Radio One: June 8, 1997Pre-show Interview: Toby Smith
Broadcasted before the Finsbury Park show, transcribed by the Dancing Buffalo Site.
Toby Smith
Toby - I'm Toby Smith, and I'm the keyboardist for Jamiroquai
Lisa - OK, so set the scene.. where are we right now. What's about to happen
Toby - Where in Dallas and where about to do the smallest gig we have done... for about 4 and a half years.. lets say. 600 people.. its very small, its gonna be alot of fun.. very swissy, and you gotta check these gigs cause it don't happen often, and it probably won't happen for a long time. We did one in Seattle, as well.. which was like 800 people.. together on the same trip.. very sweaty.. very cool
Lisa - Do you miss that intimacy
Toby - Very Refreshing
Lisa - Do you miss that intimacy, yeah
Toby - Yeah you do, you really do. I mean, the big gigs are cool.. You get the luxury of better sounds and stuff, but you don't feel it the same way that you do in a small theme, and you can hear the P.A.. the P.A is right next to you, and you can feel it a alot more.. it does make a big difference
Lisa - Finsbury Park is gonna be over 35,000 people
Toby - (Toby laughs)
Lisa - How are you going to create that kind of intimacy.. I mean, do you hope to or are you....
Toby - Err.. I think we are managing to now. we have been doing it for a bit now. The last couple of tours have been all over 10,000.. so you start to work out what it is that gives a really good gig to the people, and to yourself.. you know.. You see the thing is, if your not enjoying yourself on the stage, then that is just gonna rub off, and so you have to first make sure things are good on stage, that it feels good, that you are enjoying yourself, and then worry about everyone else.. because if you just.. you have to, it just doesn't work..
Lisa - On top of that, do you still bear in mind, like the people right at the back or the left side of the stage
Toby - Yeah, well I mean, I think from the last U.K, we did the Arena Tour, and I think.. everybody I spoke to, you know.. said "It does not matter how far back they were, that the sound was good, and I think we have sorted out the sound now, so that's the case. You got Big P.A's, all round.. front and rear.. so everyone, either your right at the back, your gonna feel exactly the same thing as at the front. You just can't see as much, but in the arena's, were gonna have these two massive screens, and so, that kind of enables people to see what is going on
Lisa - Feel closer
Toby - Yeah, it would look really good as well, actually.. does look cool
Lisa - But with the territory, there goes a certain amount of recognition.. how do you cope with fame (You hear Jay, in the background, rehearsing his voice)
Toby - I don't get recognised in the street.. I plan it that way. I don't wanna get recognised in the street. I wanna just chill, do my thing, and have good time on stage and after stage, people like.. "Arrrgghh.. great" you know, but as soon as I am in the street, I am at home.. I'm me, I have not changed for whatever..27 years.. so, that's how I like it
Lisa - So your not about to changed (Jay's rehearsing voice becomes louder)
Toby - I mean even Jay, who you can hear now.. breezing his way down here.. even he can still walk around, once he has taken his hat off (Toby starts humming to Jay's, rehearsing)
Lisa - So this is Jay warming up
Toby - Yeah...
Lisa - Before he goes on..
Toby - Yeah......
Jay - With no bloody voice
Lisa - Your talking about the sound and everything, I mean.. that obviously is an important factor.. visually, I mean, it is not as if you guys go on stage with sort of outfits, or anything
Toby - No, he (Jay) is such a performer, that people can't actually avert there eyes away from him, for very long.. so, erm, we kind of get on with our own things. I'm sitting down, so I can't exactly get up and do soul spins every five seconds, but erm, I think, you know, people who come to the shows, theirs alot going on.. musically, it is so dense, that if you got bored musically, that, you know.. you can have a little wonder around
Lisa - He is a frontman and he obviously gets all the attention because of that, I mean.. how do you feel about that
Toby - Well, you know.. Jay is a superb performer.. and a amazing frontman, and as a result of that, that he has made Jamiroquai what it is, really.. so, it is not a problem for me. What I want out of this band is to write, which I do.. and to enjoy myself.. which I do. That's it
Lisa - Tell us about life on the road.. there's quite a few of you travelling together.. (Jay practising again in the background) I mean, does it get intense in certain ways
Toby - Err.. some tours do, some don't. This one's been, actually.. really relaxed, probably because the first place we went to was Vancouver.. and we had two days off, and we got a car.. went into the mountains.. up to the snowline, and the next day we hired some boats and just cruised around, you know, this is like killer whale territory, which is awesome.. You don't have the chance to do that when you going around Europe, in a bus.. So that has been cool. We have tried to, you know, as much as possible, use the days were your not doing something, to go out and do something and this country is amazing as a country. You know, its beautiful, its very cool.. this one has been, on the whole, very good.. some are bad, some are good. At the moment, this is good
Lisa - You've passed the third difficult album stage, it goes on to the fourth and fifth
Toby - Easy...
Lisa - Yeah..
Toby - Yeeaah..
Lisa - Do you feel that..
Toby - Yeaahh.. and we will relish it, love that.. that's the best bit
Jay - Yeah, but your not the one who has got to write the lyrics (Toby chuckles)
Toby - (In a foreign accent) Yeah, but I have no worries, I have no problems with you writing lyrics, right
Lisa - So how does it work, for those of you who do not know, tell us how it works
Toby - Oh, well we will be giving away all the secrets away, can't do that
Lisa - No, come on.. you can tell me
Toby - Well, last time.. usually what we have done is just gone into the main studio, sat.. and just got on with it, and the last album, we had 4 or 5 weeks pre-production, in Jay's flat, but we got the meet, on the last album, together.. and this time, hopefully, we will have a little more pre-production.. and, fingers crossed, Jay's gonna buy a lovely "Big house in the country", which will be packed full of pucker recording studio's, so we are just gonna chill there.. and its gonna, I think people are gonna defiantly, like, there gonna know, there gonna know with the next album
Lisa - Before going on stage, do you guys do anything to prepare..
Toby - I find this quite frustrating, cause I play keyboards.. I don't have any, not so nice user friendly instruments, for me to warm up on, so there are very few exercises for your fingers, you know..
Lisa - And there is nothing as a gro.. (Toby interrupts)
Toby - Theirs one.. you know.. which you can.. err
Lisa - There's nothing as a group (Lisa chuckles) that you go all and do
Toby - No, I don't think so. None of us are into that kind of hold hands and "YEAH, COME ON BABY, WERE GONNA YEAH".. none of that.. no, were not really into that. Were just people who.. Sola will be doing his percussion, Martin on the trumpet, Jay does his, as you heard, he will be doing his vocals exercise, and I just sit, get quite annoyed and jealous that I just can't pick up a flute, do something (Toby imitates a flute). I'm getting ready (Lisa laughs)
Lisa - So, what about when you come off stage..
Toby - Its so dependant on the crowd for me. If crowd are really good, I come off, I'm really late and if there we not so good.. Different crowds do different things. Some crowds will kind of suck from me.. take all the energy.. and some crowds will give loads to you.. if they have taken, then I usually come off and I gotta go find a very quiet place, and just disappear away from everybody.. and if there really givvey, then I am just buzzing, so give!!!
Lisa - What's your favourite Jamiroquai tune
Toby - Err.. oh damn, I love.. of this album, its probably ALRIGHT. Its just got a vibe about it. Its just very.. its just... ALRIGHT
