Veteran Welsh popster MAL POPE was questioned by Tony Cummings.

Mal Pope

Tony: You are probably best known in the Christian community for your work on the 'City Of Gold' trilogy. On a personal level, what do those projects mean to you?

Mal: I love all of the Gold records projects for a number of reasons. a) They are really good musically. b) I think they also speak to people on a very deep level without sounding over religous. That's in many ways down to Adrian Plass's earthiness and Phil Baggaley's desire to be relevant. c) I really enjoy meeting up with some very good friends. I have known most of the people involved with the projects for many years and recording and performing 'City Of Gold' is the perfect reason to meet and catch up. That might sound selfish but with the type of life I lead meeting so many people in different circumstances these times can be like a small oasis in a desert.

Tony: 'The Ring' is very diverse in its range of songs. How did you come to make a CD which contains a song about holiness and a song about Woody Allen?

Mal: I knew I had to release a new album so I just started writing and recording until I had enough songs to release. It's been a very interesting year or so and I think that's reflected in many of the themes. I don't ever want to preach at people because I know who and what I am, but I feel I might have something to say. I don't write a diary but I write the songs as a way of marking special events in my life, like putting up a standing stone as in the Old Testament. Maybe my individual experience might reflect a universal experience...or more likely it won't! I always try to write something about each song on the cover of the CD to give an insight into my feelings when I wrote each song. "The Ring" came from reading the book of Haggai and feeling it jumping out of the page and into my life. That led to an investigation into the life of Zerrubabel and how he was to be a signet ring.

"Woody Allen" came through watching a documentary about Woody Allen. He came out with a line about dissatisfaction and it struck me as ironic. I went to Martyn Joseph's house to write some songs for an album we keep on meaning to record and I played the first verse and chorus. We didn't do much with it at the time but Martyn came to my studio after I'd put down the track, finished off the lyric and we recorded it there and then before going off to a party to celebrate Zac's Place, which is a church in a pub in Swansea where we've both performed.

"Holy" is about being anything but holy. It's funny how some people don't look beyond a title. One secular reviewer said it's like a Deacon Blue album sung by a real deacon, there's even a song about him being holy. I emailed him back and pointed out the fact he couldn't have listened to the words. The opening line says, "I'm shouting in the darkness my directions to the blind." The last thing I want to be is a fraud. Faith is the hope of things unseen, doubt is a part of that. Emily Dickenson said I believe and disbelieve a thousand time a day, that's what keeps faith nimble. "All I ask is seven signs and wonders, one for every single day." I think sometimes people think that when people say they have a faith that they believe everything that's supposed to go with the package, that we stop being human. I wanted to point out that with all that said. "You make me holy, cover my darkness, white sheets and calico, Holy." I'm dressed up in another man's clothes.

Tony: Your latest album is on your own label, MPH Records. How easy is it to get 'The Ring' in your average record shop?

Mal: It's easier to get hold of in Wales than outside. I do a lot of TV and radio here so shops are willing to stock it; outside it's more of a battle. Having said that the interenet really does work. I've sold all over the world from Japan, to Switzerland, to the USA, etc. It does make life easier for an independent. I don't have any Christian distribution. Most find the last two albums not Christian enough which is fine. Having said that I would hope they would address many questions Christians ask themselves but might be too afraid to raise elsewhere. It's the whole thing about being vulnerable and wondering what people will say if you say to them.."I've got this problem."

Tony: What's your favourite song on 'The Ring' and what's it all about?

Mal: I suppose "The Ring" is very personal. I've started doing a monthly concert in my own church. It's called A Night With Mal Pope And The Jolly Beggars (that's a reference to C S Lewis's description of what Christians really are in their relationship with God). There are a couple of guys in the church who play really well and we rehearse in the afternoon and play for an hour in the evening. It's an hour of me rambling, tellling stories, sharing where I am. The elders of my church are very supportive and encourage me to speak openly. I remember one week before Christmas I phoned my friend who's the pastor to say I'm not sure if I can sing on Sunday. He said why not, and I said I'm not sure if I believe it all anymore! They stood by me (well you expect that type of thing from an artiste don't you) and said just go out there and we'll be with you. I think that evening was most possibly the most spiritual evening of all. I told the packed church the story and that how I came through another dark night of the soul and it seemed that maybe I wasn't the only one who experienced that type of thing.

Tony: You've got Bonnie Tyler and Martyn Joseph duetting with you on different tracks on your album. How did that come about?

Mal: They are both friends. Martyn and I have perfromed on numerous occassions and we are planning to record an album together at some stage. Bonnie lives just about a mile away. I've been a fan for years and we've done a lot of radio and TV shows together. We even performed for Joan Collins! I sang with Bonnie on one of my programmes last summer and driving home I thought it would be great to write something especially for her. I dropped off a demo and said if she hated it not to mention it and we'd never talk about it again. She rang the next day to say she'd love to do it. She is enormously successful everywhere but Britain. Having said that her 'Greatest Hits' album went top 10 last year in the UK too. I think she's a smashing lady and I love her to pieces.

Tony: You've been close to mainstream pop chart success in the past. Are there going to be any more Mal Pope tilts at the charts in the future?

Mal: This is a very funny business. Last summer I spent countless hours in my little studio in Mumbles and came to the conclusion that there was no point in worrying about success or failure. The only thing in my power was to make this CD the very best that I could. Anything else was like trying to add an inch to my height. I have taken on a plugger for Radio 2, etc and he's confident we'll get some play on the Bonnie duet...and there's always Gordon Haskell to give hope to every aging singer songwriter!