Hawkins has reason to be confident in the ability of his band, which also includes his brother/guitarist Dan Hawkins, as well as bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Ed Graham. "Permission to Land," which spawned the single "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," went gold shortly after its release. In late May, the campy band won the top songwriting prize at the 49th annual Ivor Novello Awards for British composers.

"It's my favorite award so far," Hawkins said. "We're songwriters of the year with the award. I'm quite delighted with that, really. It's ignoring the catsuits, the bombast and this, that and the other. It's just about songs. I'm really happy with it."

While recovering from recent surgery to correct a problem with acid reflux, Hawkins talked with liveDaily about "Permission to Land," his influences and those who are skeptical about The Darkness.

liveDaily: By winning the Ivor Novello Award, that really puts to shame those who call the Darkness a novelty act.

Justin Hawkins: Shows what they know, doesn't it?

Are you surprised with the reception that you've received in the United States?

Um, no, not really. There was bound to be some excitement. Our tour sold out in seconds in some places, didn't it? This time around, it's slightly different. I think there's been some upheaval at the record company. The second single ("Growing on Me") from the album isn't perhaps the right choice of single. We should have done the second one first, really. But everyone at the record companies wants to make a quick buck. It's sort of pissing me off, actually, in all honesty. (laughs) But anyway, at the end of the day, you know, with mergers and sackings, this is the second [U.K. label] we're working with. So now we have to start again, really. It's important to get out there and start kicking ass or else we're going to lose all the impetus.

You don't agree that "Growing on Me" is a proper choice for a second single?

Well, I think it's a good choice for a first single, and then you hit them with the big hit. But they wanted to get a quick return on [the first single, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"]. They should have done things properly, really. Don't know, next time. We have four albums with them, so hopefully we'll sort it out by then. I think "Friday Night" would make a good single. We'll see.

Tell me about the songwriting process with The Darkness.

I write all the lyrics. Dan writes the majority of the music. In a song like "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," for example, I wrote most of the riffs on that as well. It does vary from song to song, really. There's no hard-and-fast percentage rules, or no strict roles, necessarily, in terms of what people do toward the song. If someone comes up with a great lyric, I'm gonna use it. They'll be credited for it.

How long did it take for you to record "Permission to Land"?

We recorded it in three weeks because we had to. We paid for the album with our own money. We didn't have a record deal, so we couldn't afford to fanny about in the studio, really; "Let's just get it done as quickly as possible." We rehearsed in a really cheap place for weeks to make sure we were good to go, and we recorded it in two weeks.

That attests to the urgency and live feeling of the album.

Yeah, we didn't have the chance to polish it up like, say, a Def Leppard album would be. Maybe we'll get more time next time. Maybe next time we'll do a more luxurious album.

Have you started working on your next album yet?

No. We're not recording but we have started writing.

How does it compare with "Permission to Land"?

It's just the same but better. (laughs)

How do you feel about all the press coverage you've received in the United Kingdom and abroad?

I don't read them. Occasionally, I stumble across a piece. It's nice that people need us to sell their magazines. At the end of the day, we haven't got a record out here at the moment. I don't really see it necessary to talk to these people, but they still talk about me, which is quite flattering in a way, really. Really, it's just a good indication that we're successful, I suppose.

When was it released in the United Kingdom?

It's been out for nearly a year now. It was supposed to come out in January of this year [in the United States]. It ended up coming out in September as a soft release, just to stop people from importing it from the U.K. People were importing it in such vast quantities that we had to put it out. It went gold really quickly.

Obviously, you've been inspired by bands from the '70s and '80s. Is that what you grew up listening to?

Yeah, my record collection was always my father's, with a few exceptions. I mean, I like rap a little bit. I like Aerosmith, Whitesnake. Mostly, I was brought up on Fleetwood Mac and Queen and ABBA and stuff like that.

So more guitar-heavy bands?

Oh definitely. If you pick up the guitar, for me, you don't want to pick it up to learn how to play Oasis songs. You want to learn how to play proper guitar solos. Bands haven't done that for a few years now. It's just disappointing. It became uncool to be a virtuoso at your guitar. That's really what the '70s sound is. I think it's a shame that we get sort of categorized as a retro band just because we can play our instruments.

Along with that, rockers are looking a lot less like rock stars and more like the fraternity guys in college.

The boy next door. Boy next door is the boy next door. Rock stars should be rock stars. There's no point when people don't play the game.