From the January 1993 issue of Rock Sound.
Q: In "Panic", you denounce the vacuousness of dance music. What do you think of rap "music"?
M: I don't consider it music. It's just conversation. There's no melody and when there's no melody I have problems.
Q: It may not be your cup of tea but unlike rock, isn't it the only music which, to pick up your phrase, "talks to black people about their lives"?
M: Probably, but I can't prevent myself from being disturbed by some of its aspects. All this speech of superiority and the male chauvinism it carries. And then I really don't think it's a rich, new music. It's the degree zero of music. I know that what I'm saying sounds really corny or old-fashioned, but I'm struck by the fact that it's enough for a rap group to break itself laboriously on a song with thinnest of melodies to make people call it a work of genius and hail the song to the pantheon of classics. I know as well that the same speech has been held about punk. Except that punk didn't last. It had the virtue to bring us The Ramones and, above all, to revitalize rock and shake the system. On the contrary, rap never fails to repeat itself. It must be assumed that its only use is to sort out the swingers from the fuddy-duddies. Blokes who suffer while listening to rap just because they're scared to death not to be hip - I see some everyday! Sorry, but I'd rather be corny.
