John Watts is from a family of singers. He progressed through school and college bands inspired equally by the late 60s Trojan catalogue and great maverick artists, from Alex Harvey to Lou Reed, Captain Beefheart to Tom Waits and the ‘Hunky Dory’ David Bowie. Watts moved to the point where punk, art-wave and reggae crossed over. With college friend Steve Skolnik and rhythm section Steve Liddle and Dave Graham, Watts landed a record deal as Fischer-Z with United Artists in 1978 alongside the Buzzcocks and the Stranglers. They became well known throughout continental Europe and achieved chart success as far abroad as Australia.
Watts has amassed a considerable body of creative work since. His quality song-writing has evolved steadily against a variety of musical colours. It has encompassed written word, poetry and humour as easily as rap-scape, rare groove and indie guitar influences, all with a characteristic singing and written ‘voice’. The original Fischer-Z split up in 1981.
The double worldwide release of the Real Life Is Good Enough and related It Has To Be albums represents a fresh new era for John; a return to more organic music-making and humorous writing. He is touring extensively solo and in a three-piece format with drummer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Walker and Matthew Gest on keyboard.
The album Morethanmusic was released in october 2010, with the songs he used to play on the MoreThanMusic live shows in the prior year.
In 2010 he had a couple of shows as Fischer-Z with Sam Walker on drums, Matthew Gest on keyboards and Matthew Wear on bass. This appeared to be a quite succesful revival. In april 2011 he released a remix album of the most succesful Fischer-Z songs via crowd funding site PledgeMusic.com. This album was titled Fischer-Z.
Interference
John Watts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The opening lines of John Watts's song Interference describe a situation where the singer is stuck in a rut, marking time while doubters around him lack faith in finding a solution to their problem. There is a sense of discouragement and perhaps even resignation as they face what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle. Previous discussions seem to have been replaced by ultimatums, and the singer seems to be cut off from the people who had offered guidance and support previously. The singer's frustration reaches a boiling point as they assert their independence by declaring their need for space, insisting that they do not require interference from anyone.
The theme of the song centers around the singer's struggle with bureaucracy and the frustration of finding no relief or support from those who should be providing it. The lyric "standard replies were the sole response from a structure that's inflexible" highlights a sense of hopelessness connected with official channels of communication, as bureaucrats seem to be unable or unwilling to provide meaningful solutions. Even more frustrating is the sense that the singer's predicament has been ignored or dismissed until it becomes too pressing to be ignored any longer. The song offers a view into the fractured nature of communication between people and the impersonal nature of bureaucratic institutions, with the singer craving human connection and meaningful communication.
Line by Line Meaning
I was marking time.
I was waiting around with nothing to do.
The doubters looked uncertain as immediate solutions seemed Improbable.
People who were hesitant didn't believe any quick fixes would work.
The faces turned away and ultimatums took the place of earlier Discussions that you had with me.
People refused to listen and instead gave ultimatums, disregarding previous discussions we had.
I don't need your interference.
I don't want you to meddle in my affairs.
I can't think in singular Formula.
I cannot find a single solution that works for everyone.
Leave me alone.
Please stop bothering me.
Standard replies Were the sole response from a structure that's inflexible.
The rigid structure only gave the same typical responses.
I am not surprised But you can't expect any gratitude now I've come back again.
Even though I'm not surprised, I won't be thanking you for your lack of help.
In a single day the barriers of bureaucracy were broken down.
The obstacles caused by bureaucracy were swiftly overcome.
And you've changed your tune And now everyone's prepared to say hello again.
Now that circumstances have changed, people are willing to be friendly again.
I don't need your interference.
I still don't want you to meddle in my affairs.
Contributed by Charlie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.