Calvin Harris isn’t your typical 24-year old. When this Dumfries, Scotland native isn’t helping to resurrect the once passé electro genre (asymmetrical haircuts and electro-clash, anyone?) or racking up infectious top-ten singles in the UK, he’s busy basking in the sunshine of success, writing and producing tracks for mini-pop princess Kylie Minogue’s latest effort X (in addition to a slew of other UK pop sensations). On his debut album I Created Disco, Harris mixes his signature sonic aesthetic–think bombastic beats, videogame-influenced effects and synth tones that sound like they are being played from the depths of the ocean–with lyrics about smoking flourescent-colored rocks, pill-popping in Vegas, and a fictional man who created disco after World War II. Fuzz recently discussed with the electro prodigy via-email the unlikely influence of food on music, Ms. Minogue, and who really created disco.
Fuzz: So, I know the Kylie question is played out at the moment, but what was it like working with her? Were you always a fan?
Calvin Harris: It was a really great experience, and a fascinating insight into the world of making pop music at the highest level. It was a door that I previously didn’t even consider knocking on, let alone jamming my foot in.
Did you have her in mind when you come up with the song “In My Arms” or was it a more collaborative process?
I wrote the music and the hook sometime before a collaboration was suggested, but when it was, I knew the track would suit her.
Is there any other mega starlet or man-star you’re dying to work with?
Yeah loads, in fact too many to mention. T-Pain, R. Kelly and Beyoncé are pretty high on the list.
What has been your best remixing or production experience and why?
I enjoyed the Dizzee Rascal track I made recently. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding.
What musical and non-musical things influence your sound?
Food influences most aspects of my life, including music. My beats are like a rump steak cooked rare with peppercorn sauce and a good side of mash and runner beans. Good, uncomplicated flavor in your earhole.
If your music were an animal, which one would it be?
Maybe a frog.
Had you even been to Las Vegas before when you wrote the song “Vegas”?
No and I still haven’t.
What is your favorite song on I Created Disco and why?
I like all of them equally.
In “Girls” you come off as an equal-opportunity dater. Is there anything about the opposite sex that really turns you off?
Broad shoulders?
As a fellow child of the ’80s, I know we’re a pretty magical breed. Were you afraid of alienating the elder music lovers?
No I couldn’t care less, if you like it you like it.
How did you start playing music? Were you always interested in making electro, or did you have a moody music period too?
I get the moody periods out of my system when doing interviews.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to get your attention?
Stolen my chips, and it worked.
Who are your musical heroes?
Timbaland, The Neptunes, ?uestlove, Roy Ayres and Outkast. There are too many.
If you could only take five albums on a trip to the moon, what would they be?
D’Angelo Voodoo, Raphael Saadiq Instant Vintage, Michael Jackson Off the Wall, Outkast Aquemini and probably some Lee Scratch Perry.
If you weren’t playing music right now what would you be doing?
Right now, aged 24, I’d be in a pretty bad place, mentally.
Fuzz: Describe your hometown Dumfries, Scotland in three words.
Green, Grey, Drinking.
If you didn’t really create disco, then who did?
Barry fucking Gibb.
Genius or heathen, social commenter or iconoclast, role model or laughable dumbass–no matter how you cast him, the Meatmen’s Tesco Vee never fell in the middle. With album titles like Crippled Children Suck, We’re the Meatmen…and You Suck! and Pope on a Rope, the comically irascible Vee (née Robert Vermeulen) helped draft the blueprint in the ’80s for politically incorrect punk to come. Now, after a 12-year absence, he’s formed a new version of the Meatmen, taken them on tour, reissued some records and is ready to challenge social mores once again with a covers album, Meatmen-style. From Lansing, Michigan, where he spent his teenage years and has raised his family for the past decade, Vee explains how absence has made his heart grow fonder and, more importantly, why we still suck.
Fuzz: Why, after 12 years, did you want to do the Meatmen again?
