Cue & Ehh? With Camel

Camel - Pink Snails

I stumbled across Camel and was instantly attracted to her sound. Like the second cousin of Feist, the sister of Gravenhurst, or the quiet friend of The Moldy Peaches, Camel's creations are a close, revealing whisper of something unexplainable. Not one to say too much, I managed to squeeze some meaningful lowercase words from her. Cherish each and every syllable...


Hi Camel, you seem to have a curtain of mystery around you, can you tell me a little about yourself?

ummmmmm, well i am camel. hello. i am 21 and I have lived in Belfast since September... ummm ok, things about me... i study philosophy, i wish i could live in the sea, but i'd drown... i'm not scared of anything except prescription drugs... i dream of travelling to south america one day, maybe in an ice cream van.


You portray a person illuminated in a poetic aura. Does poetry play a lot in your life? If so do you have any favourites?

that's quite a lovely thing to say... this is madness. yes i like words, i've read some of my stuff, sometimes in Belfast.. but i don't have any favourites... well I do love Sappho.


Leading on from the poetry I had noticed that you have quoted a few strange books in your blog. Do you spend a lot of time reading and is there any one publication that you'd say has affected you or influenced you?

wow... there's lots and lots and lots.. i love stories. i collect fairy tales and i spend a lot of time reading those, old folk tales or myths from different parts of the world. i think it's interesting... but there isn't one in particular... Andrew Lang's coloured fairy books are wonderful, he's collected so many stories.


Right, on to the music; Listening to some of your songs I'm reminded of the likes of Cat Power, Joni Mitchell and Cocorosie. What artists have played a major part in the development of your own music?

what music?! this is such madness! i'm sorry but i am not a musician and i can't think how to answer that.. because, there isn't any development to speak of... i've only recorded a few 'songs' and i just did them very quickly and it was just about fun for me... i mean, it was never about the end result. I just wanted to see if i could make some songs...
um... I've not heard Cat Power, but yes, i like the other two.. i like so much i don't know where to start. i don't know if my song things are even influenced by anyone except me and my thought trails...


I'm currently enjoying the ad for Ask.com (If you don't ask you don'’t get); it gives me a fuzzy feeling inside. What makes you smile?

this is an insane question. loads of things make me smile. o dear, o dear, sorry... i'm not very good at this am i..?
ok, people make me smile, and insects, and dancing... making friends and hearing their stories, being with my brother and sister, oh... i love watching horny pigeons. i can watch and smile for hours.


Are there any other tracks available apart from those featured on your myspace site? Can other material be purchased from you?

no that's it. i mean i have lots of barely audible ideas and stuff that i recorded in my room. like little fuzzy pieces of songs, but no complete ones. it really is just fun, i do not have any plans for a musical career!


How do feel the Internet plays as a promoter of music? Do you feel you have benefited from it or been hindered by it?

i buy music from internet. it's quite a wonderful thing.


Your recordings are very raw which leads to a more emotional mental picture of you as an artist. How do you record and what'’s your usual method of writing a song?

words + sounds.


I've found myself really enjoying '‘Deal or No Deal'’, a pick a box game show hosted by Noel Edmonds. Are you willing to share a secret shame?

no


Weird and Freaky Question:

If you had to choose, which would you sit through watching; a dog eating the eye from a cat's corpse or a cat chewing the jaw from a dead dog?


the jaw of a dead dog chewing the eye from a cat's corpse.

oo, that could be a song...

x x x



Further Viewing:
Camel's Myspace - Discover 3 more tracks.