preview MUSIC
Bigmouth
Wand up from the music biz bods.
’We can’t sell slices of pop stars’ penises, so we sell (05 instead.’ Tom Watkins, the man who gave the world Bros and East 7?, examines the enduring appeal of pep music ’Actually, sex and drugs are not on a par with rock ’n’ roll. Rock 'n’ roll is the heaven in which we live. Sex and drugs are merely parts of that heaven, along with many other things like nice cups of tea.’ Ultrasound ’s singer Tiny draws a line between a nice cup of Rosie Lee and a spot of how’s your lather.
’We don’t do stools. We don’t do requests. And we don’t do blowjobs.’
Gavin Clarke of Sunhouse tells the NME how it is
’I am a psycho. I am sick! I don't clean the hair out of the plughole though. My own hair frightens me. I don't know why - it’s too much like spiders.’
Shirley Manson; when she has a bad hair day, it really sucks.
’If I meet somebody that has some really cool sneakers, I'm really not going to be that impressed and if somebody has some sneakers that are doofy—looking, then it’s really not going to bug me too much.’ The Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch offers a bluffer’s gurde to Buddhism.
’Piss poor. All of them. Piss poor. Someone on stage pretending to be me? What the fuck’s that?’
Ian ’Modest’ Brown comments on the British music scene
’There’s three loves in my life. And after my girlfriend I’ve just got two. That's making tunes and getting twatted. It’s not Smash Hits material.’
Norman Cook explains the philosophy
James: meat-eating, beer-swilling. cross-dressing rock hogs. Honest.
opportunities open to them — videos. packaging. media catnpaigns — to make iconic figures of themselves to brand into the public‘s consciousness.
‘Things are changing though. within James. as is our desire for what would commonly be called fatne. or notoriety.‘ Davies protests. ‘We have relaxed a lot. We were voted by every other hand on the Lollapalooza tour as the most rock ’n‘ roll band. In fact. some of the production crew who’d been doing it for eight years said that we were the most rock ‘n’ roll and threatening band they‘d had on the whole of Lollapalooza. We completer disobey/ed all the rules of the tour. got completer fucked ottt of our heads and did things which I cannot tell yott about — some quite dangerous things. actually. Quite dark things. I shaved my head. wore a dress. wrote “fuck me" in blue paint on tny legs. told people I wanted to suck their cocks . . . Losing it massively.‘
A greater blow can scarcely be imagined to the image of Jatnes as a commune of ginseng-swilling
Foam, James, and don’t ' sparethe horses
The mild-mannered janitors of british stude rock have turned savage. SAUL DAVIES reveals James’ walk on the wild side. Words: Alastair Mabbott
‘James is basically a borne for musical waifs and strays.’ states the band’s guitarist and songwriter Saul Davies. though by the end of ottr conversation it’s sounding more like an asylum for perverted dipsomaniacs. James have been living a strange life since the frenzy surrounding (in/(l Mother. and never more so than on a series of American tottrs spread over a gruelling two-and-a-half years. ‘It got very close to threatening the personal health and mental well-being of most of us.’ he remembers with a shttdder. ‘I don‘t care how many records we sell there. I‘m not going baekf
Traumatised. the band took eighteen months off. returning in style with the huge hit album Whip/ash. They‘re hoping to repeat that success this year. kicking off with their Best ()f and the current single. ‘Destiny Calling‘. An album of new material is due in September or October. which Davies. the band‘s principal writer at the moment. promises will be both ‘rawer‘ and ‘a beautiful dreamy record’.
To a greater extent than most. James rely on their music. They‘re just not very good at being a rock band. in the sense that they constantly pass up on the
’i shaved my head, were {2 dress, wrote “fuck me“ in him: paint on my legs. teie“ i wanted to seek their {eras . .. Losing it massiveiy.‘ ssui {Ei‘s‘x’it‘s
celibates fronted by a Tantric dancer.
‘But that‘s the point. Jesus. when was the last time there was a vegetarian in this band‘.’ Tim fucking eats steak. y‘know‘.’ There are people in our record company who refuse to go out with us at night when we're in London because they have had alcohol poisoning. And I love that. it's great. Because then we are given the opportunity to play with people‘s perceptions of what we are. and we will surprise people.‘
llis good-natured ebullience starts to warm into a rant. ‘Texas won‘t go out with us. Ali phoned me tip the other day and said. “Come and visit me. but only do it when none of the other fuckers are around". Basically. if we didn't know before. we know now how to really enjoy ourselves. And there is a feeling that. yeah. we do want to be known. actually. Why not'.’ I wonder what that‘s like.‘
As if on cue. a piece of paper finds its way into his hands. ‘()h. cool. I‘ve just been handed the address of a women's sex shop in London. Um. I'm going to get something for my mum.‘
James play The Barrowland, Glasgow on Mon 13 Apr.
of Big Beat.
’If you go without proper sleep, you start thinking differently. You're depressed, you’re weak, you're not as sharp as you should be... I hallucinate quite easily. And heroin's not the answer.’ Bobby Gillespie, a regular guest on Big/nouth, answers Dazed And Confused’s health queries insomnia? Dr Gillespie recommends avoiding smack.
2—16 Apr 1998 THE UST43