Tesco Vee: That’s the one my wife asked me a couple of times. “I thought you swore you were done!” I don’t know. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I moved back to Michigan and was all happy. And then John [Brannon] from Negative Approach called me and said, “Come on, man. We’re doing our first show in Detroit in 24 years.” First he said, “Come out and introduce us.” Then it was, “Do a couple songs.” Then it became a half-hour set, and the guys from NA backed me up. And, I don’t know, it felt good. It felt like I could still do this. I could still hop around in 120-degree heat and not have the big one.
Will you be writing any new music?
After we finish this covers CD and go to the well again and write a new album–I always call that climbin’ the mountain. Sometimes I think, like, with Pope on a Rope, I went for the throat and ripped the throat out and flogged everybody to death with it and now, where do I go from here? But I guess I’ll have to try.
What’s got you pissed off these days?
You name it. There’s plenty to be pissed off about. But it has to have the Tesco twist and be clever and funny and all that neat stuff.
Since you use humor so well, how serious have your rants been over the years?
In a way, it’s like don’t ask Van Gogh why he cut off his ear. Don’t ask me if I’m serious. Obviously, I’m a mean-spirited fellow, and some of that stuff I really feel. I think everybody has those feelings, but they don’t allow them to be verbalized or come out. They keep them quelled under layers of P.C. or just common sense, but I choose to let it all come out and I guess that’s my purpose on the planet, from my perspective.
Can you think of a time when one of your jokes got you in trouble?
Not specifically. I know where the flashpoints are, and I kind of dance around them, but, no, I’ve never been jacked up against a wall. Although [Long Beach hardcore group] T.S.O.L. did jack [Minor Threat/Meatmen guitarist] Brian Baker up against the wall in [Washington D.C.’s] 9:30 Club. This was sometime in the ’80s. And T.S.O.L. are big boys, and they found out about the [Meatmen’s] “T.S.O.L. Are Sissies” song and they were looking for me. I specifically did not go to that show. Them and all their roadies jacked Brian up against the wall.
Rather than bands you think are sissies, what punk bands have you liked lately?
Some of the punk I hear on XM is pretty good. Off the top of my head, the Casualties, Guttermouth and bands like that, that are sort of old school. Too much teenie punk, though. That’s the reason I came back. I needed to school this generation on how it’s done. I blame Green Day.
Speaking of making a change, you’re selling “Tesco Vee for President” stickers on your website. What would your first act in office be?
Probably legalizing marijuana. That’s needed to happen for a long time. I think I’m gonna plug [Fear frontman] Lee Ving as my running mate, too. I think it’s a marriage made in heaven–or hell.
Since it’s such a big part of your life, how did you explain the Meatmen to your kids?
I have a son and a daughter. They were raised around it and they always knew of it. And once my son was old enough to get into music, he was bragging to his friends that, “My dad is Tesco Vee.” He and my nephews were like, “We were born too late. You’ve gotta do this again.” My son and my two nephews are going out on the road with us now. And they’re the road crew and the drivers and the merch sellers, so it’s a family affair.
Your son gets to hand his dad an inflatable dick.
[Laughs] Exactly. What’s not to like? He scrawls “Son of Vee” in black paint on his chest, and comes out onstage in a gorilla mask and shoots confetti cannons. He’s having a good time.
Since information about you is so available online now, how do you feel about how you’ve been portrayed over the years?
I think I’m happy with it. People love me, people hate me. And there are people that want me to go away and go die. I got an email, because I have my contact info up, and some guy just said, “You were sucking my dad’s dick in Detroit in ’82.” And it’s like, “Wait a minute. Hold on. First of all…” But that’s fine. That’s one reaction. Other people tell me they love me. And that’s the reason I keep going. But when I look at my Wikipedia bio and all the things people have written about me, it’s all true. Well, it’s not all true. If it makes me more interesting than I really am, then that’s OK, too. Overall, I’d say I’m happy with my place in the world. When I die, I’ll have left quite a stain on the underpants of society.
