THE INSIDER: PATRICK WOLF

From modeling for Burberry to watching Bride Wars, the British musician is full of surprises.

Patrick Wolf is distracted.

He calls while on one of London’s big buses, and confesses that he has trouble concentrating on a conversation while surrounded by people. So instead of just calling me back later, he hops off the bus and just walks.

It’s reflective not only of his current situation—a rebel freed from the constraints (and 24-7 car service) that comes with signing to a major label—but how focused Wolf is about everything from his music to interviews.

It hasn’t been easy. The 25-year-old started playing music before he reached his teens, and by his early 20s was signed to Universal and modeling in Burberry ads. He’s since left the label, turning to Bandstocks (where fans become music “investors”) to fund his latest project, the double-album Battle. While he waits for the first installment, The Bachelor, to come out in June, Wolf caught us up on life in the slow lane.

Off the bus?

Yes, that’s a lot nicer. I hate bus conversations, they’re awful! I’m back to public transportation, and I really enjoy it. When you’re in major label world, your feet don’t touch the ground, because you’re always in a company car.

Why did you decide to leave a major label?

Nothing really gets in the way of me getting my music out to the world. The label offered to put me with producers that I don’t think would have worked, but I was kind of brainwashed into thinking that my music was nothing unless I had a hot producer. Patrick, you’ve been making music since you were 12 years old—you should be producing other people’s music, not other people producing yours, stick with it! So I became independent again because I wouldn’t put myself in the machine. Now I’m back to getting on the bus, going to shoots…back to square one.

How is Battle different from your previous albums?

It’s a super personal project. It reminded me of being 13 again, [with] no audience, no expectations. I had to really, really work to get that freedom and space around me. I had to push a lot of people away and I had to cut a lot of financial ties, but I found it and I’m proud of what I’ve done.

Why did you choose Battle as the title?

The inspiration there is that I’m delivering something that is quite antagonistic and warrior-like, and I decided that I wasn’t going to be passive this time around. I wanted to be challenging. I felt like another pretty boy singer that can make you smile. That’s never ever, ever, ever what I wanted to do when I was 11 years old. I wanted to change people’s minds about certain things that are wrong in society, challenge parts of people’s identity…I want to change the world, with my music and my identity.

Do you think something like Bandstocks is the future of the music industry?

I hope so. It’s a very honest way of people seeing what goes on behind making a record. I think that whole fantasy element of the record industry is disappearing. We can be really pagan about things, really medieval. You can be like, hey here’s my song, do you like it? Give me your money so I can eat tomorrow and make some more music and put on a great show. I think it’s a really simple, honest system. And maybe it will be a big system one day. All I know is that I couldn’t get back into the [current] system of labels. I still want to be a human being and the same person who made my first album. I don’t want to be fucked by business people. There’s a reason why I left school at 16: To live a life of creativity, to create and not be a slave to anybody.

You’ve got some big-name collaborators on this album, like Tilda Swinton. How did that come about?

She’s the narrator on the album. It’s a celebration of the spirit of independence, because she’s someone who has been an actress with many different parts, and still retains her identity. She’s just a fantastic actress who I felt a real kinship with.

As a fan of independent cinema, what’s the last really great movie you’ve seen?

Like, movies that I actually really enjoyed?

Or the last really horrible movie you’ve seen.

[Laughs] Bride Wars was really bad. I think so much, and really am about high culture and investing my time in classical music and history and art, but then I just need that moment to watch Bride Wars. But I passed out, it was just too much.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Visit bandstocks.com for more info.



This story was published on March 18, 2009.