Benjamin Salcedo V. - Mexican Cine Premiere
January, 1995
Too many years back, before the World could contemplate space from the Han Solo's spaceship, shed a tender tear for curious ET and support Dr. Spock in his discussions over Captain Kirk, Arthur C. Clarke wrote a story that ignited the space conquest on film, when it was inmortalized by Stanley Kubrick in 1968. "2001, A Space Oddessey" has been a much needed reference since then, and a starting point to understand many other interesting writings from Clarke's creative mind. That is how Mike Oldfield's musical genious found "The Songs Of Distant Earth", and based on it worked on his most recent work which has the same name. As usual on any of the Oldfield albums, there is a lot of talent added to a computer designed complex system that gives life to this brand new project, recorded at Oldfield's own studio in Buckinghamshire, outside London.
Did it help you being successful since your youth?
From an objective point of view, right now at 41, I'd say that, yes, it helped me, because it gave me professional and financial freedom. These days I do what I want, but it didn't help me when I was 20. Back then I found myself really confused; from being nobody I became popular, so I asked myself: What was wrong before? I ran away from everybody, hypocrisy disguised as friendship was something I couldn't stand: I made a lot of money and became a hermit for a while. The best thing of it was, I was growing up and maturing.
Did you reflect those feelings within your music?
Probably. In fact my music has always been mature. When I work on it I don't feel this music as mine; I'm only a puppet or a slave. That music comes out from nowhere. I don't feel like I'm doing it. I'm some kind of medium... Yesterday, when we were listening to the new record with all these people, I just feel like any of you. I've never felt like a musician; it' s something more spiritual: I fall in trance and the sounds come out by themselves.
Tell me about three records you feel the most satisfied with, neither mentioning "Tubular Bells" nor the new one.
"Ommadawn" was a very fullfilling one... "Amarok"... I loved working on that record, it was quite a challenge: I didn't use any computers: all sounds are produced by instruments and that gave a bigger value to me... "Tubular Bells II."
Oldfield included, for the first time in the launching of an album, the whole information about it in a CD ROM format that combines images and sound on track one. Without aproppiate equipment, music begins on track 2.
Does it bother you?
Well... I mean, it's natural: many other artists have used CD ROM, but they don't put it on their records at all. I'm a computer fan and have a lot of games. The main idea here is, those who purchase "The Songs Of Distant Earth" have this kind of experience. We need many more of these games. Even though, there's an equipment problem, not everyone will have the chance to watch it at home, there's no need to be scared from technology. The children are more and more into computers, and that give us a perspective of a whole new world, when things will be cheaper and they will be available to everyone, too.
Has the use of computers graphics contributed to your way of making music?
Yes, it has, but not in the way I compose, but in the atmosphere I build to create an image. It becomes step by step into something extremely suggestive; forms, dimensions, colours; everything has a balance: a meaning by itself, it becomes sort of spiritual.
Have you ever tried the same with your past records?
No, never. Once I've finished a project I never get back to it. I always look forward to the next one, never into the past. When I'll get to be an old man on my wheelchair and not being interested on doing anything else, maybe I'll play with my old records (Laughs).
Do you practice meditation or some mystic ritual?
The truth is, making music is meditation to me. It produces a "trance" and a state of relaxation.
Do you think that involving computers in just about everything concerning human beings, we are becoming senseless?
No, not at all. I think that since an embryonic state we develop until we get into a global communication, just as if we were trees or plants. We'll get those fruits later. Machines are more advanced, they project you into a fantastic world, but a real one as well, and this could be very exciting. I guess that at the beginning the process was mechanically done, but things have changed along with the running of time.
Is there any difference between Science Fiction and fantasy?
Arthur C. Clark says there is, but they're the same to me, though. To be honest, the world we live in is a fantasy; our perception about things comes only from our senses, and the way they send those impulses to our brain. The way you feel the world around you may be fantastic, so we really cannot be sure if it's a reality or it's not, and it becomes a subjective fact.
What do you think is the reason animals are almost absent from Sci Fi? Do you believe there's no room for them in outerspace?
On "The Songs Of Distant Earth" there's an animal appearing on "The Shining Ones", it's some kind of intelligent, jelly-esque being, but I really don't know why there's a lack of animals as we know them. I think it's very exciting to think about higher intelligences and that's why the inferior ones are forgotten, but I don't know, really.
Which cultures have contributed to your work the most?
Too many, honestly. I love Mexico: it has a very impressive history. Greek and Polinesians built the bases for the cultural and technological development since ancient times.
Tell us about your "Mayan Gold" theme from "Tubular Bells II"
It's a beautiful piece. From the time I was in Mexico and went to clue sites to Mayan culture such as Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tulum and another wonderful places. It has nothing to do with the Conquest and gold theft, it has nothing to do with civilization. It's about the gold worth of those buildings, their beliefs and their magic.
The premiere of Oldfield's most recent work took place last October 25 inside a majestic planetarium at London. Down a constellated dome everybody could enjoy the show, where all kind of interestellar phenomenons where presented, such as supernovas into high explosions. A very ad hoc enviroment, very much into Clarke's own spirit).
Arthur C. Clarke says: "Welcome back to outerspace. You would guess you've been out of it at some time..."
I think I've always been there. To Clarke, Sci Fi is something so big and different. He's a man ahead of his time, who knew about outerspace long time before movies did. I've always been in outerspace, and when I look around and see the hugeness of the Universe I feel a shiver that reminds me how small I am, but it also proves that I belong to everything around me, just like my work.
Which discovery you think is the most important to humankind all through the 90's?
I guess that interactivity is one of the most important; young people have always been quite guided, do this, do that; they hadn't had many options. Nothing's under their control, and I think that young people can really change the world; they don't need a College degree to make anything transcendental out of their lives. In the Nineties people are assuming more responsabilities by themselves and the world; "Think globally, act locally".
Musically, what does it mean the end of the millenium to you?
It's kind of romantic to think that way. Some persons believe that it will be different, but I don't think so. Days will be the same. Some cultures consider that a lot of thing will happen those days, but I guess it's a fascination with numbers instead, for all the zeroes the year 2000 has.
Have you planned more performances of your new album?
There are not any plans at the moment but, I don't know, maybe a few shows. I don't like exhausting tours either; night after night repeating the same act it's not my thing. I would love to play in Teotihuacan and make a portentous perform over the Pyramid's top.