Paul Weller offers important advice for young musicians
Paul Weller brought mod culture back from the brink and carved a unique groove for punk over six studio albums with The Jam between 1977 and ‘82. Remarkably, the fashion-conscious frontman was only 24 years old when he called a halt to his formative band following the release of their sixth and final studio album, The Gift. With the musical world at his feet, Weller ventured a new, jazz-pop-orientated direction with The Style Council before settling into a celebrated solo career packed with high-profile collaboration opportunities.
Now aged 64, the so-called Modfather shows no signs of losing his creative edge and classy clobber. In May 2021, in the thick of Covid-19 hysteria, Weller treated his notably loyal fans to his 16th solo album, Fat Pop (Volume 1). Just two weeks prior to the emphatic album drop, the iconic singer-songwriter teamed up with The Guardian for an interview feature.
Initially, Weller discussed Fat Pop (Volume 1), imparting some of his wisdom and admirable values along the way. Most notably, he discussed the song ‘That Pleasure’, which he wrote after hearing of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement. “I can only say that anyone, regardless of race or colour, should be horrified by what happened and is still happening, and that has happened for centuries,” Weller commented. “When’s it going to stop? As a human being, to see your fellow human beings suffering is fucking wrong.”
Later in the feature, Weller participated in a Q&A session with questions from some of his famous fans. Among the names was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who asked an inevitably politically angled question: “What or who most inspired you as a voice for change?”
“Hmm,” Weller pondered in response. “The Beatles. They changed my life, the Beatles. They totally changed my thinking. I started to think outside of my little bubble in my little suburban town. I wanted to see the rest of the world. I wanted to see other things.”
On the topic of inspiration, when responding to Jo Whiley’s question, “What advice would you give to someone on the brink of a career in music?” Weller gave some invaluable advice to young fans, especially the aspiring musicians among them.
“Stick to what you believe in,” Weller responded. “Don’t get swayed. Don’t compromise too much. I think if you’ve got a vision for how you want to sound and you how you want to be, you’ve got to stick with that. Because I’ve seen so many new artists, who get signed to labels who aren’t sure what to do with them. And then they get styled up, or they get put with this producer or this songwriter, and nothing happens. They just disappear. Because they don’t know who they are anymore. And the thing they were originally is gone.”
Watch one of the earliest performances of The Jam from 1977 below.
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