Your music is very mellow and gentle. Do you ever get the urge to rock out and give grannies heart attacks?

No.

I just had to check. There's obvious care gone into your music, it's quite complex with a lot of harmonies and really strong melody. Have you ever been tempted to write a really dumb-assed three-chord "I love you baby, yer dead foxy" hit single? Have you ever tried?

I guess my 1991 single "HURT" was as close to that kind of thing that I've ever got, although there's still a lot of subtlety in that particular record. I've often heard people say that it can take a few listens to "get" my songs, and I don't think that's a bad thing. I hate cleverness for it's own sake, though (one of my fave albums of all time is the dumb-fest "Beach Boys Love You" - as much a work of genius as "Pet Sounds" ) I think that you use chords and harmony and melody to heighten emotion, not to gratify the brain.

After years as a fairly unknown band, is it difficult waiting for the breakthrough?

I'm not waiting for that. Truthfully, I believe that my best chance of wider acceptance lies in ignoring my "career" and carrying on trying to make really great records. Hopefully a large enough body of people will eventually discover a catalogue of records all made for the right reasons.

What's the new album like? Is it the departure from "...Poppies" that that album was from "Za Za's Garden"?

I used to be in a band called "Chewy Raccoon" and we started off with a real art/pop/soul aesthetic which got turned into a "let's ape Wham!" aesthetic by the record company back in 1985. When I was cutting "Tallpop" I was definitely conscious of reclaiming my original vibe, and I guess this is even further down that line. Just that kind of breezy intensity that you can get in great pop music....it's a lot closer to "Tallpop" than "Za Za", that's for sure.

Why are those albums so different? Why did you kick out the Celtic influence?

I didn't really kick out anything, things just developed. The funny thing is that even though "Za Za" was our debut album, in many ways it is the least typical thing I've ever done. It was just what we were doing at the time. There's a lot of straight pop tunes on there, though, like "Foreign Country" and "Bedroom On The Seine". When we started "Tallpop" we'd just had a big spring clean in the band, and the main difference was that there was a very free, relaxed atmosphere in the writing and recording.

Your favourite albums are nearly all from the golden age of pop, 66-76. Who impresses you today? Is the new album influenced by anyone contemporary?

I'm ashamed to say that I'm a little behind the times, however I've really loved hearing some of that Japanese clubpop like Cornelius and Fantastic Plastic Machine. I always love to hear anything by "Teenage Fanclub" and my favourite Scottish band of all time "BMX Bandits". Duglas and I wrote a song together for this record called "You Justify My Life". I also really dig things like The Pernice Brothers, and the new Mercury Rev album. There's a lot out there, it just takes time for it to reach me.

Which is the song that you've written of which you're most proud?

It probably changes all the time, but one that I really love is "Sugar Mountain Babies". I think that's a beautiful song. From the new album there's a thing called "Stella Painted Joy" that I like a lot.

On Cherry Sky, does the woman talking at the end really say "her nipples hard in glades"? Or should I file it under great misheard lyrics?

You misheard just a little bit, the line is "ghosts and rust, her nipples hard in the breeze"

The title is just a simple poetic image which I had long before I even wrote the lyric. As for "An Imaginary Landslide", that's one of those things where you realise what you meant later on. It kind of refers to the fact that we're caught up in an ever moving, changing world that we can't really do anything about. I really love that track, and I think it could have been a big hit. Sony prefered "Banana Sandwich". I've probably given a totally different explanation on my web page, where I wrote notes on all the songs.

Is there a song you wouldn't dare cover, just too sacred?

I'm pretty well known as someone who does loads of cover versions, on things like The Fred MacAuley Show, BBC Digital TV's The Beat Room and in the shows that I've put together with Duglas Stewart "Smiles and Good Vibes" and "Je T'Aime, Gainsbourg". I feel that I've developed a great deal through doing that. Having tackled things like Morricone's "Duck You Sucker", Bacharach's "The Look Of Love" (in it's "Portrait In Music" arrangement ) and Noel Coward's "A Room With A View", it's pretty hard to think about anything more scary, technically speaking. There are some things that you might think, well what's the point of covering Paul McCartney's "Yesterday", you know what I mean. The only way to learn about being a songwriter is to study and learn other people's songs. It's possible to put yourself through the equivalent of a university course by just working hard. I'm always appalled by musicians who don't know any songs, I mean even Brian in our band who's a genius musician doesn't know fucking anything. You can't jam with him.

You've named Pet Sounds among your favourite albums - how do you feel about Smiley Smile and Wild Honey? They don't really fit, do they?

Well, these are small vignettes beside the masterpieces of "Pet Sounds", "Today", "Summer Days", "Love You" or even "Brian Wilson", but even then... "Smiley Smile" is a kind of a compilation album really, a Frankenstein's monster but where else are you going to hear Good Vibrations, Heroes and Villains and Wonderful not to mention Little Pad. Also, name me one other album from any era that sounds like that. What everyone always forgets is that Brian Wilson, albeit with a bit more input from the other BBs, continued to innovate at an incredible rate all through the late 60's and into the late 70's. Forget all the talk about 20 years in bed...it's all Mike Love and / or Eugene Landy bullshit to lend credibility to various Brian is back campaigns. The fact is that you'd be hard pressed to find one single year since 1962 that Brian Wilson hasn't come up with something that totally blows you off the planet.

As for "Wild Honey" well it's just so out there on it's own, stylistically (and what about those fucking odd songs like "Let The Wind Blow" or "Aren't You Glad" ) as is the "Friends" album and the Brian tracks from 20/20, Sunflower, and his three masterworks from the otherwise totally overrated "Surf's Up". Then there's his work on the "American Spring" album, "Love You", some of "15 Big Ones" and various things throughout the late 70's / early 80's and his great solo albums. He's the giant of all time.

What was meeting Brian Wilson like? Were you scared?

Well it was one of those times when you take a deep breath, decide to enjoy the experience and fall apart afterwards. He was really sweet and very funny too. His wife Melinda was a total star and made sure we got what we wanted. I got a little note in the post from him a few weeks later to say thanks! Can you believe it?

Sean O'Hagan from the High Llamas is desperate to have a go at producing Brian, but I have a feeling Sean would explode before he got to the studio. He'd combust or something.

The last thing Brian needs is a producer. That's the only problem with his recent album - the production just doesn't sound like him. His problem is that he's always surrounded by people who think he needs a hit. Brian should be allowed to do his own thing, even if it sounds rough or out of touch - who's sensibilities and instincts do you trust - Brian Wilson or Joe fucking Thomas? Sean O'Hagan would be even worse. Who needs Brian redoing Holland?

If your house was on fire and you could save one record, one you couldn't easily replace, what would it be?

Right now, and at the risk of sounding overly concerned with money, it would be my vinyl copy of "The Wicker Man" soundtrack which has risen in value to about £120 since it's release a few weeks ago.

Finally, what is the vital thing for any young picnicker to have in their wicker hamper?

I guess love and hope.

The Young Picnickers is out in early 1999.