Get the latest gossip

‘Politicians? They’re mugs, all of them’: Paul Weller on music, style and the state of the nation

At 66, the Modfather may have mellowed, but he’s lost none of his cool. Paul Weller reveals how he beat his demons, found a new sound – and why he’s still angry with the establishment

He’s had No 1 albums in five consecutive decades, as the Jam, the Style Council and as a solo act; made scratchy R&B, punchy pop, tuneful Euro-soul, as well as house music, folk, psychedelia… In his youth, his creativity was hidebound by tight rules handed down by an unseen Mod God, but since 2008’s 22 Dreams, he’s pretty much done what he likes. Those wilderness years taught him a lot – his dad made him go back on the road, because he needed to earn; he found that playing live led to him writing songs again – and since his huge solo come-back, with 1993’s Wild Wood, he’s never stopped. He has a big brood: Natt, 36, lives in LA and directs short films; singer Leah, 32, has two children, one a new-born (he shows me a sweet snap of him holding his brand new granddaughter, Kiyo Soul); Dylan, 29, works in the New York fashion industry; Jesamine, 24, is at uni, studying mental-health nursing, and Stevie, 19, is into skateboarding, and teaches it as well.

Get the Android app