Therapy? – "I don’t talk about IRA, it meant nothing to me”

We must say from the very beginning that this interview  took place due to Andy Cairns’ goodwill. As the organisers of the Sziget Festival had changed the accreditation system for interviews without any prior announcement, many publications (including ouselves) were denied access to them.
Still, we approached the Therapy? frontman and he was kind enough to give us a few minutes of his spare time, at the end of his official interviews session.
As we understood he was tired with the same latest-album-and-future-plans questions, we thought it’s a matter of courtesy not to repeat them. So the discussion took a lighter and more chaotic note. We hope Therapy? fans (like myself) and occasional listeners will enjoy it.

Andy Cairns

Metalfan: All my adolescence I’ve worshiped you...
Andy Cairns (ironic): A-ha...

Metalfan: I’ve worshiped your thoughts...
AC (cynical): Thank you, man...

Metalfan: Somehow, it seems to me that you went past this adolesence stage (laughs)...
AC (laughs): Yeah!

Metalfan: And you became relevant for different age groups. How do you feel about it? Do you feel that you’re still writing for teens or you went far beyond? Or you simply don’t care? (laughs)
AC: I think really what I’ve always tried to do is sing about what went on in my life and what happened and maybe there were lots of people feeling the same way; so maybe then they can identify with it. I only ever sing about my life and what affects me so if other people can identify with that, it’s really cool. When I was a child I used to love a band called Joy Division and all their lyrics meant something to me and I know that Ian Curtis (late frontman of JD – n.a.) wasn’t writing for me.

Metalfan: Love Will Tear Us Apart...
AC: Love will tear us apart and things like that, yeah! That’s why the way I’ve always tried to do is write for myself and if other people can feel something from it – that’s it.

Andy Cairns

Metalfan: That’s interesting... because you, Irish, are somehow „exotic” and people are very fond of you, because they say: „Look, they are under the f***ing British empire, but they are fighting, they are a rebellious nation!” – so you get credit from others. Do you exploit it?
AC: We’ve always tried not to. There’s a song on our second album (mini-album Pleasure Death, 1992 – n.a.) called Potato Junkie and some lyrics are like „James Joyce is f***ing my sister” and it’s about Irish people that exploit that side of it for the world. And they always go like: „Oh, we’re Irish, and look at our history and...” We’ve always considered ourselves European. Not Irish, but humans. So it’s not just all of us being Irish, that never really commenced it.

Metalfan: So you’re very neutral nation-wise. How about influences?
AC: I think it’s probably subliminal. I don’t think it was any conscious influence, but because we grew up there and we lived there until we were in our 20’s, it’s obvious that some influence of the culture has come through. But we never sat down and said „Let’s write a song about how it is to be Irish!”. But obviously being born there had some kind of influence.

Metalfan: So you say that the artistic side of it took over the political side?
AC: With Therapy? there are both Catholics and Protestants in the band. For us it was a big enough political statement. We didn’t feel we needed to sing about the politics in Northern Ireland because the fact that there were two people from different sides playing together in one band – that was politics enough for us.

Andy Cairns

Metalfan: Being a fan, I know which is which, but I’d also like our readers to know...
AC: I think Neil and Mike are Catholics and I’m a Protestant (laughs)... More, by birth, not by practice, yeah...

Metalfan (laughs): I understand, you’re telling me you’re not practising religion...
AC: No, not for many years, no...

Metalfan: Is it because of the music thing or you’d rather spend the time practising anything else?
AC: Not, it’s not because of the music, but our life, whatever I became... uh... I still believe in God but I don’t think God has any religious denomination. No matter what creed or what country you’re from, it’s like God is one eternal consciousness to me, and it’s doesn’t matter what colour of skin you have or what religion.

Metalfan: I understand that the colour of your skin doesn’t matter, but I admire the statement that the religion doesn’t matter. Will IRA forgive you for that one? (laughs)
AC: Uhh... No, I’m not political, you see... So I don’t talk about IRA or the Prostestant side of things because it meant nothing to me in my life. I’ve just always wanted a peaceful country. And it’s very peaceful in Northern Ireland at the minute and I’m very happy about that.

Metalfan: It’s very curious... You want a peaceful country, but you sing a lot about rebellion and you could really start a war with some of your songs (laughs)
AC (laughs): Well. I’ve never thought about that... I don’t know, but if we’d start a war with one of our songs, I’d be upset (laughs).