8. Godspeed You! Black EmperorF♯ A♯ ∞
One of the last things that touched me a great deal is Godspeed. I saw them a lot in the early 2000s and became a bit like a groupie. The first three albums are my favourites, so emotional.
One of the rare things I’ve not done but wish I had is to make some music with Efrim Menuck, their guitarist-composer. He gave me his phone number, but a mutual friend miscommunicated when I was going to meet him, so it didn’t happen. We all have at least one small regret in life, and not working with Efrim is mine.
When do you decide to collaborate with other artists?
Sometimes I have a flash when I meet someone, but it happens very rarely. The main collaborator I’ve discovered in the last ten years is Stephen O’Malley. The first time we played together was at Tusk Festival: the announcement was Stephen and me, and I didn’t know Stephen at the time but you have to do some collaborations. It’s like a love story without sex.
The other person I’d like to have done something with is Robert Wyatt, who I met at the time of Heldon One, which is dedicated to him – I was a real Soft Machine fan. He was OK to do something, but we didn’t have any money at the time, to pay for Robert to travel to Paris or for a studio in London.
