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 For the past two months, the loveable eccentric Eric Quillington has been surprisingly quiet. Aside from news of participation in a supergroup known as 'Project; Prometheus' with legendary rocker Jason Smith, the only other reported occurance of Infinite's singer and guitarist has been a sex-and-drug weeklong craze at the Dirty Bastard Hotel and Casino. Upon meeting him at his flat right in the middle of London, I was immediately struck by some slight changes in his appearance. His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets slightly more prominantly, about twenty pounds were missing from his already-slender figure, and his hair had strangly been dyed blue. In casual disregard to his appearance (Quillington simply shrugged when I asked him if his health was worth worrying about), he quickly invited me inside. His appartment was everybit as eclectric as I had anticipated. A cucumber was lying in a blender, socks were hung from the walls, and a gold record for 'Midnight Skies' was carelessly lying under a pile of clothes. After asking him to turn down the defeaning volume of his music (A Day In the Life' loses it's majesty when played at Quillington's volume preference) I nervously sat down on a chair to begin the interview. Quillington, however, paced around the room for the entire time and never stayed at the same spot for more than two seconds. With his spastic hand-motions and drastic mood changes, it was difficult to tell whether I should be star-struck or questioning his sanity.
We’ll get the most pressing question out of the way first; are the rumors of Infinite working on a new album true?
"As true as they can come. We actually started it the day Midnight Skies was completed, oddly enough. I’d written out this little poem titled ‘A Town Called Insomnia’. In my head, I’d imagined it to be spoken by a circus carnie. There’d be a bunch of noises in the background while he’d be trying to sell eternal life. It seemed like a slam-dunk of an opening, but it didn’t fit in with Midnight Skies at all. That album was all about the world of the dreams contrasting with reality, so the concept of immortality would just badly stick out like a sore thumb. I was going to just scrap the lyrics, but Greg was convinced it had potential and told me to keep it.
So, while I’ve been at Abbey Road with Jason recording Dividing Divinity, I was reminded of ‘Town Called Insomnia’. So I worked on about three poems to add to the mythology of it, and Greg loved them. By the next day Greg sent me some lyrics to a song he worked on called ‘Vague Similarities’, and it suddenly clicked. We had the beginnings of our next album without even expecting it.
At this point, it’s just a bunch of lyrics. I’ve been busy with Project; Prometheus, Matt’s been busy abusing illegal substances, and Greg’s been busy being a tool. So, it’s all up in the air at the moment. We’ve got the melodies to about three songs, and we plan on using them during the Warped! Tour. Hopefully the fans will like our evolving musical direction."
Midnight Skies was very experimental and group-minded, and was rather different from Blue Nebula. Will Insomnia be just as varied?
"There wouldn’t really be much point if it was more of the same, now would it? When the three of us sat down and began recording for Midnight Skies, there was a sense of ‘fuck the past’. That might sound rather childish, but it’s always been our motto on terms of recording. The day that Infinite rests on its laurels is the day we’ll quit. I don’t really know if it’s been too obvious, but Infinite has majorly changed in the space of two albums. Just look at our earlier songs in compared to our newer stuff. Our debut album had a sense of dread and brooding to it, but still managed to be a bit of a guitar-oriented affair. I also… basically wrote every single piece of music for that album. It was very much my solo album with Greg and Matt acting as session musicians. I’m aware that statement makes me sound like an egotistical git, but it was true. I felt like an egotistical git, too, so it was a rather miserable experience.
By the time we began recording Midnight Skies, I was fed up with being the center of attention. It was such a lonely feeling, and it seemed like the spotlight was being stolen from Greg and Matt. So those two became so much more involved on that album. Infinite felt like an honest-to-god band during that time period. It made me so happy, despite that being such a small and insignificant little fact. Y’know, Greg would be writing songs, I’d be playing guitar melodies arranged by Matt. It was a terrific feeling. The group mentality changed on that album, and it really shows. There were much more genres present on that album, which gave it a really experimental feel to it. I love that album to pieces.
