A Chat with Morgana Quasar (10.01.22)
Influenced by the likes of Tears For Fears, Talk Talk, Abba, The Kinks, David Bowie and many more, UK-based Morgana Quasar is a duo unlike any other. With their eclectic sound, Malcolm E Scott and Patrick D prove they are not to be pigeon-holed and are completely unforgettable. We speak with the pair about their album We Positive (W+), discovering new music and future plans.
OSR: How did Morgana Quasar come about?
Morgana Quasar: We met in the late 80s when Malcolm E Scott joined Patrick D’s band. We’ve been good friends ever since. Morgana Quasar is the result of many recent conversations about life, love, climate change, politics and social injustice.
OSR: What and/or who inspires you to make music?
Morgana Quasar: Bowie, Zappa, Roxy Music, Abba, Zeppelin, The Kinks, The Tubes to name but a few. Books, movies, world events and friendship.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album We Positive (W+)?
Morgana Quasar: We Positive (W+) was written throughout the pandemic. It is a personal response to what we’ve experienced in our lives as individual and social beings, but particularly, it’s about now and our hopes and fears for a world of immense beauty that currently sits precariously between longevity and self-destruction. We+ addresses the issues around personal loss, climate concern, political corruption, social inequality, the quest for happiness, sobriety and the gift of love.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your album?
Morgana Quasar: Anything they want. Music is an entirely subjective experience.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when writing and recording We Positive (W+)?
Morgana Quasar: We were working with limited tech, so it was a bit like the old days when you had to apply out of the box creative thought to the recording process which made things more interesting. Sometimes too much gear gets in the way of the creative process because you become obsessed with mastering the equipment and lose sight of the overall aim, which is to make some decent music.
OSR: Which is more difficult: lyrics or melody?
Morgana Quasar: Lyrics maybe? We really don’t like releasing material with lyrics that don’t make sense or just come across as lazy, you know? Like a lot of shit that rhymes or sounds good joined up but ultimately takes you nowhere. Lyrics are important; they’re the window into the writer’s emotional world but, obviously, interpreting them is a subjective process. As hard as you might try to say something meaningful, some people will get it and some people won’t – that’s what makes music so wonderful.
OSR: What is your favourite track on the album and why that one?
Morgana Quasar: It varies. For the past few weeks, it’s been ‘Piss Tsunami’ for Malcolm E Scott and ‘********’ for Patrick D. ‘Piss Tsunami’ because we’re being lied to on a daily basis by politicians, the media and self-styled political “commentators” through the lens of social media. The majority of these “truth seekers” seem concerned with nothing more than doing the bidding of their paymasters and feathering their own nests. ‘Piss Tsunami’ is an angry reaction to the lies, divisiveness and hypocrisy, and how, to varying degrees, we must all take responsibility for what’s happening – that’s where the line “Morgana Quasar on the piss tsunami” comes from. We are not exempt. The band also took inspiration for ‘Piss Tsunami’ from Cold War Steve – one of the most important artists of our time.
OSR: What is your most annoying habit?
Morgana Quasar: We have so many annoying habits – too many to list here.
OSR: If you had to describe your life as a movie, which movie would you choose?
Morgana Quasar: We both chose The Shawshank Redemption. “Get busy living or get busy dying” – that’s all there is.
OSR: What do you think is the best way to discover new music nowadays?
Morgana Quasar: Music streaming (although streaming companies need to be paying artists fairly which they are currently not), live gigs and social media.
OSR: Do you have any future plans?
Morgana Quasar: Yes. We’re currently writing the second album and hopefully releasing a couple more videos from W+.
Many thanks to Morgana Quasar for speaking with us. For more from Morgana Quasar check out their YouTube and Spotify.
