Uploaded April 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
The Mute Gods have released their third studio album ‘Atheists and Believers’ (22/3/19 via InsideOut). The band features Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson), Roger King (Steve Hackett) and Marco Minnemann (The Sea Within) with special guests including Alex Lifeson, Rush’s legendary guitarist. According to Nick “The album’s key message is that we now empower stupid people and don’t listen to educated, informed experts anymore because truth is no longer fashionable.”.
Andy Rawll spoke to band-leader Nick Beggs to find out more about the new album and what the future holds, including live shows, potential collaborations and planned new solo recordings (see timeline below).
Video: 'Atheists and Believers' - youtube.com/watch?v=yCMGNS9XmuE
Video: 'One Day' - youtube.com/watch?v=9oO4PQDemQE
Video: Roger and Nick discuss the album - youtube.com/watch?v=lMaZFsLhfII
INTERVIEW TIMELINE
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Mute Gods - a band, a project or solo project ?
00:53 - Choice of Roger King and Marco Minnemann
01:16 - Sound of albums compared to Steves musical universe. New album has more of a pop sensitivity.
02:00 - Darker theme, but retains accessibility
02:38 - Atheists and believers - the Fermi paradox about the lack of contact from other lifeforms in the universe that should exist
03:17 - Inspirational themes from SETI, the rise of populism, religious belief, grief, loss, bereavement and old age
03:40 - Knucklehead, with great keys from Roger King and a Hackett-like solo
04:25 - Refers to all of us as 'pernicious humans'
04:46 - 'Sonic boom' featuring Craig Blundell. Reggae piano and sci-fi piano - it's quite a melange
05:25 - 'Envy the dead' - stomping riff and gallows humour
05:35 - Growing dependency and addictions from powerful opiates being promoted by drugs companies. Mental health, depression and opiate addiction
06:39 - 'One day' featuring Alex Lifeson on acoustic guitar
07:04 - 'Twisted world, godless universe', including guest vocal by Nick's daughter
07:40 - Iridium hearts - strong fanfare-like introduction, imaging the opening of the Berlin Olympics, modernised using the ribbon synth. Fascist thinking becoming part of the landscape in the world in which we live. If we're not careful, we'll be right back where we started
08:30 - Overall, it all sounds like a vision of a very bleak present and future - is there a positive
08:43 - Overarching message across all three Mute Gods album is that we're all stupid and we're all fucked
08:49 - 'Think of you' beautiful, ambient instrumental with Rob Townsend on bass clarinet. A piece written as a universal meditation on the loss of someone (Nick's mother)
09:40 - After three albums, what next ? Live shows on the cards
10:12 - Solo albums - based on Chapman stick
10:36 - Collection of stick pieces, covering well-known songs. Later this year.
11:00 - Another project with Craig Blundell and Adam Holzman, just started; Going to US with Howard Jones for five shows
11:21 - Collaborations and sessions including Englebert, Belinda, John Paul Jones, which was like going back to school
12:28 - Any future collaborations
12:24 - Wrap-up
RESOURCES
@themutegods
themutegods.com
@InsideOutMusic
insideoutmusic.com
youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
insideoutshop.de
@RecCollMag
recordcollectormag.com
To access the full archive of interviews for Record Collector Magazine, visit the YouTube channel here: youtube.com/channel/UCQzOBoKWNrB2YbfipWPw1Lg/videos
#TheMuteGods
#InsideOut
#NickBeggs
BACKGROUND
The Mute Gods is the musical vehicle Beggs created in 2015 to channel his song writing. It was conceived while he was embarking on an intensive period of almost continuous touring, firstly with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and then latterly, Steven Wilson, the prolific, widely-acclaimed composer, musician and record producer with whom Beggs still records and tours.
Beggs’ career spans nearly four decades, working with artists across a broad musical spectrum. Bassist, stick player, composer and vocalist, Beggs has sold more than three million records with his own groups, including Kajagoogoo, as well as contributing to genres such as pop, rock, funk, soul, Celtic and latterly, progressive rock.
Among the artists with whom he has collaborated are rock and pop legends John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Belinda Carlisle, Kim Wilde, Gary Numan, Seal and Engelbert Humperdink, as well as progressive rock’s Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Iona and Lifesigns.