It took nearly five years but Mark Kozelek has finally got around to putting out Sun Kil Moon’s second album of original material, April. What took so long? It wasn’t exactly writer’s block, but the former Red House Painters frontman and Almost Famous star did need some time for reevaluation following the release of 2003’s Ghosts of the Great Highway: he set up his own label, Caldo Verde; released an album of languid Modest Mouse covers, Tiny Cities; and spent some time just living life. April has everything from tender, folkie mood pieces like “Moorestown” to classic Crazy Horse inspired blowouts like “Tonight In Bilbao.” It also includes cameos by Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. At his San Francisco home, Kozelek told us how it all came together.
Fuzz: You turned 40 last year. How did it change you?
Mark Kozelek: It was a reality check. I never thought the day would come. My perspective is a little different now regarding time and how much of it there is, you know? Not just for me but for the others in my life. I’m extending my visits back home, spending more time with my parents.
A lot of these songs make you sound homesick for San Francisco. Are you tired of traveling the world?
I still go out for a few weeks but my happiness is here. I miss home when I’m away–my girlfriend, my bed, iced tea, Swan’s Oyster Depot, the little things. Overseas, I just sort of tune out, nod my head, “Yes.” You get so sick of saying “what?” all the time. Fans see the show but not the hassles: the airports, the sleep deprivation, the bad stomach from the weird shit you eat. I go out for two weeks and take two months off. That’s the way to do it.
Do you feel like you’re still writing about the same people and places that influenced your music when you started with Red House Painters?
Yes, it’s been an odd turn of events. There’s a lot of Katy from “Katy Song” in the early records. She passed away in 2003, so those songs have a different feeling now. That’s where “Lost Verses” comes from, her continuing presence in my life. Many of the old people and places are all still there, intertwined with some new ones.
How did Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy end up on April?
I needed some back-up vocals. Their voices fit right into those songs. That was a lot of fun, hearing my voice blending with theirs.
Is running a record company everything you hoped it would be?
It’s a good situation and not much more work than being on a label. It’s all the same–you tour, approve your artwork, do interviews, sign contracts. But “Mindfuck Records” doesn’t soak up all the profits anymore. You reap the rewards instead of them. It’s a no-brainer. I don’t know why i didn’t think of it earlier.
What is the live set-up like for this tour?
Simple, no headaches–a mic and a few guitars. The sound guys love me. They’re like, “That’s all you need, a mic?”
You started your career playing Neil Young songs at a bar in Akron, Ohio. Is he still your primary source of inspiration?
Yeah, I’d say so. My sound is rooted in Neil and a few others. I grew up listening to them so that sound is ingrained in me.
Do you think you’ll ever write an album of two-minute punk songs?
No, but I’ll sign someone who will. If you hear of anything good, let me know. I’ll be down at Swan’s.
Mark Kozelek’S Summer Tour Dates:
May 11, 2008, Tokyo (Shibuya), JP
May 11, 2008, Tokyo (Shinjuku), JP
May 13, 2008, Tokyo, JP
May 14, 2008, Tokyo, JP
June 6, 2008, Minneapolis, MN
June 7, 2008, Milwaukee, WI
June 8, 2008, Chicago, IL
June 10, 2008, Rochester, NY
June 11, 2008, Boston, MA
June 13, 2008, New York, NY
June 15, 2008, Philadelphia, PA
June 17, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA
June 18, 2008, Baltimore, MD
June 20, 2008, Asheville, NC
June 21, 2008, Louisville, KY
July 24, 2008, Brisbane, AU
July 25, 2008, Sydney, AU
July 26, 2008, Melbourne, AU
July 27, 2008, Melbourne, AU
July 31, 2008, Wellington, NZ
August 1, 2008, Auckland, NZ
Peter Bjorn and John scored an unlikely summer hit last year with “Young Folks.” For a follow-up, the Swedish group’s singer and guitar player Peter Morén is striking out with a wistful solo album, The Last Tycoon. Recorded at home and taking its name from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final unfinished novel, the disc features guest spots by The Concretes’ Daniel Varjo, singer-songwriter Tobias Froberg, and The Tiny string arranger Leo Svensson. Morén told us how it all came together.
Fuzz: How much of a backlash did you see with “Young Folks”?
