Argentina Billboard

[Horacewimp]

Hey Helmut83 I've I job for you

What does Jeff say?

www.billboard.com.ar/noticia/1754/jeff-lynne-no-hacamos-pop-descerebrado.-era-pop-inteligente

[Helmut83]

Great article, Horacewimp, thanks for sharing! It's great to finally be able to read something about Jeff Lynne in Spanish that has just come out.

Really interesting article, particularly the questions, which are clever and take him to places he doesn't usually go to. In fact, a lot of what he says here is really out of the cassette we got used to hear him answer with during the last years or decades.

The title says "We didn't do brainless pop. It was intelligent pop". I reckon this interview has to be in English as well somewhere...

[Helmut83]

Among many other things, the Bearded One says that it was a surprise no one got stabbed by the celloists running all around the stage with those huge pins (? the sharp-pointed tip of the sticks the cellos had in their lower part).

[BSJ]

From Google Translate, bit rough in places:

Electric Light Orchestra paid an outstanding debt: finally entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with Pearl Jam, Journey, Joan Baez, Tupac Shakur and Yes. With that excuse, we shared this interview with Jeff Lynne, who reviewed some key moments of his career.

There is no more serene and frontal pop legend than Jeff Lynne. Sitting in the library of a venerable London hotel with its agreeable Birmingham, England accent, intact despite living 20 years in Beverly Hills (after two marriages, he is currently dating Camelia Kath, the ex-wife of actor Kiefer Sutherland) , Still retains the look of an extraordinarily prosperous lead of the 80's: ungainly hair, beard and sunglasses.

Lynne's brilliant normalcy, 69, means he was never a pop star exactly, even though Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - the band that formed as the only songwriter and producer in 1970 - was in glory with her string quartet . ELO won 18 singles in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Between 1972 and 1986, it filled stadiums and dominated an eager, opulent and futuristic retro pop style, whose fans include Daft Punk, The Flaming Lips, director David O. Russell And Ed Sheeran, with whom Lynne made a duet at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

When Lynne disbanded ELO in 1986, she happily moved to the cocompositor / producer chair for people like Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and the three remaining Beatles, also becoming the most modest member of the Babyboomer supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, sharing a chart with Petty, Orbison, Bob Dylan and George Harrison.

In 2015, he returned as Jeff Lynne's ELO with the release of his first album in 14 years, Alone in the Universe - as the latest nice surprise in a race full of that sort of thing. "Obviously everyone is going out to do it if they can," he says, "and I was lucky enough to do it right."

How would you define ELO synthetically?

- A normal band with two cello and a violin. The strings usually docked because there were no microphones in those days. They used to run around the stage like crazy, playing them in mid-flight, so the tuning was a fright, but it was a good show. They wandered around with those gigantic pimps at the end of the stage, it's a surprise that no one has ended up going through.

ELO is hot again now, but when were they the furthest away from it?

Ten or fifteen years ago. We wanted to do a couple of shows, but there was no interest. All that has changed in the last six years. I think a lot of people realized that what I was doing was not mindless pop. It was smart pop.

When did you realize that you could write a hit?

- I guess it will have been with 10538 Overture [in 1972]. He was pleased with that. I remember thinking, "Wow, I can really write a topic," because I did not think I was capable. The records of my old band, The Idle Race, had not achieved much, except with the few more loyal fans. Then, I think Evil Woman [in 1975] was "the" theme. I wrote it so fast. That's when I understood how production and composition are all at once.

When ELO was at its peak in the late 70's, did you worry that you did not have the personality to be a pop star proper?

- Probably. Because it was not and because it did not pretend to be. I do not consider myself a star, but a singer, vocalist, producer and guitarist. I can sing well, and also write songs.

You know you hated playing live. Was it for the show or for everything else that came with it?

- It sounded like shit, that was the problem. Everyone's teams back then were rubbish. I am a producer, so I can get exquisite. It was not bad ... I make it sound like it would have been awful. It just was not what I wanted to do.

What happened to the giant spacecraft they used on the 1978 tour?

- I think it was disarmed at the end of the tour. It would have cost hundreds of thousands to keep the damn thing. He was a huge monster. It was a bit of a headache, really, because it took two days to take it from one place to another, so you would have to do the next show without it, and of course people would say "Where is the flying saucer?". I imagine they would be a little disillusioned.

Have you ever gone wrong?

- Yes, every so often. We were all on hydraulic platforms and we appeared across the stage, but sometimes it got stuck and all they could see was your head. "Get me out of here!". Really embarrassing.

Q Magazine named Livin 'Thing as his greatest "guilty pleasure." Does that concept bother you?

- Yes, because it's really a very smart subject. Go through two minor relative of a service. You do not see many like that. I liked pop. I did not like the pretentious comings and goings of the 20-minute songs of the early 80's. I wanted to make cute, concise three-minute songs that had a good sound

[Helmut83]

"He was a huge monster". Undoubtedly that was a wink to you there, BSJ and unomusette . 