The Mute Gods have released their third studio album ‘Atheists and Believers’ (22/3/19 via InsideOut). The band features Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson), Roger King (Steve Hackett) and Marco Minnemann (The Sea Within) with special guests including Alex Lifeson, Rush’s legendary guitarist. According to Nick “The album’s key message is that we now empower stupid people and don’t listen to educated, informed experts anymore because truth is no longer fashionable.”.
Andy Rawll spoke to band-leader Nick Beggs to find out more about the new album and what the future holds, including live shows, potential collaborations and planned new solo recordings (see timeline below).
Video: 'Atheists and Believers' - youtube.com/watch?v=yCMGNS9XmuE
Video: 'One Day' - youtube.com/watch?v=9oO4PQDemQE
Video: Roger and Nick discuss the album - youtube.com/watch?v=lMaZFsLhfII
INTERVIEW TIMELINE
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Mute Gods - a band, a project or solo project ?
00:53 - Choice of Roger King and Marco Minnemann
01:16 - Sound of albums compared to Steves musical universe. New album has more of a pop sensitivity.
02:00 - Darker theme, but retains accessibility
02:38 - Atheists and believers - the Fermi paradox about the lack of contact from other lifeforms in the universe that should exist
03:17 - Inspirational themes from SETI, the rise of populism, religious belief, grief, loss, bereavement and old age
03:40 - Knucklehead, with great keys from Roger King and a Hackett-like solo
04:25 - Refers to all of us as 'pernicious humans'
04:46 - 'Sonic boom' featuring Craig Blundell. Reggae piano and sci-fi piano - it's quite a melange
05:25 - 'Envy the dead' - stomping riff and gallows humour
05:35 - Growing dependency and addictions from powerful opiates being promoted by drugs companies. Mental health, depression and opiate addiction
06:39 - 'One day' featuring Alex Lifeson on acoustic guitar
07:04 - 'Twisted world, godless universe', including guest vocal by Nick's daughter
07:40 - Iridium hearts - strong fanfare-like introduction, imaging the opening of the Berlin Olympics, modernised using the ribbon synth. Fascist thinking becoming part of the landscape in the world in which we live. If we're not careful, we'll be right back where we started
08:30 - Overall, it all sounds like a vision of a very bleak present and future - is there a positive
08:43 - Overarching message across all three Mute Gods album is that we're all stupid and we're all fucked
08:49 - 'Think of you' beautiful, ambient instrumental with Rob Townsend on bass clarinet. A piece written as a universal meditation on the loss of someone (Nick's mother)
09:40 - After three albums, what next ? Live shows on the cards
10:12 - Solo albums - based on Chapman stick
10:36 - Collection of stick pieces, covering well-known songs. Later this year.
11:00 - Another project with Craig Blundell and Adam Holzman, just started; Going to US with Howard Jones for five shows
11:21 - Collaborations and sessions including Englebert, Belinda, John Paul Jones, which was like going back to school
12:28 - Any future collaborations
12:24 - Wrap-up
RESOURCES
@themutegods
themutegods.com
@InsideOutMusic
insideoutmusic.com
youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
insideoutshop.de
@RecCollMag
recordcollectormag.com
To access the full archive of interviews for Record Collector Magazine, visit the YouTube channel here: youtube.com/channel/UCQzOBoKWNrB2YbfipWPw1Lg/videos
#TheMuteGods
#InsideOut
#NickBeggs
BACKGROUND
The Mute Gods is the musical vehicle Beggs created in 2015 to channel his song writing. It was conceived while he was embarking on an intensive period of almost continuous touring, firstly with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and then latterly, Steven Wilson, the prolific, widely-acclaimed composer, musician and record producer with whom Beggs still records and tours.
Beggs’ career spans nearly four decades, working with artists across a broad musical spectrum. Bassist, stick player, composer and vocalist, Beggs has sold more than three million records with his own groups, including Kajagoogoo, as well as contributing to genres such as pop, rock, funk, soul, Celtic and latterly, progressive rock.
Among the artists with whom he has collaborated are rock and pop legends John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Belinda Carlisle, Kim Wilde, Gary Numan, Seal and Engelbert Humperdink, as well as progressive rock’s Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Iona and Lifesigns.
