The Mandoki Soulmates are a collective consisting of the best musicians in the world under the direction of Leslie Mandoki. They have just released a genre-defying record called A Memory of Our Future which features artists like Ian Anderson, Al DiMeloa, Simon Phillips, and many more. Recently, Leslie Mandoki, joined by vocalist Soulmates vocalist Nick Van Eeede of Cutting Crew, sat with me to talk about this fascinating record and an impromptu performance of a new song written by Nick!
Please press the PLAY icon for the MisplacedStraws interview with Leslie Mandoki and Nick Van Eeede –
On working with Nick Van Eede – Leslie – Thank you for having us and I’m really proud and privileged that we have Nick with us because as a songwriter, as a producer, you always dream about a certain voice and a certain talent to kiss melodies alive and kiss words alive. Nick is one of the wonderful greatest talent around the world. I feel myself very privileged, very honored that he joined us a long, long time. I feel myself really privileged that he’s sharing the vision.
On what’s behind the lyrics to A Memory of Our Future – Leslie – This is kind of silly to start with, but it’s like this, as I was 12 years old I said to my dad, “I don’t want to be a musician”, because my dad was a musician. I was winning the contest of the young poet contest of Hungary. So in Hungary is that very much a literature and poetic-oriented country. This is where we don’t have war heroes squares. We have squares for composers and poems, and poets. So, I had a very, very, very strong literature background, but not in English. It’s in Hungarian, and for my very special situation, I never learned English. I never learned German or French because I was raised behind the Iron Curtain and the idea of the Russian occupation was that we all from North Korea to Cuba speak Russian as a second language, as the Western Hemisphere speaks English as a first or second language and we speak Russian as a second language. But secretly I learned English as I was a teenager. I was in my occupation in a kind of uprising anti-communist rebellion. So I’m always coming up with this crazy lines and the crazy political content.
But of course, when it comes down to singing, Nick is so creative and the blessing songwriter himself, and he’s just spicing it up and coming up with this very, very, very often, very nice. It feels like it was just a tiny little idea, but at the end of the day, it makes it much more powerful, more singable in the way and the phrasing. So, although I’m the writer of those, his creative involvement, without that, or without him, or without the way he turns it to music, it would not be the same. So, I really have a great appreciation for his input, creative input for that. But the lyrics situation is indeed, it comes from my rebellion. I’ve always been a rebel. And it goes on to my kids too.
On how Nick came into the band – Nick – It’s been over 15 years now. I can’t remember the first, how we actually met, but I was asked to join one of the shows. It was very memorable because I was asked to play at a show in Germany, and I thought it was going to be with an orchestra that I was told there was an orchestra there, and send the sheet music over and all that, and as they said, “Welcome Nick Van Eede”, as I walked onto the stage, the orchestra were walking off. “Oh, hello, Nick. Good luck. Good. Hello, Nick”. Tubas and violins and things. I was like, “What’s going on here?” So I said, “Ah”, so I stood there in that beautiful sunset. I think it was Augsburg, something like this. I was to do “Died in Your Arms” and that was the first time ever I played it completely on my own with the acoustic guitar because I had to.
So there was a version of that song born then, which we still do to this very day. So that was very much, as we say in English, happenstance. It’s been some glorious times. We’ve been around the world two or three times made a lot of music, done a lot of recording. For me, to sing alongside people like Greg Lake and Jack Bruce and down maybe a generation, Roger from Supertramp, Roger Hodgson. I still play with John Helliwell from Supertramp, who’s become one of my dear friends. It’s not only an honor, sometimes I have to sort of close my mouth a little bit and go, “I’m in this band as well”.
On how the right vocalist is chosen for each song – Leslie – Normally when the band doesn’t have any limitations, and it was for many records was the case. So no scheduling limitation whatever I’m saying. Then Jack Bruce was answering this question, what you are asking me right now on the second album that he said, “Unless he likes Duke Ellington, he knows exactly who’s going to sing what and who’s going to play what and where”. It was very nice and thank you for discovering, but the reality is in the meantime, a little bit different. Take Nick as a great example he couldn’t join us in the beginning of the recording, normally that would be for me, the most preferable way to do it record everything in a basically with Nick and then I do this with Jesse (Seibenberg) and I do that with Tony (Carey) and all the rest of it. But, for some schedule reasons he was rather coming into the end bit of the procedure.
Let’s take the song “Blood in the Water”. Nick is opening up in a such a strong way. This gave to the song and I kind of really sophisticated kind of match arrangement on the vocals, but it’s everything based on Nick, it is built on his way to open up the song and lead through the song. Also then when it comes to the. middle eight and that is getting a little softer and then more lyrical in a way, he’s also leading through it. So, that’s, that’s how I generate.
