Get To Know : Bishopskin
What does the name Bishopskin mean to you? Has that changed as the band evolved?
The name Bishopskin hmmm the letters look good lower case and in caps , if you remove the vowels it still reads good and I suppose depending whether you read it as bishops kin or bishop skin the likelihood is it’ll still make little sense, other than the fact that’s it’s just our name and it’s too late now to change it.
People call you a lockdown band, but you’ve said that’s not quite right. What really sparked the beginning of Bishopskin?
You're right, I have been unfairly a bit of a stickler to the timeline with that question, probably because I didn’t like being called a lockdown project but for all intents and purposes we basically are a lockdown band. But in regard to what sparked the band that would probably be that embarrassingly I thought maybe I could do the band thing ok and after meeting James thought we’d give it a crack - we both wanted to make music we liked to listen to.
You’ve said your songs come from the subconscious. Has that ever shaped a song in an unexpected way?
Not just the sub but also the conscious, I’ll write a song from any psycho state if it sounds interesting, and at the end of the day better than bad, but even more interestingly imagine writing from a Preconscious state, maybe that’s what writing songs with AI could be called or Maybe that’s a bit generous.
You’ve talked about admiring the courage in Pagan faith. How does that contrast with religious themes in your lyrics?
This question smells a little Chinese whispery but I think I was butchering the point about admiration for people of any faith because the act itself it takes a sort of courage, but if you were to press me on it I’d probably say that I thank god I’m no spokesman for theological queries because honestly I’m a little thick betwixt these old ears.
Is it true that love songs bore you? Why do you think writing about faith, death, or myth can feel more meaningful?
They definitely used to bore me and you’re right, I was much more inspired by faith, death and myth that felt like they were…I think I’d say more full of blood. But more often in very recent songs I feel I want to sing more explicitly of my love like Cohen who sings of ‘giving me head on the unmade bed’. I used to hate these lines but now I love them. Isn’t it weird how we change like that. The other day I did a stone carving of an eye in Carrara marble. When I finished I hated it but each day as it sat next to me when I worked other things I began to enjoy looking upon it more and more no longer seeing its blemishes.
Your shows often feel intense, even spiritual. How do you prepare for that? Are you always able to feed off the moment?
Honestly sometimes I actually pray before but often I forget to but mostly I just have to slow down and look out upon the people and say to myself I’m prepared to humiliate my self before you what ever happens I can take the embarrassment - 2 Samuel 6 22
Sometimes you have the whole room with you, hanging on your word, and sometimes you spent the whole set trying to get their attention. But what I have noticed is that if I’m doing something original, something that 2 seconds ago I never anticipated doing, the room feels it when you’re out on the precipice, stepping out into the unknown so you must be prepared to humiliate yourself I suppose. The other thing is to remain supple and to look and respond to the room, don’t the feed them the same special sauce each show. That’s something I’m working on. It’s hard to turn on the charisma to a heckling audience when I don’t feel like it but all they really want is authenticity that’s most attractive at the end of the day so I’ll just stand up there and pray to our good lord I don’t come across as too much of a cock and balls.
Is there a song you’ve written that you’re scared to release?
Not yet but I would be scared to release one if I thought it was a bit rubbish and generic and I thank god that we have control over what we release because sadly that’s not always a given with bands.