Upon firmly establishing a musical career, many groups are filed under a specific category. When some attempt to deviate from this, this can extremely alienate a group's fanbase. Peering through their album collection, all of Hit The Lights' readers can likely name a specific album which deviated for the worse. Such confines mean that a more diverse songwriter would need to establish an alternative outlet, something which Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen did in establishing Man Raze, featuring Sex Pistols sticksman Paul Cook. Citing influences such as The Police and The Clash, the group's material is in sharp contrast to Def Leppard's cuts. Indeed, perhaps those who don't particularly like Def Leppard's material may discover a newfound appreciation for Collen's talents, and actually enjoy Man Raze's offerings. Take a listen, and decide for yourself.
During mid 2004,
Def Leppard guitarist
Phil Collen returned to London to care for his dying father. Whilst there, he approached erstwhile Girl bandmate
Simon Laffy with some surplus material he had written. Quite musically different to
Def Leppard,
Laffy agreed to collaborate, and so the basis of
Man Raze came to be. By chance,
Collen bumped into
Sex Pistols drummer
Paul Cook whilst in the street, who
Collen and
Laffy had had in mind to occupy drumming duties.
Cook was asked to join, and accepted. On 27th September 2005,
Man Raze performed an inaugural gig at London's Spitz club, issuing a limited edition EP entitled "
Skin Crawl" during October 2005 through the act's own label, Surrealizt Records. Debut album "
Surreal" was recorded during a two week in Dublin during April 2006, though it wasn't until September 2007 that the album surfaced.
On June 8th 2009, "Surreal" underwent a UK reissue through Surrealizt Records / Universal Music. A special bonus disc compliments "Surreal"'s UK re-release, featuring "You're So Wrong", "Low (Live in Burbank 08)", "Turn It Up (Deep Dub)", "Runnin' Me Up (Instrumental Dub)", and "Can't Find My Own Way (Live Acoustic)". Man Raze performed at Dublin, Ireland's Academy 2 on 10th June, and conducted their inaugural festival performance at Donington Park, Leicestershire, UK's Download Festival three days later. From late November until early December, Man Raze will support Alice Cooper upon his headlining tour of the United Kingdom.
On 3rd June at 20:30 GMT, Hit The Lights' Robert Gray telephoned Phil Collen's mobile phone to discuss Man Raze, as well as other related topics.
Phil Collen: Hello?
UG: Hello. Can I speak to Phil please?
This is Phil.
This is Robert Gray, and I have an interview with you scheduled for half-past eight.
Right. Absolutely, yeah.
How are you Phil?
Good actually, yeah.
Would it be alright if I began the interview?
Yeah, sure. Fire away.
How did Man Raze come to fruition?
I was in London visiting my father, who was terminally ill. I spent roughly two months in London, though I hadn't lived there for years. I just began to write songs with Simon Laffy, and the songs sounded great. We thought "We should actually record these songs, and recruit a drummer. It'd be great if Paul Cook could actually play drums". Literally, I bumped into Paul in the street two days later. We all convened, and things really, really clicked immediately actually. That's pretty much it. We then kept rehearsing, and composed enough songs, recording some demos and everything. We performed at a gig, but when we then came to record properly, the songs had a totally different feel. We had actually discovered our own sound, I think.
"I just began to write songs with Simon Laffy, and the songs sounded great."
We didn't even think about forming a group, really. Us getting together was really just a way of getting some songs across, songs that were somewhat different to what I wrote for Def Leppard, just very different. Also, when I was a member of Girl with Simon, we never used to write songs together. That was the other funny thing. As soon as we began to write these songs though, they had a mind of their own really, and went off on a tangent.
Why did you feel that you couldn't record Man Raze's material as part of Def Leppard?
Man Raze's material was just more alternative really, and features dub reggae type bass. Stylistically, Man Raze's material was totally different to Def Leppard's material. We recorded an album named 'Slang', which was a little bit experimental. During 1996, that album was released, and no-one liked it at all. That proved Def Leppard couldn't really be too experimental, which was really the reason why I couldn't record Man Raze's material as a part of Def Leppard. Some of the material Man Raze performs is really diverse, and is way more weird than 'Slang''s material was.
Originally, was forming Man Raze meant to be therapeutic? To keep your mind away from your father's terminal illness?
Not really. I wanted to write so many songs, and I didn't really have an outlet for such songs. Lyrically, these songs were very different to a Def Leppard song, for example. Musically even, these songs had different rhythms, and a bit more aggression, which was very different yet again. I felt as though I wanted to write songs, but didn't want to write just for the hell of it. It's great that these songs actually resulted in Man Raze.