Peter Morén: It pays my rent, so for me it’s no negative backlash. That’s up to other people to decide. But I don’t think it is very representative of me or even the band as a whole.
Did you deliberately engineer something lo-fi to get away from it?
Yes and no. We always try to do something different from the album before, and it would be stupid to make a solo record that is in the same mood and sounds like the band. The thing is that I started to record this album way before “Young Folks” became a hit. And I actually don’t think it is especially lo-fi. Since recording equipment has evolved so much you actually use the same stuff at home as in a proper studio.
Then what makes it more than a demo?
The amount of work I put into it. And that I brought in a lot of extra people, like strings and drums and vibraphone–stuff I can’t play myself. I do make demos and they are either just voice or guitar, but much more lo-fi recorded than this album. For Peter Bjorn and John we never make demos. The record is the demo.
How did you decide when to bring in other people?
I tried to do as much as possible myself, but I knew I wanted instruments on it I just can’t play, so I had to bring in people. But I did instruct them carefully.
What was your total budget?
I don’t know exactly, but it became more expensive than I thought. There are always a lot of costs you don’t count on.
What’s the connection with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished final novel The Love of the Last Tycoon?
It’s definitely not a concept album as some people think. I just liked the name at first. It suits this very low-key album to have a grandiose pretentious title; make it kind of self-ironic and funny. I saw the movie a couple of years back. But there are some themes there I connect with, the end of an era, the hard struggle in combining love and relationships with ambition and career. Basically failure. Pretty eternal, elemental stuff, really. I write about it, but would write about it anyway, without that title.
What are Bjorn and John doing while you’re on tour–are they safely off the streets?
I think so. John is taking it easy and Bjorn is producing, as he always does.
Peter Moren - 2008 Tour Dates
04/21 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
04/22 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs
04/23 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret Musee Juste Pour Rire
04/24 - Toronto, ON - The Mod Club
04/25 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
04/26 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
04/28 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
04/29 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
04/30 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
05/01 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
05/02 - Los Angeles, CA - The Hotel Café
05/03 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
Growing Up, Going Major, and Playing For Fuzz
Alkaline Trio is playing a free concert presented by Fuzz on Monday, April 7 at San Francisco’s historic Café Du Nord. To whet your appetite, we got the Chicago punk trio’s lead singer and guitarist Matt Skiba to tell us a little bit about what the 60 ticket winners from around the world could expect to see at the show, as well as the details of the group’s new album-in-progress (and Epic debut) due later this year. It’s not too late to enter for a chance to win tickets at www.fuzz.com/alkalinetrio (winners will be selected on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 12PM).
Fuzz: You’ve been doing this more than a decade. Why did it take you so long to sign with a major label?
Alkaline Trio: We’ve been walking the line between indie and major for a while since Interscope bought a share of Vagrant Records. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It just sort of happened by default. We never had any rules set for what kind of label we were going to be on. We always wanted to work with people that we like and trust and are passionate about putting out records, and after V2 crumbled all the people we wanted to work with went to Sony and they brought us along.
So can people expect orchestras and children’s choirs on your new album?
There’s definitely some orchestral stuff happening–not much children’s choirs. Some of the songs are a little more stripped down. Some of the songs are more intricate. I don’t think it’s going to surprise anybody. When we put out our first seven-inch on a Chicago punk label and then signed to Asian Man Records people called us sell-outs. You can’t win. But it’s never bothered us. I’ve never felt like I have to explain myself to anyone. I just hope the fans trust us because we care about the band as much as they do. No matter what label we’re on we would have made the same record we made.
Is this your first live show in a while?
We haven’t played since the Warped Tour last year, so we’re just excited to get out and play. We’re going to play one or two new songs but we want to keep the element of surprise with the new material because you never know when your album is going to leak. If it was up to us we would play the whole record.
How did you pick Café Du Nord?
I really like that place. I lived in San Francisco for a couple of years and I used to go to Café Du Nord often. It’s a beautiful place. It’s small. It’s a really cool place to play. If we’re going to play a smaller show, Du Nord is the place to do it.
What have you learned being in this band over the past 10 years?
