Von interview courtesy of Mr Andrews...

THE place for your Sisters-related comments, questions and snippets of Sisters information. For those who do not know, The Sisters of Mercy are a rock'n'roll band. And a pop band. And an industrial groove machine. Or so they say. They make records. Lots of records, apparently. But not in your galaxy. They play concerts. Lots of concerts, actually. But you still cannot see them. So what's it all about, Alfie? This is one of the few tightly-moderated forums on Heartland, so please keep on-topic. All off-topic posts will either be moved or deleted. Chairman Bux is the editor and the editor's decision is final. Danke.
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Planet Dave
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https://www.loudersound.com/features/an ... as-present and LouderSound. And a most excellent read it is too, always interesting to read an intelligent person interviewed intelligently. Outstanding work MAndrews :notworthy:
Last edited by Planet Dave on 07 Sep 2021, 20:18, edited 1 time in total.
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Swinnow
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Well yeah, certainly Cat People was popular on the Fav jukebox back in the day ;)
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mh
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This is brilliant, and really good to see Von in such obvious good form too.
If I told them once, I told them a hundred times to put 'Spinal Tap' first and 'Puppet Show' last.
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Nyth Grandbeard
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This is the most positive I've seen him in an interview in a while.
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OLDFART
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Terrific interview and made me chuckle reading it :notworthy:
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MAndrews
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OLDFART wrote: ↑07 Sep 2021, 20:11 Terrific interview and made me chuckle reading it :notworthy:
Made me chuckle a lot doing it.
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hellboy69
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Outstanding questions & answers :notworthy:
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iesus
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AE wrote: Yes. But we don’t decide on a set-list till about an hour before showtime. We intend to play three new songs every night. Different ones too. I know a lot of people – I know their faces, I know their names, I know where their children live – who have bought tickets for all three nights because they know they’re going to get a different set each night and they’re going to get different new songs every night.
Wow. That gave me a chill on my spine!
or as the other Sisters sang ( The pointer ones )

:lol: :lol:
Thank you MA for the exciting material :notworthy: :bat:
'Are we the Baddies?'...
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copper
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First I heard of him championing Mario Bava's films. Good one.

All should watch Danger: Diabolik.
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Being645
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Great thanks to MA for this cool interview ... so real and refreshing ... :notworthy: ... I've absolutely enjoyed reading it.

And now .... only two more days before the whole thing starts ... ;D ;D ;D ... loads of great fun, joy and pleasure to everybody who can be there ...

Image Image Image Image Image Image Image

:bat: ... and don't forget to keep us updated in the according threads ... :bat:
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Banned from Hungary?
I didn't know that.
Cheers.
Steve
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Bonksi
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That was a great read. Thanks
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czuczu
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Amazing what a difference some intelligent questions make :)

DId he pass any verdict on the book?
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godgirl
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Pista wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 08:15 Banned from Hungary?
I didn't know that.
I don't mind if they are, but I like his reasoning and emphatic support of gay people! :notworthy: :notworthy:

Marge xxx
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It's a good interview, thanks Mark.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
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euphoria
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Thanks for a good interview, MAndrews! Interesting, I've never seen him so happily explaining what his songs are actually about...

We lost two tour managers in a year (to COVID-19). We’re on Number Three now and he’s been very good.
WTF!?

Interesting, if true, touring must have a great margin if it still pays off:
Basically, our costs have doubled.
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copper
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euphoria wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 10:36We lost two tour managers in a year (to COVID-19). We’re on Number Three now and he’s been very good.
WTF!?
If I'd have to guess... The regular person might've had health or career issues due to the pandemic. They get a replacement on a short notice, who may or may not be a temporary filling to begin with. The third person is the one recruited, perhaps, in a more orderly fashion.

Tour management has hardly been a priority lately, anyway. Planning the tours beforehand is another thing, and that's usually down to Ol' Husky.


And yeah, great interview MAndrews! Looking forward to receiving my copy of your book :)
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MAndrews
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czuczu wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 09:23 Amazing what a difference some intelligent questions make :)

DId he pass any verdict on the book?
He was not interviewed for it, he has not read any of it and will not read any of it. That makes it a very different book than if any of those things were the case. And I'm pretty sure he's fine with that. I know I am. Maybe it's a better book because of those things? We'll never know ...
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Todashi
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MAndrews wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 16:34
czuczu wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 09:23 Amazing what a difference some intelligent questions make :)

DId he pass any verdict on the book?
He was not interviewed for it, he has not read any of it and will not read any of it. That makes it a very different book than if any of those things were the case. And I'm pretty sure he's fine with that. I know I am. Maybe it's a better book because of those things? We'll never know ...
Just out of interest, did you ask him? He doesn't seem particularly interested in looking backwards, so I would guess he wouldn't really be interested in helping out, but I wonder if you put it to him just in case?
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Electrochrome
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This made my day, brilliant job Mark! Why do you think he took part in some of those Quietus articles about the early days, but then decided not to take part in the full project?

While the "recording" and "releasing music" bits are always predictable, the enthusiasm he seems to have, the energy boost since 2019 seems very real and very refreshing. And at 62 years young, no thoughts on stopping, no retirement, just continuing to do what he wants to do. Just to amuse Heartlanders, a Gift reissue question would have been great. :lol:

Thanks again!
"Consistency is the sign of a decaying brain"
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ruffers
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A really good interview because, surprise surprise,, interesting questions based on some research come up with interesting answers. Reads like an actual engaged conversation and is all the better for it.

