PREVIEW MUSIC
they‘ll call us a parody.‘ lvy offers.
can‘t believe people really live like this. that this could be for real.
‘I don‘t know why that is with people in Britain. because in America we‘re just seen as a rock and roll band. which is strange because in a way it seems people in Britain are more informed about American culture than Americans
ldon‘t realise how exotic we are.‘
‘In some places — for some reason it seems to be most prevalent in Britain — a lot ofpeople think we‘re a joke or
incredulously. ‘We don‘t understand what we're meant to be a parody of; we're very serious about what we do. I think it seems like a parody because they think we’re silly. because they
are. Maybe we are too weird; maybe
It seems unlikely that this attitude will ever change when The Cramps
are still so much at odds with their contemporaries. To many. despite Ivy‘s protestation. they will always remain the freak show at the pop circus.
'What they consider freakish is the opposite of freakish. We‘re very natural people. we‘re very human people. Ifanything we‘re unnaturally human. To me it’s freakish to dress up in a suit and work in an office only to wake up one day and wonder what happened to the rest ofyour life. That to mew is freakish. A lot of people think we‘re too pale. too unhealthy. but to me unhealthy is being fat and having skin problems.‘
The Cramps. it seems. suffer from being taken too seriously while at the same time viewed in very simplistic terms. A casein point is a song from
Poison Ivy and Lux Interior
the new album. ‘I Wanna Get In Your Pants‘. from its title, seems the very height ofsexism but. a closer look at the lyrics reveals it as a humorous paean to Lux‘s desire for feminine attire.
‘lt's very obvious from the lyrics that‘s what he‘s saying. but many don‘t get past the title. We knew that. we knew that‘s what everone would jump on. so I guess we do exploit their prejudices. They‘ll either miss the humour completely and accuse us ofsexism or whatever or they‘ll fixate on the humour and that‘s where the parody/joke band thing comes from.‘
The Cramps play the Barrowland. Glasgo w on Wed 16.
I Deacon Blue were recently seen swaggering and swaying in the early hours of the morning outside Edinburgh's Rose Street Brewery public house. Unlike the rest of us. 'twas not pleasure. but business that brought them there — they were shooting the video for their current single. ‘Closing Time'. Okay. the song might not be up to much but the vid. which also features scenes of beery late-night revelry shot outside Edinburgh University 's 'l'eviot Row L'nion. makes for hours of amusement as you attempt to spot your favourite ‘well-refrcshed‘ Li's! journos loitering outside the aforementioned hostelries in the shadows behind Ricky Ross and his mirning friends.
; I Rod Stewart. everyone‘s favourite Cockney Scotsman. has taken time off from his elusive search for a ‘new' hairstyle more befitting to his yearsthan the exploding meringue he currently favours. to freelance as co-vocalist on the new single. ‘My Town‘. from the (.‘anadian rock outfit. (ilassTigcr. The band‘s singer. a fellow Scot named Alan Frew. commented of modest Rod: ‘l le heard we'd w rittcn a song about Scotland and one night we bumped into each other and he said. “1 low come you never asked me to singonit'.’” '(‘ilassTiger are best remembered for theirTop 40 hit of 1986, ‘1)on‘t Forget me (When I'm Gone)‘. No, we couldn't remember it
either.
I the Big Dish. the Glasgow AOR act who had been ‘on the verge of huge success' sinccthcir conception in 1981. have split up. The band. who had a hit earlier thisycar with ‘Miss America’ lifted from their last album .S'ulelliles. began their recording career with Virgin records before transferring to East West. who dropped them unceremoniously in June. Generally being browned off with their lack of career progress is the reason given for the break-up. All band members are planning to remain in the music business. and it is rumoured that frontman
and songw riter Stephen
Lindsay will pursue a solo
The List 11— 24 October 1991 33