Antony Szmierek has been creating waves as of late. The Mancunian writer, poet, and former teacher is limbering up for his takeover, with a debut album on the horizon and a headline tour bringing him to Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on Saturday 8th March. Cameron Wright caught up with him to discuss Robbie Williams, light and dark, and more.
How are you feeling about ‘Service Station at the End of the Universe’ releasing?
It’s all kinds of crazy. I’m in this weird purgatory stage, waiting for February to arrive. You never know what’s going to happen, but it does feel like the ball is rolling in the right direction. I’m just ready to get it out there.
Is your relationship with releasing an album a different experience from releasing a book?
It’s different because I know someone’s going to listen. Knowing there’s actually an audience for the music is the main change – knowing it’s going to reach someone and not sit on a shelf has been a good motivation too. I thought it could maybe make me more nervous about what I wrote, wondering if I wanted certain thoughts or stories out there, but I ended up over-sharing more than ever.
That’s always the best choice…
I watched that new Robbie Williams movie, which isn’t that bad, but there’s a line in there that basically says: “If writing a song doesn’t cost you, it’s not worth it.” I don’t try to get all my writing advice from Robbie Williams movies, but I think there is something in that.
Of all the artists to discuss, I didn’t expect Robbie to be our first…
I can flip from Camus to Robbie Williams in a heartbeat. But that’s what the best writers do – they jump between. Some of my favourite writers don’t even feel human; they’re like ethers or something magical. The songs become a Polaroid of the past as we look back with nostalgia for a time we never lived in, like ‘Midnight in Paris’. I wonder if that’ll ever happen to me and one day someone may romanticise these songs about Come Dine With Me and house parties.
Is there a difference between writing a song and a poem?
I think poetry and songwriting are two different beasts. There’s one track on the album that’s really f**king sad, and that one is definitely just poetry, with some ambient music in the background. I never know how it’s going to play live. I’ve had tracks that I’ve cried performing, or I’ve seen people cry, and I think about someone like Nick Cave – imagine making an arena of people cry at your poetry. It’s phenomenal.
How do you balance the light and the dark? I often find humour in the lyrics too…
If you were a political journalist, inevitably your own opinion would kind of leak into it. My humour is my escape, so it bleeds in accidentally. I think the little cluster of celebrities who have shouted out my music have all been comedians, so something must be going right if it made Ed Gamble laugh. If I feel myself writing a darker song, I usually bring it in with a huge beat and a big chorus – suddenly everyone’s jumping around to a track about being alone and hating myself, which in and of itself is already funny to me.
What should people expect live?
Okay, I’ll set the scene. Imagine a big, sweaty house party. You’ve just broken up with a toxic ex and you’re ready to feel free again. There’ll be a lot of dancing and a lot of talking, from me, not the audience. That’s the elevator pitch! See you there.
Antony Szmierek heads to Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on Saturday 8th March. Tickets, priced at £17.00 in advance, are available from boilershop.net.
