Mike Lindup 20 Questions Feature

January 2002 In November 2001, visitors to the site were given the opportunity to ask Mike some questions and have them answered. Here are the results. Again we would like to thank everyone for their questions, and I would like to thank Mike for taking the time to answer them so openly.


Questions 1 to 20
1. Record Distribution / Unreleased / Future Material
2. About Your Life Since Changes
3. Touring, Touring America & Europe
4. What music do you like and listen to now that might surprise us?
5. What's your favourite Level 42 album and why?
6. Appreciation of Your Role in Level 42; was Changes a Catharsis?
7. Do you keep all your old instruments from the early days?
8. Working with Mark King; could Level 42 reform and tour; Gould brothers
9. Song writing - artistic process
10. If you could be reborn as any person (except yourself) from any period in time, who would you choose and why?
11. How did you come across Brazilian music?
12. Live percussion / 43?
13. About The Forever Now Album (And Phil Gould)
14. About Your Vocal Range
15. What Are Your Fondest Memories Of Your Time With Level 42?
16. International Celebrity
17. How has your life changed since Level 42 ?
18. What are your other interests?
19. About your Christian Faith
20. Other

Question 1 from: Don Zipf (USA) ,Kurtis Kegley (Nashville, USA), Michiel Pronk, Nathania Apple (California), Daniel Payne (USA), Chris Whitehead, Josef Gasewicz, Joe Goose, Josh (Texas), Alfred Forcer (UK)

'Record Distribution / Unreleased / Future Material'  

ML: My plans for "Conversations with Silence" have taken another turn since Christmas. What was originally promised to me by the independent label has been altered such that it is no longer a viable offer, so I am making alternative plans. It is frustrating I know for you all as well as for me, but I do want to give the album the best chance I can, and if that takes a while, so be it. The next album I am working on is a song album. Will it be anything like changes? I am not intending to try to follow or reproduce anything except that which moves me from my heart, so we shall see. I have been working on new songs from time to time over the last 5 years, but I donĚt intend to release anything until it is ready. What I will promise you is that it will be worth the wait - "Changes" set a high standard, which I intend to honour. "Conversations with Silence" is very definitely ready, so when it is available to be purchased, either in the shops, or online, I will let you know. Once I know that is going ahead, I would love to do some concerts - the solo piano concert I did last summer was very rewarding.

Question 2 from: Adrian (UK)

'About Your Life Since Changes'

ML:Since writing Changes (the song), I have definitely seen changes and sorrows. The first obviously being Level 42 stopping at the end of '94. The second being my journey of self discovery and development (starting in '96 through courses with Landmark Education, spiritual workshops with Mary Aver, and reading inspiring books such as the Conversations with God trilogy). The third, as many of you now know, is that I'm happily engaged to Samantha, and that we are heading towards our wedding in August (and the life beyond) -a miracle in my life! (Sam and I thank you for all your good wishes). I feel that we are all very present to a lot of uncertainty in our lives, and the status quo is becoming rather tiresome (e.g. business as usual in areas of conflict in the world), but there also seems to be a move towards transparency in what's going on in the world. I think there is a greater hunger than ever in us wishing to understand ourselves and our lives, and our place in the scheme of things.

Question 3 from: Anita, Don Oxman (California), Jan Schaumann (Germany), Antonio Perez (Florida), Rich & Cheryl Jackson (USA), Lee Seymour, (Berwickshire, Scotland)

'Touring, Touring America & Europe'

ML: I am looking forward to doing some live concerts, once "Conversations" is released, or available. I really enjoyed playing with Da Lata in NYC and Canada, and I played one solo piano gig in London last July (part of the Ealing music festival), which was very rewarding, and has whetted my appetite for more, either as a soloist or as a trio.

Question 4 from: Jason (Buffalo, New York, USA)

'What music do you like and listen to now that might surprise us?'

ML: The music I listen to is a mixture - same as it always has been. I love to hear something that is fresh, e.g. an artist who has their own voice, or one who has an infectious enthusiasm or a deep passion for what they are doing. I listen to the radio mostly in the car, where I flick between classical, world and magazine programs and interviews. I love seeing good music (a highly subjective term, of course!) played live on TV Later with Jools is the best. I will still go into a record shop and buy CD's on spec - not as many as I did in the old days - and nowadays I tend to make a note if I hear something that captures me, because the one thing that always happens when I go into a shop is that my mind goes blank! That may be a good argument for buying online, but I like the fact that when you are in a shop you can have something catch your eye that you weren't looking for (a cover, for example). And what music? Out of what I have bought recently I have enjoyed: Christy Moore - This is the day (evocative and beautiful) Claude Challe - Sun (lovely sunrise) -present from future bro-in-law Herbie Hancock Future 2 Future (getting his own back!) Pink Floyd - Echoes (the title track especially) Enya - Shepherd Moons (an old favourite rediscovered) Stevie Wonder - Innervision (ditto old favourite - I aspire to make an album as fulfilling as this) As I type these answers I am listening to Chilled Ibiza 2 (CD 2)

Question 5 from:  David Mears, (Barcelona)

'What's your favourite Level 42 album and why?'

