Heartland

metalorange wrote:I don't agree with his statement that you can't make money out of touring - there'd be no point in touring if at the end they'd lost money! And with no album to promote either. Practically the only way artists and bands make money these days IS from touring because the record company doesn't get a cut.

You are absolutely right. The only way to GAIN some money is touring, not selling records or CD's. The second thing to earn some bucks is merchandising.

Sounds a bit on the cheapo side to cut costs and ask for equipment to be supplied at the gig - from the reports on this tour, the sound has been up and down probably due to that fact and that is short-changing fans.

But it is understandeable. A lot of bands have to work this way. Not only because it is REALLY very expensive, but also very risky. How are you going to transport a whole 48-inline mixing desk from America to Europe, with guarantee it will still WORK on arrival?

Daniel from Front 242 told me that they (Front) used to buy all new equipment when they toured in America and sold it second-hand after the tour. It was much cheaper this way than taking their own equipment with them on the plane. They charge exuberant prices for this kind of transport, not to speak about insurance.

And nowadays, for electronic-based music this is not so difficult. All you ask is a PC with specific software and a sound module with this and this specs. All you have to bring along is a laptop or just your harddisc. Also the mixing desks can be automated with just a laptop nowadays as well. You just ask the specific mixing desk (when available of course), you come and plugin and hey presto! all the faders are in the right position! (in a PERFECT world, of course )

IZ.

Thanks for the translation!

Very interesting,,,
thanks to the translater !

Von seems to show his " human " part in this interview, it's great,,,, he's kind !

Good questions too ...

That is indeed a great interview, thanks very much.

I thought it was obvious he was normal(ish) abd Kind, didn't Mr Marx say not so long ago that Mr Eldritch ran the risk of turning into a thoroughly nice chap.

who is the 3rd dude?

bismarck wrote:

who is the 3rd dude?

Von?

the one in the middle

Just the journalist I guess.

Silence is platinum wrote:
Do Alice and Marian exist?

-Alice yes . Marian no!

I don't really buy that. Why would he refuse to play Marian in Hamburg if she wasn't a real person coming from here?

Thanks, great translation

Medieval Babe wrote:

Silence is platinum wrote:
Do Alice and Marian exist?

-Alice yes . Marian no!

I don't really buy that. Why would he refuse to play Marian in Hamburg if she wasn't a real person coming from here?

You're right actually. In a later review of that Athens gig, in the same music portal, there was a correction concerning this matter: Andrew had said that Marian really existed, not Alice.

alexislogic wrote: You're right actually. In a later review of that Athens gig, in the same music portal, there was a correction concerning this matter: Andrew had said that Marian really existed, not Alice.

I always figured it was Alice as in Alice in Wonderland anyway.
She's a junkie, so what ?

Lewis Carroll was an Oxford don after all.

the one in the middle is the interviewer Alexis Broulis

This one is more interesting than you can expect....
Andrew is giving answers to things that we have disguss in this forum
So i will contribute to this by give you the full translation of the interview in 4 parts like the original interview is...
I hope you will enjoy this......



Sisters of Mercy (Andrew Eldritch): We are the Rolling Stones only we have more brain! (Part A')

Date: 31/03/2006
Script-Interview: Alexis Broulis ("Avopolis.gr")

Don't believe anything from what you've heard about Andrew Eldritch. The impression that have most of us for the historic leader of Sisters Of Mercy, is one of an extraneous self-destroying egomaniac, among them the writer (Alexis Broulis is talking about his previous opinion)."I Was Wrong" then, as Andrew Eldritch wrote 16 years ago. He is a common mortal man with his only "weakness" being shine for his sharp, sarcastic humor and the fact that he has the luxury ofvocalizing his opinion without many rotations. Something most other peoples call just honesty.
After 26 live gigs in America and Canada, some broken ribs and have already start the "Sisters Bite The Silver Bullet" tour that celebrates 25 years of live performances of the band (16/2/81 Leeds – 16/2/06 Las Vegas), Eldritch and his company stands in Athens, for their firt european performances, in Athens and Thessaloniki in 1 & 2 April respectively.

