Transcript
A (0:00)
For 140 years, MultiCare has been in Washington prioritizing long term solutions, partnering with local communities and expanding access to care. Together, we're building a healthier future. Learn more@mycare.org. This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart. When someone asks Simon Raymond what he does for a living, sometimes he tells them he's a publisher. But the problem is he isn't. Well, well, there's a tiny bit of truth to it, but Simon Raymond's story is so much more. He's a former member of the hugely popular band the Cocteau Twins. And more importantly, Simon runs a record label, Bella Union, which produce groups like Fleet Foxes. He has just published a memoir about his time in the music business when he comes to genetically, his father for an earlier path in the music industry as Dusty Springfield's arranger. The book is called In One Ear, the Cocteau Twins, Iva Rainwind and me. Simon Raymond joins me now to talk about it. Simon, welcome to all of it.
B (1:10)
Thank you very much. Pleasure to be here.
A (1:12)
And we had quite a discussion of your last name because your mom liked to say you're Raymond.
B (1:17)
Yes, she loved it. I mean, she's not one of us anymore, but she liked the sounded posher, you know, sounded like she was, you know, doing slightly better than she was. Me and my brother prefer, you know, the more street version of Raymond.
A (1:29)
All right, your dad is right there in the title of your book. He was a professional songwriter and arranger. He worked at Dusty Springfield and other artists growing up. What do you remember about music in your household?
B (1:43)
Well, you'd think I'd have a cavalcade of stories about that, given what he did for a living. But I think I was just a bit too young to really truly appreciate it. Like when Dusty had her first hit, I was two, you know, so I missed out on a lot of it. I mean, I suppose when the Walker Brothers hits the Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, make it easy on yourself. I was a little bit older and my sisters were in love with Scott Walker, so I knew it was a thing. I knew music was what he did and grew up knowing, of course. But when punk happened in the UK in 1976, I was 14. And that for me was like, okay, here I go, you know, So I was straight in there and sort of what my dad did and what my parents were doing was of very little interest to me at that time.
A (2:34)
What did punk mean to you when you were 14?
B (2:36)
Oh, pretty much everything. Yeah, it changed my life. No Doubt about that, because it was all the things that my brothers and sisters. Music wasn't, you know, it wasn't safe, it wasn't clean, it wasn't, you know, organized and melodic. It was sort of chaos and I think I just sort of needed that. At that time I was away at a boarding school, so I, I sort of very regimented. Strict, very strict kind of life and then this sort of movement. I would say it wasn't really just the music and I loved the music for a minute there, but I think it was more about the culture, you know, the hanging out, the politics, the social aspect of it. Clothes as well. The clothes were important. The hairstyles, I'm sure people will comment on that. So I think that was my entry point into music. And that's what I. What fired me up really. And my dad's stuff, I didn't really get that until much, much, much later. Probably till well after he died.