Contrary to what you’d expect from a chain smoking, beer tanking, part troubadour beatnik, part narcoleptic slacker in a wool hat, Badly Drawn Boy (Damon Gough) is a gentle British soul, a subtle pop star, a singer-songwriter, and a rustic comedian, who radiates a sense of ease that devours his audience into a cushion of comfort. Not to mention, a composer with intimate song arrangements that would make even Thom Yorke jealous.
With only three full-fledged records under his belt, Gough has journeyed far beyond his innocent, adolescent namesake. Since he released his debut full-length record in 2000, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, which won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in recognition of its combination of wit, vulnerability, and back to basics lo-fi folk; Gough became, as he puts it, “a minor celebrity.” And shortly thereafter, with the album still creating a stir, he was chosen to write and perform the entire soundtrack for the 2002 Hugh Grant film – About A Boy.
A native son of Bolton, UK, Gough is in the midst of a U.S. tour that has granted him the privilege to perform a number of intimate east coast shows, backed minimally by a drummer and bassist. And dispersed between songs, with fiery English humor and quirky banter, it’s not uncommon for Gough to interact with the audience – pass pictures of his children, single someone out for a serenade, or merely shoot the shit with a star struck fan.
“I’m kind of threading a thin line and taking a slight risk, on this particular,” he hurriedly quips in a heavy accent. “Generally, I don’t want to fake it or have anything go wrong, generally I feel relaxed. I’m a family man and way past the stage of worrying whether this or that sounds good, or if there are technical problems, that can get on my nerves. Past that. People are going to come watch you play, whether it’s ten or twenty people, or over a thousand like tonight. You don’t realize what a privilege it is, and I think I’m getting better at what I’m doing, but I’m not sure whether I’m an entertainer,” Gough explains about his unpredictable stage presence. “I’ve even been accused of not respecting an audience because I do lack about a bit.”
Yet with a distinct politeness, and a sincere gratitude that makes him more or less a true English gentleman, he is generous with words, and sensitive to the delicate acceptance of an audience. Conceit and attitude are far from his personality spectrum. With a disjointed speech, reminiscent of a lethargic Ozzy, Gough can be a bit hard to follow at times, yet there’s a sense of affability that lies within, continuoully drawing you closer. Even the inside of his album is humbly noted, “Thank you for being an owner of this record,” signed Badly Drawn Boy.
Perhaps in avoidance of falling into the cutesy singer-songwriter box, masking musicianship insufficiencies with potent words and off-beat poetry, is Gough’s creative and refined craft for song arrangements. A Burt Bacharach nod to musicals, an Elton John pop gleam and subtly mixed with a breath of Bob Dylan’s vivid foreshadowing, Have You Fed This Fish? combines elements of Brit pop, lo-fi folk, R&B; grooves, psychedelia, and Jamiroquai disco fashioned rhythms. Quite a stretch from any prior tagline of Badly Drawn Boy being Elliot Smith’s English cousin – an inconsistent comparison to the recently deceased folk-indie rocker. Songs like “The Further I Slide,” “All Possiblities,” and “Using Our Feet,” strike with a bold bass, and heavy 5th gear soul.
“John Peel, a DJ from England said, he doesn’t like dance music but he likes music he can dance too. I agree with that. It’s kind of like all those Motown records, and even the early collections. A lot of the old R& B soul songs was really the best. I like Motown music…it’s got soul, and you can dance to it,” Gough explains.
Aside from the notion that his music is universal, Gough’s lyrics stake an undeniable sense of humility and vulnerability that puts his heart on the mic stand. One of his most inspiring songs is the proper noun/cliché flooded, “You Were Right,” off of Have You Fed The Fish? Building upon a lush orchestrated arrangement, Gough reflects about his new found life as a rock star, singing, “I just had a dream the other night/I was married to the queen/And Madonna lived next door/I think she took a shine to me/ And the kids were all grown up/but I had to turn her down.”
Continuing on, he professes to remembering doing absolutely nothing the nights that Frank Sinatra, Jeff Buckley, Kurt Cobain, and John Lennon died, indicative that he hurts from the unexpected iconic deaths as much as any obscure fan. Would he add Elliott Smith’s name to the list now, when performing “You Were Right “live?
“I’ve been doing that, and adding (Joe) Strummer’s name as well. But it’s tragic that Elliot Smith died the way he did. His music is so powerful, it just makes you think” Gough answers quietly.
Then there is the mystique of Badly Drawn Boy, a character that has become clearly unidentifiable without his trademark wool hat and scraggly beard. But why the name, and the separation between artist and individual? Perhaps Sting, Moby, and Snoop Dogg knew better than to play under Gordon Sumner, Richard Melville Hall, or Calvin Broadus, though none chose a stage name synonymous with immaturity, one they would inevitable outgrow with age.
“When I started out with the name, it was a good way of being recognized. But the name got spread around pretty quick. I didn’t do it to hide behind, I just did it because it’s more noticeable. You spend a long time trying to find the right name, but five years down the line, the name just confuses me, it’s all about me really. There’s no difference between Badly Drawn Boy and me, Damon Gough. I’ve reached the point where I almost want to change the name, but I made it hard to do that. I’d rather just call it “BDB” or just change the name. I walk to the train station and I can hear people whispering, ‘there’s Badly Drawn Boy’…it’s a little strange. But yes, there can be an identity crisis. I’m not sure what people make of it,” he confesses.
Even having the most inviting of names couldn’t make a success out of a pretender, in which Gough certainly is not. He’s not the world’s greatest musician, and his voice isn’t all that special he’s quick to add , but his sense of what works on record – will prevail. Have You Fed The Fish? features Gough on all pianos, synthesizers, guitars and vocals. Clearly he is the centerpiece on the album – despite a set of top-notch session musicians backing him up – and not disguising his voice.
“Well, Jimi Hendrix never liked his voice, and I’m sure Neil Young and Bob Dylan felt that way. I think I’m getting better, and better at it. When I started out on a four-track, I started out on a high voice, but I’ve gotten more confident and quite content with my voice.”
As his solo tour continues, he hopes to continue on the road towards longevity, something that his idols – Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen have all helped cement as possiblities. If the music continues to develop, Damon Gough and his Badly Drawn Boy alter-ego will continue to ripen and continually reinvent themselves.
“I want to keep doing it, all I want to do is play music that I’m proud of.” He proclaims adamantly. “I spent a lot of years not really even trying to really shop my music around, I didn’t know how to do it. I’m quite astonished really that a lot of young bands ask me for advice, and they seem to know more than I, but I really haven’t got any advice, except if you got it, it’s what you have to do. If you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, you still might make it, but you may not get any enjoyment out of it. Anybody is capable of doing anything, but you have to be in it for the right reasons.”
Apparently he is, regardless of what you call him…