ML: No such thing - that is like saying which is your favourite birthday. There are particular songs I like from each of the albums, and then there are albums that feel fulfilling to listen to as a body of work (e.g. Level 42, World machine side 1). I don't listen to much L42, but I enjoyed listening to the B sides on the recent re-issues, especially the instrumentals.

Question 6 from: Daniel Phillips (UK)

'Appreciation of Your Role in Level 42; was Changes a Catharsis?'

ML: I did feel that my contributions to L42 as a composer, arranger and performer were overlooked by those who saw only Mark - who after all, stood at the front, played amazing bass, sang most of the lead vocals, and had a dynamism and drive that was very compelling. Sometimes it would really annoy me! I always felt that my contributions (along with Phil and Boon) were far more apparent when people came to see us live - for example, on record, Marks voice and mine would blend very well on the recordings, and people would often comment after concerts "I didn't realise you did so much singing". Changes was very much a catharsis - a chance to put some of my own ideas into reality, and fulfil some of my dreams. I found out that wearing all the hats (producer, arranger, composer, studio manager) was quite a challenge (it is again now!) - but it was also incredibly rewarding to see those songs come to life, and be really "Mike" about the way they came to fruition. I was bitterly disappointed with the lack of promotion/marketing/sales, and it has taken me quite a while to heal, but in hindsight, I am really proud of that album, and it was great to work with Calum, Manu, Pino and in particular Dominic, as we go back to Guildhall days, and I'd played on some of his albums previously (and since).

Question 7 from: Andy Brown

'Do you keep all your old instruments from the early days?'

ML: I have kept some of my old instruments, and some are well used - the Rhodes I bought from Argents in '83, and my Mk3 Prophet 5 were out on the Da Lata tour. I still have my second Minimoog (the first was a Mk 1, which would go really out of tune on stage). Other keyboards I have owned since then were sold or donated, as they were taking up too much space gathering dust. Of the more recent generation of keyboards, I use and favour the Korg Trinity, Nord Lead 2, Vintage Keys & Roland S770 sampler - but I have hardly done any sampling until very recently, when I acquired Logic Audio, which I am getting to know at my usual snail's pace! I have just bought a Novation A station, which impressed me by having sounds that made me compose on the spot (always the best sign), and knobs for easy and instant manipulation.

Question 8 from: Julian Smith (North London, UK), Andrea Dott. Celi (Italy), Scott, Claudia Baekler (Cologne / Germany)

'Working with Mark King; could Level 42 reform and tour; Gould brothers'

ML: Various rumours of reunions abound. Last week my dentist told me he had heard we were getting back together (luckily my mouth was open at the time). Joking aside, I have always said in answer to us getting back together, that I would if it felt like everyone wanted to for the "right" reasons - for me that meant the wish to create something new, shared by all, rather than something driven only by financial necessity, which could be unfulfilling. I promised when I came off stage at the Albert Hall in '94 that if I was to get on stage again with the band it would be as an expression of joy - at the time a lot of the joy had gone. Two things have happened recently that have brought that possibility much closer. Firstly, the unexpected surprise and delight at Phil's invitation to play in his neighbours back garden, in a band he put together including himself and Rupert on drums, Boon on guitar & vox, Al Slavik on bass, Berenice Scott on vox, plus yours truly on keys and vox. It was a magic 2 days. Phil, Boon and I hadn't played together since '87, and it took all of 5 minutes to feel at home. Secondly, just before Christmas, Mark and I came to business arrangement about the use of the name, which in a way has set both of us free, and opened the door to us working together (with the original line up) to write new material.

