INTRODUCTION

Andddddd We’re back, Episode three baby!!! That of course means we’re halfway through the season already and it’s been rather enjoyable wouldn’t you say so, I know I’ve had a blast. It’s been quite a busy wouldn’t you say so, The Fan Choice Awards were a huge success, The announcement of The 3rd ever Chaos Awards were made during the week … Hmmmm and who else was in the news this week … Nope, my mind has gone blank … Oh yeah, I remember … Katie Coyle died right? … yeah she died, how crazy is that, actually dead, gone, finished, finito, alive no more, cease to exist … well almost, I’d have thought you’d be in a pretty messed up state of mind having died briefly, most people would take a week or two out just recover and try to get their head around what happened, well either that or take a young pop star out on a date and cause a twitter explosion, which is of course never a good thing. But on with the show ladies and gentlemen, and our guest for this evening is most certainly not dead, which is a bigger surprise when you find out who he’s dating, (audience laughs) Please give a very warm welcome, to the incredible … MR. ERIC QUILLINGTON!!!

INTERVIEW

So Eric Quillington, you’ve became this sort of god-like figure in the music industry as the front man for quite possibly the best rock band around, how do feel with this stature?

Eric; God-like figure, huh? First question in, and you're already inflating my ego. Keep it up, bud! Haha, well, in all honesty, I try my best not to dwell on how some people are viewing me these days. Back in the days when Infinite was just an up-and-coming band, there were quite a few acts that were like idols to me. PANIC!, Mind, Reckoner, just to name a few. They were, to me, among the only things that really mattered about music. They were the true icons, the legends, and I'm sure countless fans agreed with me. They still retain that position, of course, but it's so surreal to think that some people consider Infinite to have joined their ranks. I try not to think about it too much, because then I might start believing the hype. Still, it's very comforting to know I'm held in such high regards.

Your songs are obviously incredible and with three album titled, Blue Nebula, Midnight Skies and Insomnia, the question is … where do you go from here?

Eric; It's something I've been wondering about for a while. I never want to retrace my steps, otherwise Infinite's recording career would just be going in circles. That's why we were going to disband after the release of our most recent album, because it seemed as though there was nothing else to do. Now, of course, I realize just how stupid I was to think that way; music is limitless, it's infinite, if you'll pardon the godawful pun. There is so much you can do with a few simple notes and words, so only having three albums is just beginning to scratch the surface.

I've always been very interested in the symbiosis between two albums, if it's intentional. Achtung Baby and Zooropa, Rubber Soul and Revolver, Kid A and Amnesiac, just to name a few. The albums compliment each other, to the extent that an individual album seems like a mere half to a greater whole. That's what I'd like to experiment with on Infinite's fourth and fifth album. We're recording them at the same time, so the ideas and feelings we have floating around in our heads at this point in time will be equally translated to both albums. It couldn't really be done any other way; each time you make a new album, you're an entirely different person. I made Blue Nebula as a really angst-ridden anti-rocker, Midnight Skies was made when I was obsessing over the effects of religion on society's collective mindset, and the recording sessions for Insomnia were influenced by my irritation, and desire to change, the ridged song structures of verse/chorus/verse. This time, it'll be the same Eric Quillington on both albums. And, I know I'll sound like a dick saying this, but you'll have to wait until Dancing about Architecture's release to find out what this version of myself is like.

And what about your own personal influences, musically it’s pretty clear that the likes of Muse, Radiohead and The Beatles are influences on the band as a whole but who are your own personal influences?

Eric; I try to be influenced by genres as a whole rather than individual bands. Of course, you can't exactly control what influences you, haha. But, still, I never want to have all of my inspiration come from a select few bands, because then we're just a newer version of a band like the Beatles. I don't want Infinite to be Radiohead 20 or Muse 2.0; I want Infinite to be Infinite. There's no point in making music if it's already been done before, y'know?

Alternative music has always been the biggest influence to me. I've always loved the idea of making music that's outside typical standards, which is what the original purpose of this type of music was. Of course, alternative has now become a very mainstream form of music, so it's a massive contradiction. That doesn't make it any less beautiful, though. There's a real intelligence that comes across in bands like R.E.M. The lyrics and themes are very, very important to the song's structure. It doesn't matter if the song is catchy, it just matters if the song has a point. That's probably the biggest influence to Infinite, because I always want our music to be like that.

Do you think that you deserve as much attention as you generally receive?

Eric; That can be debatable. In the past, I've always had this self-deprecatory idea that people only noticed me because I just have a train-wreck of a personality. And, without trying to sound boastful, during the timespan between Blue Nebula and Midnight Skies, critics and fans were really only focusing on me. As admittedly fun as it was to be the center of Infinite's universe, the music seemed to be one of the lesser factors of the band in the eyes of our fans. But, that all changed with the release of Insomnia, so I can't really complain about that anymore, haha.

