Andy Bell of Erasure's Magical Mystery World
For years, Andy Bell of Erasure has been drawn to women of a certain age. 'Women like Catherine Deneuve or Deborah Harry have this innate royalness about them, this sense of fully being,' he said. 'I've always admired that.'
Imagine his joy, then, when, upon turning 60 last year, he began to feel that way about himself. 'It's almost like seeing yourself from the outside and appreciating who you are,' Bell said by video call from his vacation home in Majorca, Spain. 'How lovely to feel that way!'
The feeling gave Bell so much confidence, it helped inspire him to release his first solo album outside of his hit band in 15 years. Titled 'Ten Crowns,' after the Tarot card that signifies finding balance in your life, the album extends Bell's legacy of making effervescent dance music, but with a twist. Instead of working with Vince Clarke, his usual partner in Erasure, he paired with the songwriter, producer and remixer Dave Audé. 'It did feel a bit like cheating,' Bell said with a laugh.
The prime subject of the songs — love — echoes the theme of Erasure's classic synth-pop hits of the '80s like 'Oh, L'Amour' and 'Chains of Love.' (The band will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.) As usual, the new songs sharply contrast ecstatic music with yearning lyrics. 'For me, love is an unreachable destination,' Bell said. 'To love someone unconditionally is almost an impossible task.'
It's far easier, he finds, to love the things that make up his list of 10 essential inspirations. Interestingly, none have anything to do with music. Instead, they show a heightened sense of the visual world though, to Bell, they're intimately related. 'I definitely see things as sounds,' he said. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
I love that illusion. It brings you to a place where reality meets fantasy. I think my interest stems from when I first saw Andy Warhol's 'Flesh for Frankenstein' with Joe Dallesandro. What's not to like?
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