[sonicl]

MS : Were there any releases or bands that you thought failed to live up to their initial promise?

PS : Artistic failures and disappointments? Nope don't put out sucky records. I might, however, need some enlightenment from an artist as to the why's and wherefore's from time to time.

In general there is some truth in the maxim, 'don't work with your heroes', or at least not if you want to continue to regard them as 'heroic' and that doing this job, great though it is, will not, in the end, help you be their bestest friends. To fall in love, you are bound get some pain.

MS : What brought about the deal with Mute Records? Did you know Daniel Miller before?

PS : Daniel heard a record whose name he could not remember on John Peel and called me one day while I was visiting Rough Trade (Collier St). I sent him Big Stick 'cos it had a drum machine on it - it turns out he was wanting Head of David... he liked them all. This was the start of a very, very, very long series of talks about his 'interest' in BF.

I knew who he was and had seen him at a couple of shows but never spoke.

MS : Do you have complete control over which artists you sign to BF? Has this changed at all with EMI buying out Mute?

PS : In the last few years the situation has changed so that I now suggest artists to sign to BF / Mute and Daniel formally 'yeah's or 'nay's, so he 'edits' the labels' activities. Prior to that I could pretty much do as I pleased. I always discussed it with Daniel beforehand anyway being as BF was spending his money!


MS : Pan(a)Sonic joining the label in the 1990s seemed an inspired, and slightly unexpected move to me, but only because I had BF down as more of a alt-rock label. Can you tell me a bit more about how that came about?

PS : Someone who used to work for Mute moved to New York to work for a hardcore dance distributor. A few Sahko 12"s passed through and he recognised it as something different. He sent it Daniel, who I doubt ever heard it. We ran into each other in New York and he sent me a couple of 12's. I faxed the label in Finland and Tommi Gronlund, who was running the label, and he binned it. Fortunately Mika Vainio visited their office that day, saw the fax in the bin and knew of Blast First. The same week a Sahko team was visiting the UK, playing a show in Brixton. Mika did not come, Jimi Tenor was the main operator with two or three other guys.

They played for maybe 10 minutes then the power went out and they ended the set. It was a full room when they started (200 people?) which was near empty just before the power went out, about 10 people 'magnetised' to the sound source, all the others repelled.

MS : Why did Liars move from BF to Mute?

PS : More money... I signed the orginal band, as a band.

MS : What made you set up Blast First (Petite)? And how do you ensure there is no 'conflict of interest'.

PS : Within weeks of Mute selling to EMI I was put in a situation by a couple of managers and lawyers of bands I thought interesting, that I was - to them - a major label A&R man (albeit to a 'boutique label')

I'm not interested in being solely perceived in such a light, so BFP allows me, at my own expense, to do small, low level projects which can grow at their own pace whilst BF / Mute is a climate of higher investment and expectation. To have both opportunties is, to me a blessing.

MS : Finally, I'm drawing a major conclusion in asking this, but judging by the first part of your email address, I believe there must be some connection between yourself and Susan Stenger of Band of Susans - or is this an embarassing faux pas on my behalf?

PS : Susan and I just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.


http://www.documentaryevidence.co.uk/paulsmith.htm