Web Exclusive: A conversation with Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers

As the guitarist/vocalist of the classic British punk band THE STRANGLERS, HUGH CORNWELL conducted himself as one-half English gentleman and one-part Guy Ritchie antihero (check out the lyrics to their 1977 track, “Bring On The Nubiles”). But all of that ended when he tendered his resignation from the band back in 1990. Since then, Cornwell has amassed a body of work illustrating his tough-and-tender songwriting style, in the league of such English greats as Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Graham Parker. His latest album, Hooverdam (recently released in America on the Invisible Hands label) finds him playing in a trio format alongside bassist Caroline Campbell and drummer Chris Bell (Gene Loves Jezebel, Thompson Twins, Specimen, Big Country) for a number of tracks ranging from breezy adult pop (“Please Don’t Put Me On A Slow Boat To Trowbridge”) to throwback pub-rockers (“Going To The City”) to certifiably eccentric moments (“Pleasure Of Your Company”). But don’t take our word for it: Hooverdam is available for free download from Cornwell’s website. Music fans wanting something tangible are rewarded with Blueprint, a DVD packaged with the disc, which features extensive interviews and in-the-studio footage of the trio at work at Toe Rag Studio with producer Liam Watson (the White Stripes) at the controls. AP editor-in-chief JASON PETTIGREW had a chat with the charming Cornwell, 60, about what’s exciting him (his band, the state of the music industry) and what makes him sleepy (the p-word).



You seem to very much be the been-there, done-that, sold-the-shirt-on-eBay kind of figure. What motivates you these days?

Money! [Laughs.] Really, it’s how I make my living. I’ve been doing a lot more traveling since I’ve gotten older. It’s a never-ending catch-22 situation: The more freedom you get, the more you do. The more you do, the more freedom you need, so you have to earn more. I’ve got a pretty lucky life at the moment; I can more or less do what I want exactly when I want to do it. I’m fortunate enough to have good health… Life’s good at the moment.



You came to prominence in the late ’70s with the Stranglers and have since amassed a body of work as a solo artist. You’re not acting like your in your 20s, but you’re not mellowing out. Most artists who’ve been at it for a while start writing songs about trees or grandchildren.

Yeah, how great their families are. [Laughs.]



Right. Colin Newman from Wire told me a few years ago that growing old shouldn’t be a problem when it comes to making vibrant music. He told me, “The Rolling Stones aren’t boring because they’re old; they’re boring because they’re boring.”

[Laughs.] I’ve never been married, so I don’t have that kind of haven of comfort to fall into. I feel like I’m in arrested adolescence. It’s very sad really, but hell, I’m having a great time and people always tell me, “God, you’re so lucky,” so I’ll assume they’re envious. I’m very lucky in that I don’t get that ageist criticism. The press are calling Hooverdam/Blueprint “cutting-edge,” which I think is surprising. I consider myself fortunate that my work is being considered in those terms.



Do you consider your career in terms of phases? Are you comfortable where you are now, creatively?

I’ve got loads of things that I want to do. The act of writing songs for Hooverdam and making demos and passing them on… That whole creative avenue I want to do again. It’s like an explorative miner discovering a seam of something and wanting to pursue it further. I’m already thinking of what the next installment in this story going to be.


All of us–Liam, Chris and Caroline–were getting to know each other. We had just formed a nice big family when the album was finished. I’m sure to do it again would be an even more enriching experience, because we’re over those hurdles and can get right into it. There was never any “casting call” to put this band together, so the chemistry is right.



Well, that’s punk rock. Which goes into my next question: You’ve frequently said that you never considered the Stranglers as “punks,” per se. These days, what does the p-word trigger in you when you hear it?

I’d normally go to sleep, actually. [Laughs.] The mind boggles at what’s been called “punk,” over the years. To be accurate, the Stranglers appeared within the initial punk-rock explosion. That’s probably the most accurate way to describe that period. We appeared, much like the Jam, Blondie and the Police did. But you wouldn’t say any of those bands were punk bands. All of those bands–as well as the Stranglers–did well because of all the attention that we got from the media and the public. The very fact the Stranglers continued to develop musically showed that we weren’t a punk band to start with. Nobody else developed in that way. Well, the Clash did, but they imploded. That’s how I see the p-word, really.



Perhaps you see “punk” as an ethos, as opposed to a particular sound. Those bands you mentioned carried a degree of arrogance that was refreshing.

I’d call it “aggressive posturing.” There was a lot of that going on then, but it was almost essential to gain attention. The public was in such a saccharine, comatose state, a certain amount of attitude was required to shake them out of it.



People who have been involved in the music industry for a while have bemoaned what technology and download culture have done. It’s interesting that a music veteran like yourself readily embraced the situation, offering Hooverdam for free download from your website.

Absolutely. There’s a certain amount of bravura and pioneering spirit in my record label now. I can identify with that because it reminds of what was going on in the early days [of my career], but in a different context. You have to be more ingenious. If you’re going to be a musician, you are going to have to go out and play. That’s the bottom line. A hundred years ago, we didn’t have the gramophone; writers had to assemble players to go play concerts on the road. Hey: Believe it or not, that’s what people are going to have to do now. [Laughs.] And, I still have the artifact for people who are curious about things. But you have to make it special for them, and that’s why I made Blueprint. The music business is like a supermarket: If you want people to come to your market, and not the guy down the road, you’re going to have to make things special.



Finish this sentence: “Hey guys, I’d like to hang with you tonight, but I’m going to go home, kick back, put on Hugh Cornwell’s new album and…”

Hmmm…. “Get transported out of my body.”



Hmmm… Where are you going to go?

You’re just never satisfied, are you? [Laughs.] ALT



Hugh Cornwell is touring the Midwest and East Coast all month. Check here for more details.