What kind of materials do you use?

Oils. I mainly use oils but I add stuff. Like household paint, undercoat or something. I use this with it, car body filler, recycled. My mate works at a garage and he collects it from the back room and then he brings it home for me. I mix it with the paint and it builds up like a cement. It's really good. Good fun.

[starts wandering round showing me works] There's not much here. There's work in reception that's not there any more cos it got sold. But I'm working on paintings at home. I was working with numbers actually, the numbers 1, 2 and 3.

I point out a sketch that I like [left]

I really hate, I'm really opposed to straight lines. I remember being at school and being punished, being thrown out of the science lab. First they made us do the science lesson but sit outside and work out there which was just like putting all the freaks out in the hallway to fuck around. We used to just listen to Crass. Then, when they realised we weren't doing anything, I had to do technical drawing as a punishment, that was the class I had to go to. I was already doing technical drawing as one of my options so I ended up doing twice the amount of lessons and it was really doing my head in, having to use a ruler. I still don't use rulers. If you look at my covers they're all wonky. No straight lines. That's why it was alright working with the Manics for a bit 'cos I could just do them like the fucking Sex Pistols. Just give them Jamie Reid 'cos that's what they wanted at the time.

Do you work with anyone or do you pick bands because you like their music?

At the moment I wouldn't mind working for anyone 'cos I need some money. I've got to do an ad now for the Scream and The Orb. But last week there's a painting that was over there that isn't there any more 'cos it was taken away to be photographed for Primal Scream's next single, it was all sorted. But now they're not releasing the fucking single. So that's how it is. It's very disillusioning. You get all enthused when you get told to do things, do loads and loads of work and then they go 'nah, it's not on now'. So I'm a bit wary now. I don't get on with the work until they really want it. If you really want it then I'll do it. Like I've given ideas to bands and then they've ripped them off, gone to someone else and had it done and it's turned out crap!

Someone comes in asking for a bit of wood "to sweep up some gravel, like". This seems like a perfectly reasonable request to Paul who spends a good five minutes trying to find him one.

So, do you like the music of the people you work with?

Yeah, I'm quite into a lot of bands I've done work for. It's interesting doing work with them right at the beginning and then...like the Manics are supposedly really big now. I still like the Manics. Flowered Up..yeah, I still like Flowered Up. I like Primal Scream obviously. I like the Telescopes. Do you know the Telescopes? I like that, that's a good album.

Do you do any other kind of art as well as painting?

I like carving wood. I like welding. I do things like that [fishes out a small sculpture of bits of painted wood stuck together with nails and glue]. Yeah, I like sculpture but I want to paint first.

Goes into extended rant about painting

You've got to know how to draw, you've got to have control of your fucking hand. All this work that you see here, is done with the other hand, it's not even done with my natural hand. I changed my hands about three and half years ago because I was sick of what my left hand was doing. I like drawing with my right hand because it's messy, it's like a kid. It's clumsy. All this clumsy work you're seeing here, that's why it's clumsy. That's the only way I've been able to build abstraction. I was getting too dangerously technical with this arm. So...I'm not a very good artist and I don't particularly like doing record covers. It's a good feeling when it's done and it's released and you walk into a record shop, that's a nice buzz.

* * *

Following this interview Paul did a few more covers for Creation and their offshoots and then slipped away from public view. I considered sending him my completed project so he could have a look but I doubted he'd ever get round to sending it back if I did.

* * *

I'm sorry to report that Paul Cannell committed suicide in July 2005. Heavenly's tribute

Flowered Up Phobia	Manic Street Preachers You Love Us	Primal Scream Don't Fight It, Feel It	The Telescopes Untitled	Shonen Knife We Are Very Happy You Came

Paul Cannell
Heavenly Records
Creation Records

Interview and photos by Marceline Smith