Nicky interview in the Guardian

[Manic Street Mike]

Originally Posted by yanushka

i've just seen it...it's just Nicky, sounding like...Nicky. [being absolutely spot about something in one minute, and then managing to say a complete bullshit in the next one]. But that's him. I don't think James really wants to leave the band, it's more likely that he's tired [and after 4 years of working, no one should blame him for that]. I mean, the man's having a baby soon [or he already has, not sure], it's fuckin' obvious he wants some time off, to spend it with his family.
So methinks we shouldn't worry about that.
And Nicky's face expression is really heartbreaking when John Harris mentions Richey for the first time in the clip.

Yeah I completely agree - I don't mind the Manics taking a step back for a few years, they've given us a LOT of material to enjoy and collect.

As for Richey being mentioned - you can hear Nicky's voice quiver, can't you?

[darkanddivine]

Originally Posted by relic

James is right to want to rest his voice more, he is struggling by the end of a tour. However, the Manics with a different singer wouldn't be the Manics, and I'm not sure I'd be tempted to do multiple gigs. A guest singer to do a couple of duets every gig, and a regular couple of Nickysong slots every gig would be a good compromise. William's Last Words went down great on the JFPL tour.

Indeed. He's gone through many phases with his voice. He used to shout and scream, but then he had his lessons and started to sing in a more classic way. This peaked in around 2005ish when he was pretty much unstoppable, but he is on the wane unfortunately. His vocal lines are very hard and punchey, and simply enough he was never going to be able to do it forever.

They need to change the tour schedule. The next record should have 3 major cities on the tour with 2 nights in each like KYE, and that's it. 1 or two nights off between the dates and he'll be OK.

New singer = no deal

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by darkanddivine

New singer = no deal

Having longer gaps between gigs for each tour would be a good idea.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by counterlanguage

He could mime half the gig, like Madonna. And throw in a bit of vogueing too.

Although he's not a muscly as her.

I DO NOT MIME!!! - The Bradmeister x

[yanushka]

Originally Posted by Manic Street Mike

Yeah I completely agree - I don't mind the Manics taking a step back for a few years, they've given us a LOT of material to enjoy and collect.

As for Richey being mentioned - you can hear Nicky's voice quiver, can't you?

totally. and you can feel pain in his voice. after all these years, it's still hard for him to talk about it [and it's not surprising]