The title track to Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh’s hilarious new ITV mockumentary, Good Arrows, ‘You’re a Star’ is the new single from Colin MacIntyre. Following on from his last single, ‘Famous for Being Famous’, this is another dose of the MacIntyre sugar rush.

We spoke to Colin about music, gay fans, mass adulation and more.

You’ve already released three albums under the pseudonym ‘Mull Historical Society’, and now you’re back to your own name. Why’s that?
Well, nothing has really changed, but I just felt like coming out from behind the moniker – I didn’t want to release under that name for ever more. It’s all about having a body of work that you’re proud of, and I am. I think my fans when I was MHS won't care what I’m called, as long as the music’s any good! It was time to give the real MHS - the actual one on the Isle of Mull, where I come from - their name back for a while.

What’s your latest single, ‘You’re a Star’, about?
It’s about the curse of minor celebrity. My last single, ‘Famous for Being Famous’, was on a similar theme. In the video, I became Andy Warhol for a bit, but ‘You’re A Star’ has a bit more of a positive message. I suppose it documents the celeb after their 15 minutes have dried up - after the celebrity show has turned off the camera lights - and saying, "Well, you were a person before, so you can still be one now". I just wanted an uplifting song and the title is cliché, but then, I suppose the Beatles were good at that - and they’ve done all right.

How does it feel to have your music featured on Irvine Welsh's ITV comedy drama Good Arrows?
It feels very nice. He’s a writer of character that I respect who doesn’t compromise on his subject matter – I think that’s the only way to be creativel. The theme of ‘You’re A Star’ really fits perfectly with Irvine’s drama about a former world darts champion down on his luck. It was a very natural collaboration. I do think visually when I write songs, so it’s cool to see them work on the screen. I’d like to do more of that - a whole soundtrack would be nice!

"You create in order to connect and we all like to reach as many people as we can. But when I write, I write for me, and hope it means something to somebody else."

Do you (secretly) want mass adulation?
If I tell you, is it still a secret? I think any artist is lying if they don’t want a big audience. You create in order to connect and we all like to reach as many people as we can. But when I write, I write for me, and hope it means something to somebody else.

Have you had much attention from gay fans at all?
I once had a very nice chat with Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys. He was funny and intelligent. He came along to a gig I did with The Strokes at Heaven. Yes, I have gay and straight fans and I'm very happy with that.

When did you start writing songs?
When I was about six or seven, I got an acoustic guitar. It took me a long time to figure out that it was more than just wood and strings, but I taught myself to play. I can't remember a time when music and ideas like musical thoughts didn’t keep me awake at night – I used to think I was going crazy when I was a kid. It can be frustrasting when you’re trying to sleep, but I would change it. In my early teens, I got an electric guitar and amp, plus a 4-track recorder. Then I just wrote and wrote and recorded constantly.

What’s your process when you make music?
There really isn’t one. I have always kept a dictaphone nearby and a notebook, but the ideas can come on a bus, in a film or on the toilet! Wherever! I think you just have to be open, if you catch my drift.

Sometimes, I have melodies and I keep them around, waiting for words. Sometimes, I write poems, phrases or song titles that I know I want to use and store them up for the right sound or melody. It’s like jumping off a cliff - you can’t be scared of landing.

"I can juggle and I can also quack like a duck. I’ve never done both, but will try now."

What are your personal dos and don’ts in life?
I do always like to be within the vicinity of good carrot cake. I don’t like driving.

What is your most valuable possession?
Mmm, if you’re talking material possessions, then maybe my first guitar. A Fender Telecaster, 1978. 

Do you have any party tricks?
I can juggle and I can also quack like a duck. I’ve never done both, but will try now.

Are you seeing anyone?
I’m married.

What’s next for you?
After this single, ‘You’re A Star’, comes out, I plan to move quickly to my new album. It's a bit more of an acoustic affair, but I’m loving the songs that I have for it. It’s the album I’ve had in me and now it’s going to come out. I’m also writing a novel.

What else would you like to say?
Where’s the carrot cake?

'You're a Star', the new single from Colin MacIntyre, is released on 26 January 2009 on Future Gods Recordings. Check out the videos to 'You're a Star' and 'Famous for Being Famous' below!