You said that you bumped into drummer Paul Cook in the street. Prior to that, did you know Paul?
I did, since we were from London. I used to see Paul around town really, when he was a part of Sex Pistols and so on. You'd see all these other musicians around town, and would just bump into them. I somewhat knew him due to that really, since Sex Pistols were a London group. I visited my father at the hospital, and literally, I saw Paul entering a car. I thought "Well, ok. Here we go". Me and Simon had just been discussing Paul, so it was strange. It was strange that in a city of seven million or something, we spoke about someone, and I saw that someone two days later.
When you saw Paul Cook, did it feel as though things were meant to be? You and Simon had discussed Paul, and suddenly, you saw him two days later.
Yeah, it actually did. We'd never played together before, so Paul joining Man Raze was an idea. I just had a gut feeling that he would be the right person, since his drum playing is really hard hitting. What appealed to me about his drumming style was the groups we listen to, I guess. We're all roughly the same age, and the thing is, all of us in Def Leppard listen to the same music; Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Roxy Music and The Faces, as well as other material like reggae. Within The Clash and groups like that obviously, there were a lot of West Indian influences. Also, The Police played parts that were slightly different. We like that approach as well, and Paul had that going for him. That approach is very open-minded. We can actually play material that's slightly different than the norm, and that's what was particularly appealing.
Does a story exist behind Man Raze's group name?
Somewhat, yeah. Man Raze's name doesn't actually mean anything. Originally, I said "A great name for a group would be the Fay Wrays". Fay Wray starred in the 1930s version of 'King Kong'. Simon said "The Fay Wrays sounds a bit camp. Why don't we have a slightly manly name like Man Ray the artist?". I said "We don't want to be named after a person", so we just altered the name Man Ray. Man Raze doesn't mean anything - our group name became Man Raze since the name sounded a bit cool phonetically.
How do you juggle commitments between Man Raze and Def Leppard?
If I write any songs, it's usually pretty obvious immediately who the song would suit. That's a really good thing, as you then don't waste ideas. It depends upon whenever I get the time to write really, since I'm always pretty busy. Yeah though, it seems to work. It seems to work great, actually.
Man Raze's inaugural single, "Skin Crawl", was issued during October 2005. How did that specific track come to fruition?
"Skin Crawl" was one of the first songs that we wrote and recorded for Man Raze, really. "Connected to You" was the very first song we wrote, I think, since we had a good idea. "Skin Crawl" became an EP, since it was the most realized song that we'd written. Upon 'Surreal', we re-recorded the song, and cut a different version.
How would you describe Man Raze's initial shows?
Man Raze's first show was a bit weird, actually. We performed at the Spitz club in London (on 27th September 2005), and just found out much about ourselves. Some of the songs we'd written just didn't work. We'd written a song called "Every Second of Everyday", which was a reggae song somewhat, as well as being slightly strange. When we came to record that song, Paul suggested we just change the whole feel of it. Eventually, the song sounded similar to a Coldplay song, or something. Anyway, "Every Second of Everyday" became totally different. We just approached that song in a completely different way. It's really good to perform at gigs, and subsequently record. Def Leppard never has the opportunity to do that. We're always cutting songs in the studio, releasing the album in question, and then subsequently touring to promote that album. Man Raze actually had an opportunity to play its songs for a while, think about those songs, and then actually record them. That was great, and is definitely the greatest way to do things.
Was the audience's reaction positive? Some might have expected Man Raze to be a Def Leppard type group.
Yeah, the audience's reaction to Man Raze has actually been really positive. Yes, it just works out great. Everyone's been supportive of Man Raze. Man Raze is really good, and I really enjoy being a part of Man Raze. It's great to be a part of Man Raze, and Def Leppard.
As a result of 2008's 'Songs From the Sparkle Lounge', did any Man Raze related plans have to be placed upon the backburner?
Not really. The only concern was issuing 'Surreal'. 'Surreal' was actually released in the States, though we couldn't really tour in support of the album as much as we wanted to. The album received its British release, though its distribution company went under. Now, 'Surreal' is being properly issued throughout the United Kingdom, and we're actually going to get behind the album, and support it. It depends upon the amount of time we have, really, and when the time is right. Right now, especially in the UK, I feel that things are perfect for Man Raze. Promoting Man Raze in the States has been placed upon the backburner a little for now, anyway, though we'll see.
For 'Surreal''s North American issue, Man Raze signed a record contract with VH1 Classic Records.