Question 9 from: Wendy Gustian (jakarta indonesia), Lars Larsson (Sweden), Mark M Walsham (UK), Erin W., (Minnesota USA)

'Song writing - artistic process'  

ML: The processes of song writing are many. When I was very young (I started composing at age 3!) I would compose on the piano, or often when I was engaged in something creative (drawing, or airfix modelling). I had more formal training at Chethams, and I used to write compositions and arrangements for various ensembles whilst at music college (Guildhall). In the early days of the band, we used to get together in rehearsal studios (or the percussion room at Guildhall, or Phil's mum's garage) and develop ideas by jamming, trial and error, moments of inspiration, silly suggestions, and, if we were in a recording studio, the looming deadline (a very useful creative tool!). Then came the era of the 4 track Portastudio, on which I could create a basic demo of an idea (with a drum machine), and present that idea on tape. Around 1985, Mark had an 8 track home studio,so we would bring ideas and realise them in that environment. Then sequencers came in, and songwriters had a powerful new tool - although I think that the gains were were sometimes offset by a loss of band chemistry. Where songs come from is one of life's great and wonderful mysteries. Most of my songs start with a musical idea, which just pops in the brain, often at an unlikely time or place, and I will start to mentally hum it, and I will go "Hmm, this could turn out to be something," and at that point, I try to record the idea, either on a walkman (or minidisc), or onto a napkin in the restaurant, or a borrowed scrap of paper. If I am at the piano, sometimes my fingers will fall into a position, or I will play something I didn't intend (the pursuit of accidents), i.e. make a mistake, and then I may repeat it, and if I think it has something, I will record it for later. Later is always the hardest part! Reviewing ideas and deciding which stand out is sometimes easy, but turning them into whole and complete compositions is hard work, and I am often my own worst enemy about getting started. There often seems to be something I just need to do first÷. However, once I get started, and get into it, it starts to take me over, and I fall in love with the idea's potential. The process of fulfilling that potential often has me doubting the worth of what I have done with the idea, or the worth of the idea itself, and sometimes the best thing is to leave it and come back with fresh ears, and look for "what is missing", because the tendency is to look for what is "wrong", and if I'm not careful, it can all seem "wrong". The next stage usually involves running the work in progress by a friend or loved one - all musicians need feedback - hoping for a positive response, dreading a negative response, which is often masked (not very well) by politeness, knowing the best thing that can serve you is honesty. Then, having got feedback, what do you do with someone else's opinion? You take it, or some of it, or you leave it. It's still your decision, anyway! Eventually I get bored of prevaricating, and I commit to finishing it. Often, the finishing of a song or composition is a declaration, because it seems that there is always something to fiddle with. I think that current recording software has turned fiddling into an art (What about this remix?/ Have you tried it with the vocal on track 128?), but you as the composer are at the controls. Finally, it comes out, and you are satisfied that you have done the best you can - then the public and the critics get hold of it, but that's another story!!

Question 10 from: David Cousins (Tallinn, Estonia)

'If you could be reborn as any person (except yourself) from any period in time, who would you choose and why?'

ML: I had to make a cup of tea while I thought about this one. I cannot think of anyone. Galileo is a possibility, in that I would loved to have made a discovery as revolutionary, but without being as badly treated for it as he was. I would love to have seen London 2 centuries ago, and gone walkabout to see the changes, but that would require me to have memory of my present life, so I think a time machine would be more appropriate. There is no-one I would rather be - I'm enjoying this life too much!


Question 11 from Andrea (Argentina)and Tunny (Brazil)

11. How did you come across Brazilian music?

I first came across Brazilian Music when I was about 3 years old! My mum tells me a story about 'Desafinado' on the record player, and I learnt it the way Stan Getz phrased it, and when Mum sang along I got upset with her for singing it 'wrong'! My dad had a really cool thing in his car-a floppy record player that played 45 inch E.P.'s, and he had one of Astrud Gilberto singing, and I loved it: the music, the melody, the harmonies, her voice, the arrangements (Gil Evans). Later on, I had a chance to play in the Notting Hill Carnival with The London School of Samba, which was an amazing experience, learning how to play Samba on percussion for 4 hours non-stop, singing in portuguese. Later on, I started to discover the Tropicalia composers (Gil, Caetano, Milton, Bethania), having earlier through Mark and Phil discovered Airto and Flora. All this put me in good stead when the call came from Da Lata.

Question 12 from Ernst-Jan van der Hee (Holland)

12. Live percussion / 43?

A question about why we didn't all get on the drums in the later shows.
There is no good answer to this, other than to say that the style of music changed, and as each album came out, we would feature the latest material, and I think it would have felt strange to carry on playing all the early stuff, so earlier songs and arrangements dropped out of the set. Personally I enjoyed the chance to get out from the keyboards and bash the drums!

Question 13 from Ian Sharpe (USA)

13. About The Forever Now Album (And Phil Gould)

Mark made the phone call to Phil some time after the Guaranteed tour, and they initiated a 'back to roots' approach. It was great to have Phil back on board, in every way, and I think it was one of the best albums we have made as a group. The songs were largely written from the groove up, and we were using self-created drum loops for the first time. I think the record company missed a trick with 'Love in a Peaceful World' and 'Romance', which I think are both vintage Level 42. We decided to call it a day after an album which took 2 years to finish was not given the chance it should or would have had if the circumstances had been different. It was not an easy decision, but we were not having fun, and after having had 15 years of success, we decided to call it a day and retain the love and respect we had built up for the group.