As an artist, it is very satisfying to receive acclaim of your work on such a large scale. There are many musicians out there who just write for themselves, and act like they aren't really interested in other people's opinions. And I can respect that, but it's just impossible for me to have the same mindset. People's opinions of what I've written with Infinite have always been crucial

What was your childhood like and did anything from your youth influence your songwriting?

Eric; It's actually really interesting that you've asked me that, because the concept of childhood memories is a primary theme on Infinite's fifth album. We think it's going to be entitled Patchwork Tides, but that's not a guarantee. I recently revisited my childhood home, just for the sake of nostalgia. And, the entire time, I was left thinking about how the rose-tinted view of my memories made it seem so much better than it actually is. There's this really strong memory in my mind; a fun day at the beach, with close friends. While standing on the beach as an adult, I realized how much of a shithole it was. Plastic bags were everywhere, the 'beach' was actually just a bunch of rocks and little sections of sand. It's the people of your past who really matter, not the place. To be a douche and quote a Coldplay song; 'Now the sky could be blue, it could be grey/without you, it's a wasted day'. These ideas will all play a significant part in this album.

And we hear that your dating Glamazon, she was a guest on this show a couple of weeks ago and well my question is this … who is in charge of that relationship?

Eric; Glamazon is, 100 percent. Or, well, maybe 99.98, as I pride myself on that little 0.02. It'd just be dangerous to my health if I admitted otherwise. My wit might be sharp as a sword, but her axe is as sharp as a fucking axe. Plus, when my career goes down the tubes in about two year's time, I'll be the vulnerable one leeching on the relationship for financial support. People love Glamazon more than Infinite, so she's got a bit more commercial stability than I do. Very kinky, I know, but this is how us celebrities decide who goes on top.

This'll sound sappy, but I am very glad to have her in my life. Most rock-stars are stuck with bimbo supermodels, so it's very nice to be dating such a creative and intelligent person.

Let’s talk about Greg’s car-accident; what were your first thoughts when you heard what happened and had that had an effect on how you live your life now?

Eric; It was the biggest shock of my life, without a trace of hyperbole. Everything just seemed to crash around me; the band that I had worked with for so long seemed to be disintegrating right before me. I felt a bit of guilt over that, because the life of someone close to me is obviously much more important than a musical career. But, Infinite is my entire life, and I don't know what would've happened to me if I'd been cut off from it at such a crucial early stage.

Much of my time with Infinite, in those days, was defined by the amount of fighting that would occur between Greg and I. There are some deeply personal reasons behind it, so I won't get into why our relationship had gotten so hostile. I think the car-accident saved our friendship, or whatever you want to call the bond between us, because it made me realize that life is too short to waste on immature squabbles. The song I'd written about him, 'How to Disturb and Alienate Others', cannot be farther from my mindset these days. It's a fan favorite, of course, so I still sing it live in recent concerts. But it's a bit more tongue-in-cheek than it used to be; I can never sing that song with a genuine connection to the lyrics again.

And your partnership with Jason Smith has been pretty interesting, how did that happen?

Eric; It began as a strictly professional one, as most interactions with musicians typically do. We needed someone for Midnight Skies, and it was around this time that he had started to advertise himself as a producer. I think him being in Mind was the biggest factor into me wanting him to work on that album. He could've been the shittiest producer ever, but it still wouldn't matter, because he's Jason Motherfucking Smith. Thankfully, he turned out to be one of the best musicians I ever worked with. The real gritty sounds on 'How to Disturb and Alienate Others', 'Lucky', and Strobe? That was all influenced by him, it wouldn't have been possible without his collaboration. But, during that time, we really connected on a personal level; him and I have the same musical interests, so that helped kick-off our lasting friendship. What sealed the deal, for me, is how balls-to-the-walls awesome it is to get drunk or high with him. You know how awesome it is to watch Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' while on acid? That experience is utter bullshit compared to drunken debauchery with Jason.

Troy Mascenon, another really close friend of mine who I've always idolized, talked to me about forming a super-group. We went over a list of names, and Jason was immediately the number one choice. So he was brought on board 'Project; Prometheus', and it became a trio. Unfortunately, it was around this time that Troy and Reckoner were dropping out of the music industry. Because of this, it just ended up being a duo between Jason and I, which is still a winning combination. So, I brought him on-board the sessions for Midnight Skies because he's an amazing musician. I formed a band with him because he's my bestest buddy.

And you’ve achieved a lot already, what are you most proud of in your career so far?

