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AMSTERDAM – Talking to Kasabian singer Tom Meighan is like talking to a music encyclopedia. From British rock 'n roll to American hip hop – he knows everything. And of course Kasabian is the best thing that ever happened to England. “We're the most underground cult band ever in Britain.”

“I can't tell you enough how good we are at making rock 'n roll.” Tom Meighan (29) has never been modest. Ever since Kasabian debuted in 2004, he repeatedly insulted fellow musicians. Two albums later – Empire (2006) and West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009) – Meighan is still as fierce as he was in the beginning days.

For example: he's constantly underlining the supremacy of British bands. American bands like The Byrds and The Monkees? According to Meighan they were just trying to compete with The Beatles. As for hip hop though, he admits the pioneers were from the US. “Hip hop was born there. The east created it, the west decorated it. East coast rap music was suburban and poor, the west got hold of it and made it bigger as a pop thing.”

The hip hop approach found its way into Kasabian's music early on, in the track Processed Beats.  “Serge [Pizzorno, guitarist, red.] said: sing like Johnny Rotten, but also sing like [American MC, red.] KRS-One.” Meighan got involved with rap music much earlier. “Listen man, I had a N.W.A. record when I was eleven years old.”

If hip hop will play a role on the follow up to West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, remains uncertain. That the fourth Kasabian record will be better than the third is for sure, though. “Everybody's like: you can't make a record better than the last one. Yeah, we fucking can! Why not? You don't want to stay on par, you don't want do the same thing you did before. The best thing about our band is that we're the most commercial underground band ever. I don't know how we sold a million records – it's incredible –, but we have.”

In conclusion Meighan admits that he can't be too serious about music and all that comes with it. “It's only music, mate. I don't take it that seriously. I really don't. I should've been a fucking comedian – I would have been bigger than this.”

Kasabian live: www.myspace.com/kasabian and www.kasabian.co.uk.

Interview: Lucas van Eck
Text: Tom Springveld

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