Peter would like to thank his fans for their questions. He received great questions that elicited very illuminating, evocative, and personal responses. His answers are some never before given in prior interviews and give unfiltered insight into Peter’s life and creativity.
See the previous post for questions 1-30.
31.What does Peter Murphy dream about?Abandonment
32.What makes you laugh?I have a friend, a female who has such a terribly naughty sense of humor. It shocks.
33.What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?Moved to Turkey, learned Turkish, immersed myself into the culture. I am nigh on Turkish.
34.What do you love most about life?To breathe is truly a gift
35.How do you overcome creative blocks?Sit myself down and move. Just apply myself and do it. Action.
36.Do you have any fears?I have a recurring nightmare about abandonment. Being lost and unable to find my way back. These dreams imbue the day, though dreams tend to work out and offer a solution to the problem.
37.How do you define success and fulfillment?To keep moving. Securing my family first. Accepting that I have fans who believe in me.
38.What is your favorite time of the day?One hour before dawn, the very time when it is said that the sacred saints and masters are present.
39.If you could relive one day or time from your past, just for the experience, which would it be?The birth moment of both my children. Indescribable.
40.How did you like filming your role as the “Cold One” in Twilight?Loved every minute of it from stunt training to it all. Even though I was in it for 15 seconds (bloody cheek).
41.What is your favourite black & white film?La Belle et La Bette by Jean Cocteau
42.I've read that the song "Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem" (absolutely beautiful song by the way, definitely my favourite one from your solo work) was inspired by a documentary you saw of Marlene Dietrich where despite her hesitation in revealing details about her personal life, she was quick to share what her favourite poem was, which was how she 'showed her true self'. Do you have a favourite poem or is there anything that you've related to on a deeply personal level?Oddly, the lyric to Eno’s Bone Bomb. Deeply moving.
43.I thought your Miracula concept of intimate shows taking place at a private location with a small crowd was brilliant. Do you have any future plans for these types of events in the states?I would like to put on a series of them in different countries.
44.You mentioned you would like to do a residency—are you considering any particular cities?Would love to do so in various countries.
45.You have always struck me as one of the most literate and intelligent of lyricists.
What informs your lyricism; travel, education, native intelligence?Shakespeare’s genius and sometimes made up phrases that evoke meaning
46.Have you ever thought that you might share in a more narrative form your unique and beautiful human experience that has such a diverse and specific array of experiences?You are so kind. If I were to write a book, it would have to be unencumbered by biopic gossip-type storytelling but would be a more abstract sense of being with, of course, actual events.
47.Now that you are a recognized singer, did you ever think or visualize an ordinary life before entering the world of music?I was always singing believe it or not, as was my father and big brother.
48.Do you have a favourite tea?Darjeeling
49.What is your favourite flower?Orchid
50.What historical period do you think describes you best?None, only because I don’t fit in a good way.
51.What is your definition of a perfect day?Moment by moment
52.What is the creature/monster/legend that scared you the most?Serial killers
53.What do you like the most about yourself?Now that I am no longer stunning and am old I like that I feel just the same person as I ever was.
54.What are your memories of growing up in Northamptonshire?Close family. Good people. Weekly mass hymns. Long walks over the fields for hours. Brook jumping, apple scrumping. Running from farmer’s dogs. Discovering my first soft porn mag with Joe my mate. Ughhh.
55.The shimmery glam jackets you wear on tour are stunning!!! Who creates them for you?
I designed them and my niece Zeynep made them. My polka dot mirror jacket I designed and Chantal my costumer made it.
56.What are your must-have tour essentials?My assistant Chantal
57.What was the first live concert you attended?My elder brother Daniel playing the lead in the school musical of “Hello Dolly”
58.What was the first album or single you purchased? How old were you ?A Hard Day’s Night. Beatles. 7 years old.
59.What is your favorite thing to cook?Bolognese
60.What is your favorite thing to grow in your garden?Jasmine
61.What do you think about when you’re on stage?I don’t
62.How has the experience of having a heart attack changed you?I just carry on.
63.Do your kids have any idea how famous you are or are you just Dad to them?Both
64.Would ever consider making a Peter Murphy biopic?People do ask me.
