It's been a good year for British popsters The Feeling, and that shows no sign of stopping. They've had a number one album, Join With Us, there's a new single on the way, and later this summer they're touring the UK with Bon Jovi as well as playing all the major festivals from Glastonbury to V, as well as a gig at the lovely Somerset House in London. Phew. First though, lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells and bassist Richard Jones have to face... the Questions of Living.
Living For The City
Dan: I like Italy
Rich: That was my answer. You stole it.
Dan: You can pick a different city in Italy then...
Rich: Italy is the best country. It's got the food, the history, beaches, mountains, weather. If I could transport everyone I know (and the English language) there, and my life, then that would be good.
Dan: The laziest way...
Rich: Exactly. Just have England in Italy.
Dan: I like New York a lot. There's something about New York but I could never live anywhere but London. It's brilliant. I still love London.
Rich: I love London and will probably always live here. The only option would be to transport London to Italy...
Living... For The Weekend
Rich: The dream night out for me would probably include a good meal. I love food. The Fat Duck in Bray is still the best meal I've ever had, although it took four hours so it's probably not a good one for the perfect night out. Although... you could start it in the afternoon. Yeah, start with that and -
Dan: You're just greedy, you want an afternoon and a big night out...
Rich: Yeah. And? So, start at 10 in the morning with a round of golf... Then The Fat Duck for a long lunch, then into town, a few drinks with friends, a small club – with all your mates, and I get to choose the music - and David Bowie doing a short set...
Dan: I'd have to see a concert. I love live music. But it would have to be someone really classic. Then a meal, a late meal somewhere we could end up dancing on the tables... I like to eat late, when you're a bit sozzled.
Living... On A Prayer
Dan: Religious views? Definitely atheist.
Rich: Yeah, I'd say that it boils right down to atheism. What's agnostic again? I'd say I'm potentially a “sceptical agnostic”, if that makes sense. I couldn't discount anything, but I'm not religious in any way but there's a small part of me that maybe has a spiritual edge.
Dan: I believe in human beings. That's it.
The Living... Years
Dan: Are these the happiest days of my life? Well, that would be tempting fate to say, wouldn't it?
Rich: It seems to me that most of my life has been great. Except school, which was generally rubbish. I wasn't particularly fond of school, I found it a bit of a struggle. But since leaving school, everything's been generally good. There have been ups and downs, but we're quite philosphical about it and always remind ourselves that what we're doing now is what we've always wanted to do, this is the destination we were aiming for, but it's actually counterinstinctive to think like that, because you're set up to think that, even though we've had a number one record, we've now got to sell out the tour, and make the next album... you're always thinking ahead so I think you need to step back every now and then. It doesn't matter what you do, you could be in a band, you could work in a shop, but I think you need to remind yourself from time to time that life is good. It's hard when you're busy and missing your family but yes, life is good.
Living... In A Box
Dan: I'm rubbish at presents. I've been given great presents but I'm rubbish at giving them. It's not because I'm mean, it's because I panic. I don't have a good imagination for it, I freeze up. But I suppose the best presents I've received... I like it when people treat you to occasions.
Rich: That's true. Sophie's got me a few things that have been amazing. A '72 Precision Jazz Bass, that was incredible. But two Christmases ago she got me an afternoon cooking course at Fishworks, where you learn how to cook lobster and fresh fish, and eat it; they give you the perfect wine to go with it. That was so memorable, and since then, we cook crab and lobster at home which I never would have done before that. Saying that, I've tried opening oysters at home and nearly taken my hand off.
The Living... Daylights
Dan: My favourite Bond film? Ooh, tricky question. Part of me actually wants to say Moonraker, even though I know it's not the best but it does have the campness to it. It's Roger Moore and it's got Jaws falling in love with that woman with the pigtails! But it's not great.
Rich: I think I've seen A View To A Kill more than any other Bond film, so I can't judge it. That was new when we were kids. Who was Bond in that?
Dan: Roger Moore. We always had Roger Moore.
Rich: And it had Grace Jones. And Christopher Walken as the bad guy. He was brilliant in it.
Dan: I think we'll have to go with that one because it was our generation. And to tell the truth, I do get them mixed up. Is that the one with the car that goes under water? Is that the one with Pussy Galore? When we grew up it was always Roger Moore but looking back the Sean Connery ones are amazing. I like the one with the 2CV. For Your Eyes Only? I love that one. Is that the one with the crocodiles?
Rich: That's Live and Let Die.
Dan: Ooh, Live and Let Die...
Rich: All those ones were great but I do think they lost their way. I do like the new 'Jack Bauer' format, that's very of the time, it's exciting and cinematic.
Dan: I thought Daniel Craig was great.
Rich: But some of those Pierce Brosnan ones... what were they about?
Dan: They got really boring. It was all effects. It was like seven year olds had written it: “ooh, then we could have helicopters going upside down and chopping heads off and an invisible car and... “ They weren't classy. Goldfinger was classy – camp, but classy.
Rich: Roger Moore was great. He was closest to a real spy, the real Bond, I think, a chubby middle-aged pen-pusher getting out of breath if he had to run.
Living TV...
Dan: It would probably be an old movie rather than the TV. With my feet-up on the couch and some friends around. Actually, we had a games night a little while back, that was great. So a classic movie but first some old-fashioned games...
Rich: What, like Cluedo?
Dan: Not Cluedo.
Rich: Scrabble?
Dan: There's one called Cranium.
Rich: Cranium's great! That's got everything, it's like bits of Pictionary and charades, it combines all sorts of things. And I like Buzz, the computer game, that's great fun.
Dan: And Green & Black's chocolate ice-cream. A perfect night in would have to involve Green & Black's chocolate ice-cream.
The Feeling's new single Join With Us is released on 7 July 2008.
