A brand new mini-album celebrates her misplaced ‘brothers’: Nick Drake, John Martyn, Kevin Ayers and Michael Chapman. Bridget St John explains all to Uncut…
UNCUT: On Masking My Brothers, you pay tribute to 4 artists who had been necessary to you. Did you’re feeling like a sister to them?
BRIDGET ST JOHN: They had been my brothers – by no means lovers! They had been those who stayed in my life, aside from Nick, who died so younger. I noticed John Martyn three months earlier than he died, he got here to New York [where St John has lived since 1976]. Although I didn’t see them on a regular basis, the connection was there, like it’s with good mates.
You’ve actually put your individual stamp on these songs, together with an experimental tackle Michael Chapman’s 10-minute “Aviator”.
I solely cowl a track if it’s got inside me. I can sing these songs as a result of I relate to them as if I’d written them. “Aviator” was a couple of private factor for Michael, an issue with the Inland Income, however for me it’s in regards to the world and what’s happening now. So I modified a number of phrases, along with his spouse Andru’s blessing. Michael’s model is way more aggressive than mine – I feel he was actually offended when he wrote it!
You cowl Nick Drake’s “Fly”, and also you knew him again then too – as a lot as anybody may…
I associated to him very strongly as a result of we had been each so shy – it’s arduous to be so shy and be onstage. I don’t assume I used to be as introverted as him, however I felt he was a kindred spirit.
Yours and Kevin Ayers’ voices labored very nicely collectively – virtually like female and male variations of one another.
I at all times cherished enjoying with Kevin. I’m not an ideal singer, I usually don’t sing precisely on the beat, and I feel we simply may really feel the place the opposite one was. Right here, I play “Jolie Madame”, which we recorded collectively initially. I can communicate French, however Kevin was correctly bilingual, so it was fully completed when he performed it to me.
The oddity on this EP is your model of John Martyn’s “Head And Coronary heart” – a demo you made for 1974’s Jumblequeen, misplaced and lately found.
John was initially going to provide the album, so I recorded some demos for him. There have been six songs, and “Head And Coronary heart” was certainly one of them. I’d completely forgotten doing it till final summer season when Mhairi, John’s daughter, obtained in contact and mentioned, “I’ve this reel-to-reel.” I actually like this model.
John was the primary of those 4 you met, wasn’t he?
I met him in 1967, after I was at Sheffield College, via Robin Frederick who additionally knew Nick Drake. He was the one who took me to Al Stewart‘s home to document my first demo, which obtained to John Peel, which led to all the pieces opening up for me. John Martyn helped me purchase my first steel-string guitar, as a result of I solely had a nylon string. I did a number of gigs with him, till it turned clear that he was up to now forward of his time, with the Echoplex and his method of enjoying… his viewers didn’t relate to me a lot, as a quiet singer-songwriter, so we did fewer gigs collectively, however nonetheless some, and generally with him and Danny Thompson.
Did you attempt to sustain with their hell-raising?
No, after two glasses of wine I’d have to go to mattress! However all my ‘brothers in music’ had variety hearts. They could have had tough edges, or deeper than tough edges… however I feel I’m drawn to the great and the depth of individuals.
What have you ever obtained arising after this launch?
I’ve obtained a few songs I positively need to put down, so I’ll in all probability go to the studio upstate, the place I recorded “Aviator”, in Might or June.
Masking My Brothers is obtainable on 10” vinyl by Shagrat Information
