Three years after the very acclaimed "A Tall-Tale Storyline", Quentin Stoltzfus's psycho-pop project, Mazarin, is back with "We're Already There". Known as perfectionist and sometimes even too concentrated on himself, Stoltzfus turns out to be an extrovert and curious person.

First of all I would like to ask you about the name you choose for the project: Mazarin. Why Mazarin?
I was reading a book by the brilliant Italian author Umberto Eco called "The Island of the Day Before". Mazarin was one of the characters in the book, and I liked the way it sounded and looked in print. I later found out that Jules Mazarin was a real person, a controversial French Cardinal. The book was essentially about a man who was shipwrecked and after floating in the sea for several days and came upon an abandoned ship that was a anchored just off the coast of what appeared to be a virtual paradise. The ship had everything he needed to survive, but his desire to reach the island led to his eventual madness, because it was too far to swim, and the ship was too massive for one person to navigate to the shore. I think it's a wonderful metaphor.

You took almost three years to write and record "We're Already There". How and why did you take so much?
Well the record was completed nearly two years ago, but we were waiting for a label to put it out.

How did Mazarin evolve from "Watch It Happen", your debut album?
We've come a long way from "Watch it Happen". I really had no idea what I was doing on that record. I had these songs written, but didn't have a clue how to record them properly, let alone complete an entire album.
On my second record "A Tall-Tale Storyline", a had a better idea of what to expect from the recording process, but was still learning quite a bit.
Going into "We're Already There", I had a very clear idea of how I wanted the record to sound, and knew how to pull it off. That being said, making a record is an enormous undertaking, and is always a challenge, and even though I know the process of recording a bit better now, the creative process is still a very daunting and sometimes confusing endeavor.

Your sound is various and complex. How do you understand how a song should sound? Is there democracy in the band or do you decide most anything?
I write very intuitively. It all stems from what basically amounts to improvisational song-writing. I write parts to a song, but when it comes to arranging them, I do that by recording several takes and choosing the one that appeals to me. I like that because it embraces a certain amount of randomness. I let a song develop on it's own. It's always very obvious when something isn't working. The challenge and the point where I find myself obsessing, is when something is working, but it's not quite right, and going through the process of getting it right. That's what requires the most amount of patience and determination.
Mazarin is a Democratic Dictatorship. I dictate who plays on the recordings, but most times I don't tell the players what to play. I might suggest something, but I prefer that the players I choose bring their own elements to the table.

Some years ago I read you write songs mostly when you feel sad. Do you still do it? The music for this latest record sounds so happy.
Not necessarily. I'm not as sad as I was a few years back. Ironically, it's probably due to writing songs. I'm a little more content now than I was then, that's probably coming through in the music.

Where did you write "We're Already There"? Does the place where you write affect your songs?
I wrote that song in several places, very typical of my lyrical writing process. I make little notes, and then piece them together like a collage. I tend to write a lot when I'm in the car, mostly because it's a solitary place where I can gather my thoughts. Driving can be very meditative. I also write a lot when I travel. Being in new places is very inspiring.

You're already there. Where/what is "there"?
It's kind of like that island in the distance. Most people with a linear concept of time have a tendency to feel like the "future" is going to be better than the "present", but then pine for the fond memories from their "past" instead of just enjoying the experience you're currently having to the fullest. I prefer the Hopi Indian concept of time which is solely based on present experience. They view the past as "present manifested", and the future as "present manifesting". It's a much more centered and realistic view of how time happens. Being content, but still ambitious is one of the hardest things to achieve.

Tell me about the pattern you choose for cd. How much are you involved in your records' artwork?
It's a collage that my friend Chris McLean created. He gave it to me and suggested that it might be a good cover image. I immediately fell in love with it a think that it's reflective of the music, and of my process of writing. Chris is an artist and has a talent (some might call it an ailment) called Synaesthesia, which is the simultaneous perception of harmonic opposites. Basically, he perceives sound as color and vice versa. It's something that I read about a few years ago in experimental cinema book that I have, and have been very interested in.
I then collaborated with Victoria Collier on the layout and design of the record. I always like to be very involved in the artwork, it's all one big package, you know?

Will there be a video-clip supporting the release of the album?
We're working on a video for "Another One Goes By" right now.

What can we expect from your live shows? Will there be a chance to see you in concert?
We're planning a European Tour for the New Year sometime.

What do you expect from "We're Already There"? I wish you all the best.
I have no expectations. Anything could happen really. I'm already busy thinking about the next record.

Quentin, thank you very much: talking to you was really pleasant.
Thank you for the good questions.

(Milan, december 2005)