First image: one small, thin englishman with sunglasses and sportswear is approaching us at the lobby of the hotel, alongside with the his young full piercing - mohican friend. Introduction, hand-shaking and immediately to the elevator. Second image: inside the elevator Andrew says that he didn't accomplish to do many things in the few hours since he arrived in Athens, as long as he is forced to meet guys like us that contiusly asking things. That was the critical point. We pass the humor-test in which we were just tried and all the rest become more easier with Andrew and Chris being in good spirit. If you are interested about his famous sunglasses, nope he didn't move them out a moment but he did gave us the chance (purposly perhaps?) to verify the blue colour of his eyes...


Q-There are 9 whole years since your last (and only) visit in Athens. What memories do you have from that?
A-Megadeth! We 've played together with New Model Army, which is always nice. We meet them a lot.

Q-Do you know that it was arranged to play in Athnes the same date, but their concert moved for a week after?
A-We 've disgussed this with Justin Sullivan in the line of american embassy in London, some time ago. We meet NMA all the time but we didn't expect to meet them both in Athens and London. We expect to meet them in a supermarket in Yorkshire! I thought they were to perform here last week.

Q-Do you feel something special now that you are here again?
A-I like the weather. Last time we didn't have the chance to look at many things. Now we have 3 whole days but we have many interviews to do..... It is not heavy but it's annoying, i would like to be somewhere outside, in a cafe.

Q-We could do that now.
A-Nah. It's too difficult because Athens is too noisy to make a conversation when you are outside.

Q-Was a specific reason to avoid to come to Athens all that years?
A-You have to ask promoters for this. Nobody calls us, while in Belgium we perform all the time (translators comment:Lucky bast**ds) cause they call us all the time.

Q-The same thing has told Justin Sullivan before.
A-He again?

Q-You have just come back from the american part of the tour. How did things go there?
A-Two of us went to the hospital, that means very well if you consider that we 've bein there for only 5 weeks

Q-How did you break your ribs?
A-I really don't know. Our quitar player was in worst condition, he had cramps and it was very painfull. All the others was fine, we saw snow, we saw sunshine.

Q-A lot of people are complaining about your live - sound being not good.
A-They are usually complaining most for the smoke

Q-You are carrying 4 smoke machines in this tour. Why so many?
A-Cause almost always half of them don't work when you need them! About the sound... Sometimes we bring our own trucks and equipment, something that is very expensive, especially for a city like Athens. So, sometimes we use the equipment that promoter of the concert is giving to us. Sometimes this equipment is good, sometimes is totaly crap, but we always try to do our best possible.

Q-What is the percentage of this?
A-In this tour because of the big time length and we have not the economic ability to have 2 trucks with equipment and full crew. It needs more money for the crew, for the hotels, for food. At least we are always ask from the promoter specific sound systems but we are not able to know if indeed he will follow our instructions.

Q-I was thinking yesterday that maybe your live sound is bad cause...
A-I don't think that sound is bad! It is always different and this is a good thing i believe. Maybe it could be boring to travel with 2 trucks and in every concert your sound sounds the same. The problem mostly has to do with the accoustic of the building and the worst places for something like this are closed playgrounds or basket arenas. They are a little bit different from the Skala of Milan...

Q-So, you are not so optimistic for the concert...
A-I don't know where we will play.

Q-In a closed basketball arena!
A-I can assure you from this moment that this is not our fault!


To be Continued in Part 2
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Sisters of Mercy (Part Â')

Q-I was thinking, that deliberately you had this "bad" sound, cause a lot of people records is illegaly with houndreds of bootlegs released after.
A-This is really a very good theory! I wish i would think of this! You could be really right in this. We 've always want to sound louder than any other band and indeed we did this at the past but i could never hear what we played because of the loudness and maybe at that time it sounded amusing but it was not amusing for me. Personally, i prefer the sound of the tour of our second album during that i didn't try to sing like the rest of the singers used to. Many told me in our first record era that i didn't sound like an "ordinary" singer and indeed, i ain't an "ordinary" singer and have no problem with this!