Insomnia’s basically got the same group mentality. I’ve come up with a couple songs, and so has Greg. We’ve only got about 8 songs so far, and they’re just poems at this point. We aren’t really focusing on anything other than the words. This album is turning out to be a concept album in the sense that it’s telling a story. There’s a definite beginning and definite end to the ideas and plot-threads we’re coming up with. I suppose the music will just develop around them, add to the mood. From what I can tell so far, it seems like a mixture of the darkness of Blue Nebula with the experimental qualities of Midnight Skies. I’m positive this will be our best album to date."
Matt Roberts has let it slip that you’re working on a debut solo album, reportedly titled ‘Quillington/Music’. Is there any truth to these claims?
"There was, but I just decided to scrap it. There was this song I worked on called ‘Black Swan’, and it seemed like a good solo song. The lyrics were completely different from Infinite’s usual affair; just a genuine song about heartbreak. I’d never really written something like that before, so I was rather self-conscious about it. I thought about quietly releasing it as a solo single, but figured it’d be better as a Project; Prometheus song.
I’m simply too busy at the moment with that band and Infinite, so embarking on a solo career would simply be ludicrous. That doesn’t mean the door’s permanently shut in the future, but it means I’m too preoccupied to pay attention to it at the moment. Don’t interpret this as me complaining, however. I’m bloody lucky to be this involved in the musical world."
Speaking of Jason Smith; how has it been to work with him on Project; Prometheus?
"Just fuckin' staggering, that's the only word for it. I used to listen to 'Free Your Mind' and 'The Aeronaut' back when Infinite was working on 'Blue Nebula, they were terrific inspiration. Mind are just the gods of metal, there's no way around it. I'm such a fanboy when it comes to them, so it's been amazing to work with Jason on an album together. He's a terrific bloke, too, we're great mates. Aside from the incredible musical chemistry the two of us have together, it's just been a laugh a minute at the recording studio. Oh, and the recording studio happens to be ABBEY FUCKING ROAD. So, I've been loving every minute of it.
Project; Prometheus has a very... epic sound. That's all I can say to describe it. Just really bombostic and emotional music. It's both overblown and pretenous, and at the same time still manges to have subtle and intimate moments. Of course, telling you about the themes on our debut album 'Dividing Divinity' would just spoil the surprise, so you'll have to stay tuned to find out.
But, I really do feel like this'll be my finest album to date. 'Midnight Skies' was better than 'Blue Nebula', so I think that 'Dividing Divinity' and 'Insomnia will' raise the bar even higher. The future looks so bright and exciting, I can't wait to see what fans think of future releases by Infinite and Project; Prometheus!"
You've confessed to being an avid lover of music. Have you ever been star-struck when meeting a famous musician?
"All the time, still happens today. I think the earliest occasion of it was when Saburben Sunrise offered us a spot on their 'Doesn't Mean It's Legal Tour'. It was the first real time we were on a tour of that level, so it really felt like a breakthrough. Plus, Sunrise is just a fucking great band, so I basically fell over myself every night praising their music and thanking them for giving us a spot on the tour. Hopefully we didn't let them down.
I think the most extreme it's ever gotten was when I met Stephanie Fierce, God rest her soul. She was the owner of Hot Eye Records at the time, and she talked to us for a couple moments to welcome Infinite to the label. Instead of making a lasting impression on her, I just basically made an ass of myself and said something along the lines of, "Uhm... uh... uh... I love your music... thank you for the record contract... uh... duh... uhm... you're so beautiful...". I wish I would've gotten to know her a bit better while she was still with us, but I was glad to have the opportunity to meet her. Even though I fucked it up."
There has, according to gossip and rumors, been a bit of a falling out between you and Greg. Care to validate or deny these rumors at all?
