Lopez Blogs

What I first wrote about Stewart Mac...

Next is Stewart Mac, formerly of boyband Triple8 (who gave us the crunk rock of Knockout and Give Me A Reason). It seems that every upcoming male solo star these days has the obligatory white shirt black tie photo shoot, but hey, Stewart looks good with it so who's complaining. Like Ste, Stewart has gone down the the acoustic pop route, with one difference. While Ste's songs are works of craft in progress, there is an instant accessibility with Stewart's music. He has a keen talent for developing a melody that will work it's way into your brain and make his songs a lot of fun to listen to. Actually, some of the tunes remind me of the great songs on Third Eye Blind's debut cd which i was obsessed with in the late 90s... Anyway apparently an album is forthcoming and I can't wait to hear it.

What I said about Invisible…

I made a few notes as I started listening to this last week as I knew it would be a fave of mine before the first few bars had even finished. There is a great piano riff at the start, that brings back memories of Big Big World from several years back. The addition of strings to this track create a great romantic atmosphere as Stewart sings us into quite a rocking chorus. The contrast of the soothing verses and energetic chorus works incredibly well and the song is one of Stewart’s strongest to date.

What Stewart said to me...

1 - can you start off by telling us how you got into the music industry? How did triple 8 come together

I’d always written songs and was in a rock band back home who I joined while I was doing music at college. Then when that band didn’t go anywhere, I kinda got disillusioned with it all and got a normal job for a few years. Then I met Jamie who was already in triple 8 and I wrote a song for the band. When it came to the band altering it’s line up, I was kind of putting songs forward for them as a writer, but cause I was friends with them, and in the right place at the right time, they asked if I wanted to actually be in it…the rest is history!

1a - what are your fondest memories from that time? Fave 888 song?

Just traveling all over the place. Got to play to thousands of people, make videos, record an album, do photoshoots, the kind of stuff you dream about really. Wouldn’t change it for anything. Nothing but fond memories from that time! Fave song….probablly “Good To Go” just cause it was the single and stuff!

1b - naughtiest thing you did while in the band!

Too rude to mention…and there were few like that to be honest…all of them involved afterparties, jack daniels and coke and very few inhibitions!!! Enough said!

2 - how important is it for you to write your own stuff? If a great song was offered to you (a la Can't Get You Out Of My Head was offered to Kylie) would you do it?

Writing is what it’s all about. It’s how I started. When I was 10 or something, I was writing songs on my first acoustic guitar. It’s something you can either do or you can’t I think…you can’t really teach it! Well, not to write good songs anyway!!! It has to come naturally! Being in a band like Triple 8, as good as it was, you kinda don’t get a lot of control about the stuff you’re singing, so this time round it’s all about my songs. I write them all in my room or in the studio, either on my own or with my producer nudging me in the right direction. Nothing more complicated than that really! The songs all start with me and a guitar or piano, but end up as these massive, epic productions…my producer Dave’s a genius!! Writing is also the thing that’s gonna make me rich…you can be the biggest star in the world, but if you don’t write, you’re missing out on your pension!!!

I get offered songs from writers and producers a lot, but for me it’s not about how good they are, it’s about the relationship I have with them. I’m not gona sit there and sing something heartfelt that someone else wrote for me!!

3 - Is there a dream person you would like to work with - either a duet or writing with? And who would you love to sing one of your songs?

I’d love to work with a producer called John Shanks. He’s written and produced some of my favorite acts and his sound is so good! I guess I’d like either Bon Jovi or The Goo Goo Dolls to perform one of my tracks…that’d be dream time!!!

4 - Live Lounge on radio one is one of my fave shows where current acts cover songs they wouldn't normally do. What current pop song would you cover if you went on and how would you change it?

I was thinking about this the other day actually…I do a mean version of Love Machine by Girls Aloud, but the Arctic Monkeys have already done that….I’d probably do Friday I’m In Love by the Cure…classic!

