David Gray

Of course. It's catch up time for everything that happened with the last album, only this time round you realise what a big deal it's been and turned into. There's been two months of preparation, interviews and travel before the record's even come out. I'll be much more happy when it's out there and people can listen to it and make up their own minds. Then we can play some concerts and that's what I'm looking forward to.

Instinctively. I don't know if there's a particular game plan but you have to look critically at what you've done and you'd like to do it better, differently. What parts you could improve. For me it's the sound of a record and the electronics side of it - I feel I could get a lot more out of that. Whatever your personal inklings are of where you want to go next. I'm still not sure. I've got lots of ideas.

It's not for me to say. It just means we recorded it in South London. When people write these things they make it sound so exciting, too exciting.

Well songs certainly do that. We did make the album in a small room in Clapham but it would be played all over the world. It's just a strange thought.

It's the last song we recorded for the record and I recorded it to be the last song. I was looking for something that would close the record properly. We did the recording very hastily but I think it sounds good for that. When everyone finally got to hear the record the company boss was so into this particular track he said let's make it our first single. So, it was "is this commercial suicide" but whatever it was I thought "wow, this is a refreshing change". Anyone would have normally said 'Caroline' or 'Be Mine' or something obvious and more poppy and happy. But he went for this very stark song, and I think it marks out what I'm doing as different from a lot of other things, so it's a bold choice. I was very excited about it but I don't know what it's going to mean in terms of chart positions and all that nonsense. It's a good way to start for me and I think it'll tell people a lot about what the record is, where it's coming from. Whereas perhaps 'Caroline' is less representative of the record as a whole.

Maybe. Manufactured rock. It's hard to get away from this pipe machine. Bands that could turn into something really interesting get seized upon too soon. The tide is bound to turn because it's been taken as far as it can be. With all these TV programmes manufacturing crying teenagers for us to take under our wing it's got out of control. There is so much manufactured pop and people know that. As a direct consequence of being saturated with it they want something else, so there's bound to be a change. The bands are out there as is the manufactured stuff but it's still tilted towards the manufactured stuff.

It's just foolish. They've got so much to learn but such a long way to go. If The Vines are the bees knees then listen to a Vines track and then listen to a Nirvana track. You make your mind up. Or listen to a Stones' track, 'Jumping Jack Flash'. Is that the same? No, it's not. They haven't got the same message or meaning. They're making all the right moves and a good noise and it's exciting but it's a start. I think The Coral are really interesting. I like the quirkier bands. I trust them more because they are less created. The Coral are just a bunch of scouse lads having a laugh. They're great live.

I've never done it in the Shepherds Bush studios. I was at Elstree before where it was all very Albert Square. We sat on Arthur's bench.