Introduction
to
Napoleon IIIrd
July
2005
A little
Background:
Like with the recently published interview
with
"iLIKETRAINS" , Napoleon IIIrd are
another one man project that have
sprang to my attention through the ever
expanding new record
label in Leeds "Dance to the
Radio".
I first heard of "Dance to the
Radio" through This Etal,
with whom I interviewed back in January
(Think of a Franz Ferdinand
you can like) and through that, it then led
to the interview with the
Tindersticks meet Sigor Ros-ishness "iLIKETRAINS".
If anything, Napoleon IIIrd is perhaps the
most crazy yet of
These bands / projects with influences
proving perhaps as varied
as The Beach Boys, The Aphex Twin and
Spiritualized all merged into one.
While that may sound completely crazy in
theory, the debut four
track single is a great little number which
draws you in slowly and
persuades you in its own little way to return
to it again and again
and again.
Very interested, I dropped Napoleon a quick e-mail
and the enclosed
interview came back.
Thanks to Napoleon for the interview and I
look forward to hearing
the next EP.
Cheers again
Andrew N
For more information go to:-
Setting Sun:
How's things and what's happening
at the moment?
Napoleon IIIrd:
Things are good at the moment;
I’ve just got a live band together,
although saying that it’s going
to have different people in pretty
much every time I play, exciting
though.
Setting Sun:
Can you now tell us a little bit about the history of
Napoleon
IIIrd - what started it all off, who fired the
starting pistol etc,
etc?
Napoleon IIIrd:
In the beginning there was a
band called Little Japanese Toy who
split about two years ago.
Napoleon IIIrd is who I became after the
split, it started as a solo
project with performances conducted in
surround sound.
Setting Sun:
Who have you been listening to recently and what are your
influences (music wise)?
Napoleon IIIrd:
My current favourite album is
Fog’s 10th Avenue Freakout, its great.
I listen to a massive range of
music though, today I’ve listened
to Nick Drake, Jim O’Rourke,
Nina Simone, Clinic and Why?
I just enjoy music that is
different in some way. I’m sick to
death of bands who all sound the
same, it’s like. “Oh crap
my records are no longer cool,
I’ll have to go out and buy
all whole Devo back catalogue”.
"Local band wise I like- The Research, Mye Mi, The Rollercoaster Project
and Middleman who [ARE] all worth checking out."
Setting Sun:
I love your 4-track single as released on Dance to
the Radio (although some of the comparisons I have read I do
dis-agree with). Can you tell us a little bit about the
sessions for it?
Napoleon IIIrd:
I do all the recording in the
studio in my house; it’s an on going affair
really, much of the recording
for this EP was done between February
and April.
I normally start with an empty
room and end up surrounded by
trumpets, children’s drum
machines and swanny whistles; from what
I can remember the recording of
this EP no exception.
Setting Sun:
Do you play concerts etc? How do they compare to your
recordings etc? Is their one you prefer over the other?
Napoleon IIIrd:
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve
just got a band live together and
it’s sounding good, two
drummers, bass, guitar and reel-to-reel tape
machine with all the noises and
trumpets on.
I don’t prefer either really;
you can play a good show or a crap show
as can you sit in the studio for
seven days and nothing happen and
then go back and record six
songs in an hour.
I prefer a live performance to
be different to a recording because
there are elements of both that cannot
cross over to the other.
Setting Sun:
Can you tell us also the significance of the name of
Napoleon
IIIrd?
Napoleon IIIrd:
Like Indiana Jones I am named
after my childhood dog, Napoleon III.
The rd was my addition, I
appreciate that is grammatically
incorrect but it distinguishes
me from the dog.
Setting Sun:
What's next for you? Do you have any more gigs / recordings
etc planned?
Napoleon IIIrd:
Next I plan to release another
EP or two and an album, gig wise
I’m playing all the time so
check my website for dates (although that
out of date at the moment, I’ll
sort it ASAP).
Setting Sun:
A few slightly more light hearted questions to finish off
with –
firstly, I seem to recall you are from the Leeds (ish) area.
What’s
the music scene like up there – have you been to see any
good
concerts recently?
Napoleon IIIrd:
The Leeds music scene is
alright, every bar and pub seems to be
putting on bands at the moment,
no matter how inappropriate the
venue. The best gig I’ve seen
recently was Why? and Hood at
the Brudenell Social Club, my
favourite Leeds venue.
Local band wise I like- The
Research, Mye Mi, The
Rollercoaster Project and
Middleman who all worth checking
out.
Setting Sun:
What would you like to be doing when you are 60?
Napoleon IIIrd:
Smoking a pipe, sat on a rocking
chair, playing a banjo in
Vegas.
Setting Sun:
What will you be doing when you are 60?
Napoleon IIIrd:
Smoking a pipe, sat on a rocking
chair, playing a banjo in
Scunthorpe.
