Paul Weller Is Getting His Kicks at 66
An engaging chat with the Mod Pop icon about The Jam, Billie Eilish and his brand new album
Forty-seven years and four days eclipsed between the release of The Jam’s debut album, In the City, and that of their lead singer’s 16th solo album, 66. (I am not counting the 2004 covers album, Studio 150.)
These releases happened on the figurative and literal eves of the 19th and 66th birthdays of Paul Weller, who was born on May 25, 1958 in, Woking, England.
Like a member of the Chondrichthyes subclass Elasmobranchii (a shark, specifically), Weller has moved forward throughout his career as if his creative – if not his physical – life depended on it.
This onward approach has paid all of the dividends that a musician could hope for. His previous two records – On Sunset (which Rock and Roll Globe’s Jim Slusarek called “one of the best solo albums of his career”) and Fat Pop (Volume 1) – became his fifth and six UK chart-toppers, and there is every reason to believe that the brand new one with be his seventh.
Not bad for a guy who, after helming two hugely popular British bands for more than a decade, found himself musically homeless after his label refused to release a Style Council album in 1989.
Without reverting to type, Weller draws on the many styles that have long worked for him with 66. Rock, folk, blue-eyed soul, jazz, R&B, house and pop all have their places, frequently in different mixtures within individual songs.
“Soul Wondering” and “Rise Up Singing”, the album’s lead singles, are superb indications of the confidence and mastery with which he continues to ply his trade. But of course, there’s plenty more where those came from, debunking once and for all (again!) that Weller is not just that guy whose concerts will include a few Jam songs.
As the father of eight and grandfather of one said in the course of the interview below, “It’s never a chore, making music. It’s all I ever dreamt of doing, and when you get a chance to fulfill your dream, you just run with it as much as you can and see where it all goes to.”
Thankfully, the now old-age pension qualifier’s muse has not abandoned him, as 66 all too amply demonstrates.
Could you have ever conceived of imagine having a 47-year career in music back when you were not yet 19?
No, not at all. I thought it would be over by the time I was like 23, 24 or whatever. I thought maybe I’d get two or three years out of it if I was lucky, and that would be all. But I could never even conceive of being 66 let alone still be playing music.
Did you have a “hope I die before I get old” attitude?
No, I didn’t really have that. But when I was 19 I thought that anyone who was over 25 was old! What can I say other than I’m really thankful and grateful that I’m still here, and I’m still doing what I do. Going out and playing music and making records is all I ever wanted to do in life from the time I was 12, 13 or something. That’s all I dreamt about. So to be able to fulfill those things is incredible.
Did you have any idea of what you would do if it were over by the time you were 23?
No, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was just happy that I was doing it. I never had any long-term plans. I still don’t, you know! I just hope that I can do this until I can’t do it anymore, you know?
VIDEO: Paul Weller “Nothing”
What was determined first: the title of 66 or the release date?
We finished this record like last October, so it’s taken a long time to come out. Once I thought of the title, I just liked the title, and I imagined the artwork with the numbers on the front. Once I kind of let that set, I thought I’d try to get it out on my actual birthday, or as close as we could get to it anyway.
How was the roster of guest appearances determined?
They’re all my friends, the people who have contributed to this record. They’re all friends of mine. So it’s just a question of me picking up the phone and saying, “Hey, what are you doing?” or,” Do you fancy doing this with us?” or, “Have you got any words for this backing track?”
The older I’ve gotten, I’ve felt much more free to try different things and work with different people. I’ve always just on my own over the years, but in recent years I’ve kind of been a lot looser with that. So there’s quite a few tracks here where other people have written words, like Noel [Gallagher] did a lyric, Bobby Gillespie, Erland Cooper and Suggs from Madness. So there’s a few different people contributing to it.
Seeing bands like Madness on MTV when I six years sometimes made me wish that I had been a teenager in England in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s!
I guess we all do that, right? I mean I feel the same way about the ‘60s. I was around then, but I was only a little kid. I wish that I would have been old enough to see Stevie Wonder in some small little club in London or something. It’s just incredible, innit?
This is the most recent of several of your albums that Steve Brookes has appeared on. How did the two of you re-enter each other’s orbits?
We didn’t see each other for many years, and then we got back in touch around the mid-‘90s. We were really tight when we were kids, right. It was me and him that started The Jam. It was just the two of us originally, and then we got Rick [Buckler], the drummer, and eventually got Bruce [Foxton, bassist]. But it was me and him when we were 14-year-old kids.
We’d go out with our guitars and we’d play pubs, social clubs and workingmen’s clubs in that area where we lived in Woking. It was just me and him at first. But he’s always played, and he still plays clubs and bars and stuff like that. He’s a great guitarist, man. So he’s been on all my albums since like 22 Dreams [2008]. I think he’s been on every record since that time. We’ve known each other for more than 50 years, so it’s nice to play together and to still have that connection.
Who are some of the contemporary musicians whom you admire?
There’s so much great music around at the moment. Every day I’m discovering something else, something new. I don’t think we’re short of great music in the world, whether people get to hear it or not.
From this side of the pond, I really like Liam Bailey. He’s got an album out this year on the Big Crown label, which is in Brooklyn, I think. Vegyn, I really like his stuff. He’s got a new record out. Sort of electronic, but kind of dance as well. I think Sam Fender’s a really great writer, and I think he’ll last and go the distance. I love all the stuff on the Colemine. Say She She, they’re on Colemine, and they’re really good as well. And I also love Leon Bridges. I think he’s a tremendous singer. There’s a long of younger reggae singers that I really love, like Mortimer, Protoje and Samory. They’re all doing great stuff. A new take on reggae, a kind of roots revival thing.