Q-I imagine that you know the fact that many fans are out in tour the same time with the band.
A-It really don't bothers me at all! If they buy tickets is fine, if they don't buy tickets, is also fine too. This is their way to express their opinion. If they buy tickets, they can come to the concert and protest and this is their indefeasible right. They don't have the right to insist that i am forced to hear them. Maybe sometimes someone believe that the sound is somehow funny or that there is a little bit more smoke for his taste, the fact is that we continue to sell tickets so it can't be a concert of us be so bad.

Q-I saw you last summer in Zurich and...
A-I think this concert was just fine.

Q-I remember that the opening concert of "Smoke And Mirrors" tour, back in 2003 in Amsterdam was not perfect in the sound.
A-I can see that you travel a lot! It seems that you can remember more concerts than i do! (laughs)

Q-Can you tell which is your favourite audience?
A-In Mexico i can say and perhaps in Brazil.

Q-In Brazil told me Sullivan too!
A-There he comes again! And he comes in Greece next week! How can this really happen? (laughs)

Q-Some of those who travel in parallel with the band are complaining that you have no big communication with the supporters of the band during the concerts. You just walk on the stage, sing and say good night.
A-What i was supposed to do? Tell anecdotes and stories? OK, maybe they deserve to watch me dance some more and sweat. I know that they like to watch me sweat, it is my job to do it. But i am not good at all thelling anecdotes and stories. You know, we are playing like Ramones and in fact the gaps between our songs are much longer than theirs and that's why we are more communicative that Ramones were. I did watch them many times and i can't remember them telling stories!

Q-Do you remember when Joey died in the Sisters official site there was his photo for 24 hours as opening page. What was your relation with him?
A-I travelled many times to watch them in their concerts.

Q-So, you were something like groupie?
A-No! Cause groupie means sex. I can only say that i was just a foolish fan.

Q-In what degree your songs are autobiographical and in what degree fiction?
A-You must write about things you have seen or you think you know but sometimes you change the point of view. Borhes was a marvelous writer but i don't think that he rumbled in his life in so many dagger fights! Surely he had seen some occur and he knew the reasons why they did occur. He used them allegorically for many things in life and i prefer to do the same as well.

Q-Did Alice and Marian exists?
A-Alice yes, Marian no.

Q-Is she alive?
A-I don't know. I hope so...

Q-"Nine While Nine" and "Some Kind Of Stranger" are written for her?
A-No. Why everybody believes that -like in Shakespeare- there must always be for me one and unique dark female figure to whom i wrote all my songs? Perhaps i do met some ladies more! One-two blondes, little animals! (laughs) Donkeys, dinosaurs...

Q-Like the Stones?
A-You did the connection! I watch them once, they were good.

Q-Do you believe that there is meaning touring after 40 years and something?
A-This time i didn't buy a ticket but many others did, so all is just fine. If some people are buying tickets for Billy Joel, they should be shooted immediate but not if they do the same for Rolling Stones. From the moment they already have so many money it is obvious that they don't need a tour to make some cash more, they propably like this.

Q-At the first years Sisters did release many singles but not albums. Was that happening in purpose?
A- No, simple i didn't have the money to create bigger records...

Q-What's your opinion for bands like Fields Of The Nephilim, Garden Of Delight, Elusive e.t.c.?
A-I could share my opinion for REM or Neil Young. Honestly i don't know these bands, even i have been asked again this question in the past. We believe that we belong in the same category like REM, Neil Young and Black Sabbath.

Q-why do you wear sunglasses all the time?
A-I startto wear them at the first live of the Sisters because lights that came from below were blinding and after that i adopt them because i am afraid peoples like this one! (and he points at the photographer!!!) And when i have to go to the supermarket i take them off and nobody recognizes me, thing that is mostly nice. Most pop stars are not afraid of photographers but when they have to go to a supermarket they are forced to wear sunglasses and then everybody says: "Hey, there is a pop star with sunglasses over there!"

Q-Is there a deeper philosophy behind all this smoke, dark and sunglasses?
A-Not particular. Just our origins become from the school of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd in what matters scenic appearance, there where you create your own private "battle" environment.