You have to learn not to take yourself too seriously. If you do you’re not going to have any fun. I take much better care of myself. I don’t get wasted every night. When you’re young there are all these temptations on the road and it’s easy to let shit get out of control. These days we keep the party to a dull roar. I enjoy playing music so much more and it’s more fun when I actually remember the shows. Beyond that I don’t have any deep wisdom to share.
Bob Mould has his entire discography memorized. When summoned, he can recite the title of every album he’s put out with Hüsker Dü, noise-pop trio Sugar and as a solo artist in precise chronological order. “That’s how I keep track of my life,” he says. “If it weren’t for those things I would have no idea what I’d done.” The trick is even more impressive when you consider that the punk icon started doing this in 1979, releasing roughly an album a year once Hüsker Dü got off the ground before taking a much deserved soul-searching break in the late ’90s. Not that he was off on an island sipping Mai Tai’s–Mould immersed himself in New York City’s club culture, took a detour into electronic music and moonlighted as a scriptwriter for World Championship Wrestling. Now back on the road with the spiky District Line, we asked Mould to talk us through the records that meant the most to him.
Hüsker Dü Zen Arcade (1984)
Mould: “That was a double-album in an era when economy was the rule. The Minutemen were quick to fall behind and then other people started to stretch out. That was a turning point for us. People took the band seriously at that point.”
Hüsker Dü Flip Your Wig (1985)
Mould: “I’m skipping over New Day Rising because this was the last really fun record to make in that bad setting. We had been working with Spot (engineer) but it was time to see what we could do ourselves. Grant Hart and I took control of the project. It was a great pop record and it was the last fun time I had in the band.”
Bob Mould Workbook (1989)
Mould: “After all the Hüsker Dü stuff, to come out with a record that was all acoustic based, that was important to me. I spent a lot of time trying to grow as a songwriter.”
Sugar Copper Blue (1992) and Beaster EP (1993)
Mould: “Those two were recorded at the same time. That might be my favorite period of all time. That record means more to my fans than anything else I’ve done. That’s the one where I hit my stride as a songwriter, just writing one good pop song after another. It was right after Nirvana exploded and the stars lined up. Even MTV was behind us. That record sold well over half-a-million copies. I did well.”
Bob Mould Body of Song (2005)
Mould: “I was really happy with it. My stock was down after the electronic stuff. People were confused and didn’t know where I was heading. To head back into a more traditional songwriting style, that was a good turnaround for me. It’s a guitar record that’s embellished with electronics when needed. It got everybody back on track.”
Stephin Merritt has done very little this year to shatter his reputation as the glummest man in pop. Currently on the road in support of The Magnetic Fields‘ latest concept album, Distortion, he has been frowning his way across America while giving the disc’s feedback-soaked tunes a forlorn acoustic makeover. It’s all for good reason. For one thing, he hates playing live. And then there’s his hearing condition that makes loud noises actually sound painful. Still, the retooled songs have been drawing loving reviews while the album has been classified as another triumph by the man that recorded 1999’s three-disc chamber-pop classic, 69 Love Songs. Not the world’s most forthcoming interview subject, Merritt was still gracious when we recently caught up with him at his house in Los Feliz, California to talk about the album and tour.
Fuzz: You don’t like playing live.
Stephin Merritt: I don’t like playing live.
Why don’t you just stop?
That’s my aesthetic stance. It’s not my commercial stance.
Oh, so you’re doing it for the money?
It pays well. We sell a few t-shirts. We sell a few CDs. We sell a few tickets.
Doesn’t it actually hurt to play live?
Yeah, but I have Claudia (Gonson) or Shirley (Simms) singing the loud songs and I have earplugs in my ear so I won’t be hearing what everyone else is hearing five times as loud.
You could have easily picked a different, quieter concept for this album?
The albums have nothing to do with the live shows. All the songs are written before the production style is decided upon. So for this album we had a variety of songs which only “Zombie Boy” actually fit the production style. But generally the songs don’t depend on the production style at all.
Distortion was inspired by the Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1985 debut, Psychocandy. Were you more interested in the sound or creative spirit behind it?
