"I like accidents. I like to put myself in the way of musical harm. I
like being at the wheel of that musical car, and aiming it at the wall,
just to see what shape the car's going to come out. It might come out an
interesting shape that would have taken me forever to decide on
otherwise."
Complicated Game offers unique insight into the work of XTC founder
Andy Partridge, one of Britain's most original and influential
songwriters. It is also an unprecedentedly revealing and instructive
guide to how songs and records are made.
Developed from a series of interviews conducted over many months, it
explores in detail some thirty of Partridge's songs - including such
well-known singles as 'Senses Working Overtime' and the controversial
'Dear God' - from throughout XTC's thirty-year career, as well as an
extensive interview dedicated solely to the art and craft of
songwriting. While the interviews cast new light on the writing of
lyrics, the construction of melodies and arrangements, the process of
recording, and the workings of the music industry, they are also filled
with anecdotes about Partridge, his XTC bandmates, and their adventures
around the world - all told with the songwriter's legendary humour.
This fascinating book also includes pages from Partridge's songwriting
notebooks and reproductions of his original artwork designs; a guided
tour of his hometown of Swindon; and a foreword by Steven Wilson, the
guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founder and
leader of Porcupine Tree.
