INTERVIEW: ‘Under the Volcano’ tells the story of legendary AIR Studios Montserrat
Photo: Stewart Copeland, drummer for the Police, is one of the rock voices in the new documentary Under the Volcano. Photo courtesy of Rush Films Pty Ltd 2020 / Provided by KWPR with permission.
The legendary AIR Studios Monserrat was host to many important bands and musicians in rock ‘n’ roll history. There were times when those hallowed walls saw the Rolling Stones stop in, while other times the Police were inside working away on a new album. Sir Paul McCartney? Oh, yeah, him as well.
The story of AIR Studios on this small Caribbean island begins with Sir George Martin, the producer of the Beatles who built the complex in 1979. The “AIR” part of its name stands for Associated Independent Recordings, a concept that Martin had back in the 1960s. He wanted to join with other producers and actually fund the creation of rock recordings and then share in the royalties, according to AIR’s official website. Their first production facility was in Oxford Circus, London. That’s where they recorded Average White Band, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, McCartney, the Sex Pistols and Kate Bush, among others.
The Monserrat facility came at the end of the 1970s, and throughout its 10-year history, more than 70 albums were recorded at the island getaway. Among the artists: Dire Straits, the Police, Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed, among others. The studio would have kept rocking along, if not for Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which decimated AIR’s building and much of the island. A later volcano destroyed any remnants of the studio.
A new documentary called Under the Volcano has recently been released on demand and digital, and it looks back at this legendary recording studio with a nostalgic eye. The director of the project is Gracie Otto, and Cody Greenwood serves as producer. Both are billed as co-writers. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the filmmakers about the new film. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired you to tell the story of this legendary recording studio?
My producer Cody Greenwood invited me on board this incredible story. Her mother Franne Lesacc, who is an artist, moved to the island of Montserrat in the late 1970s, around the same time Sir George Martin was setting up his state-of-the-art studio. Cody spent time as a child there, getting to know the locals, and formed strong friendships with some of them. One day a few of the people who built the studio were sitting around having dinner with Franne, and Cody was listening to these fascinating stories, asking why hasn’t anyone made a film about this? I had directed a feature documentary, The Last Impresario, on producer Michael White and his role in British culture in the theatre in the ’60s through to the ’80s, so for me the idea of making a film about a studio where all these incredible music artists came over a decade was something I was inspired to direct.
There are so many stories attached to this studio. How did you pick and choose which ones to tell?
It was extremely difficult to choose what to focus on, and what we would have to leave out. Cody and my editor Karen Johnson felt when we started going through the research we were intrigued by the inter-relationships between band members, where they were in their headspace and their career when they went down to Montserrat. We were also really interested in the notion of creativity and isolation, and how that affected different individuals and then how that affected the recording process. I’ve always been intrigued by the inner workings of creative artists and the artistic process in general. What is it that makes creative people tick? How do you build a space that allows them to tap into this creativity and collaborate in new and innovative ways? And while we were researching and interviewing some of the greatest recording artists of our time, it was the impact that AIR Studios had on their particular ways of approaching creativity that utterly fascinated us.
How tragic was the studio’s ultimate demise?
It was incredibly tragic. It was, for the people who lived on the island, such a sad event when the volcano erupted. It displaced a large percentage of the population who haven’t been able to go back to their homes since. The studio itself was taken out mainly by the hurricane firstly, and then destroyed completely by the volcano. It was also a time of radical change with the rise of digital recording, in the way people were beginning to record music, and as Sir George Martin said, “Everything has a time and place — you bring something out of nothing, and it always goes back to nothing again.”
What do you think the takeaways are of this story in the 21st century?
I have always found it incredible that one little known island, isolated in the Caribbean, became such a haven and home to so much cultural inspiration and flourishing musical talent — that this idyllic studio, for a short period in time, became the centre of the pop music universe. This documentary is a love letter to the iconic island of Montserrat and its people, and a celebration and time capsule of all the amazing music that the world has cherished as a result of its unique existence. As time has gone on, it feels that the significance of AIR Studios is even more timely given the current state of the world, which even with the recent pause caused by the COVID pandemic, seems to be accelerating. As modern life gets faster and pressure increases, it has been wonderful to be able to look back at this time and understand the importance of taking time out, breaking cycles and finding different means of creation and collaboration.
What would you say is the best recording to come from the studio? Do you have a personal favorite?
There were so many incredible musicians who went down there to record albums. I think my favourite would be the Two Low for Zero album by Elton John as I just loved the band’s dynamic when they were down there and how quick the recording process was.
Have you been delighted by the reaction to the film so far?
Yes, it’s been incredible to see such positive reviews and publicity for the film, and I hope as many people can see it as possible!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Under the Volcano, directed by Gracie Otto and produced by Cody Greenwood, is now available on demand and digital. Click here for more information.