Thanks.
Chucking another log on
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MAndrews
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Todashi wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 16:37
MAndrews wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 16:34
czuczu wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 09:23 Amazing what a difference some intelligent questions make :)

DId he pass any verdict on the book?
He was not interviewed for it, he has not read any of it and will not read any of it. That makes it a very different book than if any of those things were the case. And I'm pretty sure he's fine with that. I know I am. Maybe it's a better book because of those things? We'll never know ...
Just out of interest, did you ask him? He doesn't seem particularly interested in looking backwards, so I would guess he wouldn't really be interested in helping out, but I wonder if you put it to him just in case?
I did ask for an interview for the book, but eventually just ran out of time waiting for a reply. And no, he isn't particularly interested in looking back, which might be why my hand was not bitten off to talk about 1978-86. I would describe Eldritch's attitude to the book as "benign indifference", with also a recognition that at least I've tried to do things properly. The book will be full of things - were he to read it - he would disagree with. The book also has things it in it which might well be wrong - that is the way of the world. In fact, in the interview, I deliberately asked him things knowing his answers could directly contradict some statements in the book. The Lords of the New Church story is (tentatively) in there - and could be completely bogus. As well as being a chance to chat with Eldritch - and you can't turn that down! - the interview, as written up, is also a way to acknowledge, in advance, that the book is not definitive. It's a version. And it's not his. I suppose the most important thing about the 18 months I tried to contact him about the book is that he never told me to go f**k myself or threaten to set any legal dogs on me. I hope that remains the case after 28 Oct! Eldritch in the 80s: not entirely a bed of roses, I think we can all agree.
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MAndrews
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Electrochrome wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 16:38 This made my day, brilliant job Mark! Why do you think he took part in some of those Quietus articles about the early days, but then decided not to take part in the full project?

While the "recording" and "releasing music" bits are always predictable, the enthusiasm he seems to have, the energy boost since 2019 seems very real and very refreshing. And at 62 years young, no thoughts on stopping, no retirement, just continuing to do what he wants to do. Just to amuse Heartlanders, a Gift reissue question would have been great. :lol:

Thanks again!
I completely forgot about 'Gift', which I like. "Rain From Heaven' - marvellous. Should have asked that! That Eldritch took part in the first tQ piece was a complete fluke. He'd agreed to do some promo for a Spanish festival and tQ tipped me off, so I got the interview gig and asked the "SistersPress" email as was (aka. Chris Catalyst) to inform Eldritch that I wanted to talk about Olde Leeds. When Eldritch phoned in and I checked that he was OK to talk about Olde Leeds, his immediate reaction was that he gave such things as much thought as he did "tartan wallpaper." I then offered him a choice between Tour Promo Blah Blah Blah and Olde Leeds, and if we started in on the latter and he didn't fancy it, we could bale out and I'd open up a file with the other questions in. We got into Olde Leeds and I asked him almost immediately about Keenan's story about the lost video tape with Futurama 2 and ABBA on it... and then we did 90 minutes. Never got anything more out of Eldritch for the book, but from that first tQ piece, I got into contact with Marx and Adams and remained so until the very end of the writing process of the book. The influence of Adams and especially Marx is obvious in the book.The fact that I'd already got info from John Keenan and Danny Horigan is what opened up a way to talk meaningfully about the F Club and Olde Leeds with Eldritch that first time. So I'm eternally grateful to JFK and Danny - and Eldritch - because in that triad, Paint My Name was born!
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Chaotican
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iesus wrote: ↑07 Sep 2021, 21:16
AE wrote: I know where their children live – who have bought tickets for all three nights
Wow. That gave me a chill on my spine!
Thank you MA for the exciting material :notworthy: :bat:
That could either be warm acknowledgment or f**king terrifying, depending on tone. 😄
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godgirl wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 09:46
Pista wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 08:15 Banned from Hungary?
I didn't know that.
I don't mind if they are, but I like his reasoning and emphatic support of gay people! :notworthy: :notworthy:

Marge xxx
Well, I also hate how the government treats gay people here (declaring marriage as a man/woman relation in our constitution etc), but I'm almost sure that "ban" has nothing to do with gay people or his comments against the regime.
A38 indeed have some connection to the state but I don't think anybody would be banned from there for such reasons.
I saw New Model Army just a few years back there, I remember Justin Sullivan made some comments ("f**k them!") against Orban and that gig was filmed and aired in the State TV, maybe they edited out that comment, but that's all. Nobody cared, NMA will play again at the ship next year...

I believe the "ban" must be related to their last terrible gig on the ship.
First of all, I'm an old fan, saw all of their Hungarian gigs in the last 30+ yrs and a couple of shows in neighbour countries but the last A38 one was def the worst of all. Sound was really bad, they had to interrupt the gig after the first song as Von was entirely inaudible (no, not just the usual mumble thingy). They sorted it out (more or less) but I saw lots of people leaving the venue. I wasn't so disappointed as I saw them several times and knew what to expect (very low volume etc) but my wife who came with me was also very upset. I saw hundreds of raging "give my money back" online comments after the gig and eventually the venue had to release an announcement (they said that they had no responsibility for the bad sound etc). So I remember I thought it would have been the last Sisters gig at the ship and it seems I was right. So I think A38 just don't want this to happen again...
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