Trip-Hop Pioneer Tricky: Sweet and Naive

This is Eliot Van Buskirk with Wired.com and Tricky

who's spending some time with us, thank you so much.

No worries, thank you.

I wanted to specifically make sure to ask you about

your video, that Council Estate video.

(hard electronic rock music)

Well it's done in one of the worst areas of Paris,

like it's one of the biggest Council Flat projects

in Paris, and it's where they had the riots.

The first day we were out shooting, these two guys

come out, say what are you doing, I'm like you know,

I'd like to shoot a video here.

They're like, this is, we hate this.

In Paris, they're very funny about people going

and filming in the Ghetto Oh.

Cause they feel like you know, if you're a director,

you're a filmmaker, you're not giving anything to us,

and you're filming us and it's kind like they're very

very against it.

♫ Remember boy you're a superstar

♫ Remember boy you're a superstar

♫ And so remember boy you're a superstar

In my last few years of Massive Attack,

we went on an American tour with turntables and a microphone

and it was one of the worst experiences I had,

and my manager, when I did my album, was like,

what about the live, you know, your live career,

and I'm like I never want to do turntables again,

so I won't go out live.

And she said, we could put a band around you.

And I didn't understand the live thing,

I'm like how can a live band make my music,

when it's made on keyboards and computers?

And we rehearsed these guys and they played me Overcome,

and I was just like, wow!

And I've always had a live band ever since.

I can't really, the computer and you know the DJ thing,

the old DJ thing I don't get anymore.

Back in the day I got it, but DJs now are just you know

these popstar DJs I don't really understand it,

they're playing other people's music.

[Eliot] Right.

You're getting 50 grand to play someone else's,

and they're rockstars, I don't really get that culture.

[Eliot] You come up with like crazy sounds

over the years, I'm a little bit stumped,

I can't even guess how you're doing this,

so can you share a couple secrets like

about your techniques?

To be honest, it's cause I don't know what I'm doing,

I'm naive.

When Maxinquaye first came out Yeah.

I just thought I did an album, right?

And people said it sounded different.

And I didn't understand why.

And then I realized it's 'cause I'm naive.

My first single was Aftermath and I had this flute player

who, he'd come into the studio to play to it.

And he said, you know I don't know if I can really

get down to this, it's not musically correct,

you've got blues notes next to each other.

So it's basically 'cause I don't know what I'm doing.

And I haven't learned anything.

Well, don't start now.

Nah.

It's working.

I was going to learn guitar about three years ago,

and I just thought if I learned guitar,

it's going to make me know musical things,

and then I might start thinking too much,

so I picked it up for a week, I had a few lessons.

And I thought about it, and I thought nah,

I don't want to, I want to stay naive.

Cause you

I really don't know what I'm doing.

Right.

Haven't got a clue.

I like sometimes when I go in and do an album,

if I'm recording for six months, I'll think,

can I do this?

I don't know if I can do it.

You know, so if I learn how to tune,

I might think, wow, I don't know if I can do this anymore.

Well, what advice would you have for, you know,

up and coming kid, 18 years old, just getting started?

I'd say you can have your influences, but don't sound

like anybody.

You've got to try and like, all the bands from the 80s

and 90s, like great bands like The Cure, right,

you knew who the Cure was just by hearing their voice,

The Specials, or Rakheem, try not to get involved

in a movement whether it's rock, pop, hip hop,

don't cause you limit yourself.

If you want to be a musician to be famous,

just don't bother.

It's not what it's hyped up to be.

If you love it, do it.

If not, if it's for the wrong reasons,

I'd say get a different job, you know.

Thank you for having me on there.

Thank you for spending time with us.

No, no problem.

It was a pleasure, it was a pleasure.

Thank you.

Real pleasure.

You coming to the show later?

Absolutely, man, you can bet on it.

Wicked, you on the list and everything?

I hope so.

(hard rock music)

You guys?

You wanna come?

[Crew] Yes, absolutely.

Alright.