 Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 23/02/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,909  Location: Zoo Station Thanks: 293 times
Was thanked: 328 time(s) in 157 post(s)
|
 Despite Greg Oldson's much-publicised car accident, Infinite's meteoric rise to the top doesn't show any signs of slowing down. On the eve of their first ever headlining tour (All we Want is...), I manage to sit down with the band's neurotic frontman; Eric Quillington
Amazing, I can’t even describe it. I usually find something negative in every positive thing that happens to us, because that’s just the kind of person I am. “Oh, Blue Nebula was one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of the year, how the hell are we going to top that?”… y’know, stuff like that. I can’t really find anything to complain about with this. I mean, sure, it puts pressure on the next single, but who bloody cares? Stuff like this is helping me learn to live in the present, and I couldn’t be more grateful to all our fans.
What’s the current status with Greg’s health?
He’s improving, thank you for asking! The situation has been horrible, but it taught me a valuable lesson; some of the musicians I know are honestly the nicest people around. From the day of the accident to now, every band/artist has opened their arms to us. Some went out of their way to help us, which is the best thing I could’ve ever asked for. Greg’s promised Matt and I that he’ll be okay for ‘All We Want Is…’ tour, so I’m holding him up to that promise. Hopefully he won’t let us down.
It’s been announced that you will co-headline that tour. That must be an incredible thing.
Definitely, mate. Haha, it makes me feel slightly shitty for only being able to play five shows. We’ll just have to make sure that those five shows are the best shows on Earth. But, yeah, we have to make room for our first major tour, so sacrifices have to unfortunately be made.
You’ve recently announced that Infinite is working on an EP called ‘Inferno’. Can you talk a little bit about what it’s about?
Absolutely! Well, it’s based off the first part of this really old poem called the Divine Comedy. It basically describes this man, Dante, going through each layer of hell to find his dead wife. Of course, since we’re the always depressing Infinite, this EP is going to be focusing more on the sights of hell than the romantic aspect of it. Anytime I write something romantic, I always get the feeling people would gag when they read it. But, anyways, there’ll be nine songs on it; one for each circle of hell, obviously. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so now is as good of a time as ever. I just hope fans will actually like it.
What’s the reason behind making it an EP instead of a full-fledged album?
A couple of reasons. Midnight Skies has just been released… it’s still being released, actually; the second half of the album is going to be released next week. So, having two albums released at the same time isn’t exactly what we want. I believe that an album is a really special thing, which is why we spent so much time obsessing over Blue Nebula and Midnight Skies. We still want our fans to have something during the wait for our third album, because I think it’s going to be a fairly long one.
Is there any reason why you think the next album won’t be released for some time?
Yeah, of course. As I’ve said before, I view each album as being a special thing; that also means they should be very unique. I want each of Infinite’s major releases to be about as different as possible. Blue Nebula and Midnight Skies are night and day when compared to each other, but I want to take things a step further the next time around. It’s not difference just for the sake of being different, though… I just don’t want to fall back on what’s been made before. If you want to listen to songs that sound like Problems With Pluto, just listen to Midnight Skies. It’ll always be there. So, we’re going to take some time to collect our thoughts and decide what’s next, which won’t be a quick process.
Do you have any ideas in regards to your third album, then?
Hahaha.... Jesus, man, was our second one not enough for you? But, yeah, I do have a couple of ideas. There’s a leftover from the recording sessions for our last album; ‘A Town Called Insomnia.’ It’s about this place where people live forever, because the days are exactly the same. Kind of like the scenario from that Groundhog’s Day movie, but the citizens don’t realize what’s happening. It’s an interesting idea, and has some potential. So, we’ll have to see where it takes us.
If you had to choose between Blue Nebula and Midnight Skies, which do you consider being the better album?
Fuck, I really couldn’t choose. They’re like my kids, you know? Kids that made me rich, but anyways. There isn’t a more difficult choice than that.
Yeah, there is. Sex or Music?
.........
You’ve recently finished up production on Stacey Walton’s album ‘The Sun Always Rises.’ How was this experience been?
I loved every minute of it, and I’d gladly help with another album if she asked. I won’t spoil all the little details that happened, because she’s apparently releasing a Recording Diary sometime soon, but it was great fun. I became pretty good friends with Jason Smith during this period, because he’d also served as producer for Midnight Skies. Stacey’s fucking hilarious when she’s wasted, though, which happened quite a bit. It was just mind-blowing to be working and socializing with those two incredibly talented musicians. I want to spread my wings as producer a little bit more for the newer bands, too. Take bands like Titan and Fathers of Fury, for instance; they’re fucking brilliant. If producing an album or single for them is what it takes to help them become successful, then you bet that I’ll do it. I’m not one to hog the spotlight for myself.
It’s a typical cliché for rock-stars to be involved with drug and alcohol abuse. Do you follow this lifestyle?
From time to time, yeah. It’s not really my thing, y’know? Back when I was about nineteen, I was pretty heavily involved with that kind of stuff. Downing some old fashioned vodka and having a hit or two of heroin was a great way to begin a show, and a great way to celebrate after it’s over. After Infinite became successful with Blue Nebula, I figured it’d be a good thing if I didn’t spend my free time being a flamboyant alcoholic and junkie. I’m not intending to sound like a self-righteous asshole, but there are things I’d rather be doing with my time. Like sex. I admit that I abuse my status as a ‘rock-star’ from time to time when it comes to woman, but what can I say? Fame corrupts. Like, the other day, when I… uhm, yeah, anyways. Next question.
Many musicians nowadays act incredibly modest towards fame, and some even say they’d prefer if they were still unknown. Do you enjoy being famous?
It depends, really. I’ve had a hard time accepting that I’d be considered ‘famous’ for the longest time, and I only just came to terms with it fairly recently. Throughout the Blue Nebula period, I just let myself and so many others down because I couldn’t accept the amazing gift I’d been given. Instead of going on a major tour and giving people a show to remember, I stuck with being a support group. I don’t regret it, by the way, I just get the feeling our fans weren’t happy. Instead of being open and honest in interviews, which I’m trying my damndest to be right now, I acted like a complete asshole to try and appeal to that ‘anti-fame’ image I wanted to go for. I look back on some of the footage of Infinite interviews from this period, and think to myself, “Who is this asshole, why does he look so much like me?”
When did you come to terms with your public image?
Once we finished Midnight Skies. It was during the after-party, and we were just about to tour with Reckoner. I finally just realized; if one of the greatest rock bands of the modern era wants to tour with you, then this band is something special. I now see just how immature the whole thing was. I mean, most people would kill to be in this position. I used to think to myself that it’d be such an egotistical thing to admit to being famous and successful, but it’s really not. If I would say that I’m ‘the best rock band EVER!!’… then, yes, that’s a bit of a douche thing to do. Hopefully I never stoop to that level.
Thank you for your time. Do you have one final thing you’d like to tell your fans?
I’ve never been to Disney World. Mickey Mouse creeps me out.Edited by user 14 September 2010 07:01:20(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified |
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 |
