In their new FADER cover story, The 1975 met up with our own Larry Fitzmaurice in West London to talk about everything from mental health to the grind of touring to the dangers of speaking too freely when an army of fans rely on one's every word. You can read the feature in full here — and read our Starter Pack on the band here — but in the meantime, here are a dozen key quotes from the article.
Regarding A$AP Rocky’s recent prosecution and imprisonment in Sweden
“It’s about holding famous people accountable when they commit a crime,” MacDonald protests, while Daniel flatly replies, “It’s racist.”
Daniel on the band’s ability to disagree
“Whenever we get into it, we’re either being so stupid it’s ridiculous, or we’re talking about serious things,” he offers, with Healy adding, “We need to be able to say ‘You’re a cunt’ and ‘I love you’ in the same sentence.”
Healy on their self-titled 2013 debut album
“The critics hated it so much, but I felt validated by how much the countercultural kids loved it.”
Healy on having an open dialogue with fans, and missing deadlines he made on social media
“It’s the price that I pay for having real-time expression and an ongoing dialogue with fans. Sometimes I forget that I’m talking to a lot more people than I think.”
Healy on relationships in general
“What’s very difficult is being able to nurture things — even if it’s a home space. You can take pride in your little nest that you’ve made, but it’s difficult to nurture all of your relationships. When you’re with your wife and you’re not talking to each other, on your phones — those moments don’t not count. When you lose that proximity with people, it becomes really difficult to maintain relationships.”
Healy on the band facing rejection from major labels early on
“People would pass on us because we dressed weird. The Killers had just happened, The Libertines had just happened. Everyone was looking for the next Arctic Monkeys.”
Healy on working with George
“What George is so great at, is knowing that I’m probably right. If anyone’s going to be right about an idea for The 1975, it’s going to be me. He’s very patient with me, and we’re both very patient with each other.”
Healy on life after rehab
“There’s been a couple of hiccups...I’d be lying if I said I haven’t had a couple of bumps, but that happens.” Regardless, he’s adamant that heroin is in the past, and that otherwise he’s moved on from the drug completely...Heroin is not my problem anymore — it’s bullshit,” he states confidently. “That part of my life is over.”
Band manager Jamie Oborne on his concern for Healy
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry about him a lot,” Oborne confesses, while quickly qualifying that Healy, in his view, is “doing great.” “It’s not an easy thing to deal with —and it’s not even about The 1975. It’s about my friends that I love. The boys and I all feel the same way, which is that we don’t want to do this if it means losing him. I can’t imagine a life without Matthew.”
Healy on how voicing his opinions has created controversy in the past
“It’s a tough pill to swallow, but if I was going to stand for something as an artist, and every time that had consequences I decided not to do it, that’d be pointless. I have to listen to people, and I always try to meet people with understanding.”
Healy on cancel culture
“There has to be rules with this kind of shit, you know what I mean?...It feels like 90 percent of the time, cancel culture itself is far worse than the moral indiscretions of those that have been accused of something. What pisses me off is the removal of context."
On dealing with depression and his relationship with weed
“I could’ve gotten diagnosed when I was younger, but I knew they were just going to tell me to stop smoking weed,” he continues. “That wasn’t an option, so I never did. It’s as simple as that...Smoking weed has been a massive part of my life — it’s been, like, my tool, which sounds really bad. But when I first started smoking weed, it was like this symphony in my head of every song I’ve ever written.”
