Interview with Jamie Cameron – The Last Dinosaur – by Killian Laher
No More Workhorse caught up with Jamie Cameron of The Last Dinosaur to discuss his new album and other bits and pieces:
The Last Dinosaur is a new name to many of our readers. Can you give me a bit of background as to how you came to start recording as The Last Dinosaur?
Luke (Hayden) was the first person I met on the first day at college September the 11th, 2001. He was wearing a tracksuit. In our first lesson one of our tutors informed us that a plane had “hit the Empire State building”. It went downhill from there.
We were in a band together during college but it took 5 or so years before we started making music just us, despite him being a consistent presence in my life since we first met. He actually dated one of my sisters for a little while but she broke up with him on Valentines Day.
Luke would come round my family house often, which is where I wrote and recorded my music. We didn’t have particularly serious jobs so we could often just stay up late, messing around on the piano and guitars and just experiment. This was around 2006. The first song we recorded was The First Last Dinosaur Song, the second was Fool.
Rachel (Lanskey) and I met a little while afterwards in Saffron Walden Blockbuster. She had a violin on her back. I asked her if she’d be up for playing on a piece I’d written that needed a violin part. We became incredibly close friends and collaborators from that point and The Last Dinosaur was complete.
Any other previous bands?
What sort of music did you listen to growing up, any key influences?
My dad is a pretty avid music lover of all genres (except jazz, he fucking hates jazz). Folk music was a big part of my childhood. In the house we’d always be hearing Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, John Martyn, Nick Drake, etc. We’d also go to Cropredy Festival as a family every year for the majority of my younger years. More recently artists like Talk Talk, The Blue Nile, Red House Painters, Rachel’s, Broken Social Scene, Inlets, these are the bands that have informed my approach to music (among many others).
Any plans to tour with the album, do you have a touring band?
What do you make of current music, is there much out there you are enjoying?
I’m in love with music. There’s a compilation of all of the best music I’ve found this year right
here. Also, I’d urge readers to listen to Rachel’s debut EP,
Guesswork.
Do you think it’s a good time to be making music?
It’s quite literally always a good time to be making music.
What sort of challenges do you face?
Self-confidence, resources, money, time.
What’s next for Jamie Cameron?
The exciting bit is not really knowing.
No More Workhorse 