Interview With Neil Hannon From The Divine Comedy

Having completed his third decade as a recording artist, The Divine Comedy, aka Neil Hannon has recently released a Greatest Hits album Charmed Life - The Best Of The Divine Comedy as he told Graham Clark.

Why is the new Greatest Hits album called Charmed Life?
I have been luckier than most, I get to sing songs for a living and people almost always applaud, so when asked what to call this collection I thought of Charmed Life, I like the song and it rather sums up how I feel about my life as it has all gone very well over the last thirty years.

There has been ups and downs but I am quite an even tempered sort of person and my career has sort of mirrored that.

Are there any particular songs of which you are proud?
I am proud of the overall quality of my songs, though there is one song in particular- Tonight We Fly which is from the second album. Every show we do finishes off with that song because it has become in a way the closing anthem to the evening.

Are there any memorable moments in your career?
It would have to be the first time appearing on Top of the Pops. I had grown up watching the programme and all my heroes had appeared on it over the years. People used to say to me that it was just another television programme but to me it never was.

After appearing on there it made such a huge difference to how my songs did in the charts. I wish the show was still on as it was more of a family show. I am not sure if there is such a programme on television where the family sit around and watch a show altogether. People used to discuss at work or school what they had seen, the acts and music became talking points, the show itself was an event.

Many seem to think that terrestrial television is on the way out but I do not think that as I believe that this current generation will still want to be connected with things like this and radio.

Have you missed playing concerts?
Yes I have but it was much harder for other people: I live in the countryside so I do not see many people and in that respect there was not much difference, but my band and the crew were not getting paid. I was fortunate in that I could still be at home writing new songs.

A Greatest Hits album always sounds like the end of a chapter, is there going to be a new album?
I am certainly not stopping, if the fans want me to sing and perform I will still continue to write new material as I like being a singer and composer.

There was actually a Greatest Hits album from The Divine Comedy in 1999 but as it is now over thirty years since we first started I thought it was time for an overview.

Do you listen to current artists?
I wish I felt more in touch with contemporary pop music. It is so hard to find good new music as there is so much new music around. My main concern is the use of auto tune which makes a singer sound in tune. If you listen to artists like Aretha Franklin or Annie Lennox they were not always in tune but they sounded unique, whereas today a lot of artists all sound the same vocally.

On the forthcoming tour depending on where people see the show we have two great acts; Barbara who are an awesome pop outfit from Brighton and Ren Harvieu. I would ask that you get there early as both are worth seeing.

Your song National Express is still very popular, have you ever travelled with them?
I certainly have! I actually wrote part of the lyric on one of their buses on my way to visit my brother in Devon.

They have asked me many times if they can use the song on one of their adverts but I always say no. It is an interesting idea but you never know I might change my mind in a few years time, it might even become my pension pot!