This interview was a long time in the making. It was originally scheduled to take place while Stephen Coates (who records as (The Real) Tuesday Weld) was making a few stops on the east coast of the United States. The idea was for me to interview him somewhere in the East Village upon his return to New York from Boston. The meeting was scheduled to take place on September fourteenth. History intervened.

Obviously, the planned trip never transpired, and therefore I never had the opportunity to ask the burning questions that I had about Mr. Coates, his seemingly gender-bending choice of alter-ego, and most importantly, his phenomenal album When Psyche Meets Cupid. His music is hard to categorize: it's one of those sounds that demands new, hyphenated sub-genres to be erected in its honor. It is composed of various electronics and machine-generated beats spliced together with acoustic instruments and samples from '30s-era pop songs. This is the first album both you and your grandfather could enjoy together since that Bing Crosby/David Bowie "Little Drummer Boy" one-off.

Clearly, the personality that generated this music would probably have an interesting perspective on the fractious and amorphous modern music scene, so after numerous false starts, and through the good offices of his publicist, I am able to bring you this e-mail interview. Hopefully, it will satiate Coates' growing fan base until (The Real) Tuesday Weld takes a jaunt to our side of the pond.

Splendid: We might as well get the obvious question out of the way: Why name yourself after an actress? Moreover, why maintain your primacy as "The Real" Tuesday Weld?

Stephen Coates: I was persuaded to make the shift from visual arts to making records by two dreams. The first was the appearance of Al Bowlly, the British(ish) 1930s crooner, and the second, the nocturnal appearance of the actress Tuesday Weld. I just took it as a sign, I suppose... The change to the name "(The Real) Tuesday Weld" was of a somewhat more pragmatic origin -- we were alerted that there is, in fact, another band called "Tuesday Weld", and of course there is the possibility of confusion with the lady herself. So it was a practical thing -- with a twist of the tongue in the cheek.

Splendid: How does Ms. Weld feel about all of this? I've noted in some articles about you that you sometimes refer to Ms. Weld as "The Real The Real Tuesday Weld". Is all of this a complicated semantic commentary on identity, or just a lark?

Stephen Coates: I really don't know how she feels -- I imagine she probably doesn't know. We are always half expecting some legal injunction or something. Of course, that would be a great shame, because it's a kind of tribute to her, not a denigration. I like her work and life -- and one of the two songs she recorded! The "real, real Tuesday Weld" thing is just a bit of romantic, semantic jiggery-pokery, although I did need to distinguish her somehow from the band.

Splendid: What made you decide to quit art school?

Stephen Coates: Actually, I completed my time at the Royal College of Art -- so I am officially an artist. (!)

Splendid: Given your presumed interest in visual art, do you see music as merely one of your creative outlets, or have you supplanted your other interests with music?

Stephen Coates: I used to paint a lot, which has gone by the wayside rather -- as has writing. I became very interested in the history of subterranean London and the writings of Jung and James Hillman. I think its all fed into the music and lyrics somehow, but if I run out of music I will return to those things more directly. There is a sort of basic equation going on for me, which is that if I am involved in creative activity, I am happy; if not, I am unhappy. I like to be happy.

Splendid: Your music has been labeled "Antique Beat", "Progressive Nostalgia" and "Swingonica". For those among Splendid's readership who are not familiar with your work, please describe in your own words the elements you put together in creating your music.

Stephen Coates: That is a very difficult one for me. Errr, lyrical songs with a cut and paste collage of jazz, swing, Serge Gainsbourg, Morricone, Eno, Dorothy Parker; songs about love, but not love songs; sadness and frivolity. I suppose I have been trying to capture the sound of an old radio playing something you half-know or half-remember.

Splendid: It's interesting that your music consists largely of snippets of swing and pre-swing-era records, combined with electronica. In a sense, your style skips over rock and roll entirely. Was this to avoid rock's stereotypes and pitfalls? Is rock and roll simply not a great influence on you?

Stephen Coates: I am really not interested in rock and roll at all -- although there are always certain songs that seem to transcend genre. I dislike bluster and histrionics -- in myself as in others -- and I can't dance, so the rave, techno thing doesn't seem to work for me either. Until recently, I listened to very little contemporary music, but there are some guitar things that I have really enjoyed of late -- countryish stuff.

