Big Interview Gilbert O’Sullivan on music, family and island life

s I travel up Gilbert O’Sullivan’s long steep driveway, tucked away in the Jersey countryside, I can immediately see why this notoriously private man decided to call this place home. Nestled deep within the greenery of this small island, his home is hidden from prying eyes, providing the much coveted solace craved by many a celebrity.

Upon arrival I am greeted warmly by O’Sullivan’s brother, Kevin, who had arranged for me to interview him during a hiatus in his latest tour. I am guided up a grand, sweeping staircase leading to his studio where I discover an eclectic array of CDs, vinyl albums, handwritten notes and photographs, spanning back decades, littering the room.

Gilbert walks into the room, a seemingly shy and unassuming figure with his trademark hair and casual look. We take a seat and he apologises as I try to avoid stepping on the albums which blanket the floor. I appreciate it’s an organised chaos that only he fully understands, and we start chatting.

Born Raymond Edward O’Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland in 1946, the man we now know as Gilbert O’Sullivan moved to the UK with his family in 1953, settling in Swindon. It was here that he discovered a love of music, growing up in an era of change, with the likes of The Beatles making way for a new breed of talent.

“All my musical background stems from growing up in Swindon,” says O’Sullivan. “I’m proud of my Irish roots, but I’m very much the traditional English songwriter. Before the Beatles there were the likes of Cliff Richard and The Shadows and although we all liked them, we didn’t feel that we could be like them. The Beatles were young, different, and wrote great songs, and that had a huge influence on me.”

O’Sullivan’s lifelong interest in music and art developed during his time at Swindon Art College, where he briefly played drums and sang in a band called Rick’s Blues, along with his peers, Malcolm Mabbett on guitar, Keith Ray on bass and founder Rick Davies, on keyboar d, who later formed Supertramp.

“I started out playing the drums, but as I became a little more musically attuned I concentrated on the piano,” recalls O’SuIlivan. “I spent hours playing the piano in our garden shed, writing and singing. Goodness knows what the neighbours must have thought.”

O’Sullivan at the start of his solo rise to fame

This artistic freedom allowed him to develop his own style and forge a successful career in the music industry. Although the band recorded a couple of songs at a demo studio in London, he wanted to be a solo artist, so in 1966 when the band broke up, he headed to London in search of a career.

O’Sullivan found digs in Notting Hill Gate, which he shared with three friends. He secured a Christmas job in C&A, where he met a colleague who had a recording contract with CBS records, so he asked him to pass on his tape. This led to a publishing and recording contract.

“When I signed to CBS Records I wanted to create a character for myself because sitting behind a piano isn’t as interesting to watch as a guitar player who can move around,” explains O’Sullivan. “Art school was a magical time – we had a lot of freedom and dressed differently from everyone else and that provided inspiration for my future look.”

The signature uniform of cap, hobnailed boots, Charlie Chaplin jacket, football socks and the pudding-basin haircut, was meticulously planned by O’Sullivan, who named this persona Gilbert. This name evolved into Gilbert O’Sullivan when Gordon Mills became his manager.

O’Sullivan has enjoyed chart success for nearly five decades thanks to his ability to write great songs and catchy lyrics. Throughout his career he has accumulated three Ivor Novello awards, including Songwriter of the Year in 1973, and amassed 16 top-40 records, with six number-one songs that saw off the likes of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Elton John.

“If you’re lucky enough to be able to write melodies and lyrics it isn’t rocket science,” he asserts. “The joy was, as it is today, experimenting with chords and finding a variation which brings a melody into your head. I then work on the lyrics with the Leonard Cohen approach of writing more than is necessary. I may only need three verses, but I just can’t resist writing the sixth.”

He reveals that he adopts a disciplined approach to music, working from nine to five in his music room, which he shows me. A grand piano sits in the heart of the modest-sized room with old-school boom boxes on top, which he uses to record his work onto cassette. The walls are covered in hand-written notes, lyrics, photographs of his family and pictures drawn by his children, who are now grown up. It feels like I have stepped inside his mind. A sacred space.

“Even if nothing is achieved, spending all day at the piano is never a waste of time because you’re always practising,” he says. “If you come up with a good melody you lock it away because it will survive any length of time. It’s different with lyrics because I write about things going on in the present, so I only write lyrics once I know they are going to be recorded.”

O’Sullivan tells me he is currently working on content for his next album, in between his current tour dates across Japan and America. His latest album, Gilbert O’Sullivan, was produced by Ethan Johns, who has worked with the likes of Kings Of Leon, Paolo Nutini and Paul McCartney. The album, which is available on digipack, CD, vinyl and cassette, and recorded on analogue equipment at his Frobisher Drive Studios in Jersey, features guest appearances from several notable musicians including Andy Fairweather Low on guitar, and Chas Hodges and Geraint Watkins on piano. This album’s collection of songs covers musings on ageing and mortality and includes comic touches, influenced by O’Sullivan’s love of Spike Milligan. The album’s final two songs, The Mind Boggles and For The Record, both tackle serious issues, with references to Donald Trump and homelessness.

During his court case with MAM Records over publishing rights in the early 80s, O’Sullivan moved back to Ireland with his new wife, Aase, and daughter Helen-Marie. They chose to move to Ireland due to the country’s writers’ tax exemption, which provided financial relief during the expensive court process that he went on to win.

“Following the court case and subsequent arrival of our second daughter, Tara, we didn’t want to move back to the UK,” explains O’Sullivan. “Jersey greatly appealed to us because, aside from the financial benefits, it was a great place for our daughters to grow up.

“I am very happy at home, I am not a social animal and enjoy my privacy. However, Aase made friends really quickly when we first moved here and she really enjoys Jersey life. Of course, when the girls are here we all go out as a family.”

Jersey has proved fruitful in more ways than one for O’Sullivan who says the ‘normal’ lifestyle and relative anonymity he enjoys have resulted in a productive working life.

“People are always surprised at the difference between my professional and personal personas because they are poles apart,” laughs O’Sullivan. “The marvellous thing about living in Jersey is that I don’t feel any pressure, so it’s been fantastic for me to write here – I love it!”

Backstage at O’Sullivan’s New York sell-out show. L-R: Helen-Marie O’Sullivan-McGoff, Jeannie-Marie McGoff, Tara O’Sullivan, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Aase O’Sullivan

O’Sullivan’s latest album