Clearly what I as emulating was the actual sound. This is an unusual, somewhat drastic production style.
Why did it take you so long to discover Psychocandy?
I was into Psychocandy the week it came out. I bought it on vinyl. I actually don’t think it took me a long time. The moment we started using guitars it was definitely in there.
Do you keep lists of album ideas around or do you just think them up after you finish one?
I do have lists for possible ideas. I just never consult them. It’s just something to do on airplanes.
The Damned are one of those perfect bands that are at once underground and iconic. Study up here. The Damned have a sound that is wholly their own and yet they admit was cribbed from some of their favorite acts. They successfully mixed punk rock with a Hammond organ and came up with a garage-goth hybrid that no one else has been able to match. And 30 years later, founding member and punk icon himself Captain Sensible is happy to be doing what he’s always done–playing music and touring the world. He throws down the gauntlet, challenging anyone with a good ear to steal from his songbook and re-make it into a banger for the aughts. Below is an interview with the Captain himself (née Raymond Burns) so you, Fuzz reader, may start to salivate for his upcoming columns right here on these virtual pages. Enjoy.
Fuzz: Can you answer for me, Captain, where you’ve been, and where you’re going?
Captain Sensible: Well, as a self confessed slacker and all round lazy git I was lucky enough to join a band that would have a 30 year ‘career’ of doing just enough work to pay the bills–taking the rest of the year off! We do a tour every six months or so and jolly good fun it is too. The Damned managed to be instrumental in two genres–punk and goth… so that makes writing the set lists interesting, but I thank my lucky stars I wasn’t born five years earlier or I’d have been dressed up in tinfoil and makeup with 6-inch heeled boots in some glam band or other. Mind you, a couple of years later and I might have been in Spandau Ballet…
What’s your favorite bass line or guitar riff? How about one you wrote?
Eddie Cochran’s C’mon Everybody” has such an infectious twangy riff–we liked it so much so that we gave it the Damned treatment, and with a bit of knocking about it came out the other end as our ‘Neat Neat Neat’ single. In those days, what with ‘My Sweet Lord’ and all that, plagiarism was quite frowned on but since the sampling boom it’s considered cool to take someone else’s music and recycle it. I wish someone would re-hash something of mine and get me back in the charts where I belong…
Are you a guitarist who plays bass, or do you think they’re both part of the same thing?
I didn’t want to be either–it was the Hammond organ that I had heard on Small Faces and Jimmy Smith records that I wanted to play when I was a teenager but these massive organs were too darned expensive for a working class lad from Croydon so the guitar it was. But I still get pretty excited when I hear a Hammond player in full flow, as I did the other day when Brian Auger was gigging in the neighbourhood. What a performance–and I found myself blundering backstage afterwards to meet him but as soon as I did so I was suddenly struck dumb having played his ‘Befour’ album a million times and feeling a little awestruck to be standing next to my hero.
What is your favorite part about being in a band?
Every job has it’s perks… when I worked on the railways it was free train travel… and the job I had at the pet supplies merchant meant my cat was never short of kitty litter. When you’re in a band all the beer is free. You may not always get paid but there’s always plenty of booze backstage. Oh, and for some reason or other that you won’t hear me complaining about–if you are up onstage with a guitar slung around your neck for some strange reason ladies find you more attractive… regardless of how handsome or not you may be. Perks of the job…
If you said “playing music,” what else do you enjoy? Travel, meeting people, seeing how you rub off on people who admire your work?
Public transportation systems of the world - that’s my hobby. The next morning after the gig I get up early and explore the local metro/tram/rail system of whatever town I’m in, taking plenty of photos. I am an evangelist for the re-introduction of tram and light rail systems in our towns and cities, I mean… how many people sit in their gridlocked cars every morning cursing the traffic and wishing there was some other way of getting to work every morning? Well there IS another, cleaner way, I have seen it and it is the future. Don’t tell Ford or General Motors though… they still have a stack of Hummers and the like to sell.
What are you working on now?