Splendid: When Psyche Meets Cupid tells the story of a relationship from beginning to end; was it your intention from the outset to create a concept record?

Stephen Coates: Yes, I think that idea was always there in the background -- it works loosely on the record. These things (love affairs) don't seem to progress in a linear way, do they? They seem to hop back and forth and there's still something going on even when the relationship is over -- in dreams and memory, if not in meeting.

Splendid: Considering that the title of the last song is "Goodbye Stephen", is it safe to assume that the relationship documented on the album is largely autobiographical?

Stephen Coates: I would like to say "No, its about universal themes," but actually a lot of it was inspired -- directly or indirectly -- by my time with one person.

Splendid: The Magnetic Fields have a song titled "Underwear" on their 69 Love Songs album, the chorus of which plays on the same French pun as your "L'amour et la morte". Had you heard this song, or is this simply a case of serendipity?

Stephen Coates: I didn't know that, although I have that album. Well, mine came out first (the Kindercore EP)!

Splendid: I've been told you have yet to perform live. What are some of the problems you have to overcome in putting together a live show? Do you lean toward solo performance, or a backing band? Why?

Stephen Coates: Its been difficult -- my preference would be a cabaret outfit with computers, but it would take a lot of time to put together and I've too many things to do, unless somebody could fund it. It would be great to be out on stage, though I dislike the conventional gig format. Maybe "An Evening With (The Real) Tuesday Weld" will happen one day.

Splendid: The musical interludes on the disc are named in such a way as to advance the "plot", despite their lack of lyrical content. Did you compose them with those titles in mind? How did you choose which "scenes" would be better conveyed without words?

Stephen Coates: They kind of emerged by themselves and, as ever, the titles -- like the lyrics -- suggested themselves. Some of those pieces have versions with lyrics, but I felt that there needed to be some space from the vocals and words. They often pin the feelings down too specifically.

Splendid: What other jobs have you had? What was the worst?

Stephen Coates: Designer, museum attendant, postal worker, balloon seller. The last was the worst -- dealing with frantic, harassed parents, demanding kids and the difficulties of trying to find a clandestine place to urinate whilst holding a hundred large, brightly coloured floating things in one hand.

Splendid: What is in your CD player right now?

Stephen Coates: Syd Barrett's Best Of.

Splendid: What are you reading now?

Stephen Coates: The manuscript of the new novel I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan, for which I am writing the "soundtrack to the book" at the moment.

Splendid: What song do you wish you had written?

Stephen Coates: "Who knows where the time goes?" by Sandy Denny.

Splendid: In "Terminally Ambivalent Over You", are you describing ambivalence as a terminal condition, as the terminal point in the relationship, or as something else?

Stephen Coates: Ambivalence seems to be a terminal condition with me in relationships -- both in the sense that it almost seems structural, and that it is usually the thing that has brought about the ending. Is that a male thing? Or have I just never fallen in love properly?

Splendid: Your lyrics are exceedingly witty and obviously very carefully written. Is it difficult to judge the line between ambiguity and obscurity when writing literate lyrics? How do you stay on the right side of that line?

Stephen Coates: The words have always been important to me. In songs, generally, I am often put off music by bad lyrics -- although interestingly, some people (e.g. Billie Holiday) can sing the most banal things in a way that is terribly moving. I haven't set out to be literary or obscure, but to try to capture some feeling or moment with all its idiosyncrasies. I have thrown a lot away, I can assure you.

Splendid: Describe your writing process. Do you start with samples? Melody? Lyrics? Something else?

Stephen Coates: It's always started with some melody for me -- in a dream, or something heard in another room or playing around in the studio, and then the words or an image seem to suggest themselves out of that. Afterwards there is a long period of working it all out -- the craft bit, I suppose.

Splendid: Was it a conscious decision on your part to be a solo artist, or is that just how things worked out? Have you ever been in a band? Do you prefer one or the other?

Stephen Coates: I have done things with other people and enjoyed it at times, but I prefer to be solo and get helped out by friends. I am a bit of a control freak, and I like to work odd hours and at my own pace.

Splendid: Any plans to try once more to head to this side of the world?

Stephen Coates: I would like to come over soon -- maybe in 2002. I really love coming to America, so here's hoping...