It’s been just over two years since I last chatted with Patrick Wolf. While that Q&A was thru e-mail, yesterday’s was face to face. Here’s what we discussed:

First off, I want to let you know that there are multiple doppelgangers of yours throughout New York City. I keep hearing reports of you showing up at various locations but then I check your schedule and you’re not even in the country!

Ha! My friends and I call them FPWs – Fake Patrick Wolfs. I think it’s funny, it’s sort of a tribute like Madonna during the Who’s That Girl era. They focus on different periods of my career. It’s fine but then you see someone dressed exactly like you in the front row of a show and that’s a bit odd.

You’ve covered Britney’s ‘Gimme More’ in the past and most recently you tackled a few Lady GaGa tunes. Do you believe that the latter artist represents the future of pop music?

What I like about Lady GaGa is that her roots are in new wave, she brings to mind Klaus Nomi and Nina Hagen. She has a sense of humor which is lacking from the parade of T&A pop stars. But she has to battle a lot of rumors much like me. It’s very irritating.

Read the rest of this interview AFTER THE JUMP…

What rumors? I haven’t heard any of late. Honestly!

Oh, they’re out there. It’s just exhausting. There’s so much gossip, people are making stories up. Don’t believe them!

You decided to change the title of your new album from Battle to The Bachelor. What spurred this switch?

At first, Battle was going to be a double disc but nobody does that anymore. So I separated the two albums into The Bachelor & The Conquerer. I think in 2010, they will be released together under Battle. Battle is an actual place in the south of the UK.

You’ve gone with Bandstocks & Nylon (in the US) for The Bachelor‘s release. What drove you to go this route?

What’s nice about Bandstocks is that you’re not just giving money to an artist – you’re helping support their mixing & mastering. I was 80% done with the new album and my label was not stepping up so I thought that this would be a great option. The industry has many different avenues that have yet to be explored. It seems as if this album is my best received record in America. I wanted to give The Bachelor a proper release, which I feel my other records didn’t really receive. As far as Nylon, they understood my direction and were very supportive. They can see that Bowie or Kate Bush level of success.

The Bachelor leaked a few weeks ago. Care to share any thoughts on this? I know you were quite perturbed when The Magic Position leaked a few years back.

Well, all of my albums have leaked. Expect Lycanthropy, leaking didn’t exist back then! There’s nothing I can really do about it. However, I’ve gone onto file sharing services to ask people to take my songs down and they reply with ‘Fuck You!’. They don’t understand that everybody needs to be paid – this album cost $200,000 to complete. But I don’t want to be bitter and miserable about it. There’s no money to be made in the record buying industry anyway. Soon, everything will be lo-fi. There’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. I did a gig on Record Store Day and looked at my fans and I could tell that they hadn’t been in a shop in at least three years. They were looking at vinyl and wondering what the hell it was. Back in the day, I used to go to Napster and download random bits from real artists, like Joni Mitchell. But then I’d go out and buy the album. In fifty years, what will become of an album release?

Everything will most likely be digital.

Exactly. People will no longer care about the album’s art.

I’m sure you’ve heard that all Virgin Megastores will be closing.

Yeah, there are only two worthwhile record stores in London. It’s sad.

Regarding the ‘Vulture’ video, did you always want to have an S&M type of clip?

The song is about putting yourself in a self destructive position. I wanted to explore the pain and that’s why I’m being strangled in a part of the video. I was in Hollywood, lonely & exhausted, playing a sex game with Satanists and I felt really sleazy & dirty. However, everyone’s taking the video very literally, it’s a metaphor as well. There’s that transition between submission & being beaten up. The song is not about men or women. And it’s not overly homosexual. Vulture – going from submissive to aggressive, that’s what it’s about. As far as me self-directing it, nobody else understood what I wanted to do!

When I listen to The Bachelor, to me, it sounds like an amalgamation of your first three releases. Do you think that’s fair to say?

Well, I’ve gotten older. I’m more articulate. I’m in a grown up state of mind. After The Magic Position, I experienced a slight depression. I hit a lot point emotionally & mentally. I had a close friend commit suicide and I wrote about that on the album as well.

Lastly, if it hasn’t been explained to oblivion, do you care to offer any words on the bullying that occurred at last year’s Madonna gig in London?

If it wasn’t Madonna, nobody would care. The real problem is Wembley Stadium. It’s meant for football and at these shows a lot of hooligans show up. The whole situation was shocking and a total injustice.

Are you planning on taking legal action?

No, after viewing the CCTV, nothing could be done but my boyfriend has the scars to prove it.

I hope you’re not being literal!

Oh yes, he has a cut on the bridge of his nose. Such shit!

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you!

MP3: Patrick Wolf – Hard Times (James Yuill Mix)