With a new CD in the racks, MARTYN JOSEPH sets out afresh to conquer the dizzy heights of the pop rock mainstream. He spoke to Lukas Willcocks.

Martyn: "The album will be released in the States around July. The American company Sony are very keen which is unusual 'cause they've got so much local talent. Normally, outside talent is ignored by the record companies - Deacon Blue had a hard time over there. But I've had a good reception - I've played in all the board rooms across North America to the record company executives - and they seem quite keen."

Lukas: So you'll be touring here and there?

Martyn: "Oh, definitely, yes. It's the crux of what I do. I did a band gig for the first time in a long while. Sony put me together with Pete Thomas from the Attractions on drums and it went well."

Lukas: Would you be supporting other bands?

Martyn: "We'll see how the single goes. I've done so much support work. The fan base on the computer is big enough and I don't think just playing in front of other people's audiences will help much more. I just need a record that's gonna do well out there."

Lukas: What's your opinion on the quality of material that's coming out at present?

Martyn: "I think it's a little better than it was a year ago. There's some good stuff out there, but there's some pretty dire stuff as well. People say art reflects society. I don't know if that's totally true, but a lot of what you hear is meaningless, empty, voyeuristic nonsense and I guess that sums up where we are right now. Which is kind of sad. But there's people who go beyond that and that's exciting - there is some good stuff. However, I wouldn't look to the music generation to change the world right now."

Lukas: But there's a lot of people out there searching - you can tell from some of the lyrics.

Martyn: "Oh, absolutely. Sadly sometimes the Church, when it hears certain stuff, is rather old fashioned in its approach and feels that it's just nasty, naughty stuff. They don't realise that there is a longing in these groups that is just describing the meaninglessness of existence and the fact that they don't have purpose or a home. The music just reflects that. Let's reason into it and ask why people write such stuff rather than condemning it. I remember a girl in our church who really liked Nirvana and she was being told to burn her records. If you read half that stuff, you'd see it was just how those guys felt, the emptiness of it all and a longing for something more. But the church sees the odd swear word and throws up its arms and gets hot under the collar."

Lukas: Where do you think you're gonna be in five years time?

Martyn: "Goodness knows! I really don't know. Earlier on you said music was my life and I guess it is right now. Whether I'll still be doing this - this is an important record for me. You know you'll look back on your life in 40 years and say, 'Well, at that time I did this, then I became a milkman, then I decided to work with adolescents...' I think it would be a mistake to think that my whole life would be just doing this. But if this record takes off, it will certainly answer some questions for me - music is what I like to do. When I tell folk that this might not be forever, they say well what else can you do and I have to confess not a lot! I can't cook very well, I can just about cut the lawn, pick up the kids from school, but I guess my vocation is to pick up the guitar and give something to people. So I'd hope I would still be doing this. I certainly won't be living anywhere else 'cause I love here and even if things went really well I'd still make this my base."

Lukas: What advice would you give a Christian starting out in music? Say in a pub setting.

Martyn: "Carry on! Be true to yourselves and what you think you should be doing. Don't worry about this nonsense of where you should play, just play anywhere you can. Just think of yourselves as musicians who happen to be Christians. That's the way it was intended. God made the music - it wasn't supposed to be divided up, there's just good and bad so go out and make good music."