Hugh Cornwell

MOMENTS OF MADNESS

Former Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell recently unveiled his highly anticipated tenth solo album. With his new release Moments of Madness, the poet laureate of the punk era showcases perhaps one of the most significant albums of his career.

With time on his hands in recent years, the artist began to reflect on the unusual period in which we find ourselves. “There was a lot of time for contemplation and thinking about things. So, a few of the songs are very contemplative. Obviously, there are a couple including the title track which deal directly with the experience of being in that situation. The word lockdown isn’t mentioned, of course, but I mean, there’s one called Coming Out of The Wilderness, which speaks for itself.” said Hugh.

During the last few years, the artist began to reflect on his life. “I started thinking about lots of things I hadn’t thought about for a long time, like my relationship with my mother and father for one thing. There was a song called When I Was A Young Man,” proclaims Cornwell. “There’s a song all about tattoos. Where do they come from? And what are they about? And my past and all sorts of things.”

Perhaps one of the most interesting titles on the release is Lasagna. A song that is music to your ears, as well as food for your soul. “There are a couple of people that live in Mexico, and they’re Italians. They make the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted in my life anywhere in the world,” declares Cornwell. “I’ve taken lots of people I know to try it, and they agree with me.” He adds: “I was eating it one day with the people that make it, and they run a gelateria in Mexico. And I said, there could be a song about this - it’s just too good. I’m going to celebrate it in a song, and they laughed - they thought I was joking. Then I sent them a link to listen to it, and they absolutely freaked out.”

Overall, the artist is happy with the fruits of his labour. “I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. I’m pleased with the sound of it. I think that’s what I like - it’s very straightforward. There’s nothing superfluous on it, let me put it that way. It’s very stripped down, and there’s a lot of space in it.”

During his tenure with The Stranglers, Hugh Cornwell recorded many songs and anthems. The artist vividly recalls working on the classic No More Heroes. “We were playing in America. We used to do these lightning tours of America where we would shoot across and do less than half a dozen dates, and then shoot back to England,” he said. “We were in New York, and within a few days, Elvis Presley and Groucho Marx passed away in the same week. So that’ll tie it down when it was, and I was absolutely knocked for six. You’ve got to remember that these two people had been in my life from the word go. They were pillars of my cultural experience of the world, and I loved them both. They both were knocked out within a few days, and it shook me. It was cataclysmic for me, and so that lyric, no more heroes was stimulated by their passing.” Of course, songs like Peaches, No More Heroes and Golden Brown have all stood the test of time. The artist suggests that the secret to writing timeless music is to “keep it simple”. Hugh said: “As far as I’m concerned, as far as songwriting goes, the simpler, the better. If you can make something simple and memorable, then you’ve cracked it, and that’s what we were trying to do in those songs that I was writing in The Stranglers.”

Amongst other things, Hugh Cornwell will round out the year and beyond by taking his new album on the road. “We’re going to take the album abroad - around Europe after the new year. I’m going to do a bit more writing of a new novel I’m working on,” said Hugh. He concludes with an insight into his love of film. “There are various projects, and my podcast continues Mr DemilleFM. If anyone’s interested in cinema, as I am fascinated by it. Every month we put up a show about something to do with the movie business and cinema. Either an interview with someone or someone’s career, or a theme like different types of films, and then play a bit of music from each of them. That’s always an ongoing thing and it’s totally free to tune in. So that’s another thing that I am constantly doing.”

Moments of Madness by Hugh Cornwell is out now. The former Stranglers frontman will tour the UK during November/December. For ticket details and further information, please visit http://www.hughcornwell.com.