Name: Kula Shaker
Members: Crispian Mills (lead vocals, guitars, tamboura, harmonica), Alonza Bevan (bass, additional guitars, piano, vocals), Paul Winterhart (drums, percussion), Jay Darlington (keyboards, organ, piano, Mellotron)
Interviewee: Crispian Mills
Nationality: British
Current release: Kula Shaker's new single “Broke As Folk” is out via Strange F.O.L.K., with a another one, “Good Money,” slated for September 16th 2025. A new full-album will also be announced very soon.
Global Recommendation: Walk the coastal path of Lamorna, Cornwall. One of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Britain. We filmed our last video there.

If you enjoyed this Kula Shaker interview and would like to stay up to date with the band and their music, visit their official homepage. They are also on Instagram, and Facebook.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

My writing usually starts with some kind of intuition, a flash of an idea, which I then have to thrash away at for hours. Songs never appear fully formed.

Sometimes you get ideas in a dream, but they are mostly abstract. I’ve never tried to write a political song. Even ‘F-Bombs’ (on Natural Magick) is simply a bit of catharsis.



Being anti-war is not political, anyone with a scrap of humanity left in them is against bloodshed and suffering. There’s a huge difference between expressing your humanity and adopting a political stance, although the two often get confused.

Politics is divisive and quickly descends into rhetoric and groupthink, which are the enemies of art.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I create a lot of demos as I go, the first demo is usually just a single voice and a guitar, then gradually I develop the arrangement. If a song stands up with a voice and one instrument alone, it’s a good sign.

Writing film scripts definitely influenced my songwriting process, as films are all about structure, but in truth, I’ve been trying to create movies in people’s head since day one.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Before I start work, I read some Homer or Sanskrit poetry, then take an ice bath, go to confession, inject myself with adrenaline, sage my office, stand on my head while the kettle boils, make some tea, then start writing.

For “Broke as Folk,” what did you start with? If there were conceptual considerations, what were they?

“Broke as Folk” appeared out of a jam on stage. We were goofing around during ‘Jerry was there’ and we started to sound like The Doors. The vibe was fun so I wrote a song around it.



I already had those lyrics in a bottom drawer somewhere, so it didn’t take long to come together.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Honestly, song writing is still a mystery to me. Lyrics aren’t quite poems, as they need the music.

Lyrics and poems are cousins, they often speak in the language of dreams Sometimes we understand it, at other times it’s full of abstractions.

Great lyrics, like most great songs, are usually very simple.

What are areas/themes/topics that you keep returning to in your lyrics?

I noticed on the last album I mentioned witches and witchcraft a lot. Perhaps it’s because I see so many people walking around under a spell …

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

True creativity is about spontaneous expression. It’s about truly being alive.

Whether it’s cooking, or writing, or gardening, or raising your kids, daily life should become a life affirming creative act. You are not a machine.

How do you think the meaning, or effect of an individual piece is enhanced, clarified or possibly contrasted by the EPs, or albums it is part of? Does each piece, for example, need to be consistent with the larger whole?

It’s very satisfying when songs start to work together to tell a story. It’s not always possible, but it’s fun when you can make it work.

Life tends to move in cycles anyway, so there’s usually a theme running through writing, whether it’s about being broke, or in love, or having kids, or taking drugs. The trick is to be conscious of what’s influencing you during that specific period.

Music and the accompanying artwork are often closely related. Can you talk about this a little bit for your current project and the relationship that images and sounds have for you in general?

Album artwork is part of the story. It helps the audience to hear the music.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Best remedy is to never stop being creative.

I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about or the impact it had on them – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

Every listener has a unique relationship with a song. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I don’t try to listen to my own music through other people’s ears.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

As I said, Life should be a creative act. Intuition is divine.

I don’t subscribe to the ‘machine’ version of reality. You are not a robot. You are an imperishable life force, inhabiting a temporary body. The soul is an eternal spark of God.