To be Continued in Part 3
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Silence is platinum wrote:The time gap between the songs we have is bigger than the
one the Ramones had which already makes us better in communicating.
I ve seen the Ramones many times and they never told stories..

he's got a point there...

Thanks for this great translation iesus...

keep it comin'

Sterling work, Sir!

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Sisters of Mercy (Part C)

Q-What is your criteria when you decide an adaptation of a song?
A-Sometimes we do it for fun and sometimes to distort and f**k some songs.

Q-So, what was the main reason to adapte and change "Gimme Shelter"?
A-We wanted to show that we are like the Rolling Stones. We like them but we wanted to point out that we are Rolling Stones, only difference we have more brain! And because we wanted to sing the words, they should have sang at this song before.

Q-You make ana adaptation of "Knocking On Heaven’s Door", and after that Guns’n’Roses follow and it becoma a hit. You adapt "Jolene", the hit was made by White Stripes.
A-We still wait for the cash!

Q-And something difficult now, about your 1985 tour.
A-There has been many time since then and except tha fact that i don't remember, i don't care about it at all for this era, to be honest. Press is madly in love for such things cause some lazy journalists don't know what else to write and it is an easy solution for them to write about fights instead for music. We didn't make concerts at this period but we have released two whole albums and music press still insist to find easier to care about the fights and ignore music. Which i think is dissapointing. And i find it more dissapointing that i am forced to talk about that issues even today. Ok, let's talk about those albums but what's the meaning to talk about those arguments? There are always debates inside a band. This is not something to grow enthusiastic to anyone.

Q-Do you believe that this argument...
A-You are going to ask me that way or other way!

Q-...has helped to build the legend of the Sisters?
A-Only the kind of legend that is false.

Q-Do you still talk with Wayne?
A-I talk to every friendly and civilized man i meet... if he talks to me first!

Q-Have you meet recently?
A-No, we meet many other musicians and various bands in airports, embasies and festivals. We meet New Model Army all the time!

Q-There has been 16 years since the last record release. Everybody asks the same thing.
A-And we still try to find out interesting answers as there are no others left. We don't have absolutely any plan.

Q-You are still writting songs.
A-What's the point to be in a rock band when you can not create your own rules? We don't have the need to release a record and either way we are very busy touring the world. Especially this year it is totally off chance to release something. We are in continued negotiations with record companies and if they work like they should be, those negotiations would hold longer. But all music industry is a mess, isn't it?

Q-Why Sisters continue to exist?
A-Cause it is funny to realize how far you can make it. To be able to find out for how long you can make concerts without having a record release. The whole process of this job is funny. It is nice after 25 whole years, from those 15 without a record label and no record, to continue touring for 3 months starting from Las Vegas till finishin' in Rio de Janeiro. It is amusing! There are moments during concerts that can be really very amusing. This is not a financial matter. I don't feel a special need to compose songs cause i have already compose enough which makes me proud for them and that fact makes it more difficult to compose new ones. But touring is the most easier part as long as you are not fained to face the mean record companies. You are trying to make your songs more popular by perform them live to audience. If i am proud of a song, i feel it like a child that you would like to grow it up and to bring it out to the world and then this covers the other children! I don't have children, you do have realize that propably!

Q-Many people says that Sisters are playing for money.
A-Then people don't understands how music industry works, because - as you know - it is very difficult to make money by touring.

Q-If you record now at studio a new album, you would prefer the songs to be written in the same chronical period?
A-I don't think that by hearing our songs, you will be able to say if they were composed now or 5 years ago and by the way we perform the older ones, it is not still visible when they were composed too. Our set is strongly tied.

To be Continued in Part 4
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Thanks for this, iesus



Some interesting things in there.....

Explained a few bits'n'bobs, especially the gig sound problems.

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Sisters of Mercy (Part D)

Q-Why do Sisters coninue to sell?
A-I don't know. Maybe it is press that is satisfied by draw us in a specific mythical and legendary way. I would like to present us like a band such REM is, even if they said that we are not so good like they are. It could be a challenge that i wish i would face up. But press don't do this, press keeps on presenting me like a some kind of mythical gentleman.