[BSJ]

Oh, that Damey, always mischievous.

"Serene and frontal pop legend" love this.

Never read him saying "cute". Is this mistranslated?

[Helmut83]

"Go through two minor relative of a service" is wrong. It should be "straight away" or "in one hop".

"Saque" is "service" in tennis, that's why the mistake.



BTW BSJ, it seems like the Google translator couldn't translate the whole interview (surely due to length), so what you stuck there is just one part.

[unomusette]

Thanks for the translation, me ninja twin, I think having the Google translation makes it more fun. For instance I love the idea of the string section wandering around the stage with gigantic pimps

[Helmut83]

Hahaha... having pimps onstage, that's something not even the most badass rock bands have done.

My effort to translate that word might have taken too many words but at least it was more accurate.

[BSJ]

I probably didn't scroll down far enough for the rest of the interview.

[queenofthehours]

Favourite quote - "I am a producer, so I can get exquisite" .

[IvanDSM]

I don't speak Spanish, but tried translating it:

Jeff Lynne: "We didn't do brainless pop. It was intelligent pop"

The Electric Light Orchestra have settled a pending debt: they have finally been inducted to the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Pearl Jam, Journey, Joan Baez, Tupac Shakur and Yes. With this as an excuse, we had an interview with Jeff Lynne, who told us about some of the key moments of his career.

There is no pop legend as serene and frontal as Jeff Lynne. Sitting in the library of a venerable London hotel, with his pleasant Birmingham accent, intact even after living for 20 years in Beverly Hills (after two marriages, he is currently dating Camelia Kath, ex-wife of actor Kiefer Sutherland), still retaining the look of an extraordinarily prosperous star of the 80s: diselegant hair, beard and sunglasses.

The genius normalcy of Lynne, 69 years old, means he was never exactly a pop star, even when Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - the band he formed as a sole songwriter and producer in 1970 - were in their glory with their string quarter. ELO had 18 singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Between 1972 and 1986, they filled stadiums and dominated an eager, opulent and retro-futuristic style, whose fans include Daft Punk, The Flaming Lips, director David O. Russell, and Ed Sheeran, with whom Lynne did a duet at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

When Lynne split up ELO in 1986, he happily changed seats to being a co-composer/producer for people such as Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and the three remaining Beatles, as well as being the modest member of the baby boomer supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, sharing the billboards with Petty, Orbison, Bob Dylan and George Harrison.

In 2015, he returned as Jeff Lynne's ELO with the release of his first album in 14 years, Alone in the Universe - the most recent pleasant surprise in a career full of them. "Obviously everyone is doing it if they can - he says - and I was lucky enough to do it right."

How would you summarize ELO?

- A normal band with two cellos and a violin. The string players would normally have a pickup as there weren't appropriate microphones in those days. They'd run around the stage like crazy, playing the instruments in mid-air, the tuning was horrible, but it was a good show. They would run around with these huge endpins around the corners of the stage, it's a surprise nobody ended up being stabbed.

ELO is hot again now, however when was it farthest away from it?

- Ten or fifteen years ago. We wanted to do a couple of concerts, but there was no interest. All of this has changed in the last six years. I guess a lot of people noticed that I was doing wasn't brainless pop. It was intelligent pop.

When did you notice you could write a hit?

- I guess it was with 10538 Overture [in 1972]. I was pleased with it. I remember thinking "Wow, I can really write a tune", because I didn't think I could. The records from my older band, The Idle Race, didn't do well, except with a couple of more loyal fans. After than, I believe that Evil Woman [in 1975] was "the" tune. I wrote it so quickly. That was when I finally understood how production and songwriting are done.

When ELO were at their highest point in the 70s, did you worry that you didn't have the personality to be a pop star?

- Probably. Because I wasn't and I didn't intend to be one. I don't consider myself a star, I'm a singer-songwriter, vocalist, producer and a guitarist. I can sing well, and also write songs.

It's well known you hated playing live. Was it because of the concerts themselves or because of everything that came along with them?

- It sounded like shit, that was the problem. The equipment back then was trash. I'm a producer, so I can get picky. It didn't sound bad... I make it sound like it was a disaster. It just wasn't what I wanted to do.

What happened to the giant spaceship you used in the 1978 tour?

- I believe it was dismantled after the tour. It would have cost hundreds of thousands to keep the damn thing. It was a huge monster. It was kind of a pain, really, because it took two days to take it from once place to the other, so you had to do the next concert without it, and I suppose people would say "Were is the flying saucer?". I believe they would be a bit disappointed.

Did it ever malfunction?

- Yes, every once in a while. We would come up the stage through hydraulic platforms, but sometimes they got stuck and all people could see was your head. "Get me out of here!". Really embarrassing.

