Nick Lowe has enjoyed a long and storied career as a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Whether releasing music on his own or helping other artists to bring out their best, Lowe’s credits are manifold — and he continues to add to the list. Working with his longtime collaborators, Los Straitjackets, Lowe recently released the album Indoor Safari.

While in the Twin Cities to play a pair of shows at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, Nick Lowe visited The Current to chat with Jill Riley about the new record. Listen to the interview using the audio player above, and find a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Jill Riley: You're listening to The Current. Well, this morning, we are joined in the studio by an influential artist, to say the least; singer songwriter, musician, producer — I mean, he produced Elvis Costello's first five albums. He produced the first English punk single, "New Rose" by the Damned. He has continued to make just incredible music throughout the years; songs like, "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" and "Cruel To Be Kind," and "So It Goes," and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding." Well, he's got a new record with Los Straitjackets. Nick Lowe is here in the studio. Hello there.

Nick Lowe: Hello. Good morning. Nice to be here.

Jill Riley: So, full disclosure — we're really into December now, it's the season of holiday music — [but] full disclosure here, we're having this conversation while you're in the Twin Cities just after two shows in Minneapolis [on November 2 and 3]. How did it go? How were the shows at the Fine Line?

Nick Lowe: Well, they they were great. Both of them were great. The audiences were great.

Jill Riley: I do want to spend some time talking about the fact that you've got a new record with Los Straitjackets. It's called Indoor Safari. But Nick, if you could, for anyone who's not totally familiar with Los Straitjackets. Now, when did you guys start playing together, and what is a little bit of their backstory?

Nick Lowe: They're — I would think, I'd say it's not, not too much of a stretch to say — they're the U.S.'s premium surf instrumental group. They're really fantastic. But I suppose they're, what they're best known for is when they perform, they wear Mexican wrestling masks. I knew them slightly, just from the circuit, but we'd share a manager. So when my Christmas record came out, two of the main participants in the making of that record who were also very good friends of mine, died one after the other. It took the wind out of my sails, and the record was very well received, especially in the United States. But because these guys deceased, I didn't want to go and promote it or do anything with it.

But after a while, it was suggested to me, "Well, it's been a bit; a couple of years have passed now. How about it?" So I thought that was a good idea. They said, "Why not get together with the Straitjackets to do some Christmas shows?" I didn't know whether it would work or if we'd get on with each other, but it certainly did work, and we certainly did get on with each other. So we did that for two or three years, and it was barely a Christmas show, really. It was just, we played.

Jill Riley: More of a Christmas party, yeah.

Nick Lowe: But then we just got started to get offers to do out-of-season work, you know? And that's when it started really getting in gear. Our audiences started getting bigger and younger as well. Then I started writing songs for the project, instead of just doing my back catalogue. And so now it really feels when we get together, they're not backing me up at all. It really does feel like we're a band, you know? And it's a lot of fun. I feel very lucky that I'm working with them.

Jill Riley: Yeah, so the new record, Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets. It's called Indoor Safari. And if I'm not mistaken, first new album in 11 years?

Nick Lowe: Yeah!

Jill Riley: Wow!

Nick Lowe: Yeah. I didn't think I was going to make any more. What's that definition of madness: It's doing the same thing over, expecting a different result? And I thought, well, I've probably had enough of this. Also, the kind of records that I know how to make are extremely expensive to make now, because you require a large room. And most studios now are, most pop music now, is made in the studio smaller than this room we're in now. Bedrooms, you know. You can buy, for a few hundred bucks, you can buy some equipment which delivers the same sound quality as Abbey Road or Gold Star, any of the big, famous studios. But I don't know how to make records like that. Of course, there are fabulous records made nowadays in the modern way, but I just don't know how to do it.

Jill Riley: So where did you guys make the record?

Nick Lowe: Well, wherever we could. That was the problem we found. When it became evident that there was a demand for us to have some sort of recording of ourselves available at the shows, we thought, "Well, yeah, OK, well, we'll, make a record." Seemed pretty straightforward. So the only time we could record together is when we were on tour. So we'd pick a random city we were appearing at and book a studio there. So you never really knew what you were going to get, but we're all grownups, we can make a noise, and we did our best. But it wasn't terrific. The tracks we released weren't great, you know. The other thing was that some of the songs I'd written for the project, they're simple songs, which is all very well, but simple songs only really get wind under their wings and a personality after you've played them five or six times in front of a live audience. And in some of these cases, when we were recording these songs, no one had ever heard them before, and we'd just go in and knock them out in the studio. We released three, four-track EPs over about three years. And when the record company suggested that they put them all together on a vinyl album, I thought that's sort of a good idea, but I, I said, "Well, we're really going to have to revisit these tracks again, and either re-record them or tart them up," you know, as we say, "and also get somebody to oversee the process," so it sounds like it was all done at the same time. We got this great guy, we all like Alex Hall, who's got a studio in in Chicago, great musician and engineer, producer. And we recorded some new songs, too, and he worked his magic in the studio, made it sound like everything was recorded in the same week.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Nick Lowe on The Current. We're talking about the new record, Indoor Safari, Nick Low and Los Straitjackets. We were just talking about this is the first record in 11 years, and you're kind of like, well, the definition of madness, insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Now in this case, with you as a songwriter, what was something that you wanted to try a little bit differently?

