Retro Fetish: Ana da Silva
Issue #23
On her first solo project, the ex-Raincoats singer goes to The Lighthouse
By Charlotte Robinson
Published: March 1st, 2005 | 4:30pm
As the singer-guitarist in the Raincoats, Ana da Silva made some of the most inspired music of the post-punk era. A native of Portugal, da Silva moved to Britain to attend art school in 1974 and formed the Raincoats with Gina Birch four years later. The band's three albums became cult classics, and at the prodding of Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth, Geffen reissued them on CD in the ’90s.
In the interim, da Silva briefly fronted the band Rosewood, wrote music for dancer-choreographer Gaby Agis, painted, and worked in an antiques shop. In 1995, da Silva and Birch assembled a new Raincoats lineup for Looking in the Shadows, but the reunion was short-lived, and now da Silva is dropping her first solo album, The Lighthouse, which she recorded and mixed on her own with the help of an electronic sequencer. Da Silva spoke to Venus about the album and her storied past from her London home.
What made you decide to record with a synthesizer and sequencer?
I bought the thing because I wasn't really playing with anybody else, and that seemed to be a good way of writing songs. I didn't know anything about electronic equipment — nothing at all. I thought I'd fiddle about with it, and I thought it sounded good as it was. [I] developed the songs and kept building them up. I didn't want it any different.
Was there a particular painting that inspired the song "In Awe of a Painting"?
Not a particular painting, but more an event. I really like Jean-Michel Basquiat, his work. I went to see that film about him [1996’s Basquiat]. There was this scene to do with his mother, about her going to a museum and seeing a painting … and she said something about being in awe of this painting. But that idea was really in my head about this thing, that you can really be in awe of something or feel this awesomeness when you see something — it doesn't have to be art, anything — and it just fills you up all with emotion.
Do you feel your literature and art background has an influence on your songwriting?
Everything affects you, doesn't it? I also have always liked a lot of popular music. I used to be really into Bob Dylan and read a lot of his lyrics. It all influences you, but not directly. Your mind is a bit like a big bag; you get all these things in there and then what comes out, you never know.
I've also read you're a fan of Patti Smith. Were there other artists who influenced you?
It would be Patti Smith in the sense that there was this strong woman that was there doing her thing. I went to see her, and for the first time I saw a woman like I'd like to see: doing this thing, not looking controlled and [defying the idea] that she would be allowed only to do certain types of music. Also, I think the big influence in what the Raincoats were had to do a lot with the punk thing happening. Of course, I had all this baggage from behind. When I was very little, my older cousins were listening to Elvis. Then as a teenager, I listened to the Beatles and Rolling Stones. And then there were the early '70s and late '60s things like Jefferson Airplane. I just listen to everything, from the beginning 'til now.
Both you and Gina have said the Raincoats broke up in part because you allowed too many musical influences into the band.
By the time we were done doing Moving, there were six of us in the band and everybody was coming in with these styles. For me, that wasn't what I wanted to do, doing things based on funk music. I like funk music, but it wasn't really me — or West African, or reggae; it just wasn't me. And you're thinking you're just not feeling what you do any more.
What was the reason you didn't continue with the Raincoats after the reunion?
We tried again, but then a lot of things came back again. (laughs) It was very hard for us and we just thought, “That's it, let's just finish here,” and we didn't do anymore.
But you and Gina are still close?
We're close and we're very good friends. I love Gina to bits, I love her kids and everything. We're very good friends, but when we work together it is difficult. Lots of things come up, you know? (laughs) We're just normal human beings, and therefore we find it difficult at times to work together. But we've done the odd gig. We did one last year in Berlin with Chicks on Speed when they were launching 99 Cents, so if occasionally there's a special occasion, we'll get the band together and do something.
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