What is your earliest childhood memory?
Playing in the snow with my Dad at home. My childhood was ace, I had nothing to complain about at all. The ‘Troubles’ were always there, but I never remember being really disturbed by it, because it was just part of everyday life. My Dad was a small claims court judge. In one of the books about us it said I grew up behind security cameras and fences, but that’s rubbish
What do you remember about your school days?
I was never that interested in school and I was pretty average. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do as a career, so in my mock interviews I said I’d like to be a chef. This was all I ever really wanted to do.
Where did the inspiration to play music come from?
From an early age music seemed to offer something really different and cool. Probably my inspiration came from Thin Lizzy and pop records I listened to growing up. The first song I really liked was “Take On Me” by A-Ha, but I wouldn’t like to say I got where I am today because of that! Along with about five of our mates, Mark (Hamilton, Ash bassist) and I decided we were going to start a band when we were 12. We all got guitars that Christmas. We started Vietnam (Tim’s pre-Ash band), but the others soon lost interest. Very wisely.
What stands out from Ash’s early days?
We did our first shows in a pub in Belfast called The Penny Farthing, and we always played with the same four or five bands just to get a gig. By the time we started, Therapy? were just breaking out of Northern Ireland, but none of the local indie labels were interested in us so we just put out our own demo tapes and stuck at it. When “Jack Names the Planets” eventually got released and was played on Radio 1, I remember running around the house going ‘Yee-Ha!’. We’ve made a lot of mistakes in public, but I wouldn’t have it any
other way.
Do you still feel a big attachment to Northern Ireland?
I’m not that political and we’ve always stayed away from commenting too much, but we’ve had IRA people coming to see us in the States asking us to do benefit gigs. Which is quite bizarre, because they obviously don’t know we’re Protestants. I’m sure U2 and Therapy? has the same sort of shit. I’ll have to ask Bono the next time he pops round!
How do you think your personality has changed since the early days?
I’m older and wiser. Maybe I’m slightly mental now. Some of my romanticism has gone and I’m a lot less naive now - which takes some of the magic out of cool things you do, but I suppose it’s better to be realistic. I feel quite grownup and responsible now that I’ve moved out of home, and my parents trust me.
Do you read your own press?
Not really now, because whether it’s praising you or being really derogatory it very rarely hits the mark, and sometimes it gets you questioning yourself. I don’t get hurt by criticism, but some people come with pre-conceived
ideas and don’t get the whole picture. I’ve just learned to say, ‘Fuck it.’
What have been the darkest periods of your career to date?
I has a hard time last year, when we’d just finished one big tour and then started another. I was exhausted and hadn’t really been home since I’d left school, and there was the prospect of nine months on the road. But people let me know that we could take time off if we needed to, which was comforting and helped me getting over it.
Are you happy at the moment?
Pretty much. I feel pretty secure about everything at the moment. I’ve got a fucking great life, it’s brilliant.
You have a reputation as Ash’s most sensible member. Is this a fair assessment?
I hate the sound of that, because it sounds too boring. But it’s not important for me to send myself into oblivion every night, although I like having fun too. We’re putting together a video of our tours and some of the states Mark gets into are mad, but I don’t worry because he’s so cool about it - and it’s all in the name of rock n’ roll.
Are you a religious person?
Not at all, which is really bad because I grew up with religion. I think I’ve ignored my spiritual side over the last few years. I should do something about it. But it’s not something I spend too much time thinking about.
Do you believe in an after-life?
I’ve just been reading this book called Many Masters, Many Lives, which is supposed to be a true story about this woman talking about her past lives, and it seems almost feasible. Recently, I’ve thought that this life is the end, but maybe it’d be nice if there was something else.
What dreams and ambitions do you have?
I’ve kind of got to where I want to be, but I want to stay here. It’s important for me to be remembered in the future, but I don’t need us to be the biggest band in the world. Chart positions don’t mean that much to me; it’s all bullshit and marketing wank. I used to believe that if you wrote a brilliant song that would be enough, but now I’ve realised it’s possible to get shit into the charts.
Is it strange being a hero for some people now?
Yeah. You can’t really put people on a pedestal because they’ll always disappoint you in the end. No one is perfect. I don’t really believe in heroes any more. Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy was cool, but he had his weaknesses. Having heroes is like worshipping false idols.
Can you imagine a life outside of Ash?
I don’t know, it’d be hard to go back to a normal life now. But I find it quite easy to adept to things and I don’t mind what I do as long as it’s on my own terms. If the band stopped now I’d like to study music, or go into production or work on orchestral soundtracks. I’d still do music, cos that’s the only thing I’m good at.
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I wouldn’t wish to win the Lottery, because I wouldn’t like everything just handed on a plate to me. I’m not sure I’d use the wish actually, because I’d feel much more satisfied earning something for myself. That old protestant
work ethic.