Favourite music
D: Highlights of the year for me were Ten Stones by Woven Hand, Carried To Dust by Calexico, and Obzen by Meshuggah. It's been a slow year for me discovering new music so i've had plenty of time to re-listen to some gems I've not heard for a few years such as Valentino by Long Fin Killie, Sultans of Sentiment by The Van Pelt, One Sock Missing By The Grifters, and Spasm Smash by Trumans Water.
M: I really liked the new Nick Cave album and also the Neon Neon record.
S: Some might find this slightly vomit inducing but i genuinely think that Remember Remember is my favourite record this year.
Favourite films/books/comics/other art
D: I honestly think that the Dark Knight was the only new film I saw this year, so that wins by default. It's been a bumper year for comics though and by far my favorite new title is I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura.
M: Dom and Stuart have been getting me into comics this year which is something I thought I'd never do. I've been reading Watchmen which is tremendous and have read Batman Year 1 and Killing Joke. I thought they were alright, not great. I've just bought From Hell which I'm going to save for the plane journey to Japan in January.
I also really loved the Steve McQueen film, Hunger. I've not seen something that stunningly brutal in a long time, if at all.
S: My favourite film was Hunger and my favourite book (actually a comic) was The Walking Dead.
Favourite shows by other bands
D: I saw Lightning Bolt for the first time at ATP New York. It was a fucking riot, I felt like I was fifteen again. The Night Marchers at the Captains Rest in Glasgow was a great show. The frontman John Reis was really drunk and coming out with some of the finest onstage patter I've heard for a while. I also saw Stars Of The Lid for the first time at Stereo in Glasgow. Stuart and Martin were there too but their memories of it may be a bit hazy due to Celtic winning the league that night. They were definitely the worse for wear.
M: Dom and I went to see Converge in a really small club in Glasgow which was pretty breathtaking, I think that was definitely my favourite show although I've seen some great gigs by MIA, Dizzee Rascal and Nick Cave.
S: Leonard Cohen at Edinburgh Castle was fantastic.
Favourite Mogwai show
D: We played a lot of fun shows this year but some of the most memorable shows were the New York ATP and also the two London shows (Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hammersmith Apollo).
M: Strangely, it was the one at ATP NY when my pacemaker broke through my chest Alien-style.
S: ATP New York was a great show.
Most memorable moment of the year
D: My most memorable moment without a doubt would be Barry telling me (whilst I was supping a post-gig shandy) that Martin's pacemaker was making a bid for freedom. Surreal stuff.
M: When my pacemaker broke through my chest Alien-style.
S: Celtic winning the league on the last day tied with Obama winning the US election.
What do you want for Christmas?
D: I'd like some free time to play my Xbox.
M: A PS3.
S: Something nice.
Worst-ever Christmas present
D: My girlfriend's dad gave me a particularly shocking selection pack of Y-fronts a couple of years ago. I'm pretty good at pretending to be pleased with naff presents but that was tough.
M: Presents are always nice.
S: My mum got me the Rangers annual a few years ago for a laugh.
Records/films etc you're looking forward to in 2009
D: I'm looking forward to new albums from Converge and the Twilight Sad. The latter were playing new tunes when we were playing shows together last month and they were sounding great.
M: Can't think of anything at this moment. All Rock Action releases, naturally.
S: I heard that Richard James is putting a record out next year which I'm sure will be great. I'm very excited to see the new David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky films which are both out soon.
Plans for 2009 - Mogwai, Rock Action, whatever else
D: The first half of the year has us touring pretty solidly. We'll probably be playing a bunch of festivals in the summer and then I'm guessing we'll start writing the next record.
M: To stay out of hospital.
I'm actually quite looking forward to the prospect of releasing our own records on Rock Action although I realise it's going to be a lot of hard work. For those folk who like Part Chimp, I think you'll be pleased at what those guys are going to be releasing next year, the new album is amazing.
S: The fantastic Part Chimp record will be out early-ish 2009. Mogwai will be touring up until next autumn and with any luck we'll manage to do some recordings in the middle of touring.
Thanks gents
Further reading in similar vein can be found the Matablog:
Stuart Braithwaite, Mogwai
1 Hunger, the amazing debut film by (the English) Steve McQueen
2 Remember Remember by Remember Remember lp (apologies for Rock Action nepotism)
3 The Dark Knight film
4 Bon Iver album album
5 Kick Ass comic by Mark Millar
6 Celtic winning the league on the last day of the season
7 Neon Neon lp
8 The Earth album
9 The Shellac album
10 Waltz with Bashir film
Barry Burns, Mogwai
1. Promo of Scottish band De Rosa’s new album called Prevention on Chemikal Underground Records. If I like it, it’s bound to sell literally hundreds, of downloads.
2. Gladly having to cut short a tour in the spastic fuckhole that is America, thank fuck for drummers with serious heart issues.
3. The credit brunch, it’s what’s for dinner.
4. Russia’s return to groupthink idiocy.
5. The end to the win-able dual wars on terror and drugs, finally! The streets are dry.
6. A rediscovery of the band called Crystallized Movements (you know, from the past)
7. Christopher Hitchens and (nearly) everything he says. Especially about Diana, our dead princess. A great orator.
8. The re-emergence of the non-mild winter in Glasgow. It’s fucking baltic here again and quite rightly, that’s why I bought an unfashionable North Face coat. Last year, wearing that jacket, I temporarily looked like a long haired mutt hanging out a warm Ford.
9. That new president guy you got that isn’t a primate’s skinbag rash.
10. The late discovery of both The Wire and The Sopranos. Don’t even try to tell me they’re shite, over here we’re stuck with EastEnders, the omnipresent Michael Caine and a stupid non-biased, un-entertaining and factual media which is apparently the envy of the world. But they don’t tell you that on TV.
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