Q Magazine named Livin' Thing as their greatest "guilty pleasure". Does this concept bother you?

- Yes, because it actually is a very intelligent song. It goes through two minor relatives at once. You don't see a lot like that. I liked pop. I didn't like the pretentious twists and turns of the 20 minute long songs from the beginning of the 80s. I wanted to make beautiful and concise three minute songs that sounded good. Pop for me is one of the most powerful forms of music, because it's hard to write a melody that stays strong after 40 years.

In 1979's Discovery, you fully embraced disco music. Did you ever go bowling?

- Yes, I once went to Studio 54 [an illustrious New York disco]. It was good, I guess. It was full of movie stars and that kind of people. I like 4/4, basically. The kick going bang, bang, bang, bang.

What song made you the most profit?

- Probably Mr. Blue Sky. It's been in a lot of movies, and they pay fortunes for it. When I wrote it [in a Swiss chalet] it'd been very cloudy, and I was at the top of the mountain. I couldn't see anything or write a tune for a week. Then the sun came out, and I wrote Mr. Blue Sky in a flash. It ended up being a very beautiful song.

When you split up ELO in 1986, was the idea to become a producer?

- I didn't have anything in particular planned out, but George Harrison contacted me and asked me to produce his album Cloud Nine. Tom Petty found out about it, stopped me in the middle of the road in Los Angeles and told me "Hey, Jeff. Would you like to write songs with me?". I found out I was a great collaborator. It wasn't like I imagined it to be. And of course Full Moon Fever was a big, big hit. Out of the albums I worked on, it's still my favourite.

Which member of The Traveling Wilburys told the best jokes?

- Roy Orbison. He had the most beautiful laugh I ever heard. It was bright, so it was like a giggle. He could do a Monty Python sketch by himself, doing all parts, and then would fall laughing at himself.

When you were asked to produce the "new" Beatles single Free as a Bird in 1995, did you have to control your inner fan and let your professional side take control?

- I'll always be a fan. We spent the entire first day remembering, just George, Paul [McCartney], Ringo [Starr] and I, sitting on a round table, telling stories about the old times. Stories I can't tell, of course. Some were rude. Just being there was enough for me. The other side of this scared me a bit. Doing a record of a cassette with John [Lennon]'s voice and piano mixed together in mono. I did it at two or three in the morning because I didn't want to mess it up and hear them saying "Ha, ha, you can't do it!". The next day Paul came up to me running and said "You did it! Well done!", and gave me a big hug. It was the best thing that could have happened.

Is it true that in 1968 you witnessed the recording of the Beatles' White Album?

- Yes, that was the weirdest thing. I saw Paul and Ringo in Studio One doing Why Don't We Do It In The Road. And then I went to Studio Two to hear this song that sounded incredible. It was Glass Onion. We came in, me and The Idle Race drummer. John and George greeted us. On the other side of the window was George Martin, jumping around conducting the strings. I couldn't sleep for weeks after that.

Didn't your mom ever tell you it's rude to wear sunglasses indoors?

- No, what she said was "You looked terrible on television", and then I immediately started using sunglasses because I didn't want to be that way. She'd been drinking all night, I guess. She was always talking about the bags on my eyes. So I always use them. People must have thought "He became an ostentatious idiot with his sunglasses at night", but that wasn't it. I just didn't want to show my bags.

When I Was a Boy (2015) describes your childhood dreams of becoming a musician. Did you achieve everything you wanted to?

- Yes, in a certain way. It's kind of weird getting everything you want. And it's been through the years. Everything I wanted has come to me: the Wilburys, the Beatles... so it's fantastic. I couldn't ask for more.

EDIT1: Changed introduction.
EDIT2: Corrected the end of the first question based on Helmut83's second post.
EDIT3: Reading improvements. (some [of the] key moments, star instead of lead, -[the] director, Oxford comma before Ed Sheeran, duet [at] the, reformulated Evil Woman production and songwriting sentence, corrected pop star sentence, corrected equipment sentence, replaced "comings and goings" with "twists and turns", corrected mountain sentence, corrected collaborator "imagined" sentence, set the Paul hug sentence to bold as in the article and corrected plural for "strings" on the George Martin sentence. Please do not share earlier versions.

[Helmut83]

Wow IvanDSM, what a work you took! You left me offsides as a lazy fan!

Do you have knowledge of Spanish or did you just manage to do it with Portuñol?

[Helmut83]

Jan 8, 2017 1:34:32 GMT BSJ said:

Never read him saying "cute". Is this mistranslated?

Yeah, the translation is not the best. As Ivan said, "beautiful" would be the best translation in this case.

[PowWow]

Quite an interesting article, I suppose ELO or Jeff Lynne in general never released a bad or disappointing album/single...