Eels - Top of the Pops Interview

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Back with a bushy new beard E from the Eels goes under the TOTP grill to talk about the band's new material. 



TOTP: The concept of souljacking, as you call it, dominates the new album. Can you tell us a bit about it? 

E: It’s not a rock opera or anything, you know. I don’t want to scare anyone away. It is mostly the two Souljacker songs - part I and part II. It is about the idea of living in the soulless world, and finding out that you can still hang on to your soul if you want to. 



TOTP: How is this illustrated in the music? 

E: Musically part I is kinda hard and a little scary maybe. Part II is kinda pretty and peaceful. 



TOTP: And lyrically? 

E: Yeah! I mean they are two completely different songs. They are not even the same music or words. They are not really part I and part II of the same song. 



TOTP: You supposedly pose as a famous terrorist on the cover of the album. Do you conceive of any problems with this now considering the events in New York? 

E: I dunno. It’s not designed to be some controversial thing at all. People say it looks like the Unabomber, but that is not what it is intended to be. 



TOTP: The famous film director Wim Winders shot the video for the new 'Souljacker - part I' single. Was that an interesting experience? 

E: Yeah, yeah. It was great. The video is really crazy. It isn’t what you would expect from him at all. It is closer to a Motley Crue video than ‘Wings Of Desire’. We are in a prison in East Berlin and the only inmates are the Eels and 100 cute German girls. Whose idea was that? 



TOTP: Is it true that you are going to star in one of his movies. If so, are you confident about your acting? 

E: I dunno. I am aware that it almost always a bad idea for actors to sing and singers to act so...I mean I play a singer so it’s not going to be some big stretch. 



TOTP: How does this album compare to your earlier work? 

E: Well musically it is different. I dunno, I am always just trying to get somewhere new artistically each time. 



TOTP: Do you think you have achieved that with this? 

E: In some ways, I think so. I mean I do think there are some songs in here like ‘That’s Not Really Funny’ that I just don’t know what to compare it to. It is its own thing. 



TOTP: One of the tracks is called ‘World Of Sh*t’. Is that a sentiment that you feel strongly about? 

E: More and more! But the track is really a love song. It is about when you find love within the world of garbage - and that is a really strong thing. 



TOTP: What other acts working today do you respect? 

E: Honestly, none really. I haven’t had time to hear any of them because I have been making so much music myself. 



TOTP: Where do you get your inspiration from then? 

E: From life. It is from observing what is going on and feeling. 



TOTP: Does pop music, or the music scene in general, irritate you? 

E: I don’t really know. The only thing that I know is that in America music is becoming such an unimportant part of peoples lives. The same with art. At this point it is all about entertainment. 



TOTP: So what do you think is causing this?

E: Not really sure. It is probably a combination of things. I am sure a lot of it has to do with the corporate globalisation of everything. 



TOTP: It’s an impressive beard you are sporting these days. Is it here to stay?

E: So far, yeah. I have had it for a while. A beard like this just doesn’t sprout up overnight.



TOTP: You have performed at TOTP before. Any fond memories? 

E: You know, John Parish and I met on TOTP. Back in 1998 he was there with PJ Harvey and I was there with the Eels. We met backstage and we eventually ended up making a record together.

 

TOTP: Finally, what are your hopes for the single and the album? 

E: For me the most important thing is to make the next record. All the stuff that happens in-between isn’t much fun for me.