Nick Lowe: It wasn't anything really major. The quest is always to write a really good song. And in my case, I like songs that are about three minutes long. And the craft of writing them — I'm much more interested in the craft of of writing songs than I am in telling the public my sad story. I've never really been interested in that. I've never really known how to do it, actually. I've experienced all the same emotions as everybody else has, you know: outrage and lost love and being in love and being lied to, being a liar, all the sides of the spectrum, and I use that, of course, in my songs. But I always invent a character and put the character in a situation, and you can have way more fun with it then, you know? They can do the most outrageous things, and I've always found that suits me. So it wasn't fundamentally different from that, but it was the opportunity to do records which are more — because they're a guitar group, there's no keyboards getting in the way; it's all pretty straightforward ... or is it? It operates on several, several levels. You can be very dumb; that sometimes is just the job. Or it can be quite subtle, you know, and quite considered. It's the fact that it was a guitar group, really, but that was the thing that intrigued me. And how, also, bearing in mind that you're standing onstage with four fellas wearing Mexican masks, it's not going to be too deep, let's face it.

Jill Riley: You can't take yourself too seriously in that moment, right?

Nick Lowe: Exactly. But how close can you get to that? Because it can be poignant to do a song with someone wearing a mask like that. You know, again, if it's a sad song, it can sort of raise the poignancy somehow. But how close can you get to that before, suddenly it's like, "Give me a break, man. Please!"

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Nick Lowe. We're talking about the new record, Indoor Safari. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets. I kind of went down the rabbit hole on Los Straitjackets, and as I went deeper down the rabbit hole, I realized that one of the founding members has a connection to Minneapolis. Danny Amis.

Nick Lowe: Yes, Danny, yes. When I started working with LSJ, he wasn't in the group anymore. I know he is from Minneapolis. It was pointed out last night at our shows.

Jill Riley: Yeah, we just love to find the Minnesota connection.

Nick Lowe: Yeah. And the Trashmen. We do a Trashmen song as well.

Jill Riley: I saw that! A cover of "Surfin' Bird."

Nick Lowe: Yeah.

Jill Riley: And did you just do that in Minneapolis? Or have you been doing that one on the tour?

Nick Lowe: No, we've been doing it on the tour. Yeah, this is the first tour we started doing it on. But it was so popular the first time we did it, that we just kept it in.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Nick Lowe on The Current's Morning Show. The new record is Indoor Safari. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets, first new album in 11 years. And I know this is belated, but happy 75th birthday this year.

Nick Lowe: Oh, thank you very much.

Jill Riley: How does that feel?

Nick Lowe: Well, actually, I'm going to be 76.

Jill Riley: Very soon! Very soon. I suppose you're closer to one than the other. You know, before you came into the studio, I was listening to the song, "When I Write the Book," and I guess I was curious, has anyone talked to you about doing a memoir?

Nick Lowe: I suppose it's crossed my mind. But no, I don't think I — it's bloomin' hard to write a book!

Jill Riley: Yeah, I imagine.

Nick Lowe: Yeah, I think it is. It's much tougher than it seems. But there are perks to getting older. Certain aspects of it I enjoy quite a lot.

Jill Riley: Like what?

Nick Lowe: Well, you can sort of say what you like, you know?

Jill Riley: That is true. I've observed that. I don't know that yet, but I've observed it.

Nick Lowe: You've got a long way to go yet—

Jill Riley: I do!

Nick Lowe: ... before the joys of speaking your mind.

Jill Riley: I look forward to it someday. Well, hey, I enjoy the fact that you came into the studio. Thank you so much for coming into The Current.

Nick Lowe: Thank you so much for having me. I've enjoyed it.

Jill Riley: Well, let's hear one of the new songs. It's "Went to a Party." I wonder if you could help me set this up a little bit.

Nick Lowe: Yeah, this one's is a co-write with the boys. I had the idea for the song initially, and I had a little sort of shape going for it, purely because I thought we could do with a song like this. It was one of those examples, which is, I can actually do that: write a song made to measure. So I got it going, turned it over to them, and we worked it up. Yeah, I think it's a good number.

Jill Riley: OK, well, let's hear it. Here's "Went to a Party." Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets. The new record is Indoor Safari, and it is on The Current.

Credits

Guest – Nick Lowe
Host – Jill Riley
Producer – Nilufer Arsala
Digital Producer – Luke Taylor

External Links

Nick Lowe – official site

Los Straitjackets – official site

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, Indoor Safari – Bandcamp