Delirious?

For more than 15 years, Delirious? have been one of the most influential and phenomenally popular bands in Christian music. With their signature blend of U2-style musicianship and poetic but accessible lyricism, Martin Smith and company are responsible for one of the richest discographies in recent musical achievements.

Only days before Delirious? announced their decision to “take a break” at the end of 2009, Soul-Audio’s John Wofford had a chance to chat with lead guitarist Stu G on life, faith, and the state of worship music today.

Soul-Audio: Since Audio Lessonover left some fans disenchanted, leaving fans searching for the more worship-oriented side of Delirious?, it seems that you’ve been trying to regain the trust of a wary market. After The Mission Bell categorically became what many felt was a successful return to Delirious’ older form, how did the pressure not to make the same mistakes again affect the overall writing/recording process for Kingdom of Comfort?

Stu G: I think Audio Lessonover is a brilliant piece of work. When we write and record we have to get out what’s inside and what we’re experiencing at the time. Maybe our mistake is to carve up what we do and categorize it by “rock or worship,” “sacred or secular,” “congregational or performance.” It’s all one thing to us…or should be.

The pressure is to be true to ourselves and not to what people expect from us. Kingdom of Comfort was written from our experiences over the last two years: it’s an honest documentation of our journey.

SA: Do you feel like this return to explicitly defined “worship music” has limited the band’s scope, not so much in terms of the quality of musicianship (which is obviously spot-on), but at least when it comes to talking about life, love, politics, and other issues that are obviously important to the band? How have you broadened your horizons, particularly for this latest project?

Stu: We’ve broadened our horizons by allowing ourselves to hear the cry of the poor, the oppressed and the under values– it messes you up!

SA: Traditionally speaking, worship music deals in very blatant (sometimes clichéd) imagery. In over fifteen years of writing music for the Church (and anyone else with ears to hear), how do you keep the inflections sounding fresh? What process do you use to determine when a phrase or idea has become cliché and subsequently avoid invoking it?

Stu: Good question! We know we have to work harder when we cringe ourselves; sometimes we play it to our friends and watch their reactions…

SA: Let’s talk more about this latest album. Concurrent themes throughout Kingdom of Comfort are poverty, obesity, the relationship between faith and fear, and the beauty of the human experience despite gross hardships. For those who might not already know, what inspired Delirious? to tackle these topics?

Stu: The last 2 years or so has seen us travel to countries such as India, Africa, and Cambodia, where the extremes of poverty and wealth are just crazy. At the same time, listening to teachings by Rob Bell and N.T. Wright has inspired us to put flesh on the bones of our gut feelings.

SA: From the perspective of an “outsider,” how do you feel about the current state of the American church, particularly in its willingness to sometimes turn away from troubling issues in other parts of the globe and in its eagerness to commercialize Christianity? Does it discourage you? Or have you found a positive side that many might often miss?

Stu: There’s always a positive! In this world that is fixated by super-sizing there are always nuggets of infectious, subtle Christianity that inspire us.

SA: After all this time, are there any regrets that you have? Things you would’ve done differently? How does your family deal with such repeated, continuous success album after album?

Stu: I regret missing the Zoo TV tour, and the fact I might miss Radiohead live this year bothers me. My family deals with this great! We have lots of time together that even a 9 to 5 job can’t allow. We enjoy being on this journey together. We’ve done it for so long that sometimes my girls don’t really know I’m gone! My wife and my dog always know when I’m gone, though; they really miss me! Buddy (our dog) hates suitcases, because he associates them with me leaving…

SA: What does the future hold for Delirious? Are there any plans for EPs, singles, special live shows or other information you would want to share with your fans?

Stu: We intend to keep pushing, to keep creating for a long time to come. There will be all those things, but even if I knew the future I probably wouldn’t tell you. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise…

• www.delirious.co.uk
• www.myspace.com/delirious

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