"Well… not really one of my better hours. Or weeks for that matter. I got kind of frustrated with the media attention and exposure, so I just kind of decided to drop off the radar after the @Chaos Awards. It was a relaxing little vacation, but I kind of took it overboard. Ended up spending a week at the Dirty Bastard Hotel and Casino shagging everything that moved while experimenting with as many drugs as I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, one of the women was Greg’s sister. In my doped-up mind, I was just too much of a dick to notice.
Jason and I ended up having some pretty fun times there, and even worked on some lyrics for Project; Prometheus. But in the end, it was a bit of a mistake. Walking naked through the halls, inscribing lyrics of the apocalypse on public walls, urinating on guests… not stuff I’m really proud of. We all have mistakes, though. Mine are just bigger and more asinine than most."
Do you ever feel pride in the accomplishments you've made with Infinite?
"Honestly? No. It's rather sad, but I've never really felt like I've done anything important with Infinite. Blue Nebula was a horrid excersize in teenage angst mixed with overblown lyrics of aliens, and Midnight Skies was sell-out attempt at mainstream music. Despite all attempts to make original and innovative music, I always feel like I'm below standards. Back when I learned that Infinite's single 'Problems with Pluto' spent two weeks on the top of the charts, with Supernova in second, I just threw Matt's bass out the window in a fit of pure euphoria. It was just... an amazing feeling. Despite feeling bad for whoever got hit in the head with the Rickenbacker, there was just overwhelming feelings of happiness inside of me. But, afterwards I could think of was, "Do I really deserve this?". I mean, please don't interpret this as a cry for attention, I'm just being truthful.
I've just never really felt all that important in the music world."
Your fans don't seem to agree, and their love for you has paid off pretty well. Just look at your houses. All five of them.
"Hahahaha... well, yeah, true. I love my fans to death, every single one of them. Even the creepy ones that hang out by my front gates every night. The simple fact that they listen to my music makes me eternally grateful to them. To me, every Infinite fan is a gift from God. Going from getting beer bottles thrown at me in bars to getting beer bottles thrown at me in stadiums has just been an amazing experience. So, don't think I'm not grateful for what I've been given. There are just nagging moments where I feel like I don't deserve it."
Even if you feel like that, is there at least one thing in Infinite's career that you're proud of?
"Hmm... well, aside from the success at the Top 20, it'd probably have to be the connection we have with fans. They sing louder than I do at some of the shows, and I've always found that so staggering. People coming to see us at all is amazing, but the fact that they seem to love the music so much just takes it to another level. The people who sing at the concerts are the ones that I'm writing for. I'd like to think of myself as something more than a pop-star just churning out bland hits; I really want my music to connect with fans on an emotional and intellectual level." |
Kid Anything- Indie/Britpop/Shoegaze; influenced by Sigur Ros, XXYYXX, Kanye West, Blur, Oasis (Bringing together an eclectic group of influences, Ulysses' songs are sung with carefree abandon by Nick Junk) Kurt Ulysses - Songwriter, Guitarist, Backup Vocalist Nick Junk - Vocals, Mojo Infinite- Alternative/Experimental Rock; influenced by Muse, Radiohead, and The Beatles (Known best for their experimental music and their frontman's eccentric behavior, the band disbanded after Eric Quillington's death to pursue solo careers or, in Matt Robert's case, peace of mind. Infinite released four albums over the course of their career; Blue Nebula, Midnight Skies, Insomnia, and Dancing about Architecture.) Eric Quillington (Deceased) - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Piano, Primary Lyricist Matt Roberts - Bass Greg Oldson - Drums, Backup Vocals, Secondary Lyricist Amelia Florentine - Keyboards, Piano, Lyricist, Backup Vocals "When asked 'how do you write?' I invariably answer, 'one word at a time', and this answer is invariably dismissed. But that's all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That's all. One stone at a time. But I've read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope." - Stephen King |