Nick – Also, to chip in, I think that there are obviously songs that are a bit bluesier, and that would be definitely Tony. I’m not a blues singer, so he nails those and we, Leslie would know that immediately. Jesse from Supertramp, he’s got a kind of a kind of cooler, controlled studio voice. So a lot of the, quite complicated songs. I’m like, “Bye, Jesse takes those.” As Leslie was saying, I think I’ve got a pure, sweeter voice maybe. So the combination is good. On stage, or in the studio, you can hear them all in there. That’s the Soulmates sound is that you’ll get one solo voice poking through and people can go, “Oh, that’s Nick”, or back in time, “That was Ian Anderson”, or whatever. Then we will come together and sing the harmonies. So that for me is the Soulmates.
On why he chose to record the record using analog technology – Leslie – Oh, the answer is very simple. We were doing our anniversary concerts and Ian Anderson gave a comment, a comment on that he said, “Leslie, we are all aging very differently”. And it’s true. We all living like we would be sturdy, but we are not sturdy. So, Tony Carey came up between as we had about four days break between two legs of the anniversary concerts. He said, “Leslie, I really hate you”. And I said, “What?” “I really desperately hate you”. I said, “What’s up?” He said, “The new songs, like “Devil’s Encyclopedia”, “The Big Quit”, or “Blood in the Water”, or any more recent, all this stuff is like something like you would be 25 or 22 because the power of those, the writing is very young”.
Tony came up or maybe it was Mike Stern, I don’t know. He said, “Leslie, do you have everything in the basement of the studio? You don’t sell anything. So you still have everything, all the analog machines, the two-inch machines. I haven’t seen these kinds of machines for ages”. And I said, “Yeah, well, of course I have it”. So we went down after the tour to the basement of the studio and plastic foil was everything, packed in the corner. So we put it up on the studio elevator and I called the old engineers and I said, “Guys, we just have to reset and rely the old analog machines”.
What was the reason? The reason have two corresponding elements. The one is sonic, a sonic reason, because it sounds different. The highs are something different. The mids are something different. The bass is a beautiful sound aesthetic, as I would say. This is one sense. Other thing to record with analog, the difference is, when Nick is singing, you don’t have 20 tracks to choose from to comp it, you have certain limitations. It’s funny when a guy like me has escaped communist, but then realize that limitation can be an inspiration. Because I always was fighting limitations in my life. So, but this kind of limitation that you have only one track for one guitar solo was really a true inspiration.
On putting an analog record together with musicians from all over the world – Nick – I’d like to answer this one because it is unusual. That is that you go to Leslie. He has this beautiful studio in south of Munich there, which is a dream beside the lake. Very, very often now, as you were saying, Jeff, that you can send in a file from the drummer in Siberia, the flute solo from Melbourne. As far as I know with Leslie, just about all of the stuff from vocals and real proper solos and things, you go to the studio. That makes it very special. You get that kind of continuity of thought. Would that be right to say, Leslie?
Leslie – Absolutely. Absolutely. Because and this is a magic when you have Richard Bona and Corey Henry together, and Max Jonas popping in and Al DiMeola comes by, this is a magic. We have a little hang and I’m cooking. For these upcoming shows, Jesse was calling from California and said, “Can I take my son again on a tour? Because you know, my father was taking me on his tours and it’s so wonderful, but please cook the same pasta as you were cooking in the last, during the recording.” So, this is a kind of family thing.
On the role of music and artists in today’s world – Leslie – I understand the world right now, like we are in the labyrinth of crisis and the compass is lost. So I think we musicians have a great responsibility because unlike filmmakers or theater artists or poets or writers or painters, we can write a song a day and next day being on stage and recording and release it. We are so privileged that the people are coming to the shows because they want to see us and they’re coming with open heart to be a part of our life and letting us be part of their life. This is the greatest privilege. We should appreciate this in a great way. In these trying, challenging times, what we are going through right now in this division, what we are experiencing in families and nations and groups. I think we should live up to the idea that music is the greatest unifier that we sing our songs for peace, we sing our songs for freedom, and for humanity.
They are very general aspects of life, but it’s so important, especially because wars are back in the center of our lives. We know that what’s happening in the hearts of people and when you facing the evil and music has a great responsibility to play and to build the bridges, even if it’s you don’t see where the bridge was. To take the stress away and be the lighting torch at the end of the tunnel. If you see the black swan on our cover, our job is, Nick and myself and all the rest of the Soulmates, to the end of the show, or when you’re listening to the album, when you are finished 80 minutes of Soulmates, that this black swan turns white again. That’s our job.
Nick – I’m 66. I was between after the wars, Vietnam, maybe when I was a tiny boy, but that was in another foreign planet, as far as an English boy was concerned. So we’ve had it good for so long and I’ve never found life aligning so scarily. There’s lots of things, you read your history books, just one thing goes, that doesn’t matter. Two things but three or four things all line up. That’s when the shit kicks off. I’ve happily written, 150 songs about love, about beaches, about dogs, about whatever, but more and more now, it’s not like a calling to do it, but you have to, you cannot dodge at least referencing it. I wanted, if I may, Leslie, just, it’s right. I mean, this is unrehearsed, but a brand new song, almost a folk song. I think it’s called “Jokely” because it’s almost a folk song.
