Ash is back after eight years with sixth album KABLAMMO! (Edel/earMusic). The Northern Ireland trio—vocalist/guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray—will be on tour supporting the LP in the U.K. starting later this month. Ash will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
McMurray: I’ve become somewhat obsessed with this film recently. It breaks so many conventions in film. I’m sure a lot of executives probably had their heads in their hands after the first screening. I’m always drawn towards things I don’t understand, and there’s a lot in here that doesn’t make sense. I guess that’s what draws me back to it. There’s a lot of talk about the monolith and what it represents with some saying it’s supposed to be a movie screen. That’s fine; maybe it is. But it’s a metaphor; it can’t be left at that as an explanation. I don’t know when I first saw the film; I think it was just on TV right after I watched Star Wars. I remember just watching a tiny bit at the start and just going, “I have no idea … ” I was probably six or seven when this was on, so seeing this film with no talking through the first 20 minutes and just apes kicking the hell out of each other was very confusing to me. Stanley Kubrick obviously has this reputation as one of the greatest directors. It’s a film that I’ve always had a hard time with, but I keep coming back to it because there’s so much involved in watching it. It can be hard work when you’re trying to figure out what the director is trying to say. It really engages your mind as a film. I’ve always had this thing where I really like doing things that I’m not very good at. So there have been so many times where I’ve watched the film and just gone, “Fuck this.” But then I go and watch it again, and every time I have some more understanding of it. It’s very easy to obsess over.
Video after the jump.
