Paul Weller Never Saw Himself As The Voice Of A Generation
Posted by Joseph Lee on 11.10.2012
Just a songwriter.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Paul Weller commented that he never saw himself as the spokesman of a generation.
On being the voice of a generation: "I never saw myself as a spokesman for a generation. It was all a bit heavy for me. I saw myself as a songwriter and wrote for myself, which I still do, and I also wanted to communicate with my audience. That didn't make me a spokesman back then. What I did see were fights at every gig, which made me think that, while the enemy was as the door, we were still squabbling in the dirt. I wanted to write more positively in reaction to what I saw. I suppose I was much more serious-minded in the '70s and '80s."
On his desire to be a musician: "I always wanted to be a musician. My dad worked on the building [trade] and he had seen what 'a real job' was like. Going to college was never an option. I was passionate about music, but how much talent I actually had was another matter."
On his creative process: "To this day I always carry a notebook. When an idea comes, I jot it down, then after a few months I reappraise everything. Though when I've really had to, I've written songs to hit a deadline. For example, Private Hell, a favorite song of mine from Setting Sons, was written in a west London office at a desk. I always have abstract ideas and concepts bubbling under the surface. I used to be very competitive with other songwriters, even up to as recently as 10 years ago, but now the competition is within myself."
