A Brief Conversation w/ Pete Astor
From the anarchic archives of the punk revolution came a radical wave of intellectual intensity and poetic prowess that would inspire several generations to come. Pete Astor, a songwriter, lecturer, and the lead force behind outfits such as the highly influential The Loft and The Weather Prophets, has become a sonic staple among his peers in the world of indie music iconism over the last four decades. After many years on the outskirts of the music business, while trying to counteract its notorious disillusionment, Astor began writing and recording material that dates back to the mid-1980s and has since secured a place alongside the giants that left an impression on him during his youth.
Photo: Ken Copsey
What was your childhood growing up in England, and how did you initially connect with music, specifically songwriting, and the guitar? Who were some of your earliest influences in your more formative years, and how quickly did you begin playing music after that initial impact? What were those early days like for you, as well as your experience working with the great Lenny Kaye, like?
Photo: Jeff Pitcher
Growing up in England as a music fan, just as punk was beginning to take off, I was very much an NME kid. It’s hard to see these days how important and influential some of the journalists were on that paper. Mick Farren, Nick Kent, and Charles Shaar Murray were like the gospel to me. So, Patti Smith and Television were the usual suspects for a serious young boy. Allied to this was my fascination with the Beats, Burroughs, and Arthur Rimbaud — again, all the usual literary suspects. I wrote a 33 1/3 about Blank Generation, and it’s all in there. Looking back, I guess it was exciting. But when you’re in your 20s, you are frankly demented, so you can’t see anything that’s going on because you’re so frantic. I would say, though, I had a good time most of the time. Lenny Kaye was a lovely man and a fantastic person to work with. We’re still in contact now, which says a lot in terms of how well we got on.
I understand you were constantly recording on your own during this period in your career. As the main songwriter and vocalist of the bands, how did you decide on what to pour into those bands, and keep, not necessarily for yourself, but something else, per se? Tell me about your most recent effort, entitled “Unset Letters - Home Recordings 1984-2024,” which, as I write this, is set for release tomorrow. The album’s overall atmosphere covers so much ground and harmonious history, as each entry feels different from the next.
That would have to be instinct, but I read the other day that instinct is your wisdom, which makes total sense. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I always got it right. A year or so ago, Gunther from Tapete asked me if I had any unreleased tracks that I might want to release; I told him I didn’t think there were. Initially, I wasn’t sure there would be any point. I trusted my judgement about what I chose to release and not release when I went into something I could call my archives (I wish it were as organized and well put together as archives imply). I honestly don’t know why I didn’t release them at the time while compiling the record. I found myself quite proud of it. In compiling this record, I became very fond of the versions on it. It made me think maybe I should’ve recorded even more records in a lo-fi, messy, spontaneous way.
What was the overall process of writing and recording this album over the decades? How does it feel to free this dormant material after all these years, and what are you most excited for people to connect with through the music? Is there anything else you would like to share further with the readers?
I went into the shed, opened up boxes, found old cassettes, hard drives, mini discs, CDs, and flicked through them until I found something that I thought might be worth releasing. I hope they respond to the songs and the spontaneity. Thank you for reading.
