Art of the Meal: A Permanent Shadow’s CP Fletcher Discusses His Favourites as an International Foodie

CP Fletcher, the frontrunner and only fixture of the band A Permanent Shadow is an emerging alternative indie artist in the vein of Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and other ’80s indie-pop icons. Surrounding himself with a rotating cast of musicians and producers, Fletcher works with various collaborators to bring his creations to life, resulting in an ever-changing soundscape that embodies the ebbs and flows of life itself.

His newest single, “Number One Fan,” channels Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” and dives into themes related to toxic relationships, such as loyalty, regret, remorse, and more. The song fuses modern pop with sonic elements from eighties electronic music as a catchy yet melancholic ode to loyalty and unconditional support.

With our ears perked to his new music, we sat down to chat with CP Fletcher about his interests outside of music…. namely, his interests in food. Read below to hear his take on favourite foods, chefs, foods he hates, and how his international lifestyle plays a role in his preferences.

What’s your favourite type of food?

CP Fletcher: “Having lived in Spain for the past 25 years, I’ve come to love Mediterranean cuisine, especially tapas and seafood. But when push comes to shove, I enjoy nothing more than a good plate of spaghetti. I’d say Italian food is my true love.”

What’s your favourite dish?

“Pasta with tuna and olives in tomato sauce and lots of cheese. Sounds very simple, but I can assure you that it’s not that easy to pull off satisfactorily!”

What is the most important tool in your kitchen?

“It pains me to admit that it’s the microwave. I’m a really bad cook, and apart from the above-mentioned spaghetti, I’m not really able to prepare many dishes. So I eat out a lot or rely on ready-made meals.”

What dietary restrictions do you have?

“Luckily, I’m blessed with quite a robust stomach. That said, last year, I suffered from COVID and it attacked my intestines more than anything else, so I’ve had to cut back on coffee and spicy food a bit.”

Who’s your favourite chef?

“I liked Gordon Ramsey’s show; he used to make me laugh a lot. He’s so rude and in your face that sometimes you’d just go, ‘Did he really just say that?’ I also liked Anthony Bourdain; he had a great Rock and Roll vibe and was friends with people like Iggy Pop, Mark Lanegan and Josh Homme, so he must have been a pretty cool guy, albeit quite a troubled soul.”

What is lacking in the world of food?

“I honestly believe there’s too much-processed food. If you bother to buy your veggies from a farmer and not in the supermarket, you’ll immediately notice the difference. Processed food all tends to taste the same. It’s like processed music which all ends up sounding the same. So I’d say the world of food is currently lacking a more direct and less expensive access to unprocessed products.”

There’s one type of food you can wipe from existence: what’s your pick?

“There is an Italian restaurant in Luxembourg which has a huge sign on its door that says ‘We don’t serve pizza with pineapple.’ Right on! Whoever came up with the initial idea to put pineapple on a pizza should posthumously be put on trial. Pizza Hawaii is a big no-no.”

Do you follow a particular diet?

“Not really. I am not a huge fan of fruit, apart from an apple here and there, so there’s not much fruit in my diet. Other than that, I eat almost everything. I even indulge in junk food from time to time – burgers, kebabs and the like – but I try to keep the junk intake to once or twice a month.”

What’s the most expensive dish or meal you’ve ever had? Describe the experience.

“I once had dinner at Robert de Niro’s Tribeca restaurant in NYC. To be honest with you, I can’t remember what I had, but I remember that the bill was impressive. Fortunately, someone else took care of it!”

Do you prepare a lot of your own food?

“I live in a very lively area in Barcelona with lots of affordable restaurants of different nationalities, from Mexican to Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian and, of course, local food. I hardly prepare my own food, apart from easy dishes like spaghetti, veggie soup, sausages, burgers, or pawn rice. Everything else I rather leave to the professionals in my barrio!”

CP Fletcher of A Permanent Shadow, photo by Rachel Summer assisted by Ali Huxman