A Q&A with John Blaylock
Homegrown songwriting talent from Manchester…
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING MUSIC?
I had piano lessons when I was 6 or 7 but hated it. When the teacher told my mum she was wasting her money and I should stop. I punched the air in celebration. Started playing guitar when I was 13 and that was 20 years ago so yeah, been a while..
ANY PAST BANDS OR COLLABORATIONS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
I’ve written with some big-name writers all over the world but particularly in LA. My greatest honour was being commissioned by Desmond Tutu to write a song celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela. That’s not a phone call you get every day. I wrote and recorded that song with my previous band International One and it was given to the great man himself on his 90th birthday.
GIVE US 3 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD TRACK DOWN, LISTEN AND DISCOVER YOUR MUSIC?
It’s authentic, it’s got great lyrics and if it doesn’t move you, you’ve got a heart of stone!
WHERE DO YOU SOUND BEST – FESTIVAL, CLUB, BEDROOM – OR SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Me and my friend Tim Sunderland used to sing a lot in the toilets of drum n’ bass nights and he’s insanely good at harmonies, we used to love it. A lot of people seemed to love it too, probably cos they were just as high as we were.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST (purchased)?
RECORD? The first single I bought was a tape for 39p and it was ‘Animal Nitrate’ by Suede.
CD? Oasis singles. Me and my friends bought all of them in the 90s, cos each one was like a 4 track EP.
DOWNLOAD? This was not a milestone event in my life that I’ve remembered.
SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES RIGHT AND YOU’VE GOT A BOTTOMLESS PIT OF MONEY AND LONG QUEUE OF HANGERS-ON, WHAT WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INDULGENCE?
I’d like to permanently have 4 backing singers who follow me around and spontaneously sing everything I say in 4 part harmony. Imagine going into a post office and being like “Can I buy a stamp please” then you’re 4 singers dramatically singing “CAN HE BUY…….. A STAMP”. The possibilities are endless, imagine getting on a bus, imagine getting into a road rage incident with someone. That’d be class.
SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG AND YOU’RE LEFT BITTER AND TWISTED AND CURSING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT DO YOU FALL BACK ON?
My super hot girlfriend.
WHAT ARE YOUR MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURES…
I do like some pretty cheesy modern pop stuff like Justin Bieber / Selena Gomez / Gracie Abrams but they’ve got great tunes so I don’t feel too guilty.
NAME YOUR SUPERGROUP – WHO’S PLAYING WHAT, WHO’S ON VOCALS AND WHO’S YOUR BEZ?
I’m on vocals and acoustic guitar Dave Gilmore from Pink Floyd, on lead guitar Reni and Mani from the Stone Roses on drums and bass Stevie Wonder on Hammond organ Fleet foxes doing BVs and Avicii running a few loops behind us.
QUICKFIRE ANSWERS PLEASE:
GO SEE THIS FILM: Stand By Me.
GO READ THIS BOOK: The Catcher in The Rye.
GREAT LOST BAND/ARTIST: Nick Drake.
WOULDN’T BE CAUGHT DEAD SUPPORTING: Egos are for rock stars, I’ll play with anyone.
LONDON, L.A OR LEEDS? Lancashire please.
AND FINALLY… AS YOU LEAVE THE STAGE, WHAT ARE YOUR PARTING WORDS?
Yeah, er.. sorry about that. Just kidding. More like “This was a lot of fun, you guys have been amazing, please follow my journey cos it’s only going one way – @johnblaylockmusic!!”
John Blaylock is playing Rough Trade Records, Brick Lane, London on Nov 21st. He’s then going on tour with Wet Wet Wet in early 2025. Join him live on YouTube for the video premiere of his debut single, ‘Temples’ at 6pm on Wednesday Nov 13th.
