1. Recently, I listened to your new album "Millennium"
and it was a huge ( and pleasant!) surprise for me to find that
this album is quite extraordinary one. It is more space-electronic.
I do not know, how you would react to this comparison, but this
album is (in my view) a little similar to the albums of Jonn Serrie.
It is more global, and with it, the album "Millennium"
contains a lot of energy and vitality. It is very optimistic by
its spirit.
Why did you decide to record this album? What is it about?
I've always wanted to produce an album like "Millennium."
My original influences were bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, Supertramp,
Yes, and solo artists like Mike Oldfield and Vangelis. I loved
the idea of letting my hair down a bit and allowing my original
influences to breathe more.
Also I have always been an artist that seeks new ways to express
ideas and new sounds. I enjoyed the notion of creating a more
contemporary sound. Apart from this, my music is always maturing,
developing, evolving. It is but another new step for me in a long
line of previous style changes and new directions.
Because the concept was the Millennium I also wanted a larger
than life sound that had a futuristic edge and an optimistic view.
2. What inspires you to make such a variety of interesting albums?
Where do these ideas come from?
Do your travels to the places that your albums are devoted to
inspire you and give you the ideas for your albums?
I can't think of anything worse than spending my entire career
simply working with one style and a small selection of instruments.
How limiting that would be. As an artist and writer I have always
been keen to explore new influences because it's inspiring, fun,
rewarding and it allows me to mature, evolve. It has become part
of my reputation these days, my fans almost expect me to periodically
surprise them and keep everything fresh and interesting. It's
like sharing a journey; "Where are we going now?". Even
though I try out new styles, somehow the music still has my own
stamp on it.
What inspires me? Almost anything. A mystery, a new instrument,
a researched concept. It's different every time, I have no set
formula.
3. As I understand from your music, you have a special interest
and love of Celtic legends, music and traditions. Would you please
tell me why?
I have a natural love of Celtic music because of where I live.
My home county in England being Cornwall, which is an ancient
celtic land full of folk lore, standing stones and the Arthurian
stories. It's part of my life, home and heritage.
4. Continuing this topic, I would like to ask you to tell a little
about the creation of your famous Druid Trilogy (
"Druid,"
"Excalibur" and "Merlin") and your later album
"Clan."
"Druid" and it's sequels came about by researching the
local Cornish folk lore. I was looking for the first time, to
change my music and send it in a new direction. "Druid"
became my first big hit as a result.
"Clan" is a trilogy in the making. "Clan-2-The
Scroll" will be released sometime early next year. "Clan"
was the result of my desire to return to my Celtic style. It had
been seven years since the Druid trilogy and I felt I had something
new to say. I had matured, my studio had progressed to far higher
standards and so I wanted to express a new vitality and fresh
clarity to my Celtic music.
5. How did you come to the idea of your new albums "Medicine
Woman 1 and 2"? What are the main ideas and concepts of these
albums?
"Medicine Woman 1"
and "Medicine Woman-2 The Gift,"
were both influenced by my love of the rainforest and research
into Mayan mysteries. The first album also came about because
at the time I wanted to produce a more up-tempo sound, an earthy,
catchy style that was very ethnic, Panpipe influenced. The Medicine
Woman albums are also well known for their natural positive outlook,
they are very "Feel good", uplifting albums and that
is something that I also set out to achieve.
I also had a friend in the USA, a visionary painter called Lisa
Iris who was creating Mayan influenced paintings and her painting,
plus my own music inspired each other naturally. The result was
that Lisa's work covered both album images as a result.
6. How did your collaboration with the New World Music begin?
Did you collaborate with the New World Music from the very foundation
of this label? If this is so, could you tell a little, how it
all began?
New World was only a small office in a part of London when I was
invited to enjoy them after sending in a demo tape. This would
be about late 1986. Other New World artists like Phil Thornton,
Asha and Terry Oldfield had all just had their first albums released,
so I was virtually in at the beginning. It's been a very interesting
journey which of late has just got better and better.
It all started very simply with the notion of Colin Wilcox wanting
to produce relaxation therapy cassettes. I don't think he ever
set out to be a recording label. Everything has simply grown and
matured and I have grown and flourished alongside.
7. Are you on friendly relations with other New World Music Artists
(such as Terry Oldfield, Asha, James Asher, Phil Thornton and
others)? Did you have (or are having now) any collaboration (joint
projects, concerts, tours or something of this kind) with these
musicians?
Most of the artists live quite far apart and as we are all soloists
there is very little collaboration, but there is generally a very
good and happy relationship between the artists and the artists
with the label.
I have recently worked with Llewellyn ("Ghosts," "Celtic
Legend") and his wife and vocalist Juliana. They are very
good friends of mine, I invited them to sing on my "Comet"
album, the opening track "Future Written" and then later
on a track for "Clan 2-the Scroll", "Maidens Kiss".
On the whole though everyone is busy with their own albums in
their own studio's.
8. In general, which musicians can be named as your friends?
Llewellyn is a very close friend, as are New World management
personnel like Phil Nind. Asha and I got to know each other briefly
when he moved house nearer to my home. A very gentle person, but
he moved away again and we seldom have chance to communicate.
Kevin Kendle ("Clouds," new debut release) is also a
very good friend. I was also friendly with Stairway for a time
and we almost recorded together.