Question 14 from Bob Mazierski(USA)

14. About Your Vocal Range

My vocal style with L42 got created from being able to harmonise well and sing high. When we recorded 'Wings of Love' in 1980, I didn't have much experience as a pop singer, and one of the tricks of the trade to make a voice sound fuller is to double yourself on another track. When I sang high, in falsetto, the double tracking had a pleasing effect, and the sound worked so well, it organically became part of our vocal style. A lot of people didn't realise how often I sang in other ranges until they came to see us live. Me singing the high bits was somewhat like Mark slapping the bass- it was what we were best known for, but wasn't by any means the whole picture.

Question 15 from Dean Osborn, Celine McDonald(UK), Paula Eastman(USA)

15. What Are Your Fondest Memories Of Your Time With Level 42?

I have so many fond memories. It's that whole thing of looking back and thinking 'gosh, we really did do those things' like play in the superstar band with Eric, Macca and Elton at the Princes Trust Gigs, or tour with Madonna and Tina Turner, or do a TV show in Siena and then be flown by private jet to Venice to do another TV show that same evening, or watching torches being lit by a crowd 50,000 strong at Glastonbury. Then there are other memories, such as doing an instore record signing session with about 10 people turning up, having an unprepared crowd throw firecrackers and coins at us on stage on our very first trip into europe, sleeping on a tour bus and waking up and being in a different country. Being on the road and working so closely with Mark, Phil and Boon, then later with Alan, Gary and Jakko (as well as Krys, Annie, GaryB. And Johnny T.) was quite a journey for all of us in every way. What started as a friendship grew in to a working relationship, and I think one of the hardest things to do is to always see the best in someone who you are constantly close to. I really admire Mark as a musician, he is a prolific 'ideas man', and someone who says 'yes' to the challenges of life.

Question 16 from Mikey Payne (USA)

16. International Celebrity

I don't know about international celebrity! It is true that I am recognised in different parts of the world, but (thank goodness) am not gossip column fodder. The reason I get recognised is because of the success of the group and the music we made. It is remarkable and touching that people have so much love for who we have been to them. People want to know what is happening, what am I working on, or how much they loved something, or how seeing me reminds them of a particular time in their life, or if there are any plans to reform – that tells me what a good thing we had going.

Question 17 from Claudia Baekler(Germany)

17. How has your life changed since Level 42 ?

Since we called it a day at the end of '94, I have been working down the coalmine........only joking, but there is a grain of truth in that I have been doing work with ashes (with reference to Robert Bly). Finding out things about myself and my life that I didn't know about (who exactly is Mike Lindup not of L42?), slowing down, learning to cook, doing self-development courses, continuing my search to find The One, finding her and then discovering what it takes to make a relationship ( I love you, Sam), making different kinds of music, playing the drum, discovering my connection with spirituality, learning how to change old unworkable habits (e.g. procrastination -an ongoing project-which many of you will instantly recognise).

Question 18 from Mark Monk (UK)

18. What are your other interests?

Motorsport- I follow Formula 1, and I go most years to Le Mans. I am an Audi fan, having owned several quattros, and having seen them arrive and win the British Touring Car Championship in '96, I also had the pleasure to provide music for a documentary film about that achievement, called 'Return of the Handsome Rugged......sorry! 'Return of the Four Rings'. I competed for 3 years racing Citroen 2CV's in the National Championship, Coming 3rd in '95, and have also raced in four 24 hour 2CV races in Ireland (its just like Le Mans, although with less spectators, but more finishers, and different colour beer!).

Question 19 from Mark Lyon (USA)

19. About your Christian Faith

I would call myself spiritual, rather than religious. I was baptised as a Christian, but as I grew up religion seemed to be more about dogma, rules and guilt and purity, rather than openness inspiration and creativity. (incidentally, The Spirit is Free was written about Mandela rather than Christianity, but that is the beauty of songwriting: it's all in the interpretation of the listener). The 'Conversations with God' Trilogy really opened up the possibility of another interpretation of who God is and who Christ was, and all the other Prophets and messengers who keep coming to us with information. I love visiting churches, I especially love singing hymns with others, and having a cup of tea afterwards! There is a saying about the way to a man's heart....which Sam knows all about!

Question 20 from Sarah-Louise Gibbs (UK)

20. Other

HIYA MIKE,
JUST WONDERING IF YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND COZ I THINK U
ARE THE BEST LOOKING BLOKE ON THE PLANET!!!!!
Hi. He does have a girlfriend and in fact we're getting married really soon! And I completely agree, he is the best looking bloke on the planet! Samantha.x.
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