Q-Was it your behaviour that helped to this direction?
A-People says that in our site there is not much motion image, there is not enough music, only endless texts. And they used to tell me that is very alazonic from my part. The fact is that i was working for 6 whole months to write those things by my hand and it doesn't seem to be much alazonic to me, doesn't it? Simply we do not use that fake way of communication with all the others.

Q-So, you dispose the characterization of the alazonic bastard?
A-No, i don't dispose it. If, for example, you are going to leave this room today after this conversation and really belive something like this, then that is what exactly have to put and write down. But the problem occurs when people still comes after 25 years and asks "What is the origins of your name". Yes, in these cases i am an alazonic bastard and it is all their fault. Many people write something like this without ever having heard our band or watch us in live concerts and without ever meet us. So, many are copying those characterizations and put them on newspapers. So, this is not my fault.

Q-Maybe the blame goes to the fact that you are not giving so many interviews.
A-It is totally true that we have the ability to avoid giving interviews and indeed we have the tension to do that. This happens because we prefer to do other things. Even you would like to make something different with such nice weather outside, don't you? All we would prefer to sit in a nice cafe shop next to the beach.

Q-Why you don't like to get photographed in the concerts?
A-Flashes are distructing my attention. From one point and after it is unbearable. We permit to get pictures but it is not possible during the first whole 3 songs in the begining of the concert not to take a nice pose! They insist to take pictures all the time. So, after the forst 3 songs we through them outside. And they didn't even pay for a ticket.

Q-Have you ever thought to get a bass player in live?
A-On this tour, we play many songs in the bass ourselves and i think that's much better. Apart from that the songs are composed to be performed by the machine and then they sound better. Kraftwerk can not be performed by chamber-orchestra!

Q-Is there a meaning for drum machine to be pre-recorded?
A-No it is not. There is a user for the drum machine which performs live. If you stick for the basist, we will have a couple of songs for you. There will be so many smoke that you will not be able to see, cause i bet that you will stand in the back there were those who don't pay for ticket stands. Sometimes, many times to be exact there is someone who comes after the concert -because of the smoke- and says "what wonderfull this drummer of yours is"!

Q-Why you don't perform More anymore?
A-We are thinking to play it againbut at this moment i feel it needs backing vocals and there is nothing like this. The guys want to play it other way.

Q-Which is your favourite Sister's song?
A-I like to perform "I Was Wrong" without drums during concerts.

Q-Will you perform it?
A-Hmmm... maybe.

Q-What you would like to say the people for the Sisters in 20 years from now?
A-That whey were like REM, Neil Young, Motorhead and slightly better from them! In reality we could never be better than Motorhead.

Q-What did Lemmy in that live where you record videotape of "Wake" that convince you to get back to the stage?
A-At that time i was in pain, just like i am in this very moment and i didn't want to make an encore and Lemmy explained me, very urgently, that for some reason i had the duty to walk on the stage once more.

Q-How do you judge todays situation with one global cop and the detention of individual freedom rights?
A-It is going to be worst cause Chinese are buying little by little and piece by piece this global cop. And they don't have a previous past of individual freedom rights.

Q-One last question: have you really kissed the carpet?
A-I have been very close to the carpet many times but never kiss it, at least in a way you kiss a beloved one!

Q-If you had a back up copy of "Damage Done" i would buy it with pleasure.
A-I don't have even a copy of it.

End
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That's the last part of it...
I find that interesting and solve many of my questions and explains things i was not sure of....
Hope you will enjoy this too...

And a very special thanks to our friend Silence is Platinum that gave me the trigger to do this.

Thanks for the translation iesus! A lot of work must have gone into that.

markfiend wrote:Thanks for the translation iesus! A lot of work must have gone into that.

Seconded! Thanks a lot!

Brilliant stuff iesus. Thanks a lot mate.

Thanks to both of you for that translation.


So, not releasing anything because he's seeing how long he can keep The Sisters touring without releasing anything...anyone taking bets as to how long that'll be?