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Interview with Brian Nelson

You first became known with your LP 'On The Trail Of The Runaway Beast'/1982 when you were playing with Flemish Wigbert. Do you think you might be teaming up with him again in the future? B. Nelson: I'm not clairvoyant! Wigbert is a busy man with his solo career and with Roland I believe. He still is the great guitar player he always was; we had a good musical rapport going at that time. We stuck together about ten years, until 'Falling from Grace' (Free Space Records 1990) was done. After that he went solo and started singing in Flemish - or Dutch should I say? Maybe that could all fall together again some time, who knows? I play duo with G.T Moore now, which goes smooth. He has plenty of experience - played numerous sessions for recordings artists, recorded over a dozen CD's…- and, on top of that, has some sense of humour too! (laughs)

. Brian Nelson & G.T Moore in De Fantast / Ghent

• Isn't it odd, a Scot and an Englishman together? No fights?
  So far there has been no reason to. Our tastes are pretty much the same. G.T is a brilliant musician and a good producer too. When we are gigging or recording
  we are totally focused on that, nothing else matters. No need to argue! In
  between we do talk about politics or history a lot: we understand each other
  completely that way. We happen to have the same Celtic origin and the same
  musical roots - although G.T lets Jamaican, Iranian and American influences
  play ; and we both love Dylan!
  Is Nelson a real Scottish name?
  Originally it comes from Nüllson, a Scandinavian name. My mother is a
  Lafferty and Irish from origin. I was born and bread in Glasgow. Afterwards
  my family moved up to the Highlands. A very different Scotland: very remote,
  way up in the mountains. I wrote a few songs there!
  Axell Red translated 'Friday Night City' in French, Paul Michiels covered
  'I Can Hear My Train'. Did you never release these songs yourself?
  They did get recorded in '85 by Colour Record, but M. Van Beveren only released
  an EP of these sessions: four songs instead of eleven or twelve! Scandalous
  that was. That mother tape must still be around somewhere. We didn't make
  another record for another four, five years. But I don't mind others bringing
  them out at all! I have enough songs to do myself. And Axelle sings pretty nice, no?
  Will more tours follow this Summer 2001?
  I hope so. I enjoy playing in Flanders. The people are warm and love acoustic
  music. I could use a better manager though. Folk Festivals seem harder to
  get than before, for less known bands. A name has to attract thousands…
  That you can only do if a record label promotes you properly.
  Does your label not do that?
  Not at all! Why? Nobody home I think.
  Your previous CD 'Beautiful Losers' /1995 didn't receive much attention
  from the press. Why?
  Not commercial enough probably. No hit material. It doesn't matter how brilliant
  the musicians are if the CD isn't followed up by a Concert Tour to introduce
  it to the audience. Nobody gets to know it. Maybe it is because the songs
  are all different. They don't fit into one category or one genre. Also, radio
  stations play mostly what gets sent to them by major record companies. Plugged
  or unplugged, is the question. There are a lot of hip trends in demand too:
  techno, rap…you name it. Singer-songwriters are pushed into a corner,
  unless you score a hit. Thanks to the Internet there's more opportunities
  to reach media and music circles without the necessity of TV shows or mass
  events.
  You're working on a new CD with GT Moore, who also produced 'Beautiful
  Losers'. What can the public expect this time?
  Since Dirk Van Gansbeke died, I haven't been in the mood for drums. So it
  will be a mostly acoustic record, with GT on several instruments, maybe some
  dubs… Some folk, some songs of our own… We'll have to wait and see
  what turns out.
  We will. Thanks for the interview and lots of fun in Europe!
  Okay, the same yourself!
  D.R/ From 'De Beiaard'/Zottegem - BE