VH1 Classic Records is just a distribution company, really. They handle 'Surreal', since everything has obviously changed now. Many record companies are going under, and so on, so VH1 have their own version of a company. That works out pretty cool.
"We had actually discovered our own sound, I think."
Yeah.
For the music industry, do you feel that's the way forward?
Right at the moment, everything has changed. The music industry is very different to how it used to be. You just have to roll with it, really.
As you said, the UK distribution company which handled 'Surreal''s original UK issue became bankrupt, and during June 2008, the album will experience a proper UK release. This proper UK release boasts a bonus disc, so could you shed light on that bonus disc?
Yeah. We've been recording a lot of material, such as remixes. Simon Laffy is a really good remixer, as well as being a dance remixer and so on. We just kept cutting all these different song versions, and thought that we could possibly do something that was slightly different for this specific release of 'Surreal', something that differed to the American version. We said "Oh shit. We have loads of material, such as live tracks, remixes, and different versions", which was really cool. Again, many groups run out of material, though we've been fortunate in the sense that we have enough material. Also, we already have roughly twenty song ideas for Man Raze's second album. That's really good, as well.
How would you musically describe these new song ideas?
We left several songs off of 'Surreal', since these songs actually sounded slightly too commercial. Now that we know what we're doing though, and know our sound, I think we'll rework several of those song ideas. Also though, we have several extremely hard hitting songs, which are really fast. I can't wait to enter the studio to record these songs, actually.
Do these new song ideas have working titles?
Yeah. At the moment, one song is called "Noise", as it's extremely noisy and extremely fast (laughs). So yeah, there's that. "Closer to Me" is another song. We have a few new song ideas, actually. Until we actually enter the studio, I'm sure these song ideas will continually change.
At present, does Man Raze's forthcoming second album have a working title?
Not really. At the moment, our second album is just called 'Man Raze II'.
We've obviously made reference to Man Raze's debut album, namely 'Surreal', during this interview, so could you provide background information regarding that album?
Yeah, sure. 'Surreal' begins with a song called "This Is", which is extremely aggressive. It's almost a punk song, though many people have compared that song to the Foo Fighters, since it has that type of energy. From what others have said, 'Surreal' generally sounds like a cross between Foo Fighters and The Police, or an extremely hard, better playing version of The Clash, if you can imagine that. That's just what people have said. 'Surreal' isn't classic rock per se, but just has different influences. "Runnin' Me Up", meanwhile, isn't reggae, as it's more dub, and has some heavy parts. "Every Second of Everyday" is really poppy and commercial, and, like I said, actually sounds like a Coldplay song recorded by a rock group. 'Surreal' is really varied, actually. I really like the idea of the album being that diverse.
Upon 'Surreal', what lyrical topics do you touch upon?
The song "Connected to You" is about an empire losing its grip pretty much. Consider the British Empire, what that did, and how the Empire wanted to keep connected to all the people and countries it owned. It's just an observation. "Spinning Out" is about just feeling so sick and tired of people attempting to sell you shit, and just being assaulted by commercials and advertisements through the TV all the time. Again, these are topics that wouldn't really be sung about in Def Leppard. It's just a really nice opportunity to discuss different things, and how I feel, and so on. In that respect, 'Surreal''s songs are totally different.
Also, does 'Surreal' feature lyrical topics of a more personal nature?
Yeah, 'Surreal' does. "Every Second of Everyday" is a love song, and is about someone thinking about another who's very close. 'Surreal''s songs are all based upon personal experiences, and things of that nature.
How does it feel to step out of the hard rock box, and flex your wings in another genre?
It feels really good, actually. With hard rock groups, such material will only appeal to certain people much of the time. Other people won't listen to such material. It's nice that people will actually listen to 'Surreal' for a different reason. Everyone's heard a Def Leppard song at one time or another, and everyone's also heard a Sex Pistols song. It's really nice that people actually give Man Raze a chance, and know that Man Raze sounds nothing like either of those two groups really, although it has small elements of them now and again. You comment "That sounds a little bit like X", whether it's a drum sound, or something. I like the idea of that, as well.
Does it feel different to sing onstage, and to be the lead man?
