Martin Glover (the hidden genius)
interview by Diego Centurión
From the first contact with Martin Glover to interview him for the album “Pandemonium”, many questions came to my mind, beyond that album. I asked “Youth” if I could do another interview about his career, and he answered affirmatively. So in this first interview, they will learn about his life outside of Killing Joke, which incidentally is very fruitful.
single came out on island and charted, not a bad start I was 16... I then worked with make on the first Killing Joke single “Turn to red” and many more remixes and productions after. The thrill of being in a studio surpassed the buzz of playing live and that’s what eventually led to me being a writer /producer full time.
First it was the “Musician” and then the “Producer”. When both artistic careers merged?
Your first steps as a musician were the bands “The Rage” and “4 be 2”. What do you remember of those early years?
The first record I made, before Killing Joke was 4 be 2 one of the lads produced by John Lydon, he fell asleep under the stairs after drinking too much and so I stayed up with engineer, Mark Lusardi to mix it and do the dubs... this began my production career, the
The rage was a great experience though we didn’t record. My first tour was 32 dates supporting the Adverts and the Saints I was still 15 and a virgin!
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The FiremanYouth After “Revelations” from Killing Joke, you leave the band and “Brilliant” is born. Then “Blue Pearl” with Durga McBroom. Tell us about these bands. Brilliant came about as Killing Joke collapsed with Jaz leaving for Iceland and then Geordie
rapidly following, we auditioned for a replacement singer, both Bill Drummond and Iggy Pop applied! After Geordie left myself and Paul thought we would continue under a new name Brilliant was the title of our last b side, an instrumental so we went with that. Soon after Paul left as well so I THE 13TH. 41
continued on my own, I liked the idea of two drummers and two bass players, Guy Pratt my old school friend was there for a few days... ended up with Stefan Holweck from french progressive rock legends Magma. In the end over 30 members of Brilliant, an illuminated of trance included Ben Watkins, ( Juno Reactor) Jimmy Cauty (KLF) Stefan (Total eclipse) and many others, we then reduced it to three piece put the album out through Warner. In 1993 you do a remix of “Hope of Deliverance” to Paul McCartney. The Fireman born there. How was it working with Paul?
know but I just be myself and suggests ideas. Tact and diplomacy as George Martin says. We arrived at 2014, produce and edit “Killing Joke in Dub”. Then you’ve produced and played on the last of Peter Murphy and the last of Echo and The Bunnymen. How was it working on these albums? Fantastic both big influences on me over the years, great to get insight into their deep... also writing with cats like that is an education and a massive privilege.... Not easy though…
Paul is Paul and one of the greatest privileges for me was working with him, it started out as remix but he loved it so much and it was so original he decided to do as a band with himself and me as members of The Fireman... wow still can’t believe that today!
This year you close a cycle. You have worked with Guy Pratt on “Brilliant”, Durga McBroom in “Blue Pearl”, there also with David Gilmour and Richard Wright. And in October, the new album by Pink Floyd will be edited, “The Endless River”. How do you feel about your work on this record?
1994. You return to Killing Joke. Then you produce two albums with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, “Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd” (1995) and“Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin” (1997). The work of Jaz Coleman. How was that experience?
This is incredible for me, next to McCartney probably the pinnacle of my life in music so far, let’s not forget Killing Joke, the Orb or The Verve though... They may not be as iconic but they are very significant and I’m proud to have worked with all of the finally.
Great for both me and Jaz to get experience with orchestra. Both LPs did extremely well in USA.
What are your next steps? New album Killing Joke? Ever, will they come to South America?
In 2010, produced the album “The Orb” & David Gilmour (Metallic Spheres). Here again working with David Gilmour, (you already had worked with him on “Blue Pearl”) what do you remember about this job?
We’re looking at Jamaica to finish the record, we started late last year in Prague hopefully we will do vocals in Buenos Aires I’ve been waiting to going to there and Brazil all my life .... Would love to perform there but it hasn’t happened yet. Still hoping!
Very relaxed in my garden studio for a couple of days, David took direction very well... How do you direct David Gilmour...? It’s crazy I 42.THE 13Th