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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Aiden Moffat
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 1 June 2010
Probably best known as one half of Arab Strap, the duo he formed with Malcolm Middleton in 1995 and which split in 2006, Aidan Moffat is a prolific singer-songwriter from Glasgow. His most recent album, ‘How To Get To Heaven From Scotland’, was released on 14 Feb last year and was apparently a conscious attempt to avoid releasing “more whinging from Glasgow’s alcoholic lo-fi miserablist” and push himself to write positive love songs. Currently working on a new album with fellow Scottish musician Bill Wells, Moffat will play a co-branded Twisted Licks and Quietus night at The Borderline on 5 Jun, with support from Lone Wolf and Brendan Rogers. We caught up with Aidan to ask the Same Six.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
Just the usual way, nothing too exciting. I mucked about with it in high school and played the drums quite badly in a couple of local bands until my early twenties when Malcolm Middleton and I formed Arab Strap. We were very lucky after that and did quite well pretty quickly, then persevered for another ten years.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
I always write autobiographically, so any record reflects my moods and thoughts of the time. For the most part, I’m usually writing about love in all its varying forms. I think in my mind I secretly see myself as some sort of renegade Scottish soul singer. Keep that to yourself, though.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
It depends who I’m working with, or whether I’m writing it myself. Sometimes the melody will come first, sometimes the idea for the lyrics – there’s no single process that applies to everything.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
None, really – I always try to avoid listening to other people’s music when I’m making my own. All my favourite music tends to be by people who have very distinctive personalities and strong character. That could be Aphex Twin or Nick Cave, Napalm Death or Dusty Springfield. It’s all about the personality to me.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Cover your child’s ears!
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
I’m doing an album with Bill Wells, which comes out next year, and a solo single this autumn to hopefully complement a UK tour. My ambition is to sell a million records and buy a nice house with a moat, write the lyrics for a Christmas number one with an A-list producer, and finish the novel I started ten years ago. None of which will happen, of course, so I’ll settle for entertaining a few people here and there and watching my son grow up. He’s away for his first ever haircut today – I’m very excited!
MORE>> www.aidanmoffat.co.uk