5 - For me image, fashion and pop all seem to go hand in hand - for better or worse. How important is the outfit to you? (you have some great looks on your myspace page)

Unfortunately we all know it’s not about talent alone…you need to be marketable! That doesn’t mean you have to dress and look like a model, but it just means that something about how you look is gonna let people relate to you and give them an idea about what your music and stuff is gonna say to them! Record companies these days put too much emphasis on style over substance in my opinion, but if the talent is there, then the image can push you to the forefront a bit quicker I suppose!

6 - What can people going to see you live expect?

As it’s pretty early days for me, I’m only doing little acoustic shows, so you’re not gonna get the big stadium rock sound that my records showcase. The songs you’ll hear me do live are pretty much the songs as I wrote them. I sit in my room with my guitar and play them all the time, so the raw, basic versions you’ll hear live are me at my most vulnerable…so be kind! ;)

7 - what do you think of celeb reality shows like Dancing On Ice, Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity? Do any appeal?

No. Next question. Ha…they’re not really my cup of tea. I get why so called celebs do them, you know, if they’ve got a book to plug or a career to save, but they don’t appeal to me. I don’t even watch them…I’ll look at them if my mates are watching or something, but I just don’t care about the people on them enough you know!? My mum likes ‘em though! Bless her!! This will come back to haunt me won’t it!!! You’ll see me in celebrity street cleaner in 5 years time!! Ha! Oh, one I would do is The match….but that’s purley for the football…that’d be awesome!

8 - How about the X Factor - have you been tempted by this route? Who do you think has done well from this?

Again, not my cup of tea. Standing in a room, unaccompanied, I’m not even gonna pretend I have a voice to rival Mariah Carey or Michael Buble or whoever! So why would I try?? I only start to work when I’m singing a song that I’ve written, whilst playing the music on my guitar…shows like the X-Factor aren’t gonna let me do that are they, so it’s no use to me. I know people knock them as formats, but I do understand why singers of a certain type go for the show! It can get you to the top in record time. That said, they chew you up and spit you out…where’s Shayne Ward now?? Exactly! I hope they don’t fuck up Leonna’s career…she’s SO talented. Kinda says more about the music industry that a talent like Leonna has to go on a reality show to make it!! A&R men should be doing a better job to find talent like her!!! Rant over…do I sound bitter!!! ;)

9 - Most embarrassing record in your collection?

God…I think I own a Kiss in Ibiza collection album…I was young and had been on a lad’s holiday…can’t stand that kind of shit these days…never did back then either really!

10 - What do you do when you are "off duty" - films, tv, reading, socialising etc.

I love socializing!!! Me and my mates – the usual! Football is my other big passion…I’m a big Spurs fan and go to most home games as I live really near the ground in North London. That gets a lot of frustration out too! Shouting at the players and stuff!

11 - you are taking thezapping out on a night on the town. What can i expect :)

A gig or a comedy club somewhere, then maybe some food and bar hopping then onto a club…by about 5 am no-one will know who or where the hell anyone else is so it’s individual taxis back home to prepare for the hangover to come!!!

12 - rather randomly, what would your stag night prank on a pal be??

Um, I’ve been on a few…got one this year as well…we kind of go easy on each other to be honest! Everyone’s scared that if they mess someone up, they’ll be a revenge attack when it’s their turn in the chair!!! Plus we’re all too scared of the bride’s reaction if we were to shave eyebrows etc!!!

13 - where do you see yourself in one years time?

God…honestly, I hope that people both in the industry and in the public, understanfd the album I’ve made and love it as much as I do. I’m not in this for the money, just the success…cause if you’re successful, it means that people are liking what you’re doing and so that means I get to do this as a living for a lot longer! I guess I’d love to have sold a shit load of albums, be working on the second batch of songs and picking up awards all over the world…and by awards I mean Grammies…not groupies!!! ;) If you believe that, you’ll believe anything!!!

14 - anything else you want to discuss??

Amy Winehouse…what is the point of her? Really fucking annoys me!! And Pete Doherty or whatever his name is! If anyone else in the country did what he does, taking crack and breaking the law, we’d get put in jail for a long time, but it seems cause it’s him he gets away with it! The bloke’s a loser. And so is Kate Moss for being with him…what a waste! That’s it!

Many thanks to Stewart for answering my questions J Check out his music on his myspace page. It’s rather good.