Scotch on the Rocks  

Marti Pellow - one-time teen pin-up and mainstay of cheeky and inoffensive Scottish popsters Wet Wet Wet - makes a welcome return with a new solo album.  Putting his troublesome past behind him, the grinning Glaswegian tells uk-fusion how things have been looking up

You’ve just released an album of covers, why did you choose that format?
Well, the reason why I recorded those songs was because when I couldn’t be bothered recording my own (I was getting too bogged down in the arrangements and stuff like that), playing other people’s songs just took my head to a different space.  There were four or five songs at the end of that session that I really liked and I thought it would be a good idea just to record another couple more and put it out as an album.  You know, just songwriters that I like and that inspire me like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. I had it finished before I went onto Chicago so about a year and half ago it was finished.
It’s quite a short album.
Ten songs, ah that’s about 50 minutes or so.  It’s quite an eclectic mix of songs; it’s not like a covers album of a particular genre of music.
Last year you released an album of Wet Wet Wet songs…
Aye.
Why?  They’ve been done once before.
They’re ma songs, man!  It wasn’t like they were broken or anything like that.  They just had a different tinge to them.  Some of the sounds were very steep in the 80s, you know.  I just wanted to re-record my back catalogue.  I think it’s a great thing to be able to do that.
How did the part of lawyer Billy Flynn in the West End production of Chicago come about?
When I was playing the Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust (05 February 2002), there were a couple of people in the audience who were the producers of Chicago.  They came backstage and asked me if I would like to get involved in it.  I’d heard of Chicago but I’d never done a musical in my life so I decided to go and see the show and I really loved it.  I thought “Aye, with the right help, I could do this” and it’s always inspired me, so I embraced it.  I really loved it but it didn’t come easy.  I can sing but the whole acting thing, I really had to work at that and with the right help, I seemed to have done that.
It must have been quite a gruelling schedule – anti-social hours to work through.
I think there’s something quite comforting about it.  I like the discipline that’s involved in theatre.  It is what it is, I know where I’m going to be that night and I know what’s going to be required.
Is this something you’d like to branch out into – musicals?
Oh, absolutely.  I really enjoyed this.  It is something I would like to have another go at – and love.
Have you seen the film?
I have seen the film.
Is it better?
It’s a different world, a different interpretation.  The stage show is a lot more in your face, a lot more darker and I think there’s a lot more sensuality to it. A lot of the choreography on the movie is different – it’s not all (Bob) Fosse.
What was it like to get to grips with the choreography for the show?  It’s not as if it’s something you were used to.
I can put one foot in front of the other, man.  I can shake my arse to the best of ‘em!
Your brush with drugs and alcohol was well documented in the media.  What gave you a kick up the arse to get out of it?
When a day goes by when you don’t drink and drug, that’s enough.  Days were wasted – that’s no way to live your life.  
How long ago was this?
Five years ago.  I don’t drink and drug for five years – that’s alright!
Congratulations.
Thank you.

What sort of an effect has your mother’s death had on you professionally and personally (Marti's mother passed away in October this year)?
Woah!  Drugs, mother’s death – c’mon, for fuck’s sake, girl!  When you lose a loved one, you can imagine what that brings to you.  It’s fair to say I was a mother’s boy and I miss her.

Do you think Wet Wet Wet would have still been together if it weren’t for your addictions or had it run the band run its course?
There was an element of that but I think the reason was everybody’s wants and needs were different.  I say that but Tommy had left the band, the dynamics and structure of the band had changed, people wanted to spend time with their families – you got to respect that.  It’s no longer just four guys.
You had a fifth member.
Graeme (Duffin), yeah.  I actually saw him last week – he’s OK, he’s good.
What are the rest up to?
They’re living their lives, some of them continue to be involved in music - they still play but not in this arena.
Were you ever a 'ned'? (Glaswegian term for a thug)
What’s that?  A thug?   No.  I wasn’t a ned, no.  
Have you ever given anyone a Glasgow kiss? (a punch in the face)
I think I’ve had a few!  I was never a thug or an aggressive man by nature; I had a good family unit.
How do you feel about the state of radio today?  Radio 2 is getting more listening figures than Radio 1.
With Radio 1, the whole format has changed.  They’re catering for a particular age group whereas Radio 2 is more diverse; they play a more eclectic range of music.  I listen to Radio 2 occasionally but there are so many other stations – it’s flooded now.  There are some great regional stations but it's just different formats, things are changing.
What clan is your tartan?
McLachlan.
Do you wear a kilt?
Aye, I wear a kilt occasionally.  I really like kilts.  When I wear them, I sometimes just wear a plain black or a grey one.
You’re not supposed to wear anything under them, are you?
Oh no, I think you should go al fresco!  Commando style.  Underwear’s never an option.
The fabric is quite heavy so it keeps you warm, doesn’t it?
Aye, some of them are quite heavy but you get thinner ones to wear in the summer.  You really do!
When are you tying the knot with Eileen (girlfriend of 15 years)?
I don’t know...when it happens.  Me and my good lady are very happy together and when we get married, we get married.
You’ve spent a lot of time in the States.  What’s that been like?
I love the States – I have a home in Memphis so I go there quite a lot.
Why Memphis?
It’s the first place I ever went to in America.  I recorded a few albums there and of course there was Elvis Presley. They’re good people - warm, simple and I can relate to that.  I’m a simple man.
Is there anyone in particular you would like to work with?
Probably Bill Bottrell.  I really think he’s an interesting producer and I love the sound of the records he makes, like with Sheryl Crow but more of the stuff he did with Shelby Lynne.
Why do you think British artists have a harder time cracking America whereas US artists have no problem here?
Maybe they do it better than us.  They are better at it in some cases.  If you look at people like Justin Timberlake – I think he’s a fantastic performer, he’s a great package – the boy’s got it all and great pop music.  It’s not necessarily my bag but I can see why.  American artists put on a great show, be it people like Beyoncé.
Travis or Texas?
Both!  I like some Travis music and I like some Texas music.
What do you think of the new direction Travis have taken with their politically vocal album 12 Memories?
Maybe that’s where his head’s at.  Sometimes artists feel comfortable standing on a soap box and categorically stating what their political views are and I think that’s a good thing.
Is having a Scottish parliament a good move?
It’s so early to say.  Will Sean Connery be king?  I don’t know.  If it’s good for the country, only time will tell.  Hey, they set it in Edinburgh – at least we’ll have nice views of the castle!