Yeah. The big problem is the fact that I sing upon every song as a part of Def Leppard, though I don't have to be tied to the microphone all night. With Man Raze however, I am, and when I'm not, I'm playing a solo. Only three of us are a part of Man Raze, so I don't really have a break (laughs). That was slightly weird to become accustomed to, though yeah, I'm used to that now. Singing lead is actually quite fun, though it's just different to what I was used to. Also, I sing in a different way. Now I've returned to Def Leppard, I really had to make a point of singing more in the vein of a backing vocalist. The fact that I sing lead vocals as a part of Man Raze is completely different. Despite the fact that both feature singing, and come from the same place, you approach it differently, even though the voice is different, which again, I'm finding really interesting. Until I actually began pursuing both, I didn't realize that. It's slightly schizophrenic.
Does it feel different to work as part of a trio?
Yeah. It's much more liberating, I think. It's free, as especially being a vocalist, you can actually go off on a tangent, and can actually go off and perform a solo, or not come in for a chorus, or extend something. It's really experimental. You improvise without becoming too gratuitous, and self-indulgent. With Def Leppard, since there's five of us, you can't really do that. The songs are structured in such a way that there's not many sections where you can actually improvise, whereas with Man Raze, there's tons of sections where you can just go off and change things if you feel like. Any one of us could, so that's good. You keep listening to each other. In Def Leppard, it's much more rigid due to, again, us being a five-piece.
Upon future Man Raze material, is there a chance of any guest contributions? For example, you asking Joe Elliott to guest upon a song, or Paul asking John Lydon to guest upon a song?
I don't know. We wouldn't write anything off. Yeah, we'd be up for anything, so if that comes along and feels right, then we'd do that. For sure.
For the foreseeable future, will Man Raze remain a three-piece?
Yeah, absolutely. We love that. Yeah, for sure.
"Us getting together was really just a way of getting some songs across, songs that were somewhat different to what I wrote for Def Leppard."
Yeah. That's recent news, actually. Alice Cooper has an American radio show ('Nights with Alice Cooper'), and aired "Turn It Up" roughly six to seven months ago. Actually, we heard about that, which was great. We then heard about our tour, and felt "Wow". It's really cool, since we're all fans of Alice Cooper. It's nice to be invited onto something of that nature, so we're thrilled about that.
Would you say that gaining a supporting slot under Alice Cooper is Man Raze's first genuine break?
The Download Festival is pretty big, I think. The fact that we're performing there means Man Raze will receive a little bit of exposure and press, as well as music fans suddenly interested in Man Raze. That's nice, and obviously, the fact that I'm the artist who'll play twice at the Download Festival this year is another talking point. Much is happening.
In the future, would Man Raze possibly support Def Leppard, where you'd pull double duties?
It was suggested we would support Def Leppard this year, when we toured across the States with Poison. We thought about that, but that didn't eventually come to fruition. Also, Man Raze's material is a slightly different type of music. Again though, we wouldn't write anything off.
You referenced Download Festival, which will be Man Raze's inaugural festival appearance. Likely, the group's really looking forward to that, then?
Yeah, our first festival appearance will be great. What's somewhat weird is that Man Raze will play Academy 2 in Dublin on June 10th, and then two nights later, Def Leppard will play a sold out arena show at the O2. Following that, Man Raze will play at Download Festival on the 13th in the afternoon, whilst Def Leppard will close the festival in the evening. Talking about the schizophrenic nature of this, I won't know whether I'm coming or going (laughs). I'm really looking forward to that, and love the thought of it. It's great, really.
Obviously, we've spoken about Man Raze's forthcoming second album. At present, have any recording dates or issue dates been pencilled in?
Yeah. We want to record Man Raze's second album in two sections. With Def Leppard even, that was done in recording 'Songs From the Sparkle Lounge'. The Stones used to do that, as well as Zeppelin and Bowie. You'd enter the studio, record several songs, and then a little later, you'd record a few more. You'd record batches of songs, and subsequently complete them when you have the opportunity. That's how we'll record our second album, I think. We'll begin to write songs this week, actually. We have some great ideas, and would like to perform one new song at Download, though I don't think we'll complete the song in time. That's what we really want to do though, and complete the odd song like that. We'd like to write two to three songs, rehearse them a bit, and possibly perform them live a little.
For Man Raze, what do you feel the future holds?
The future? We're just trying to get people to hear us, as we seriously believe in Man Raze. We have a nice cross section of songs, some which we think people will really like. The songs cross over, a little. We want to do that, and want to just get the name Man Raze out there. Also, we want to get 'Surreal' out there so to speak as well, and want to see what happens. We're really proud of what we've achieved, and just want to continue really.
Alright. Thanks for the interview Phil.
No worries. Thank you.
All the best.
Alright, cheers.
Bye.
Bye.
Interview by Robert Gray
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