Interview: Connan Mockasin

Connan Mockasin is quite the esoteric musician to say the least. His solo debut album Please Turn Me Into the Snat is about his wish to turn into a half-rat, half-snake hybrid. His mastery on a variety of musical instruments is countered by his leprechaun-like vocals and effervescent lyricism. And the fact that he acquired NZ on Air funding for a song about choades (Penises that are wider than they are long) further adds to his brilliant idiosyncrasy. I talked to him about the making of Please…, his upcoming tour, and his move to France.

Why did you release your solo debut under Connan Mockasin instead of your real name?

CM: I was wondering what to call myself after Connan and The Mockasins. So I just broke that up. I just liked it and I thought my proper name was a bit boring.

Please… was recorded over 18 months in a variety of locations. Because of that, do you think that each song has a different atmospheric quality to the rest?

I definitely noticed the difference between ones recorded in the UK. There are 3 songs and Lawrence Arabia engineered and co-produced them with me. So I can’t really tell if the difference is from that or it was recorded in a different country. But yeah, the rooms were a lot different. I tried to use places with high feelings and recorded them between Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, and London.

Was there an emotion you attached to each of those locations?

Not really. One place in Wellington was this haunted house that was abandoned. It was all blocked up and it was a huge place. I don’t know if I really believe in ghosts or not, but this place had some weird stuff happen so I couldn’t do more there. It’s a real shame because I had this huge old place to myself. I’d only work in the day there and even then I got too freaked (laughs). So yeah, that was probably the most interesting place to record.

The last place I recorded was [Neil] Finn’s house in Auckland. I was recording with Liam and Lawrence Arabia in a studio at the same time. But when I went to bed, I had a soundproof room so I could record 3 in the morning till dawn.

You mentioned that this record shouldn’t be heard on shuffle?

Yeah. Rather than recording 30 songs and picking the best 10 in a particular order, I wrote and recorded as I went. So a lot of it flows together. I wanted it to be a good overall album, not a bunch of singles. So that’s why it won’t really work on shuffle.

Was the release delayed in any way?

My UK label’s been delaying it. I had the record done for quite a while so there’s been a few tentative release dates.

It just so happens that the NZ release date is my mum’s birthday. I haven’t got her a present for a few years now. She’s the one that told me to do a record when I was hanging out at home. It just works out that it comes out on her birthday.

What the details of the tour?

I’ll probably do 6 or 7 shows. Hit the major centres and a couple of others as well. [An extensive tour] won’t be quite cost-effective. I’ve done it in the past but I got heaps of other projects to work on.

One with Ladyhawke and one with Late of the Pier?

Yeah, one of the guys from Late of the Pier [Sam Eastgate]. I think I’m gonna do that first. He’s coming in less than a week. We’re gonna go out to a beach and record. We’ve already written a record together.

With Ladyhawke, it’s just coming down to time now. I gotta be back in the UK in April so I’m wondering if I can squeeze that in. But we’ll definitely do it at some stage and probably in New Zealand as well.

Will you do an extensive tour around the UK?

I’ll be touring there from the end of April then I’m moving to Paris in July. I’m gonna base myself there and touring through most of Europe. I wanna start writing my new record in Paris.

That sounds a bit cliché

Yeah.

At least the girls would be prettier there, I suppose.

Yeah, they would be much prettier than in…

…The UK (laughs)

...The UK. Yeah, I never met any pretty girls in the UK.

What’s the difference in touring NZ and touring in Europe?

Um… heaps of differences. You get looked after really well in Europe. They’ll show you round and take you out. They make sure you’re always happy so you feel really spoiled. But England is an exception though; it’s probably the worst place to tour. I’m gonna revisit New York this year. I like playing in Paris and New York. They both seem to be getting what I’m trying to do.

It’s quite tough in New Zealand. I still haven’t gotten very far here. I’ve pretty much given up. People can be quite narrow-minded about stuff. Especially the festivals when you’ve got a real mix of people who just want to hear Pop 40. And they can give you a hard time too. So with Europe and England as well, I find it exciting how everyone wants to hear something new.

How’s your progress in making organic synth sounds?

Not much lately. I haven’t been home for a bit. It’s just time really. I think I’m taking on too many projects and wanting to have a holiday at the same time. It’s all clashing a bit and my time management is terrible.

I think you should start doing crystal meth.

Yeah. That would be perfect (laughs).

Please Turn Me Into The Snat is out now and Connan Mockasin (and his band) will perform at the Monte Cristo on March 27.