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 MIKE SKINNER, aka THE STREETS discusses his new album with LINDSEY CUTHBERTSON from the comfort of his own bed.
Before 2002, Australia had a common perception of what rapping was and who did it. The general consensus was that it was homeboys straight out of Compton, who rapped about gang banging, banging ho’s, banging anything that moved, owning anything that banged …you get my flow. The only seeming alternative to the status quo was Eminem, a white boy who grew up in the projects who liked to rap about things that went bang! And killing his wife.
Mike Skinner didn’t want to be the status quo and was so far removed from it all in the UK, that he decided to rap about issues like taking a bad pill in a pub to meeting a girl hungover over a healthy English breakfast. His lyrics were down to earth, humourous and above all, anybody could relate to at least something he had to say. Writing under the guise of The Streets, the debut album Original Pirate Material catapulted him to success and had Skinner placed as one of the unofficial poster boys of alternative hip hop.
In 2004, The Streets emerged again with A Grand Don’t Come For Free, a continuation with the musical and lyrical aesthetic as the album that preceded it. Featuring the hits You’re Fit But You Know It and Dry Your Eyes Mate, a heart-wrenching ballad, it cemented Skinner’s status as a bonafide writer for the working man.
The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living, released in 2006, was a left turn for many, with lyrical themes that focussed on the repercussions of fame and the music industry. Skinner must have liked to stray off the path that he had trod in his first two albums, because now, with his new album Everything Is Borrowed, he has chosen a completely different avenue to walk down yet again.
Everything Is Borrowed is Skinner contemplating the effects of modern life on nature. His witty thinking, unique writing techniques and the engaging beats that he is synonymous with still hold true, but with a vast maturity and broader scope than ever before.
“I’m still in bed. I’m going to go for a jog later and hopefully that will wake me up. Until then, I’m just going to lay here with you on the phone loudspeaker. Is that cool?” Skinner asks as he calls from his home in the UK on a Wednesday morning. He sounds tired, but his thinking cap is most definitely on as our conversation begins to lean towards the subject matter that lies beneath the surface of Everything Is Borrowed. Is it his album of speaking up about man’s effect on nature?
“I think that sounds ambitious – and I was being ambitious in a way, restricting myself to not talking about modern day, present life,” Skinner answers. “If I came in wanting to say something about the world, it might have come off a bit didactic and the last thing I want this album to be is preachy.”
The big themes are there though. One can’t help but stumble into them on songs such as The Way Of The Dodo and Heaven For The Weather – which features the clever chorus “I want to go to heaven for the weather / Hell for the company / Hell seems like fun to me.” Don’t be fooled into thinking that The Streets are now taking a stand on their soapbox, as Skinner calmly points out.
“If someone started to write what they think to be the truth, it would end up showing more about what they left out rather than what they put in,” he says.
“I think autobiographies are never that truthful, because as humans on a general level, we’re never quite sure as to who we really are. Or at least if we do know, we don’t want to consciously admit who that person is. If we were conscious of who we really were, then we would be able to write honestly. Until we stop trying to deceive others, we will continue to deceive ourselves.”
However, just because Skinner is not claiming his word to be ‘the truth’, does not mean that what he has to say is devoid of meaning.
“I just think that everything that we do in life is natural. All technology has ever done is make life easier for human beings. Humans think we are the most important thing in the earth, but if you asked the earth, I don’t think humans would be the most important thing to him.”
The broader range of lyrical topics reflects the fact that the delivery by Skinner on Everything Is Borrowed is far more expansive. It features a lot more singing by Skinner than ever showcased before. The intimate portraits of dingy bars, nightclubs and cafes are replaced by meditative life songs and sombre celebrations – such as the beautiful Strongest Person I Know. Since its release, Everything Is Borrowed has received strong reviews across the board. It’s a giant leap of faith for Skinner as a musician and a lyricist and it has definitely paid off.
“I guess I’m starting to become more of a lyricist now,” he says. “Feeling comfortable isn’t always a good sentiment, because once you start feeling comfortable you begin to drift into habit. But I certainly know who I am and how to go about songwriting now.”
With the new album now out, I press Skinner regarding plans to tour Australia anytime soon. Skinner admits that a large European tour is on the horizon, but as for the great southern land, nothing looks set in stone.
“I wanted to do The Big Day Out this year but it looks like they don’t want me,” says Skinner. “So hopefully something will come up soon so I can come back down under.”
With an album such as Everything Is Borrowed stowed proudly under his belt, there is absolutely no doubt that we shall be seeing more of The Streets in Australia sometime soon.
EVERYTHING IS BORROWED is out now through Warner.
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