From The Stone Roses, to The Seahorses to solo, Úna Mullally caught up with John Squire after a long day of painting as he releases his second solo record, "Marshall's House".
"Look, I've just taken a break to talk to you, y'know". John Squire sounds tired, and I can forgive him for it, he's a busy man. The start of February saw him release a new single, 'Room In Brooklyn' and his second solo LP, 'Marshall's House' all while he continues to work on his first ever art exhibition.
Art is what he's been doing all day, "My vision's blurred. It's tough. I've been working on one thing all day - this huge piece of canvas with loads of text. I'll be down to Specsavers in the morning".
Squire's more famous for being the guitar player in The Stone Roses and up until now his musical contribution to that now legendary group overshadowed his other 'artistic' input. But, he did, after all, design and paint the majority of their artwork, as well as work on independent material. All of that will soon come together in his first exhibition at the ICA in London, "I used to think that painting was skiving off music, but I've changed my mind. They're both as important to me, even though I've only realised that recently".
As a solo artist, Squire is more Seahorses than Stone Roses. 'Marshall's House' maintains the jangliness of songs like 'Waterfall' but the vibe is definately indie, albeit with an earthier feel. Back to the art, 'Marshall's House' was inspired by realist painer, Edward Hopper, "it started like that because I had a painting of his on a calender, then I thought it might be interesting to try twelve songs about the paintings - y'know, twelve months. It wasn't a case of admiring the artist, it was more 'what can you get out of this image'".
Squire's voice has always been there for the critics to slate. Described by himself as 'a pet shop burning down' ("I don't remember saying that") on the new record, it lies somewhere between Liam Gallagher (without the throat), Kelly Jones (without the Welsh) and a pissed off busker (without the no money). As for switching from the sidelines to a frontman position, "I didn't really have an option. For a while I never thought of myself as anything but a guitar player, but that just changed".
Regretting some of the moves he made early on in his solo career, ('I wish I played some live shows before I released the first album'), he feels more at ease this time around. "Writing the second album was really easy. I've got a band now. I know more about the way I sing, the way I write. And making it, I was really inspired".
Is there an artistic tug of war between painter and musician? "No, I don't care. I don't care how I'm remembered either, 'artist' or 'musician'. I don't care about how I'll be remembered at all".
So, for the record, if Squire could only ever play one Stone Roses song again? "Shoot Me Down". Why? "Just because....look...its good, alright?" Alright.
