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Interview with Midge Ure

Go to:  Pluto Media artist's page.

On the eve of his Australian tour Pluto Media sat down with Midge Ure, the front man for Ultravox, writer/producer "Do they know it's Christmas" and writer/producer for many famous hits from the 80's. He talks about his life, the music industry, his latest album and what his fans can expect from his concerts.

Tell me what you have been up to over the last few years

Doing what I love most - being a musician! I can't imagine my life any other way. I get to work with my musical heroes as well as doing my own thing, so there's never chance to get bored.  There's always something new and exciting on the horizon. I've just come back from a tour of the States with some American musicians I use over there, and I'm about to go back on tour in the UK and Ireland with India Electric Company doing a show where we play songs from all phases of my career from the 70's right up to date. We're bringing the show to Australia and New Zealand in March and I can't wait to be back. It's the first time the boys have been over and they're so excited about it! I did my last trip to Australia by myself with just an acoustic guitar, so it's good to be able to do something a bit different this time. I'm also working on a new album of orchestral versions of my songs that should be released later this year.

You did a tour called "The fragile Troubadour" could you tell me  about that please?

I wanted to go back to basics to see how it is for musicians just starting out on their career. It's so different from how it was when I was a kid playing in bands, and because I normally have a full crew giving me technical support and arranging the logistics I thought it would be interesting to be back in complete control of everything. I did the lot! Arranged flights and hotels, advanced the venues with technical information. I even did the settlements and the merchandise! Normally I don't get involved in that sort of thing as I have a habit of forgetting where money has come from. Years ago, my Tour Manager once gave me the merchandise money at the end of a show so that I could pay it into the bank. I put it on my pocket, forgot what it was and spent the lot! When she asked me why it wasn't in the bank, I had to say.... what money??!!?? So generally it's better that someone else looks after that sort of thing to let me concentrate on the music, but I thought it would be fun to have a go just for once.

Why do you think a whole new generation of people are starting to discover your music?

Well, I think there are a couple of avenues, but mainly it's because I do a lot of shows, so wherever you are, the chances are that I'll pop up at some point! There's nothing like live shows. The direct contact with people is so important to me. All music becomes more relevant when it's played live. It grows and becomes something living that touches people. You can't underestimate the power of the internet and social media either. Again, whatever I'm doing, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and my own website will know all about it - instantly! It's an incredibly important medium. The only thing I have a problem with it when people turn up at my shows and then proceed to "live stream" the gig and charge money for it! We came across this in Germany last November for the first time, quite unbelievable! There's also a generational thing that goes on, where parents have given my music to their kids. It's something they have grown up with, so they now come to the shows as well. Good parenting!

As an artist where do you get your inspiration?

Well I once dreamt an entire song that went on to become a hit! I quite often wake up with an idea in my head, so I came up with the idea of recording stuff onto a Dictaphone way back in the days before mobiles, but all I ever really achieved was incoherent ramblings with the notable exception of Dear God! Mostly I try to come up with the more interesting angles on things rather than the usual "boy meets girl, I love her, she loves me, let's get together and make 3" stuff! The current show has a song about vampires and another about Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the architect!

You have achieved some amazing things, what are you most proud of?

There have been so many career highlights, it's hard to pick. Band Aid, obviously, has to be top of the list. It wasn't the best song I've ever written, but what it's achieved is beyond my wildest dreams - and it's still saving lives now. I met a woman a few years ago who is now a practicing doctor, whose life was saved by Band Aid. That's incredibly humbling.  Being musical director for the Princes' Trust was a great honour, as was being awarded an OBE. The particularly nice thing about that was that it was awarded not only for charity work, but  for being a musician. That was really important to me. I also have an immense soft spot for my last studio album, Fragile, which is an intensely personal album.

They say that everything comes around, what stage do you think music is at?

We're in difficult times.  People will pay $5 for a cup of coffee but seem to expect to get music for free. Record companies are no longer to nurture artists and if they don't get instant returns, just drop them. Having said that, there are a few very interesting new acts around at the moment, let's just hope they manage to survive! That's also why live shows are so important. It's fast becoming one of the only ways to be able to carry on being a full time musician.

What's your thoughts regarding social media and artists engagement?

Essential! I love having that direct contact with people through Facebook and Twitter. It means I get instant feedback from people on stuff that I do and believe me, they're very quick with their opinions, both good and bad!!

What can people expect from your concert?

Good question! I first worked with Joe and Cole a few years ago, when they supported me. What I heard drifting through the dressing room walls intrigued me, so I went up on stage to listen to their set and thought "wow, they're GOOD". In 2015 I did a 20th anniversary tour for my album Breathe, that contained a lot of acoustic instruments and I thought it would be a good idea to use the boys as my band, and it worked really well!. After a few shows, I discovered that Joe was a really good keyboard player (a fact he had neglected to mention!), so when I came up with the idea for this tour (Something from Everything) where I wanted a slightly more electronic angle to some of the songs, it seemed an obvious choice to use them again. I like working with them! So to cut a long story short, the tour is a sort of "potted career retrospective" and the aim is to play one somg from every album. It's a mixture of the hits that the audience expects to hear, with some lesser known, but equally interesting, songs that the fans have been asking me to play for years. I can do that in this format because it's so flexible.

What artists are you really liking at the moment?

I don't get much time to listen to other people's music, but Sigur Ros, Hozier and  Jack Savoretti are on my playlist!

Tell me why 80's music was so unique, why did so many talented artists "break" through in that era?

Throughout history, there have been moments in time where the stars aligned, and exceptional, ground breaking, artistic movements were founded. Who knows what causes it, I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time!

Can you explain the 80's in one word?

no! It's far too complex for a single word! It was a decade where musical genres and fashion collided and produced something entirely new and beautiful.