Q & A with Kate St. John of The Dream Academy
February 1998

Hi Kate,
I think a lot of your fans would be interested in your answers to these questions. Since my page primarily focuses on The Dream Academy, most of my questions relate to that time. I hope there aren't too many. Thanks again for writing me the other day...that was very nice.
Regards, Brent

Dear Brent,
Sorry if these are a bit curt, but it was all such a long time ago. I'm listening to A Different Kind of Weather as I do this. I haven't heard it for ages. It's not bad is it? Such magnificent productions! Makes me kind of sad.

I understand that, prior to joining the Dream Academy, you were in a band with Virginia Astley called "The Ravishing Beauties". What role did you play in that group. How long did the project last? How many albums did you put out?

The Ravishing Beauties: I played oboe and sang backing harmonies and played vocoder. It lasted less than a year during which time we went on 2 tours supporting Teardrop Explodes. We didn't put any records out.

How did you happen to meet Nick? Were you familiar with any of his previous work? Was he familiar with any of yours?

I met Nick at a party. We had a lot of mutual friends. I had been vaguely aware of Alfalpha but didn't know much until he filled me in and vice versa.

Tell me how The Dream Academy came about. I understand that Nick met you at a party and told you about the project that he and Gilbert were putting together, and asked if you would be interested in joining the project. Is that accurate?

You are accurate. At the same party he said they were interested in people who played unusual instruments. After the RB's split up, I feared I wouldn't be able to find another band as an oboe player so I was really pleased to be asked by Nick.

What was the origin of the name The Dream Academy?

I think it was Gilbert's idea. Check back on any old interview...we were always asked that question, but I can't remember Gilbert's rationale behind it...it varied from season to season. Gilbert was a student at Dartington. He wanted the group to have the same ethos, an academy of idealists.

What was it like appearing on Saturday Night Live? I noticed in watching the performace recently that Nick changed a few of the words to "Life in a Northern Town"...do you recall the reason for this?

Nick sometimes changed the words "and the children drunk lemonade" which could have seemed a bit twee to " and we listened to the hip parade". I recently played Life in a Northern Town as an encore with Roger McGuinn in Portsmouth on his recent UK tour as he is a Dream Academy fan and particularly likes that song and he changed the words "and he took a cigarette out" to "and he put his sunglasses on" as an anti-smoking gesture. Saturday Night live was very exciting of course. But I remember more about the hangover the morning after than the show. The Cult were also on.

The song "In the Heart" was released only in Japan, and was later reworked into "Lowlands" for the third album. Is there any particular story here on why "In the Heart" wasn't released in it's original form in the UK or US?

"In the Heart" was written for a Japanese beer commercial. The Japanese beer was actually called "Heartland", made by the Kirin Beer Company. It had to be re-worked into Lowlands.

"A Different Kind of Weather" was the final album by the Dream Academy. Can you comment on the feelings the band had as this album was released? Did you all know it would be the last? What were the primary reasons that caused the band to call it a day after this album?

The band were dropped after A Different Kind of Weather. Personally, I was going to leave anyway to pursue other things.

From my perspective, it seems like critics were sometimes particularly harsh with their reviews of The Dream Academy...often I felt like they just didn't "get" the music that Dream Academy was making. Did any of this criticism play a part in deciding whether to continue after the third album?

Certainly not. You don't base your actions on what critics say, that would be idiocy. Half of them haven't a clue what they're talking about anyway. If you don't believe in your own musical instincts, you won't last very long.

How many times did the Dream Academy tour? Did you ever tour the US?

We were never much of a touring band, more studio perfectionists. We did the odd gig here and there and a small swansong tour of England near the end.

Are there any "lost" Dream Academy tracks in the archives anywhere? If so, who controls the rights to them? Will they ever be heard by a larger audience?

During the recording of the last album we did two completed songs, "The Last Day of the War" and "House of Heartbreak". Warners control the rights to them. If there was enough demand maybe they'd be heard. Have to check with Nick on that one. There must be (other) stuff we didn't use.

Tarquin Gotch was your manager for the first two albums. How did he happen to become your manager? Didn't he also have a close working relationship with John Hughes?

Tarquin believed before others did and put up the money to record Life In a Northern Town before we had a deal. He was a friend of Nick's and mine. He later worked as producer with John Hughes on many films which gave us the connection, but John Hughes was a Dream Academy fan anyway.

As a band, were you happy with the level of success you acheived? Were there things you wished you could do as a band that never happened?

Obviously not. There was enormous scope for improvement in the success ratings! Perhaps we should have toured more...that would have probably helped.

By now, most bands that flourished in the 80's have released at least one greatest hits package. What are the chances that The Dream Academy will do something similar? Hopefully with a few rarities tossed in for good measure?

Warners were going to release a greatest hits but decided to re-release the first album instead as it had been deleted in the USA. Hopefully one day...

Of all the tracks The Dream Academy recorded, what are some of your personal favorites? Overall, what is your favorite album?

My favourite album is Remembrance days. I have strong memories of making it in LA and feel more attached to it than the others. Favourite tracks include Here, Humdrum, Indian Summer, Hampstead Girl and the sax break/swing bit in In Exile. On the first album, favourites are, Love Parade, Johnny and In Places On the Run and on the third album, St. Valentine's Day and It'll Never Happen Again. Least favourite is Love.

What kind of memories do you have when you turn on the radio or television and happen to catch a bit of "Life in a Northern Town"?

I always think how on God's earth did I ever let Nick make me wear that Sgt. Pepper's jacket. I also remember the original recording session, a very fraught two days. We spent half a day taking a studio door off to get the tymps in.

Videos were made for these tracks:
    Life In A Northern Town
    This World
    Love Parade
    Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
    The Lesson of Love
    Indian Summer
    Love
Were there any others? Any chance they will all be released together in one collection?

We also made a video for Twelve Eight Angel. There are no plans for their release as far as I know. This World and Love Parade were the best ones.

I know that you have done "session" work for several artists. How did your role in The Dream Academy compare to your role as a session musician?

My role in the Dream Academy never affected my session work. I really enjoy doing sessions and would never let anyone stop me.

After the Dream Academy, you have put out one album with Roger Eno, two solo albums, and two group albums with Channel Light Vessel. Taken as a whole, and added to the music The Dream Academy made, your music runs the gamut stylistically from chamber pop, to ambient/new age, to a more complex quasi-progressive sound of Channel Light Vessel. Is there any one particular music style that you prefer overall, or is variety the spice of life?

Variety is vital and fun. I hate being pigeon-holed in one style. In my session work I do all sorts of things, RnB sax, whatever. Channel Light Vessel albums were very creative experiences composing in the studio with tight time restrictions. Winging it can produce some great results, it brings things out of you, you might have lost if you'd been too nit picking. The style of my two solo albums is very special for me . Having worked with and for others so much, it feels great to try and distill your own essence and create your own unique sound.

You are married to roots-country artist Sid Griffin (Long Ryders, Coal Porters). How did you two happen to meet?

I met Sid Griffin in 1991 in England, introduced through our mutual friend Billy Bragg. He moved over in 1992 and, thankfully, is still here!

Do you still keep in touch with Nick or Gilbert? Would you ever consider working with them again in the future?

Yes, I'm in touch with Nick and Gilbert, we're good friends. If the right situation arose, we could work together again.

 
Thanks very much Kate for answering these questions. There are still quite a number of fans of the music that The Dream Academy made, and I think more people become fans every day. Best wishes in life and with your future projects.

 
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