preview MUSIC Bigmouth
'Oh my Gawd! Did he really say that? That's gnarly, man. . .’
'The smell of a dollar bill always reminds me of the album
because when you roll up a dollar for snorting drugs, that smell in particular sticks around.’
Ubergoth Marilyn Manson reveals why his psychiatrist has given up trying word-association games with him.
MUSIC
preview
'I must say I was quite tempted by a number of items in the Hilton hotel shop — especially the model of the Methyl Cat, which according to local legend killed 1206 dogs in the Glasgow area.’
Danny ’Supergrass’ Goffey recalls his post-Barrow/and gig souvenir hunting efforts with some fondness.
'Hip hop definitely hit me on the head and said "What the fuck is up?" It immediately clicked right in there. I was already wearing the pants. I didn't even have to put them on.’
: ~~~‘ ‘\ "’
Tripping the light fantastic
Aural pharmacists Spiritualized are
. prescribing sonic uppers, downers and a fatal combination called blue
6 heartbreakers. Ready for some
Beck intuitive/y grasped the importance of baggy pants in hip hop from an early age.
'I seem to be more popular with girls than boys. When I see someone throw a bra onstage, I know there's a beer can coming next’
The Vt/aI/f/owers’ lakoh Dylan (that ’3 Big Boh’s son that is) on the dangers of upsetting iea/Ous boyfriends
Spiritualized dispense more musical opiates
Floating In Space. at rock ‘n‘ roll symphony featuring highlights like the gospel epic ‘Cool Waves‘. the mournful elegy for lost love ‘Broken Heart‘. graced I by the Balanescu Quartet at their most emotive. and ‘Think I‘m In Love' which starts out as Pink Floyd. becomes Crosby. Stills And Nash and ends up in that Spiritualized zone where black music meets white without sounding neutered. Pierce is adamant. however. that he won't do Spiritualized-by-numbers. ‘A lot of music is blueprint music.‘ he says. ‘people understanding the mathematics of music but not putting much of their own soul into it. Then I figured that there must be a Spiritualized blueprint. so
'My flatmate tried to section me at Christmas. But I think I've got a certain sort of freedom that a lot of people haven’t got. Maybe it just means that I’m heading for the street in a cardboard box or whatever, but I know things turn
medicine? Words: Fiona Shepherd
Ladies and gentlemen. it‘s Friday the 13th. You are Spiritualized. top visceral trance rockers with the narcotic blues. You are booked to play a gig on this most fateful of nights. It‘s in Glasgow. not exactly renowned as a spook capital but capable of generating bad vibes nonetheless. What do you do?
A) Drink a charm to ward off the heinous influence of .lockrock'.’
B) Seek solace in the bowels of your dressing room and not emerge until after midnight?
(‘i Play on regardless. comliatting evil spirits with your soothing musical balm and clcctrify ing psychedelia'.’
‘l‘m not superstitious at all.‘ claims Spiritualized mainman .lason Pierce. rather disappointingly. ‘We did a show in San Francisco on Devil‘s Night. which is the Day of the Dead. you know. that Mexican thing‘.’ The people there are very superstitious and we had 666 people in the building. They were really freaked out by that so they did a recount and that came up («so and they were really out of their minds about that. But it was a great show.‘
Normally. any turning tip and freaking out in the presence of Spiritualized is exclusively the result of hearing the music. a gorgeous mess of trippy psychedelia. blues. gospel. classical and Krautrock which. if you are to believe the reviews — and more importantly your own ears — has found its most consummate expression so far on their appropriately-
Jason Pierce
‘ i named third album Luz/res And Gentlemen, We Are
’I think music is about imparting soul, whether it’s Stravinsky or Hendrix or Sly Stone. It says something about the human spirit . . . I'm just trying to make spinal music.‘
we tried to ignore those references. It was a starting point that we would remove tremelos or any of those kind of drone effects that we consider are instant Spiritualized.
‘I want to find new ways of saying things or new sounds. We're aiming for somewhere where we don‘t know that we can produce that kind of music. For this album we tried to get a session in the great tradition of those big session recordings like Sly Stone or (‘aptain Beelheart or even filvis. but to make it sound unique to us.‘
Joining Pierce and his three fellow space cadets were the aforementioned Balanescu Quartet. accordianist Angel (‘orpus Christi. The London (‘ommunity (iospcl (‘hoir and Dr John. the respected maestro of the swampy piano.
‘We were going for people who do a bit more than just play the instrument they‘ve got.‘ says Pierce. ‘Dr John I rang because we were trying to get someone in the studio to play like Dr John and I figured that was a weird thing to do when the real one exists.‘
For all his aversion to blueprints. Pierce has still struck a rich vein of his own. (io on. Jase. give us the recipe.
‘I think music is about imparting soul. whether it‘s Stravinsky or Hendrix or Sly Stone. It says something about the human spirit . . . I‘m just trying to make spinal music.‘
No (back)bone of contention there.
Glasgow: The Garage, Fri 13 Jun.
out right because I do things properly, I don’t fuck around.’ The Verve Nit k Mr Cahe exp/ains where he 's at
‘l’ll bend over when I want you to
kiss my arse.’
Shru/een Spite/i of Texas .lets us know
who’s in charge
13 26 Jun 199/ THE lIST47