Having listened to the fantastical musical creations Nick Garrie’s constructed over the years I’m astounded to find he’s not selling out arenas; being stalked by documentary filmmakers and winning lifetime achievement awards. Quite frankly, it’s inexcusable! Outside of music Nick has opened a Ski Club; founded a ballooning company and worked as a French teacher. Admirable occupations I agree, but having heard his musing – indeed he has won the praises of no less than Leonard Cohen – this is not what Nick should be doing…

Although not commercially successful in the English-speaking lands, his second album, Suitcase Man, did reach Number 1 in Spain. That plus tapas, rioja and siestas – we’ve much to learn from the Spanish!

Michael Pedersen speaks to the creator of the great ‘lost album’ The Nightmare of JB Stanislas...

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Thankfully there are a few of us with the time and temperament to wave his flag.  Nick’s a virtuoso; a maestro, a folk troubadour and he deserve a parade (or at the very least a picnic) in his honour.

Having whetted your appetite, I’d strongly recommend you feast on this little interview and then follow-up your findings.

‘The Nightmare of JB Stanislas, is a majestic confection of baroque orchestration and melodic nous that should have established him alongside The Zombies’ later work, if not Brian Wilson’s more experimental forays’ – The Independent

Your first album The Nightmare of JB Stanislas was recorded in Paris in 1969 – can you tell us a little about it?

“It was recorded with a 56 piece orchestra – mainly classical men in cardigans who were a bit bemused as to what I was doing there; plus nice young man Ronnie Butocavali who played trumpet on the song Evening.

It was produced by Eddy Vartan, the French singer and Yé-yé style artist Sylvie’s brother. The suicide of executive producer Lucien Morisse (the mercurial label boss who had discovered Gallic artist Michel Polnareff and made Petula Clark a star in France) led to the record never being officially released at the time. There are lots more answers in the short autobiography ‘I’ll read the book’ that comes with the recently released JB Stanislas Digipack.

The Digipack is, if you like, the official 40th anniversary edition of JB Stanislas on Elefant records and includes songs from the time never before recorded which I then recorded at Riverside Studios with the same crew from Arlington Gardens and then Josefina in a small studio up in the Portuguese hills.”

Not only are you a preciously talented songwriter but also you’re a bilingual wordsmith. Do you prefer – or rather find it more visceral – to write in a particular language? And how do you go about assembling songs with dual-language lyrical content?

(Note to reader – Nick’s song When Evening Comes is a sublime example of the seamless synergy he employs in shifting tongues).

“I was brought up bilingual in Paris and wrote some songs in French.

I’m pretty much at ease in both languages. At home we would start a conversation in one and switch when the apposite word sounded better in the other.”

Bob Dylan (whom many have inevitably compared Nick to) spent a lot of time weeding through papers and poems in order to uncover stories for songs – can you tell us a little about your methods of harvesting words and sculpting stories?

“Just words and jumbled sentences that form some sort of pattern in my cluttered mind. Usually founded on a particular mood at a particular time. All my albums came at a crossroads in my life and were my way of dealing with it.”

Although abominably unsung, you’ve a fine flock of admirers – among them Duglas T. Stewart from The BMX Bandits and Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub (two of my favourite Scottish songwriters) – where did these allegiance spring from and where are they going?

“I signed with Joe Foster from Rev-Ola records and he suggested I come up to Glasgow and record some new songs. I met Ally Kerr, Duglas, Norman, Francis and a host of young musicians who seemed to like the new songs. I played them the JB Stanislas songs and they seem to sit pretty well…’like meeting an old friend on the side of the road’ it said in an Italian Review.

Where am I going? Don’t know. My second album was called Suitcase Man and as Leonard Cohen once told me years ago, ‘my albums seem to pop up anywhere like champagne corks in the ocean’.”

You toured Spain with Cohen during the 1980s, for many of my characteristically curious make-up, that’s somewhat of a folk fairytale; care to share a few memories from your time on the road?

“He was a kind and generous gentleman really. I came down from the mountains with my rucksack and guitar and I think he was intrigued. He quickly realized that I had never sung to more than 50 people and took me under his wing and explained to me that the audience sent out their own vibes which when they met the singer’s made for a beautiful concert. All news to me for I had previously knocked back a stiff one and set off with my eyes closed. Now I sense the crowd from the first song like a matador watching the bull as he comes out.”

Could you tell us what you think are the crowning songs of your career and why?

“Deeper Tones of Blue, Inkpot Eyes, Back in 1930, Love In My Eyes, Nook and Cranny; and Twilight – the last one because of the lovely harmonies (not mine!).

“Not really crowning songs because I’ve never had that much of a career but little songs that hopefully will stand the test of time. The JB Stanislas ones are 40-years- old and I get messages from 20-year-olds who tell me how much the album has meant to them which of course makes me feel warm and glowing inside.”

Can you piece together a fictitious Supergroup for us, the condition being you include yourself? 

(Note to reader, I know Nick to be recklessly modest and a little coy – I must insist on his inclusion for the sake of the band!)

“You know, I’ve only ever played with a band once, at this years Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival – it was with Mike Heron and Trembling Bells, strings, bass, drums and Johnny Cameron on guitar keeping me in time. I think I’d stick with that!”

A parting sentiment for our readers?

“A little loving goes a long way…”

Info: Nick Garrie appears at Leith on the Fringe in Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Saturday 13th August; myspace.com/nickgarrie; elefant.com; Entrepreneurs, you can even book Mr. Garrie! – michael_eats_oranges@hotmail.com