65.PERE UBU....those first singles are ESSENTIAL....what did you think the first time you heard “Final Solution”?David J played it for me at his house. We were listening to a host of songs that we felt related to us, Bauhaus, in 1979. Loved the song and went for it as my first single on ‘Should the World Fall Apart”.
66.Many artists have covered your work both with Bauhaus and solo. Are there any cover versions that you’ve heard and thought are any good?The band did not like this metal band Nevermore’s version of “Silent Hedges”. I, though, liked it. Imbermind’s cover of “Strange Kind of Love”.
67.I've always thought that the song "Antonin Artaud" captures perfectly the spirit of this absolute and tormented genius. Why and how did you find his life and work so inspiring?This was David J’s lyric and for us all an introduction to A. Artuad.
68.How many songs from each album do you typically leave on the cutting room floor never to see the light of day? How many of those songs are excluded only because they don't fit the album or its theme as opposed to being a subpar song?None really
69.Is it realistic to expect/hope you'll do more work with Paul Statham and/or the Hundred men?I doubt it. Love them all, though. I still write with Paul the odd song. He always has a song on each album of mine.
70.Why did the Murphy-Statham collaboration end?It hasn’t, see above.
71.When you worked with Paul Statham, what was the general creative process? Did you come up with song lyrics, hand them to Paul and let him create the melody? Or was it the opposite where he'd create music tracks and you'd pick the ones that piqued your interest and wrote lyrics to finish them?Paul would present me with a collection of instrumental ideas. I would weed them out and create and add music sometimes.
72.Dust is so hypnotic and spiritual. Might you have a future collab with Mercan Dede?Quite possibly.
73.What was the inspiration behind Dali's Car as a theme?Derived from my lyric. An account of a dream. To evoke a sense of the surreal, which I felt Mick’s bass playing was.
75.Have you ever considered playing the Dali's Car albums with other musicians?No
76.In addition to Justin Chancellor, I heard that Tool drummer Danny Carey is also involved on your new album. How did the collaboration with both of them happen?By a fortunate way of both good men wanting to play on the album. I am good friends with their manager and also have met Danny (a lovely human) and Justin here in Istanbul. I just couldn’t stop them doing it. Very chuffed.
77.When making an album, how do you decide when it is complete? Is it driven by number of songs? Contractual deadline? Money? Something else? All or none of the above?I work until I get enough for an album.
78.Who designed the covers of the Bauhaus albums?We all did. David J was good, too.
79.Looking back, what are your thoughts on “Go Away White”? I love the record and I think it’s very under appreciated. I am really fond of your lyrics on Black Stone Heart. Also, “The Dog’s a Vapour” seems out of place just from a production point of view in my opinion. What are your thoughts on that and was there a reason it was so different?We were just getting warmed up when we had to break for the NIN tour. We had intended to continue but as is our habit we split up just after the tour. I do like the memory of our collective chemistry in working solid for two weeks. Yes, “The Dog’s a Vapour” was an add on from an entirely different session.
80.Was “She's in Parties” written about a prominent German film director active in the 1930s?No
81.Your Bauhaus band mates kept working on "Burning From the Inside" while you were recovering from Pneumonia. What songs were completed and/or in progress at the time you fell ill? Which songs were in progress when you returned? Which songs were created from scratch after you returned? Were "Honeymoon Croon", "King Volcano" and other songs exhumed from the Bauhaus archives included in the album as a means to finish the album quickly or were they always intended to be in the album?Yes, the songs that were developed prior to my re-joining the band were more or less completed by my own vocal redos and became Bauhaus songs proper. “Burning From the Inside”, “Honeymoon Croon”, “In the Night” were from scratch.
82.Why didn’t Bauhaus play "Party of the First Part" in concert? I'm not referring to the voice tracks borrowed from the cartoon, but the jazzy music you play as the backing track. Why did Bauhaus never make more songs along those lines? Any credits you can share on that song such as who played what, or wrote it?Because it was improvised on the spot and not doable live. Not least because we never used keyboards live as a rule, except for the monotone Wasp on “Of Lilies and Remains”.
83.Did you still think albums are relevant to your career in today's music industry climate? Or do you think it's better to do smaller targeted releases like an EP or single? Do you have a preference of format to release your music?I am a believer in album creations which carry a story line of a collective whole. Though I have a non- album track special (unexpected some will say) single coming out in November. With Bauhaus, I did value putting lone singles or EPs out.
