Barry Adamson is something of a polymath. As well as a musician, he’s made a name for himself as a composer, writer, photographer and filmmaker – a long way since his epiphany at the hands of the Buzzcocks decades ago.
Having worked with artists as diverse and influential as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Adamson was also instrumental in prompting a host of artists in scoring music for imaginary films. It’s that interest in movie music that has led Adamson to sitting behind the camera on more than occasion.
Indeed, the upcoming release of Barry Adamson’s new EP, Love Sick Dick, has seen him take the directorial role with the video for ‘They Walk Among Us’. As one of the EP’s stand-out tracks, the video is a deliciously dark glimpse of psycho-drama powered by haunting electro-noir soundtrack that shows that Adamson has lost none of that unique touch that has always made him such a compelling artist.
So does this mean that he’s gearing up to making his own feature film?
"I’ve made a couple of short films already and the idea is to get a feature off the ground someday," he tells tQ. "It’s a thing that’s been bubbling up and it makes sense when you’ve been composing music for imaginary films. There’s always something going on whether it’s an abstract narrative or an imagery thing going on. I’ve worked with other directors so I’ve seen what’s going on."
Faced with the same obstacle as anyone trying to get a movie project off the ground, Adamson remains optimistic: "The main thing about a feature is that it becomes a question of finance and a question of pitching it the right way. It’s a long term goal and I’m chiseling at scripts so let’s see what happens."
But what of his Baker’s Dozen? Was that any easier to assemble? Adamson allows himself a chuckle as he recalls making his choices. "I made a decision to choose the records that I keep going back to," says Adamson as he reveals his criteria. "It turns out there were loads! I had to be a bit ruthless in my choices and it was a lot like throwing out old clothes."
Ruthless or not, what rapidly becomes obvious is how much Adamson loves these records and how much he loves talking about them. So much so that the next 60 minutes seem to fly in the blinking of an eye. And, like a good film, it’s something you want to experience over again.
Love Sick Dick EP is out on April 14 on Central Control. Click the picture of Barry Adamson below to begin reading his Baker’s Dozen selection
