Dominic Miller Interview - 04-24-2005 Van Andel Arena- Grand Rapids, Michigan

Interview by Kimberly J. Katz
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Last weekend, I received the privilege of speaking at length with longtime Sting guitarist and soloist Dominic Miller just prior to a sold out show of Stings’ “ Broken Music Tour”. I was rushed backstage for what turned out to be a very interesting and inspiring interview before Sting and Dominic went on to play. Miller began playing with Sting in 1989 and has since recorded seven albums with him. Since then, he has appeared on more than 100 albums by the likes of Phil Collins, Tina Turner and Bryan Adams, as well as playing with Nigel Kennedy, Lesley Garrett and Pavarotti. He has also released two solo albums, First Touch and Second Nature and collaboration with fellow guitarist Neil Stacey entitled New Dawn. In addition to Sting, other collaborators and guest singers are currently being finalized to work on the album. For more information about Dominic Miller and his performing schedule please check out his website at www.dominicmiller.com.

Kim Katz - What is the one thing that you always take on tour with you to make your room more cozy? -that you’ve GOT to have for your hotel room, like candles or something?

Dominic Miller - Well to make it more cozy, there are two things that I really need, I need a guitar to practice on-

KK - Like an acoustic?

DM -Yeah, an acoustic and also my yoga mat.

KK- Oh, I do yoga too.

DM - I do yoga everyday so I have to have that. But I don’t have any little gadgets or anything. And pictures, of my kids.

KK - Okay, pictures, yes, okay good. And when you do yoga - I was going to ask about your routine, how you prepare for the stage- what’s your like nightly ritual?

DM - Sometimes I do it in the hotel room, sometimes I do it at the show, and today I did it in here.

KK - How much do you do? Like a half hour, couple quick poses?

DM - An hour -

KK - An hour? Wow! A whole hour that’s great.

DM - It helps me get limber and it feels good -

KK- Yeah, it’s so good for you, isn’t it? You relax and breathe- what kind of yoga do you do?

DM - Ashtanga yoga, I’ve been doing it for fifteen years.

KK - Oh, Ashtanga yoga that’s hard, Oy! Do you do it real fast?

DM - No-no-

KK - Oh, that’s hard, I only did that once or twice, it was very hard. There was a lot of muscle quaking and difficult breathing. Okay, what is the best thing about being on the road with Sting?

DM - The best thing about being on the road with Sting is that it’s always interesting. I’ve been doing this for so long, for fifteen years now, and I’ve never got bored with it. Sting is always changing the plot. He doesn’t give me a chance to get complacent or bored with it,

KK - He’s unpredictable?

DM - He’s unpredictable. So like, he makes drastic, well, musical decisions on a regular basis and that keeps me on my toes.

KK - Do you guys get along?

DM - We do.

KK – Ever rib each other? Do you ever wrestle? Or play thumb wrestling?

DM - (laughs) No, No. On this tour, the best thing is that there’s a lot of freedom and improvising, so it’s really great. I’m having so much fun.

KK - Great! What is the worst thing about being on the road?

DM - The worst thing is being away from my wife and kids.

KK - yes … how many do you have?

DM - Five kids.

KK - Get OUT of here! You don’t look old enough to have any kids!

DM - Well, one of them is nearly twenty.

KK - WHAT?! Wow, that’s awesome.

DM - That’s the hardest part. That’s the ONLY thing that’s bad.

KK - Yeah, yeah - so how do you deal with that? Are you on the phone all the time?

DM - Yes, on the phone all the time, sometimes they come and visit me.

KK - How do you guys keep your energy up? I see your schedule sometimes and I’m layin’ there and I get tired just looking at your schedule. How do you do it when you have two shows in a row AND you are flying- do you have time to eat, sleep?

DM - You just hit the wall, you know and you just go with it-

KK - I mean how can you sleep on a schedule? How can you make a steady - I’m going to sleep six hours now, when you’ve just been on a plane?

DM -You just do, its part of the discipline. It’s often not until I get off a tour that I realize how tired I am. You just keep going. You hit a wall, and you just keep going.

KK - (laughs) That’s some wall!

DM - Then when I have nothing to do, I’m just sleeping all the time. But now I’m energized. I mean, this is a great thing to do; we’re about to play in front of thousands of people. It keeps you on your toes.

KK - And the yoga helps, too.

DM - And the yoga helps. And all these changes, the musical changes that I have to think about, keep me alert.

KK - Yes, yes, I think playing music really keeps you young, inwardly and outwardly. Okay what was my last question? Um…the good, bad and the ugly- Oh yes, when you work on your solo stuff, how do you compose? On an acoustic or electric?

DM - I usually compose on an acoustic- actually always.

KK - Do you work alone?

DM - Yeah.

KK - Do you like to find nature spots to work in, or do you work indoors, in a studio?

DM - I could be anywhere and I don’t consciously sit down and compose. What I do is I play a lot - I practice a lot, the classical stuff – when I practice and sometimes I might be just be fooling around and I’ll stumble on a little motif and the trick is to recognize when you’ve done that.

KK - Right, right and save it.

DM - You know, and then save it and to just recognize that and say, okay, I’ve got two chords there that are somewhat interesting next to each other. The contrast of them is something new and different. Then what you have to do is either work kind of backwards or forwards and try to develop it or turn it into something.

KK – Hmm - right, and to nurture it.

DM - So it’s not a conscious effort, I’m going to sit down and I’m going to compose- I don’t think anyone can really do it like that.

KK - What if you are under a deadline? Like you’re halfway through an album-

DM - I’m never under a deadline, I’ve never been under a deadline.

KK - So you just sort of collect things until you have an album’s worth and then put it out?

DM - Well yeah, I’m inspired by the way other people compose. Really, I mean just the skills of composition and the way mainly classical music is put together. But the real inspiration comes from finding scenarios. It’s just that I speak the language of music and that I can translate these feelings into music. I’m not inspired by music to write music. I’m inspired by the way they arrange it. So I will listen now for like, the way Ravel or Bach – what they did with this chord or that chord, in a quite analytical kind of way, to hear ideas of arrangement.

KK - Right and that stimulates further thought, kind of exciting new ideas?

DM - Yeah, right, it’s like learning new adjectives. If you want to be a writer, you’ve got to- you know- it’s good to know English.

KK - Well, thank you very much.

DM - Thank YOU very much. I hope you enjoy the show.

KK - I sure will. I’ve seen it three times already. (Knock on door, Sting pops head into room)

STING - Times’ up!

KK - OH! (Laughs)

DM - This is my doctor- yeah-

STING - Hi, is he giving away all our secrets?

KK - Uh, no, not enough of your secrets. None of your secrets!

DM - (To STING) Well, we’re done here.

STING - Who do you write for?

KK - The Gazette.

STING - The Gazette! Which Gazette?

KK - Chicago? (Sting gives me a hug)

KK - Oh sorry! I kept that hug goin’ a little longer than you did.

STING - (laughs) No, nah, it’s fine! How ‘bout another hug?

KK - Thank you for letting me come back here!

STING - It was a pleasure.