Q and A
From graeme 23 / 10 / 09
Question
i am thinking of driving up from liverpool for this,have you any idea how long g.h.t.g. will play for? thanks……….
Answer
you mean edinburgh?
7 songs. half an hour i’d say..
london
no epic either.. prob be on for just under an hour
From Kristi 03 / 08 / 09
Question
I just finished the book “Wasted—a Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia” by Marya Hornbacher. “God Help the Girl” could be the soundtrack to that book! And, both the book and the songs on your record resonate with me personally because of my own struggle with anorexia in high school, a hospitalization, and a move to Seattle (from a small town in Washington State) to attend the University of Washington in the early 1990’s.
And now my question….did you read extensively about eating disorders and mental health issues before writing this record? The songs are so powerful and really speak to my own experiences. Thank you! I actually cried the first time I heard “Musician Please Take Heed.”
Answer
Hi Kristi
i must admit that i didn’t read anything about anything before i started writing! (Hope that ends up being ok..) I already had the songs to guide me, and the songs had just “come”. So i just developed the characters from there.
I must admit, i didn’t want to write an “anorexic” film. The idea was that eve had gotten over the worst of her travails as the story starts, so that it was just a ‘shadow’ that followed her as she tries to start over again.
i’m guessing that when a person starts putting a disorder behind them, that it’s not all fun and games. it’s when you have to start dealing with a lot of stuff that was simply ‘off the radar’ before. i wanted eve’s new life to be ‘tough, but better’, and awakening of some underused senses.
still working on it though!
thanks for the question
x
From john 16 / 07 / 09
Question
Stuart-----I heard it was five years you were working on your God Help The Girl project. I haven't read the liner notes in depth and don't know if some of B&S members had input on your project or not. I would just like to say that I picked it up and have listened to it twice now, and was floored!! Five years huh? Awesome work! Is the singer who won the contest from Olympia,Washington? Beautiful voice indeed. You weren't close to having a breakdown trying to get this going? Again, great work. When will you guys be coming out with another record? All of you are so talented and can't wait for it and a tour?? Last time I saw you guys was 2006. Your biggest fan from Oceanside, California
Answer
god, i thought you were going to say "5 years - get a life! jeez, what a waste". i'm glad it was the contrary.
i mean, i did other things you know, a lot of the time it wasn't like work, it was just daydreaming.. i'm not kidding myself here.
there was no breakdown! i try not to push 'too' hard, else you're probably doing something wrong
From dylan 29 / 06 / 09
Question
Hi Stuart, I’ve just been listening to the album and reading the story in the liner notes. It’s beautiful, just perfect little pop songs. But I’m a little confused as to where the music fits in with the story of Eve in hospital. Cassie, James and Anton aren’t even mentioned in the story. Then Miss Browning, Maxine and the other patients and doctors are absent from the songs. How do they relate to each other? Thank you, Stuart, for all your work.
Answer
hi dylan
thank you for your question.
i wanted to put in that little story because it acts as an introduction to eve, the main ‘singer’ and it also acts as an introduction to the story. but it doesn’t go any further, it just sets the scene.
most of the songs on the record take place after this introduction, hence there is no mention of anton or james or cassie yet..
From mark 29 / 06 / 09
Question
Good day Stuart,
I love all the tracks I've heard so far, beautiful work by all.
Question: Can you please release the singles and EP on CD media? If
not individually, then as a compilation? My turntable passed on about
two decades ago, and I can't play digital files everywhere I go, such
as in the car, so physical CDs are best.
Best wishes, and thank you very much again,
Mark
Answer
hi mark
i think it's not viable any more to release cd singles as such. not enough people buy them. perhaps when we've compiled enough we might make a cd for a 'god help the girl' 'hatful of hollow'.