Interview: Roland Gift
Death comes in many forms on Planet Pop. Death by neglect. Death by starvation. Death by fashion. Death by the changing of the wind. Death by ambition. Death by age. But there is another kind of death, a stranger kind: death by success - and that, Roland Gift (right) tells me, is what happened to the Fine Young Cannibals. "Our managers hadn't had that kind of success - the record company hadn't, we hadn't - and the feeling was that the next record had to be even bigger, and if it wasn't it would be some kind ok failure," Gift says of the period following their mega selling second album, The Raw And The Cooked. "So instead of writing like we normally did, we started thinking, 'Will this be a hit?' and that's what killed it." Once upon a time, Roland Gift was Johnny Everywhere. As the singer in the FYC, he was perfect: good-looking and stylish. His was a pure, unmistakable voice, a British soul singer to rank up there with the top Yanks. FYC's debut single, Johnny Come Home, was a classic. More hits followed - She Drives Me Crazy, Good Thing - on both sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile,Gift's enigmatic looks won him high-profile roles in films such as Scandal and Sammy And Rosie Get Laid. And that was that. The Cannibals officially split in 1996 and,seemingly overnight,Johnny Everywhere went a little bit Lord Lucan."It took me quite a while to sort things out, I spend about a year and a half renegotiating a solo deal and then, at the 11th hour,the final meeting was called off. I phoned up and asked, 'Do you want me on the label or not?' And they said,'We're not sure,' I realised that there wasn't a future for us." That is all in the past. Roland has a new album,a collection of songs written since 1998. "I wasn't convinced I wanted to do it again, but a couple of years ago I did some gigs to try out the new material I'd written and also to see if I still liked doing it. The gigs were great,people liked the new stuff, and I found out that,yeah, I liked doing it." There is even a new film coming out,The Island Of The Mapmaker's Wife. Do you ever look back and... "You can't really blame thin on yourself. In some ways I feel I should have done more, but then again...stuff it.?" The single,It's Only Money, and the album Roland Gift(MCA/Universal are out now. Q Were you uncomfortable with being a star?
A Early on it was an ordeal. The other two Cannibals had some success in bands. I was the apprentice. I felt it was my fault we broke up because I didn't do enough. I know now that was silly.
Q Did you deliberately walk away from it all?
A I jumped off the wheel of fortune because I wanted to simplify things. Now I've fulfilled my obligations to myself by making my new record. I'd like it to sell millions of copies, but my self - worth is not based on chart positions. I get excited about little things, such as installing a wood - burning stove in my house.
Q How have you stayed looking the same?
A I got someone to paint my portrait and it gets ugly in the attic! Seriously, I don't overdo it. I swim, I've done t'ai chi for a long time, I eat organic food, and I try not to drink too much. I always go for organic beer and wine.
Q Fine Young Cannibals are best known for 'She Drives Me Crazy'. What drives you crazy today?
A War, if you want to get serious. And ridiculous things like the Dome. Or when someone buys a rail franchise, gets government money to run it, makes a huge cockup, then gets a golden parachute to bail out - and still the trains don't run on time.
Q What are your hopes for your children?
A The older one is more interested in music. If they wanted to go into the music business, I'd encourage them. But I don't really like to talk about my kids.
Q Did you take advantage of being a sex symbol?
A No more than...no, not really. But some of the funniest - looking people can be considered good - looking if they have a record out. When I was younger I was a punk with blond hair, which people noticed more. One girl used to call me Guinness.
Q What would you change about your appearance?
A I'm just under six foot and I wouldn't mind being a bit taller. But I don't spend hours in front of the mirror or worry about what I wear. My girlfriend buys clothes for me because I'm not a successful shopper.
Q What's happening with your acting career?
A In my new film, The Island of the Mapmaker's Wife, I play a guy who lives in Amsterdam and sells antique maps. I'm happy with it, but I find it hard to see myself on screen - it's almost like it's somebody else.
Q Have you ever thought about getting married?
A No. My mum wasn't married, her parents weren't married. I'm not going to break tradition.
Q What is the strangest thing you have bought?
A A farm in New Zealand. I raise cattle there - it's really nice.
Q Fine Young Cannibals returned their 1990 Brit Awards as a political gesture against the Tory government. What would you do if you won one today?
A I don't know. The Tories were in power for so long, people forgot how bad Labour could be. There was this cosy idea of how good it would be if they got in. It's like people who say the old days were great, but forget about things like rickets and TB. ROBIN EGGAR
The album Roland Gift is released on
/ / March (MCA). The film The Island of the Mapmaker's Wife will be released later this year.
Chatroom - GIFT RAP
Roland Gift, 39, was the distinctive voice of the hugely popular 80s band Fine Young Cannibals, and acted in movies such as Sammy and Rosie Get Laid. After a decade out of the limelight, he is about to release his first solo album and star in a new film. He lives with his partner, art student Louise Meldrum, and their sons, aged ten and seven, in North London
Q Why has it taken you 12 years to release a new record?
A I always thought that Fine Young Cannibals would carry on as a band, but we just stopped functioning in the early 1990s. I had intended to concentrate on my acting career, but I couldn't leave music because it felt like walking away from a job half done. I finally started the album in 1999, but I kept writing new songs I thought were a better and recording them.
Q What else have you been doing?
A Bringing up my kids. We were always moving around a lot, but five years ago I managed to settle down and buy a house. I also made a short film called Gaffer Boy. The success of Fine Young Cannibals gave me a financial cushion, but if you're not focused, it's very easy for a week to turn into a month, a month into a year.
Q When are you happiest?
A I love waking up early and luxuriating in bed with the radio on. I hear things weave in and out of my dreams like the rain falling down the windowpane or birdsong. That slipping from dreamtime to reality is heaven.
MCA / Roland Gift (CD) If the name Roland Gift doesn't ring a bell, then Gift's unmistakable voice surely will. Roland was the former front man for one of Britain's pioneering groups of the '80s. The Fine Young Cannibals. The FYC officially dissolved in 1996, followed by a greatest hits set - plus three new tracks, one of those being "The Flame" on an album that ended the group's career on a high note. As a solo performer. Gift's self - titled album which will be forthcoming Spring 2002, is a six track sampler proves that a great voice never goes out of style. Check out the pop- soul groove of the opening. "Tell Me You, Want Me Back," followed by the non material "It's Only Money," the heartwrenching "Say It Ain't So" plus "A Girl Like You", lowering the decibels of "Looking For A Friend," and the confident "Superhero." This album marks a triumphant return to pop music's front line, where Gift's talent's and unique style have long established him as one of the genre's trailblasers.
EX CANNIBAL READYING SOLO ALBUM FOR NEXT YEAR
Former Fine Young Cannibal Roland Gift is readying a new self - titled solo album for release next spring. "The Cannibals sort of officially dissolved in 1996," says Gift. "Then we come out with 'The Finest', which was a greatest hits set plus three new tracks." Gift says it was better to end on a high note, adding, "It's better to burn brightly for half as long than to be a dim lingering light." That doesn't mean he won't be performing "She drives me crazy" in concert. "A lot of people who liked the cannibals never heard songs like that live," he explained. "Since I wrote them as well, I'll definitely do some FYC songs." Gift recorded his new album with producers David Z. and Ben Barson and wrote two songs with hitmakers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. Gift is also continuing his acting career with a role in " The island of the Mapmaker's wife," directed by Michie Gleason. Gift appeared in "Sammy and Rosie get laid," "Scandal" and "Tin Men", for which he also did the music.
(8/20/01)