84.How sore does your throat get after a show? How much time do you need to recover to be ready for the next show? What is your routine in the hour before you walk on stage to perform? Do any of these differ whether you're performing solo vs. with Bauhaus?My voice tends to be strong. It takes 2 or 3 shows to become consistent and if it isn’t then I will use my voice differently but not too much. I generally stay quiet between shows even though I’m a chatter box. Drink water, lemon water. Rarely warm up. Bauhaus songs tend to be more eccentric and character-based with some very high pitched songs such as “Spy In the Cab”, “Passıon of Lovers”. As I rehearse them I easily find the original voice in my throat no problem.
85.You have such a beautiful voice! Which song is the hardest to sing for you? Which one requires your energy - body and soul - at the fullest?If it proves to be too hard to recreate live I just won’t do it. None of them are hard actually since they came from my body in the first place. I revel in singing “Your Face” and “Subway.” Also “Flat Field” and “Stigmata Martyr”.
86.What advantages does your voice have now vs. your younger self relating to vocal qualities?
I’m not sure. I do find, as I mention above, that I can easily find my original voicings in my throat. Singing is a full bodied experience. The throat the final tuning muscle but the profundity or character of the intent is summoned by the entire body. A mixture of full presence and being totally relaxed yet fully physically present and, most of all, summoning the soul that is singing to you, the audience. I do not separate myself as some separate speaker. I am telling each of you my messages aimed at reaching you. Without you there is no one to touch or to exist. It is an act of passion to create an event for you watching. I am, I would say, a hopeless romantic yet can be quite serious and take you deep into a journey. It is a very valuable gift to have been able to do what I do.
87.What have you long wanted to do, but have never done (career wise)?Acted with at least one great actor.
88.As an artist, did you ever feel that you did not fit in the times in which you were creating? Did you ever feel ahead of your time or, on the contrary, that you were making music that would fit better in another era?It is impossible for me to know where I fit, actually. I think being ahead of the trend is manifest and decided by the listeners. I do believe that, having witnessed my audiences, a few of whom have probably never heard of me, and seeing a genuine amazement in their reaction. This demonstrates that there is future value to my work. Also, the work may not receive the exposure that it could have and therefore remains in obscurity until such a time that you loyal fans spread the word. Plus I’m an old goat now. Still a bit gorgeous but I can’t be worrying about all that.
89.Are there any recording techniques, instruments, styles, or trends you absolutely refuse to use in your own work? If so, what are they?Slide guitar. Lazy drum loops or samples. Real killer drummers are gold dust. I choose producers like Youth who are naturally aesthetically aligned with my attitude. We are cut from the same cloth. Killing Joke and Bauhaus double headlined in 1980.
Youth even then was super charming and spoke like an all round creator. Very much fond of him. He is so chill yet a taskmaster. But with me I’m one step ahead of him and kill the song, leaving him the luxury of producing on a higher level.
90.You've written about some pretty extreme topics, or topics in extreme/intense ways over your career. Are there any topics that are off limits to you? How have your boundaries changed over your lifetime?Clearly never a sex-oriented subject. Avoid politics. Never about “chicks” or misogynistic rubbish, though I have two songs on the subject of female groupie types, “She’s in Parties” and a new one on my new album to observe the dangers to women who chase fame or the famous. How they will end up disenchanted. That’s all.
91.How does one surmount the struggles of life? Not necessarily contending with the fact it must end but rather just existing from day to day?As I mentioned in a previous question, every breath is a gift. Contemplate what you have. Imagine those in the shit. Palestine, Korea etc... deny unhappiness a place. Change if you need to.
92.What do you think about peak experiences, and the concept of the dual nature of things?Clever you. What do I say to that now?? Think on the idea of unity of being. That is oneness. There can be no “other” of thing separate. I suspect this is a way to discover being. Connectedness.
93.What biggest, deepest and true spiritual lesson have you learned in your life? And how do you apply it to your life and your art? I understand that you are a traveler on the path of a Sufi tariqa. By what means have you progressed on this path? Can you use music as a support for your own progression? And what is the connection that binds you to a sheikh?I cannot speak of this stuff, not being a teacher but a student. Read Rumi’s poems.
“Let the Flowers Grow” will PREMIERE on rollingstone.com on 7 November and is available for presale NOW on Bandcamp 
Photo: Steve Rapport 