I think it’s a great time for music personally. I think in the last few years, there’s been some tremendous young artists around and people are writing great songs again.
VIDEO: Billie Eilish “What Was I Made For”
Not to put words in your mouth, but I read that you’re a big fan of Billie Eilish.
I do like Billie Eilish. She’s terrific, I think. I only heard her through my youngest daughter, who’s seven nearly. She’s a big Billie fan. I love her voice and she and her brother are brilliant writers, I think. I love that tune she did for the Barbie film, “What Was I Made For?” I think it’s a such beautiful, beautiful song. She’s a great role model I think for kids and young girls especially.
Steve Marriott was a huge influence on you in multiple ways. How do you feel about the attempt to release AI-enhanced versions of his music?
Oh man, I’m not big into any of that at all. I think it’s really disrespectful personally. I don’t think Steve would want his music fucked about with. But I mean who would, really? So I’m really not for that at all.
It’s all clever and all that, but you’re never gonna replicate the human spirit and the human soul. I think that’s impossible because it’s a very individual thing we’re talking about. So I’m not down with that at all. I hope people won’t be doing it to my music when I’m dead and gone.
What do you think accounts for the fact that one and only one song that you wrote reached the U.S. top 40: The Style Council’s “My Ever Changing Moods”?
I have no idea. I honest to god can’t answer that question because I don’t know how that happened or why only that song. I don’t blame anyone for that. If I blamed anyone it would be myself, because I was never really prepared to go to the States for six months or be on tour for a year. I just could do that then, so I kind of tip me hat off to anyone whom makes it in the States because it’s such massive country to tour. Unless you put the work in there, you can really complain if it doesn’t happen.
But I’ll be honest, and it’s no false modesty, right, I’m just happy that I’ve got an audience there that is worth my coming to play to and that people want to hear it. I’m happy that there are people who still want to see me play.
VIDEO: The Style Council “My Ever Changing Moods”
Café Bleu – which includes “My Ever Changing Moods” – celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Is that an important part of your legacy and is it one of your favorites?
I probably haven’t heard it for 40 years! I’d have to go back and listen to it, so I don’t know what it was like. I remember at the time wanting it to be purposely very different. It was probably a bit confrontational to the old Jam fans because it was so different from what I had done before.
Whatever it was, it was how I felt at the time. That’s probably true of most records, I think. You can only make what you believe in at the time. How you’ll feel about it years later is anyone’s guess. I don’t really listen to much of my old stuff. I’m too consumed by what I’m doing at any time.
“That’s Entertainment” and “Town Called Malice” are standard inclusions in your setlist. Is that your way of saying that they are your favorite Jam songs?
Eh, I don’t know if they’d be my favorites. I know they’re favorites of a lot of people. I know whenever we play ‘em the room blows up. So I kinda get off on seeing how much those songs mean to people. I think that’s quite incredible, really. They wouldn’t be my personal favorite tunes from that time, but I love the fact that they mean so much to other people and I think it’s incredible to be part of something like that.
What would you setlist include if you played your personal favorites?
It would probably be like B-sides, if I’m honest. I like things like “The Butterfly Collector” and “Tales From the Riverbank” and some of the more obscure things. Some of the album tracks. But again, I haven’t listened to them in so long. I don’t know what’s on the records half the time, apart from some of the sort of famous ones. I never take stock of everything I’ve done, really.
Because I’ve still just kept on making records and writing, I’m only looking at what’s in front of me and what we’re gonna do this year. I don’t need to look back, really.
“Start!” has popped up in your setlists more recently. Does the inclusion of it and “That’s Entertainment” confirm what you’ve said before about Sound Affects being your favorite Jam album?
Yeah, I guess so. For me that was a particular highlight from The Jam. I thought that was our best record. I thought the sound of it was really different at the time. And there were some great songs on it, I think, like “Man in the Corner Shop.”
I sense that All Mod Cons is the favorite among fans, but I think that Setting Sons is the best Jam album.
Yeah, Setting Sons is a good record, apart from putting “Heat Wave” on at the end. That’s my big regret about it. We were kind of like, “Ah shit, we’re one track short.” I didn’t have any more songs, so we did one of the old covers we used to do, which seems a very strange decision now thinking about it.
Speaking of covers, is there any chance that you’ll do a sequel of sorts to Studio 150?
(laughs) Funnily enough, I’m thinking about doing that as we speak. I fancy doing another covers record. If it happens, it’s going to be a very interesting record, I think.
Can you give me any details?
I don’t want to talk it up too much in case it doesn’t happen. It’s still in the planning stage, but that’s my next mission.
When I interviewed Colin Blunstone a few years ago, he told me that you will go into a record shop and buy a copy of Odessey and Oracle for anyone who hasn’t heard it. Is that true?
I’ve done that many, many times! Absolutely. And everyone I’ve ever bought it for, right, has fell in love with it straight away. It’s just so complete and beautiful, I think. But you know what? They’re playing together soon, right, in a few weeks’ time in June. It’s their 60th anniversary of being together, and I’m gonna go sing “Beachwood Park” with them. They’ve got a few different artists coming on to sing, and I’m really looking forward to that.
- Robyn Hitchcock: The ‘Future’ Is Now - July 31, 2026
- Jason Narducy: ‘Pageant’ Material - March 2, 2026
- Bob Mould: Still Crazy After All These Years - April 17, 2025
You May Also Like
-
July 23, 2013 -
August 20, 2020 -
June 25, 2018
Great article!
I love that he buys Odessey & Oracle (sic) for anyone who hasn’t heard it.
Good man.