David Sylvian: The Face Interview
Fiona Russell Powell, The Face, October 1982
David Sylvian had agreed to do only three interviews when he returned to England from a month's stay in Japan. The first was for the Sunday Times, the second for THE FACE, and he had yet to decide what the third would be. Sylvian is a very private and serious person; quiet, unassuming, sensitive and shy to the extreme. Because he feels he has "nothing to say" he rarely does interviews and has often regretted them afterwards. To avoid any misrepresentation or confusion, I have taped the words right out of his mouth, adding no insights or judgements of my own. He is also a non-consumerist, ironic when you consider that the country he adores thrives on consumerism. During the weeks that Japan were in the charts with their pre-Virgin version of 'I Second That Emotion', dug out by Hansa to keep the revenue rolling, and while David enjoyed fair success with 'Bamboo Music', his record with Riuichi Sakamoto, he chose to spend the entire month on holiday in Japan.
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