace anthem?
I should probably be a bit careful about what I say here, as I’ve got a few old mates who would probably go for me, but yeah, I’d love it if that happened. Oh well, looks like I’m an Arsenal fan now.

Eugene McGuinness is playing Corsica Studios this Friday and Birthday's on the 23rd of August.
Bored? Check out more live music in London.

Domzig