FROM THE VAULTS The Tim “Napalm” Stegall Substack Interview: Galen (Ayers) & Paul (Simonon), Part One

Most read the intro and not the paywalled interview, last time. So, a reprise of Tim’s first soiree with The Clash bassist's new project, before that 20%-off-for-life subscription upgrade's gone.

Paul (r) to Galen: “Oi, ya ‘fink Tim’s using the same caption as last time?” Galen: “No, Paul. He can’t even remember to post Part bloody Two!” (pic: Sony Records)

Bon soir, Napalm Nation. As you can see, I am keeping my New Year’s Resolution/promise to you to deliver ‘Stacks Mon.-Fri. Even if some days, I need to take it easy on myself and open the vaults, or take a gander at what’s cool on YouTube. Sure, it may be filler. But it’s quality filler. And you will also get quality writing with it. 

And again, I must express gratitude to all who have taken advantage of that lifetime 20% off subscription upgrade offer, which can also be used for new paid subscriptions. Every upgrade or new paid sub is like a fresh pot of coffee, keeping me fueled to keep creating. They keep this thing running and prevent derailing, so I appreciate it.

Some are still hesitant, so I thought I’d continue openly demonstrating the benefits of membership in the paying sector of the Napalm Nation. I ran Part One of this conversation with The Clash’s bassist Paul Simonon and Galen Ayers, partners in the wonderful new musical aggregate Galen & Paul, back in the fall. It was placed behind the paywall, as are all editions of The Tim “Napalm” Stegall Substack. I left the intro and first question open to the public, hoping this would entice new full subscriptions.

Instead, folks just read that intro/first question over and over. One free subscriber read it 10 times.

I hope I don’t sound churlish. I am grateful for an audience that reads these posts repeatedly, sometimes hundreds of times. That means you like my writing a lot. But I would have thought that just the intro was not enough!

So, as another sneak preview of how cool fully-paid citizenship in the Napalm Nation can be, I openly re-offer the beginning of this attempt to promote Galen And Paul’s wonderful chill-out record Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day? It resembles nothing less than a 21st Century Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood record, with strong lashings of the reggae Simonon grew up with in Brixton and Ladbroke Grove, as well as various Spanish strains. It harms nothing that amongst the sympathetic musicians playing on the record are some of Simonon’s cohorts in Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad and The Queen, including Damon Albarn and Simon Tong. And Simonon sings a lot more than he did in The Clash, which is not a bad thing, even if he’s hardly as mellifluous as Ayers. It results in one of the more listenable albums all year.

Ayers & Simonon were interviewed via Zoom on May 3, 2023. You could not find two more charming interview subjects. And yes, Simonon is still the best-dressed cat in the room, even when the room has a several thousand mile gap that includes half the American continent and the Atlantic ocean.

TIM: We obviously know  Mr. Simonon’s background well. I knew  nothing about you until I read these materials, Galen. But you come from quite a musical family.

GALEN: Some would say not so! [laughs] It’s a specific type of musical family, yes. I hopefully am adding to it in my own way with Paul. That’s the idea as a musician, is to expand and continually add styles.

TIM: Have you been in other bands, or been a solo performer?

GALEN:  I started singing along with my father when I was very young, so it’s a natural for me to have a male counterpart with a great voice to sing along with. I’m primarily a songwriter. I’ve done a lot of solo work on my own, and then I had a band called System. Then I recorded my own solo album. But amongst that, when I was in university, I used to do a lot of top lines for local bands. That was really fun, just to go in the studio and they’d give me a track. I’ve always enjoyed coming up with melodies off the cuff. I like things spontaneous. 

But I come from the word. I can hear a song, and if I don’t love the instruments but I like the words, I will stay in the room. But if it’s the other way around, it’s not as likely. But it’s not binary, obviously. You find that with people who can sing music. Some people say, “I don’t listen to the words.” That’s crazy to me. I’m very informed by that. 

TIM: But what about you, Paul? This is sort of the first time we’ve heard you sing on an extended basis.

PAUL: Ummmmm….

