"The album is called Boys for Pele. Pele is the volcano goddess in Hawaii, it’s either that or the soccer player, right? I’m just trying to translate it, but it’s pretty bitchin’ what’s coming through. I sit and listen, and think this tone and rythm makes me feel free, or makes me not want to be a victim, or makes me look at things. That’s all I can do as a musician. Some people are gonna vibrate with that, feel like, "hey, I know this code," or they’ll go to somebody who’s playing in the same town that night and vibrate with them. I do believe that music has a coding that nothing else has. That’s why there are so many different styles of music. It’s so exciting because so many people are carrying a similar message, but just a different vibration. Nobody’s right or wrong, it’s just a different frequency. That’s all, but all of it reminds you that there is a lot to be reminded of.
Anyway, let me get on with the details of this album. The guest artists on the album are: the London Sinfonia, The Black Dykes Mills Band (miners who became a brass band), these are like the real guys, not just some horn section. Then, Manu Katche (drummer), George Porter Jr., Steve Caton, Beenie (Nancy Shanks), she sang on "Crucify," oh, all sorts of people. As far as instruments, we have: Marshalls, Leslies, Harpsichords, Harmonium work, Clavichord, we have the "real cats," the 15th fucking century people. No pop stars here... I’ve already done that.
We are not recording in analogue this time. We went digital, and I’m absolutely pleased with the outcome. Remember one thing, not everybody has the engineers that I’ve got to work with. I mean you can do it right, or screw it up. It’s been such a discovery for me every day with what they come up with. I produced it, but the thing is, and let’s be real fair here, I produced it, but to have my live front-of-house guys, Mark and Marcel working on it too. I couldn’t have done it without them. And they are going on tour with me again.
Anyway, this record goes into relationships, archetypes even, Lucifer, Jesus, etc., et al. Relationships with your brother’s friend, relationships with your brother, your father, relationships with that boy you had a crush on the first time, even the first time relationships with the guy you were seeing last night. It’s the boy record. Boys for Pele. Some of it was a bit of an eye-opener for me, it came down to these men that have come into my life, the one’s I’ve run into anyway. They made me see that I had to find my own passion, not steal theirs, and this is what this record is to me.
Boys is not a short album. I’ve had many different types of relationships with men in my life. A relationship does not mean sex. It can be any person you’ve ever known, friend, lover, brother, mother, but this album is mostly about the men I’ve come in contact with. So there are still songs negotiating for position. Some are gonna be switch because as the mixes are going down, I’m pulling my hair out. I’m going, this is like "Upside Down," how can I not have this on the album. It’s the same scenario of everybody’s humming this, wanting to hear this one, but if I don’t have this one on, I’m gonna kick myself. One of those situations.
There are loads of songs that won’t be on the album. I’ve cut 35 tracks, and it’s been a bit brutal. But, it’s become fairly obvious to me what this album is and isn’t. It’s coming down between two songs to complete the album song order. The guys even have bets on it in the studio, meaning which one will make it. Mark wants one, the Dutch guys want another, and I’m the one who has to decide. Mark has fought for a B-side to get on the record, and it’s pretty serious. I’m saving yet another for a film, because I think it will work better elsewhere. Her name is "Cooling," and she isn’t gonna be heard right now.