Eric; Probably the fact that I've managed to keep my sanity for so long. Of course, I'm not trying to bitch about the music industry, but celebrity is, by it's very nature, a slippery slope. As soon as you're shown even the slightest semblance of success or recognition, it's easy to disappear up your own ass. So it makes me very proud that I've kept my head above water long enough to make three decent albums, and not just one fluke. Of course, it can also be a gradual effect. Who knows? Maybe in three years time I'll be as big of an asshole as David Lee Roth.

So do you think Infinite will ever fully break up?

Eric; I really hope not. It's a complete change from how I used to feel, but I now realize that I cannot live without this band in my life. I used to think that were a band in name only, and that the only person who was really important to the infrastructure of this group was me, and me alone. With the goading of my insatiable ego, Matt and Greg used to seem like session-musicians. But, as we touched upon earlier, Greg's car-accident really changed my attitude towards them. They're incredible at what they do, I really could not ask to be in a better band. I'm just a poet, y'know? I come up with the words and concepts to our albums, but they're the ones who push me to actually make it a musical record. Music is nothing without melody and rhythm, obviously. Matt and Greg are the heart and soul of Infinite, they're the real musicians. I'm just the mouth.

Aside from my added appreciation to my band-mates, what really made me appreciate Infinite were the amount of awards we won after Insomnia was released. It's a little ironic, but the amount of praise we received during the Birdies and @Chaos Awards really humbled me. The fact that Infinite is so beloved blows my mind; it's so unreal to me. Without meaning to sound too egotistical, it seems as though this band means quite a lot to people. So, what kind of person would that make me if I took that away from people?

What are your future plans away from the band?

Eric; Well, I signed up with Studio60 ages ago, but I still have yet to do anything with the contract. During the point in time where I was convinced that Infinite would have to disband after Insomnia, because it seemed as though we had reached the end of the road when it came to making creative records, I wrote some material for an album that was going to be called Satellite Nations. It just didn't come together for me, so the decent bits and pieces that came out from those recording sessions ended up going on Dancing about Architecture. So that was a relative failure, in my eyes. However, I would like to eventually branch off for a little and do some solo stuff. It'd just be a little side-project, as Infinite is the most important thing in my life at the moment. I just think it'd be fun to make a record that's a little less serious than what I've done in the past. Maybe get some collaborators together, do some throwaway pop tracks. I have no idea when it'll happen, and I have no idea how it'll turn out. Tomorrow never knows, right?

Dividing Divinity is still going to be released, as well. Jason and I have had that record on the back burner for the past while, but I do think we'll eventually get back together and finish it up. All the tracks and lyrics are basically finished, we just need to shine it up to perfection before we're comfortable with releasing it. Honestly, I thought people had completely forgotten about it, since we announced it so long ago, which is why I was amazed to see it get the top spot on that 'Anticipated Albums' list Culture Uncut did.

And it must be pretty great being Eric Quillington right now, just how great is it?

Eric; Mr. Wilson, have you ever flown on a unicorn over a rainbow? The wind blows gently through your hair, the unicorn cries out a beautiful siren song, and the clouds are but a fingertip's grasp away. Even when the unicorn farts, it's still fucking radical, because a second rainbow shoots out from it's poop-maker whenever the animal emits gas. It's a double rainbow, all the way. That's how great it feels to be Eric Quillington.

And finally, what does the future hold for you?

Eric; I'm gonna try and have sex with my girlfriend, hopefully that won't cause her to grab the axe or anything. I'm always terrified she'll end up neutering me or something, which is why I've never bothered to whip it out around her before. This is probably making you feel more than a little uncomfortable, Mr. Wilson, so let me change the subject. I'd like for my future to be just like the present, in terms of the critical and commercial blessings I've been given with Infinite. There have been quite a few bands that try to shy away from this level of exposure, and it's totally understandable why they'd want to; celebrity is such a shallow concept. But, I've always been a shallow person, so I fit in perfectly. I've worked all of my adult life to get to this position, and now that I'm here, the possibility of losing this terrifies me. I just don't want to fade away, y'know?

With that said, I'm not a fame-whore. Creatively expanding the musical and lyrical sides to Infinite have always been very important to this band, to the extent that it's probably our top priority. As important as my, admittedly embarrassing, desire to be a celebrity is, music always comes first. Greg, Matt, and I will keep trying to make experimental and innovative music until we retire. Or die, whichever one comes first. Our music needs to both evolve and break away from the past. We will never make another Insomnia, we will never make another Midnight Skies. If making the same record over and over again is what it'll take to stay famous, then fuck it; I don't want to be Bon Jovi. So, basically, I'd like the future to involve the three of us making really unique music, stuff that we haven't even dreamed up at this present point in time. If people still remember me down the road, then that's just an additional bonus.