GALEN: Is that a pun? [laughs]

TIM: No! There was not a “t” at the end of that! [laughs]

PAUL: Yes, I was sort of ready. Put it this way: I’ve worked on a few ideas for songs. As far as me and Galen, I initially wanted her to sing all the songs. But she was like, “No, you have to sing some, too.” So she sorta pushed me a little bit, and we discovered that our voices sound quite good together. We just took a leap into the unknown, in terms of working together. And magically, it sort of worked. But it worked because there was a lot of hard work.

GALEN: Yes.

TIM: Right, and I know from reading that this was a bit of a pandemic project, wasn’t it?

PAUL: Not really, no. In the first pandemic, I was in London, and there was a lull about in the fall, and I wanted to go to Mallorca because I had a painting project that I wanted to finalize. There weren’t as many restrictions when I got there, so it eased off for a moment. It wasn’t anything to do with the pandemic, really.

GALEN: I think it was mostly to do with this divine timing, when you kinda bump into an old friend. Not “old” in that way, but one you’ve known for years! [laughs, as Paul comically glares at her] You happen to be in a similar place, mentally and emotionally, and you both have an ability to express all this stuff through a creative outlet. So I would say that was the most important thing – the timing was right. He was available, I was available. And we liked each other. And those were sort of the seeds of the project. 

PAUL: It sort of seemed like we didn’t have any choice in the matter. So far, it seems as if the stars were aligned, and said, “Right, you two are going to meet up and you’re going to make a record.”

GALEN: Yeah.

PAUL: In the beginning, when we started working, “Well, let’s just see how it goes.” Before we knew it, we’d made an album. 

TIM: I’m very charmed by this record, honestly. It’s what I refer to as a “midnight record.” You don’t wanna be listening to Iggy And The Stooges at midnight, but something like this is really, really cool. It’s almost like a Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood record or something.

PAUL: Yeah, it’s funny you say that, because that didn’t come to mind at first. ‘Cos at first, we were just trying things out to see how our voices blended, and also to see how we worked together. Obviously, on reflection in hearing back the record? Yeah, there’s an element of that. And obviously, they were people that were a big influence on ourselves individually, even before we met. 

GALEN: I don’t know if they wrote songs together, though. I feel like Lee was primarily the songwriter? I don’t know. Don’t quote me, because I haven’t actually looked that up. But it just dawned on me. I think one of the things that’s special about this is that we’ve got things we’ve brought into the songwriting together and really mushed up our ideas. In a lot of them. In some of them, not so much. Then in some, more than others. 

TIM: No, you are correct, Galen. Lee Hazlewood was the auteur behind those records. He produced them and wrote all those songs. But there are those Spanish elements, partly from the locale when a lot of these songs were written. There’s some old rock ‘n’ roll elements in there, too. I hear The Shadows, believe it or not. 

PAUL: Yeah, there’s a bit of everything. I suppose it’s all pretty much when the song is dreamed up and we actually start playing it, the basic chords start to suggest things: “Oh, it seems to need some Mexican trumpets.”  Or whatever. We both had the experience of growing up, listening to all kinds of music. And I guess it’s just sort of in the back of your mind. It’s like something you might have referenced or listened to in the past. 

GALEN: Yeah, it’s having a music library, and then in the present saying, “Ah! This is perfect for this!” 

End of Part One. Next week: Paul’s favorite guitarist (which isn’t Mick Jones!), the importance of reggae, and how he apparently cooks a mean paella! Tomorrow: Reviews of Glen Matlock’s new album and the Record Store Day reissue of The Rich Kids album!

As Columbo usedta say, “One more thing, before I go….”

I again must express my gratitude to all who have taken advantage of the lifetime-20%-off subscription offer. Your upgrade or newly paid sub keeps my caffeine levels topped up, fueling those late-night writing binges and early-morning brainstorming sessions! Thank you!

Even all the new free subscribers show tremendous support! Welcome — we got a number of you in the last two days! But yes, full subscriptions keep me off the street corner, making my living via interpretive dance routines! The planet (and I) are eternally beholden to you for that!

Now remember, each full sub enjoys completely unlocked editions of The Tim “Napalm” Stegall Interview, like the one above. You also get to read the chapters of my novel-in-progress, Every Father Kills His Son, and the upcoming revival of RADIO NAPALM. And, I repeat: Right now, paid subs are 20% off for life! But like Better Call Saul on the current TV schedule, that offer will soon disappear. So take advantage while you can! With your support, we can embark on this creative quest together, one paid subscription at a time.

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