CORRIDOR Q & A

by Molly Cairns, 20 October 2011

 

One man band Corridor is really Micahel Quinn and did you know he used to drum for Warpaint? He did. Well we asked him some questions and he told us how many instruments he can play,when it last rained in LA and loads more. Have a read below and a look at the video for the lead single 'Objective Lens' from his latest album 'Real Late'.

 

 

Beat: How are you?

Corridor: At the moment very concerned. Everyday that I wake up and look at a newspaper or watch the global news networks I find it hard to get motivated towing the information that I have just received. But aside from horrible depressing reality I am personally in a good place. The people in my life keep me feeling positive. I feel lucky to have a semi-stable environment to live and work in.

 

Beat: Where are you right now?

Corridor: Right now I am home in Los Angeles sitting in my living room watching the palm trees sway from the wind we are having today. I live on top of a hill so the view is really great. The mountains that surround the east side are pretty visible. We had rain last Weds which clears up the skyline for a few days.

 

Beat: Are you excited for 'Real Late' to come out?

Corridor: Yes and No. The physical release of an album is always exciting. Any musician will tell you that releasing your music to the world is a personal milestone. On the other hand there is a lot of pressure and suspense that comes along with any release. You may think it is the most important recording ever made but you are lucky if anyone gives it one listen all the way through. I am thankful to have been able to go to the next level with a second record. I just hope people give a shit.

 

Beat: What can we expect from it? How is it different from your debut album?

Corridor: The bar has been raised musically on this new album. More instrumentation has been incorporated into the songs along with solid flowing structure. This album is a little less theatrical than the last. The music may still be considered epic at times but it is more accessible. Mellow with bursts of intricacy. Slow but fast. That sort of vibe....

 

Beat: What made you decide on being a solo artist rather than in a big band?

Corridor: My solo career is due 100% to bad timing and my ability to not connect with people musically...at least at the time when I started Corridor. My dream in life was and I guess still is to be a drummer in a great band. Over the years of constantly trying to create bands with other people and continually failing it just got to be a giant drag. I lost interest in making music completely and stopped for a couple years. Eventually I started focusing on other instruments. I started writing the music that I always wanted to make and eventually found a way to make it available in a live setting without being held back by other people. It may sound like I am insane or a control freak but it is quite the opposite. It was quite frankly the most liberating thing I have done or will ever do. I am happy to have a band that backs me up now, but nothing will ever compare to how amazing it felt performing as Corridor when it was just me against the world.

 

Beat: How many instruments can you play? What are they all?

Corridor: Well, I would say I can hold 4 down very solid. Drums, Guitar/Bass, Cello and Piano/Synth. By no means am I a classically trained pro at any of them. I can barley tell you the basic notation on a guitar, tell you what time signature a song is in or play a perfectly pitched vibrato.

 

Beat: Where's one place in the world you'd love to play a show at that you haven't already?

Corridor: At this point anywhere in the UK, Ireland, Iceland or Europe.

 

Beat: Who are you listening to a lot of at the moment?

Corridor: Well, I always have certain artists on permanent rotation...but I have been listening to this band called Odawas a lot. They have been around for a while but they remind me of bands like Comus and Goblin. The new Amon Tobin is really good. I have listened to that quite frequently. I also came across a couple live Capt. Beefheart concert bootlegs that I have been all about as well. Also my friend gave me a Cleaners from Venus anthology he put together. That gets played at social gatherings on my porch lately.

 

Beat: What was it like covering 'Be My Wife' for the David Bowie tribute album last year?

Corridor: It was kind of strange. Bowie is one of the biggest names in music. How can you make his work your own? Its perfect how it is. I had to really deconstruct my image of him. Kind of take him off the pedestal and say, "fuck it" it’s just a song by some guy. I never would have had the nerve to cover a David Bowie song if it was not for the tribute. Making the video was great. I feel like it tied the whole thing together. It would have been just another cover with out it.

 

 

'Objective Lens'