Nick recites the lyrics to a new song and then plays it on guitar.
Leslie – It’s beautiful. It’s touching. Thank you so much, Nick, already touching me…I thank you so much for sharing this with us, Nick.
Nick – It’s angry, it’s making a point, and you can’t dodge that anymore, can you?
Leslie – I really appreciate it a lot because this is all about this is responsibility, what you were just displaying right now. That’s because the love of our audience and I put this fear around. Nick or myself or any other Soulmates or any other artists, individually, we don’t have a voice. This voice is given by the love of our audience. It’s actually their voice. Like I always say, we don’t really write the songs. Life is writing the songs. We are just in the privilege situation that we are allowed to write it down and reflect that crazy trying times as Nick did it right now. This is a privilege and the privilege brings responsibility to do things, what Nick was doing right now. To point out.
Nick – I think Leslie, you were 20 years ago, you were singing with that rebel in your heart, because of where you came from, because of your past, and 20 years ago, it was always relevant, but okay, there’s Leslie with his fist in the air, but hey, you were 20 years ahead of your time really because look what’s happened. Every year I come back and sing on your bloody songs, it becomes more and more relevant. So, power to you.
Leslie – Thank you so much. I remember that we, Hungarians got blamed. It was 88 as we spoke very disrespectively about Russians and we called them an evil nation. “You can’t talk about Russians like that” and all this they said, “You are not reading Dostoevsky”, was my answer. We said, “Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. They’re so different”. All the Western Hemisphere say, “I’ll be easy on them, don’t worry”. Finally, they left Hungary 89 but I never gave up to be in fear that they come back again.
Nick – So, Jeff, we have a very strong power as well with social media, as do you. You can say whatever you want, and it’s very easy to keep your head below the parapet, as we say in English, oftentimes music people, like Cutting Crew, for example, I can get 700 likes one day. I can put a picture of my dog and get 800 likes, but you start putting your head above the parapet. Just yesterday, I posted a picture of Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, shaking hands with Putin yesterday. The caption I put is, “Would you care for the next dance?” And I’ve had 10 likes instead of a thousand. People, they’re nervous about being associated with making a comment. Frankly, I don’t care about swearing now. I don’t give a fuck. It’s time.
On how Nick came to write “Map of the World” with Marillion – Nick – I love Marillion. We’re playing two shows with them this year at their conventions one in Berlin and one in Britain. We toured with Marillion on Hogarth’s first-ever tour, the Season’s End tour of Europe. So he was a little baby then, shitting his pants, the first time he’d ever been out off post Fish. I watched him and it was scary. Those Marillion fans back then were like, “Hmm. Let’s see what you got”. For me, he is the greatest thing that ever happened to Marillion. So there you go. So we became friends. Then he came out and stayed with me when I was living in Barbados, name drop, to write some songs. About two bottles of rum later, I had a song called “Map of the World”. We cut it to pieces, cut it up and everything and hey, presto! I know they didn’t play it very much for a while, but I’ve noticed it’s back in the sets quite a bit now. So I’m very proud, yeah. Great, great band.
On the possibility of US dates for the Soulmates – Leslie – Actually, we are negotiating this now because our album is so warmly and well-received in the United States. It’s really time. We played actually once a show in the Beacon Theater in New York and that was wonderful that we were invited by the Remy organization to do the show there. It was a legendary place, of course. Scorsese made Shine A Light with Rolling Stones there and so on. It was wonderful, and we would love to get back. So this is just about our agent and the managers and the labels, some negotiations. But it’s a big, big, big extra to bring it over, Cutting Crew is easier to handle. But, we are just about it.
On Cutting Crew’s future plans – We’ve never stopped. That’s why I couldn’t be on Leslie’s first part of the recording last year. We’re always gigging. I’m busier now than possibly even when we were having hit records. This year I took off for writing. I’m writing a book as well called “Nunuti”, which is about a serial poisoner from Ireland who meets up with a Japanese porn star. There you go. I’m having a lot of fun this year and I start again with Leslie just for a couple of shows in August and then the rest of the year off and then next year completely back on it again. I miss it already. It’s in my blood singing and playing, but what I have enjoyed is I suppose, for me to write. I always find it amazing when these bands, I don’t know about you Leslie, but these bands that say, “We wrote the album on the road”. It’s like, how did you do that? If I’m on the road, I’m either sleeping, eating, singing, or drinking, and other things when I was younger. Passing on, but how do you write an album on the road? So I have to go into my little room, get my books out and four or five guitars, tune them weirdly, and write songs. So I am enjoying that. The pace has slowed down for me to just go, that’s how I write good songs.
