West Country singer-songwriter and Say It With Garage Flowers favourite, Alex Lipinski, has just released his brand new single, Idiot Station.

It’s a big, bold and brassy tune that comes on like a hurricane, is driven by a glam rock beat and full of dirty, noisy electric guitars and thundering bass, with Lipinski taking a swipe at the dumbing down and blandness of modern mainstream media. Look out, he’s back and he’s taking no prisoners…

Ahead of several festival appearances this summer, he spoke to us about the record, his love of Big Star, his recent tour with Marc Almond, going to see Springsteen in Dublin and what he’s listening to at the moment.

So, tune into the Idiot Station…

Q&A

What can you tell us about Idiot Station? What inspired it lyrically?

Alex Lipinski: Idiot Station is about the vacuous nature of mainstream media — the lack of substance, depth, or feeling that’s being fed to us constantly through all avenues. On TV it’s all meaningless ‘reality’. Then you flick over and there’s some deluded political fuckwit covering his/her/their arse.

Big radio is filled with the same emptiness and the same cast of maybe 50 artists. Is this really all we’ve got? Equally, the song could be interpreted as love falling apart. You choose.

It’s a big tune — a bit glam rock and brassy, too. Where did it come from musically?

AL: I was playing around with glam rhythms — I had this T-Rex thing in my mind. So, you’re bang on with that. The venomous melody just gave itself to me. I was imagining a cross between The Stooges and The Black Keys, but Bolan is in there for sure.

Was it written and recorded for the last album but didn’t make the cut?

AL: No — it’s a brand new song, although I had it in mind for the next album. We’ve been playing it live recently, and it’s a freight train, so I thought, ‘why wait?’

‘I was imagining a cross between The Stooges and The Black Keys, but Bolan is in there for sure’

Where did you shoot the video?

AL: We shot it at The Louisiana in Bristol. It’s a great, small, family-run venue, and I’ve played there more than a few times.

You’re wearing a Big Star t-shirt in it. Are they a big influence on you?

AL: I got into Big Star several years ago. I guess I was late to the party. I love The Byrds and early R.E.M., and their name kept popping up. I love their first album [#1 Record] and September Gurls from Radio City is such a perfect song. And I’m always drawn to Third — it’s a beautifully fragile record.

You’ve been playing a lot of gigs. How have they been going?

AL: The gigs have been great. I played a bunch of festivals last summer with my band, The Crown Electric. It’s now getting to a place that we’re starting to cook. I’ve also been playing a few solo, acoustic record shop in-stores recently, which have been great. Very truthful.

You supported Marc Almond on tour. How was that?

AL: The Marc shows were a joy. His guitarist, Neal X, saw me play in London and invited me to open for the tour. Playing The London Palladium was a surreal experience, and it was great to be able to share that stage with my brother, Adam, and also have our folks in the audience.

I also opened for Marc in Europe recently and it was even better. The Spanish crowds were off the scale. Marc’s audiences are so welcoming and attentive, and Marc is a proper gentleman. I’m forever grateful to him for giving an ‘emerging artist’ a chance.

‘Bruce reinvigorates your soul. I’m not religious, but going to see a Springsteen show is like going to church’

So, what are your plans for the rest of 2023?

AL: We have a few festivals coming up, including Valley Fest, Glastonbury and Lakefest, as well as the main stage at the Shiiine On Weekender, in November. There will be a few more record store shows, as well as some gigs in some more traditional venues this autumn.

Any plans for a new record anytime soon? Are you writing and recording?

AL: I’m currently writing and demoing the new album. I have a lot of different ideas. That’s my favourite part of the creative process — from a spark to something tangible, which didn’t exist an hour or so earlier.

You saw Springsteen play in Dublin recently. How was the gig?

AL: As always, it was a completely immersive, communal, three-hour juggernaut. Bruce reinvigorates your soul. I’m not religious, but going to see a Springsteen show is like going to church. That was my fourteenth Springsteen show. He’s 73 years old and still head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to playing live. Man, are we going to miss him when he stops touring.

What music are you digging at the moment – new and old?

AL: I’m currently reading Stuart Cosgrove’s trilogy (Detroit 67, Memphis 68 and Harlem 69), so I’ve been listening to a lot of music from that period which has been great, because while there’s a lot there I’ve heard before, there are so many other artists I’ve been introduced to, such as James Carr, Don Covay & O.V. Wright.

I’ve also been listening to Willie Nelson: Shotgun Willie, Phases and Stages and Red Headed Stranger. There’s a great record of his called Spirit, from 1996, which I was introduced to recently.

I loved the Dylan Time Out Of Mind box set. It’s one of my favourites of his and the extra stuff on there is magical.

I’ve been listening to a lot of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard recently, although it’s hard to pick where to start with that band, as they put out so many records, which isn’t a bad thing.

I think there’s some great songs on the new Lana Del Ray album. The latest album from Turin Brakes was brilliant, and I loved Wilco’s latest record, Cruel Country, as well as Arcade Fire’s We.

Idiot Station is out now digitally (Marquee Records/Universal Music Group). Alex Lipinski’s latest album, For Everything Under The Sun, is available now on Mia Casa Music: https://alexlipinski.co.uk/