Long Hot Summers: The Story of the Style Council (2020 TV Movie)

Paul Weller: Self

Quotes 

• Paul Weller : It was the freedom I was looking for - coming out of The Jam.

• Paul Weller : I very much - I loved my time with The Jam. You know, it was just work, work, work. You know, there was a tour and then there's a record and then there was a tour and then there was a record. It just seemed like a kind of a treadmill. You know, which you have to be on if you want to make it and do what you do.

• Paul Weller : I just had a completely open mind on it all, really. You know, on music, on the band, on life, who I was, you know, all those things. All those big questions, really.

• Paul Weller : We just wanted to move it away from just being English, really.

• Paul Weller : It was just a bit of fun, you know. And it was aping Colin MacIness' style in "Absolute Beginners," really. And the book was a huge influence, as well, on me and The Style Council, forming The Style Council.

  Mick Talbot : I always thought that it had elements of those early Stones albums, as well, like getting some strength and dialogue from a really good novel and using it as a kind of language that was pertinent to just to one band.

  Paul Weller : And I just had a kind of another rebirth of mod when I read that book, really. And I thought that was the kind of sort of blueprint, really, for modernism, I thought, really. You know, kind of embracing all these different cultures and not being xenophobic and suspicious of anything foreign.

• Paul Weller : It definitely confused people. 'Cause a headliner come on first and, then, also finish the show, as well. But, we were just trying to present something different, you know. We was trying to get away from just the simple act and then the main act and all that. We wanted it to be a complete experience, you know, like a total sort of evening for people.

• Paul Weller : I thought we were outside what - of the culture of the 80s. But, its really hard to do that, I think. Whether you like it or not, you are still a product of your time.

• Paul Weller : You can only commit to what you feel at the time. You can't think how you're going to feel 10 years down the line.

• Paul Weller : I was really getting into at that stage, anyway, but, we weren't a jazz band. It wasn't like that. We were influenced - our influences were varied and they went from Tony Hancock to Horace Silver, you know, I mean, it's like that.

• Paul Weller : The influences on that record were quite deep, you know. We were sort of thinking about Debussy and Satie - so there were elements of classical music in it and we seemed to be like a little bit kind of pretentious; but, really it wasn't that. It was just what I was listening to at the time. Things like "Story of Someone's Shoe", right, with the Swingle Singers - was a direct influence, right, from the MJQ, Modern Jazz Quartet, right, they made an album called "Place Vendôme" with the Swingle Singers. Such a great concept - this jazz band with these - these singers.

• Paul Weller : With like any politician there's always some ulterior motive, in't there, you know. So, it just fuckin' put me off, really. That's all. They are as I imagined they would be. You know what I mean?

• Paul Weller : "Our Favourite Shop"'s a good record. I think "Confessions" is a good record. And there was great singles, you know, great little bunch of singles. But, more than anything else, it was a happy time for me in my life, you know. And, yeah, when I think of The Style Council, I just think of fun - all the fun we had.

• Paul Weller : As I always am, whenever I get sort of turned on to something, I just wanna - I wanna do this - this is where we're gonna go.

• Paul Weller : I don't now really remember in great detail. But, from what I remember, I liked it. And that's all you can do, man. You can only do what you feel is right at the time.

• Paul Weller : We were getting more and more out of step with people; but, they were out of step - whatever way it works.

• Paul Weller : [singing]  Dredging up the past that is gone for good, Trying to polish up what is rotting wood, Oh-oh-oh

  Paul Weller , Dee C. Lee : Diving, I'm diving, Diving, Diving

  Paul Weller : Diving...