Apart from trying to negotiate my way through level 14 of Mario Vs Donkey Kong on the GBA you mean? I’ve just finished recording an album with Dead Men Walking, a punk rock ’super group’ if you wanna call it that, featuring Slim Jim from the Stray Cats, Mike Peters (The Alarm) and Kirk Brandon (Spear Of Destiny). It has a nice bluesy punk vibe but the lyrics still have teeth… it’s not as though there’s nothing to write protest songs about any more these days.
What do you like to do when you aren’t playing or holed up in a studio?
Did I mention trains? I’m booked on the Orient Express in a few weeks. The only problem is I’m not generally known for my smart appearance and I’ve been told it’s all a bit ‘posh’.
One of my friends always votes for you as a write-in candidate for everything - president, mayor, city council. Do you track your votes? How active are you politically? How do you recommend a young person first get into politics? Do you have any advice for a jaded older person who still votes?
What’s that old cliché? “If voting changed anything they’d outlaw it!” For me, when that whole fraudulent build up to the Iraq was being played out on our TVs (get brainwashed in the comfort of your own home) it was either put a brick through the screen or get off my arse and do my bit to oppose the warmongers and their supporters in the media. Along with the many marches and demos I was involved in I decided to start the ‘Blah! Party’, which gets it’s name from the utterance one makes when the vile sound of a politicians voice defiles the ears. As it was a semi joke we were all surprised at how many members the Blah! Party has attracted in such a short period of time… there is obviously a healthy skepticism out there towards our glorious rulers and their crap policies, and I am in the process of organizing our first conference as we speak.
Any thoughts or endorsements on the upcoming presidential election in the U.S.?
Like you Americans, I am filled with hope for a new direction courtesy of Mr. Obama. But I am reminded that that was the same emotion we had on the election of Tony Blair…
Was Stiff one of your favorite labels to be on, and are you a fan of (m)any of your Stiff labelmates (to name a new, Wreckless Eric, Nick Lowe, Adverts, Elvis Costello, The Pogues and Kirsty McColl?)
Stiff was a laugh…. talk about making it up as they went along. The management seemed to thrive on the chaos of it all and it has to be said that some wonderful tunes were being churned out at the time. One of the label mottos was ‘play it today and throw it away’, which was a way of saying - you like that one? There’s plenty more where that came from.
It was the home of the short, snappy get your point over in 2 minutes or preferably less 7″ single… out of all of them my favourites have to be Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric and Lucky Number by Lena Lovitch. And what a pair of characters those two are as well…
And it WAS fun hobnobbing with Wreckless, Elvis and the like in that run down shop that was Stiff HQ, but you’d get roped into boxing up the records or getting asked to conjour up a stage name for the new signing if you hung around too long.
Blimey, I’m starting to get all nostalgic!
If Morrissey is the most famous vegetarian musician, would you like to be the second? How important is being vegetarian to you?
I don’t bang on about it, but now that you asked I have to say that if the animals were treated a bit better in their short and pathetic lives - I’m thinking about chickens in particular here - then things wouldn’t be quite so bad, but they suffer dreadfully in the process of ending up on your dinner plate and if the likes of KFC and McDonald’s changed their buying policies to a more humanely reared bird then these obscene chicken producing factories might become a thing of the past.
Personally, if there was nothing else around and I was hungry I would eat meat - chicken, cow… dog even. Thankfully there is an alternative - and it’s a whole bunch healthier too. When’s the last time anybody saw an obese vegetarian?
Oh, and good luck to old Morrissey too… another in a long line of great British eccentrics (ie, nutcases!)
I’m really looking forward to reading your columns. What can we expect from you?
Well, if I am allowed to I’m going to spout off on whatever gets my goat at the time… maybe another daft expedition to the arctic ends in tears, or the papers inform us that there’s some more mad religious parents demanding that their kids school teaches creationism… or even that some new fangled band releases a good record (hold the front page…).
Whatever I write in my articles from over here in the cold and rainy UK, you can be sure dear reader that it will be (cue groans…) a very SENSIBLE column. Pleased to make your acquaintance… see you soon!
