Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch on the not-so-glamorous life

Posted June 1st, 2009 by eric

Bell and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch sort of matter of factly belies the notion that being in a pop band is in any way glamorous in his behind the scenes introduction to his current band God Help the Girl for The Guardian. Murdoch doesn’t exactly define what he means by “glamor”, though he does explain what he doesn’t mean: “I’m not talking about snorting coke and laydeez. I’m talking about something else …” Huh. Belle and Sebastian has been successful enough to sustain 13 years worth of touring and recording. Not having to work a proper job sounds pretty glamorous to me, but I imagine anyone could become jaded to the music industry and the requisite promotional machine even indie bands are subjected to these days. Murdoch describes his flurry of activity when Belle and Sebastian first began. The recorded output was overwhelming but the quality remained high. Strangely, when the band slowed down so did my interest. I’ve liked the odd Belle and Sebastian song over the years but none of it touches my love for If You’re Feeling Sinister and those early EP’s.

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