9. What musical instruments are you using now in your creative
work?
The instruments I'm presently using would almost be too numerous
to name. I have two projects currently in production. One involves
many acoustic instruments from all over the world like, Cumbus,
Charango, Bouzouki, Flamenco Guitars, etc. Whereas the other project
involves the very latest in synth technology and includes sounds
that create such wonderful atmospheres and moods.
My music seems to have set off in two opposite directions at the
same time that actually blend and fuse together in a very complimentary
way. One direction would be very acoustic, very performed and
personal; the other direction is very technological, the latest
in sound morphing synths and sonic soundscapes, spatial.
10. What are your "roots," where are you from, where
were you born?
My roots are firmly in Cornwall, but I was born in Harrogate,
North Yorkshire dales-England, where the local vet was the famous
James Heriot; although he retired when I was very young.
11. What is your education, where did you study?
I went to school in Harrogate North Yorkshire, after which I went
to art college for a years foundation course. After art college
I opened my own very small commercial recording studio. Two years
later I moved to Cornwall and the rest is history.
12. Where did you study music? How did you start to compose and
perform music?
I've never studied music. I can't read or write a note. Music
to me is purely intuitive. Although I know all the notes and chords
and basic structure, I'm self taught in everything. I taught myself
guitar at ten years old and started writing straight away as if
it was the most natural thing to do.
13. What was your first album and how was it created?
My first album was "Emergence." I had sent four demo
albums to New World which they liked, but they wanted to select
the best bits and form an album from such a selection. I suggested
that writing an album for them from scratch would be easier and
should in theory be better. They liked that idea and a brief demo
of what I had in mind the album was underway. I based "Emergence"
on Helford river, a Cornish estuary.
14. Who has influenced you most in your music and why?
I think Mike Oldfield was the biggest influence. When "Tubular
Bells" came out I was quite young and it made an impression
on me of how one person could play all these instruments and produce
an album that was so fresh, modern and not pop music. From that
moment on all I wanted to be was a multiinstrumentalist.
15. What are your interests in life?
I love the movies and water. I therefore have fun watching my
video and DVD collection grow. I find water gardens, pools, fish
and water garden plants a source of great pleasure, relaxation.
Mainly though music is my interest, It still feels like a hobby,
being professional all these years has not taken my love of creating
music away. I just love new equipment and experimenting, writing
and recording. I am blessed that my interest is all my career.
16. Do you like traveling (and why)? What places have you visited?
What place did you like most? Where would you like to live?
I hate traveling. I'm home loving and I love where I am in Cornwall.
A quiet rural existence far from cities. I live quite a simple
life really in an old house that is about three hundred years
old.
17. Could you please tell me where do you live at present? Why
did you choose this very place to live?
I live in Cornwall England. I live here because it feels home
to me. It is a historic land surrounded by sea, moor tops, estuaries
and woodland. In many ways it feels like an island because it
is so cut off from the rest of England. The lifestyle is much
slower in Cornwall compared to the rest of England. It only has
one city which really is no more than a large town. I like the
fact that you don't have to go too far in Cornwall to be remote
and at one with nature. I also love the sea and so I have to live
close to it.
18. What does your music mean to you? What do you want to pass
on to your listeners in your music?
My music IS me, it's a reflection of my own personality. I am
generally very positive and cheerful, quiet and reclusive and
have an affinity to nature. My music is very sincere, very performed
and heart felt, emotional. I think all that gets communicated
to the listener in an autobiographical way. Above all I like to
inspire people, motivate them, uplift and energize, send them
on a journey.
19. Are you practicing any spiritual exercises (techniques)? Do
you belong to a particular religion?
No, I don't practice any spiritual techniques, nor am I part of
any group or sect or religion. I have simple spiritual views that
I live my life by. I am very open minded and believe in the spirit
and energy of all living things.
20. What is important for you to express in your music?
Above all I want people to feel good from my music. We live in
a difficult world no matter where we live. If I can if only for
a moment uplift a person, or send them on journey of escapism
and perhaps trigger or inspire their own artistic nature then
I will have achieved what I set out to do. I like to offer a positive
outlook, elation, joy, mystery, awe, sweet surrender, relaxation,
love, romance, dramatic conclusion, etc. Anything on that level
is what attracts me to write.
21. What long-term goals do you have in your life?
I'd like to branch out into also producing my own video's-DVD's.
By this I mean visual representations of my work. This is something
that is already becoming likely in the near future. Apart from
that my ambitions have remained the same since I started, which
is to always get better at what I do, to always mature and reach
a higher level of achievement, to master my own craft.
22. What is the new age music in your view? How would you define
it?
I think the boundaries of new age music have grown a lot and are
still growing. It's very hard to define now, but I would say anything
that is mainly instrumental that has one outer edge at the door
of electronic music and sweeps through classical influences and
pop influences to another outer edge at the door of world music
with all it's many ethnic influences. I think new age music is
maturing. New age is in a sense a fusion of all the best bits
of other musical styles. It blends it's soul with the heart of
other forms to produce something constantly evolving, so it's
very hard to pin it down as just one sound, because in reality
it isn't.
23. What would you like to wish to the readers of our magazine?
I would like to wish them a happy christmas and a happy new year.
Well, it's not far away now.
With Very Best Wishes Medwyn Goodall
