TREVOR HORN
The productionseer prepares his Self-Portrait, reflects on the material plane and praises the C90 and C60.
The man who invented the ’80s, in his own words and by his own hand.
I’d describe myself… as a muso. What was it Nasher [Frankie Goes To Hollywood guitarist] used to say? “A red muso”?! I dunno, an old record producer who still likes playing? I think I’m reasonably straightforward. I always try to be a good team player. I like to do things.
Music changed me… are you kidding? Well, from when I was about 12, it seemed to me to be such an exciting thing. I’d spend all my evenings playing the guitar or the bass, learning Beatles songs. I was fascinated with records – they’re like a document, you can learn about people’s moods and what was going on when they were made. I spent so much time messing with music that I failed half of my exams, so I wasn’t capable of getting a decent job in the real world. When I’m not making music… I cycle, I mess around with a motorboat. Navigating, I like doing that. I’ve also got four children and three grandsons, that takes up a fair amount of my time. I’m the only parent. My biggest vice is… I suppose they’re just the same as anyone else’s. I occasionally do things I know I shouldn’t do, but there are none that I hide. When I’m interviewing people, I often ask them, what’s their best point and their worst point, and if they’re stupid enough to tell me their worst point…
The last time I was embarrassed was… last night, when we all went on stage [Trevor was in Padua touring with DSL Dire Straits Legacy] and the foldback wasn’t on. We all had to stand there and look at each other. Then there was a bit of a crash and it all came back on. That was vaguely embarrassing. But I don’t give a fuck really. When you get older, you tend to get more even about these things.
My formal qualifications are… I’ve got a CBE but that’s not a qualification. As a producer, I always used to think having a hit single, that I wrote, is probably better than a diploma.
The last time I cried was… when I read about how they murdered Jamal Khashoggi. I’m kind of horrified by things that are going on at the moment, by some of the behaviour that seems to be sanctioned.
Vinyl, CD or streaming?… I used to love the jolly glow of cassettes the most, the fuzziness of the sound. CDs sound bland. Vinyl’s OK, but you have to have the right equipment.
My most treasured possessions are… I try not to have them. I’ve a couple of guitars I’d hate to lose, but you shouldn’t get attached to anything physical that you can’t afford to lose, and you’ve got to get used to losing things because that’s the way the world is. My house burned down in LA this year, some guys broke into my house two days ago and stole two beautiful bikes… I learned about 10 years ago that I’d spent a long time learning how to play an instrument, so I should play it some more. That learning isn’t a possession, but it is a treasured thing.
The best book I’ve read is… F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, because the whole book’s like a song lyric. The book that really turned me on was Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – I’d tried drugs for the first time, and it was terrific writing. And JG Ballard, he’s so good.
Is the glass half full or half empty… most of the time, half full.
My greatest regret is… you don’t get to my age without some shit happening, big life events. Obviously, I wish they hadn’t happened. But in music, I can’t regret much. I always fancied working with Dylan, and with Buggles, me and Geoffrey [Downes] never played, maybe that would have been fun.
When we die… none of us know, but I think there is something, because I’ve been in music all my life and I don’t even know what it is, really, yet it has this effect on you, like it’s this alternate place. So if I had to go anywhere I’d like to go and live in a C Major seventh chord, somewhere. A ninth and a sixth maybe, as well. That’s a nice place.
I would like to be remembered as… As somebody who wasn’t a dick? That would do.
Trevor Horn Reimagines The Eighties Featuring The Sarm Orchestra is released by BMG on February 1.
“I’d like to go and live in a C Major seventh chord.” TREVOR HORN