Heartland Interview with Tony James (2005)
Posted: 19 Apr 2005, 23:04
HL: You've always been a man for a concept haven't you? Barring Gen X, every band you've been involved with has had a very strong identity and in most cases a very strong "concept" at the heart: Sex Gang, Lords of the New Church, Sputnik, The Sisters, Fin De Siecle, Carbon/Silicon... Have you ever fancied being in a good, honest, no-nonsense pub rock band?
well i think C/S is a great rock band now, less concept more real
HL: So, cast your mind back to the early 80s - you've got this drum machine, an echo box, a couple of Eddie Cochran riffs and a bright idea... what on earth made you think someone like Eldritch would be a good idea to front your new band?
well its hard to find a singer and someone i knew said come and see this little band - and there was only 2 people there and me to see the sisters - i liked him and we came friends from then - but it was too late as he was doing the sisters so the search continued - but remember we both liked the same things, stooges, velvets, dolls so there was common ground
HL: So when Eldritch gave you the call, how did he pitch it to you?
wanna make an album - so i returned the favour and went to denmark - it was only meant to take a month though, not a year!
HL: How did you feel about stepping in to play bass in The Sisters? They've always had a somewhat devoted (read: fanatical) fan base. Did the idea of stepping into Patricia's shoes worry you?
hardly - i thought it a great idea and a perverse sideways move for me
HL: Who's idea was the top hat? Were you tempted to go for the 'pineapple' hair again?
i became the part, the hat was mine - its pre slash
HL: It seemed to me that most journalists were very confused by the move, yet most fans got 'the joke' (as press releases at the time referred to it as). Do you feel you were made to feel welcome?
yes everyone was very nice and respected that he and i had such history
HL: How interesting a country is Denmark? What did you find to do that meant it took 12 months in Puk to record Vision Thing?
i played for about 20 minutes, spent the rest of the time driving thru europe
don't ever get me wrong though, i like eldritch a lot and respect his fanaticism
HL: In the 'history' section of the Sputnik site you mention that Neal X came over to Denmark with you at first, but quickly returned home after personality clashes with Eldritch. I quite like the idea of Andreas and Neal jamming together. I take it none of Neal's takes ever made it onto a Sisters record?
no eldritch didn't like neal and i could see his point, it wasn't right, however i thought neal was better than bruhn - it was politically impossible as it would unbalance the power structure
HL: Were there any demos or remixes of the Vision Thing material, and if so how different to the final 'album' mixes were they?
no different at all as far as i can tell - only eld could hear the difference in the 200 versions
HL: Do you have copies?
only my ones
HL: Was touring with The Sisters as gruelling as legend would have us believe?
i had a great time
HL: What about Eldritch's (in some circles infamous) washed out Marks and Spencer's underpants, as mentioned on the Sputnik site... were they 'regulation wear' on the road?
my girlfriend could not take them seriously - it did cause ..friction
HL: Who did the laundry, and do you think his pants will ever appear on eBay?
unlikely
HL: What were your pants of choice during that time? Photos would suggest a nice sensible pair if briefs to compliment the denim...
kalvins
HL: The Sisters are in one of their notorious 'quiet' phases, and Andy's even gone so far as to guest on bass with New Model Army for an FC St Pauli charity gig. Have you been tempted to give him another call and drag him out of hiding for a guest spot at a gig? I'm sure he'd find the Carbon/Silicon concept deeply amusing...
no, we have not spoken in a while - he has his own clock - we will though - there's a mutual respect there - he never broke me
HL: You said that after Sputnik split you stopped believing in rock and roll. Did the whole Sisters experience make you a believer again?
its fun being in a big band, no mistake
HL: Many thanks, and best of luck with the Carbon/Silicon extravaganza!
Carbon/Silicon: http://www.carbonsiliconinc.com
Sigue Sigue Sputnik: http://www.sputnikworld.com/
There's also an unlocked thread here for you to comment on this interview:
http://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7356
well i think C/S is a great rock band now, less concept more real
HL: So, cast your mind back to the early 80s - you've got this drum machine, an echo box, a couple of Eddie Cochran riffs and a bright idea... what on earth made you think someone like Eldritch would be a good idea to front your new band?
well its hard to find a singer and someone i knew said come and see this little band - and there was only 2 people there and me to see the sisters - i liked him and we came friends from then - but it was too late as he was doing the sisters so the search continued - but remember we both liked the same things, stooges, velvets, dolls so there was common ground
HL: So when Eldritch gave you the call, how did he pitch it to you?
wanna make an album - so i returned the favour and went to denmark - it was only meant to take a month though, not a year!
HL: How did you feel about stepping in to play bass in The Sisters? They've always had a somewhat devoted (read: fanatical) fan base. Did the idea of stepping into Patricia's shoes worry you?
hardly - i thought it a great idea and a perverse sideways move for me
HL: Who's idea was the top hat? Were you tempted to go for the 'pineapple' hair again?
i became the part, the hat was mine - its pre slash
HL: It seemed to me that most journalists were very confused by the move, yet most fans got 'the joke' (as press releases at the time referred to it as). Do you feel you were made to feel welcome?
yes everyone was very nice and respected that he and i had such history
HL: How interesting a country is Denmark? What did you find to do that meant it took 12 months in Puk to record Vision Thing?
i played for about 20 minutes, spent the rest of the time driving thru europe
don't ever get me wrong though, i like eldritch a lot and respect his fanaticism
HL: In the 'history' section of the Sputnik site you mention that Neal X came over to Denmark with you at first, but quickly returned home after personality clashes with Eldritch. I quite like the idea of Andreas and Neal jamming together. I take it none of Neal's takes ever made it onto a Sisters record?
no eldritch didn't like neal and i could see his point, it wasn't right, however i thought neal was better than bruhn - it was politically impossible as it would unbalance the power structure
HL: Were there any demos or remixes of the Vision Thing material, and if so how different to the final 'album' mixes were they?
no different at all as far as i can tell - only eld could hear the difference in the 200 versions
HL: Do you have copies?
only my ones
HL: Was touring with The Sisters as gruelling as legend would have us believe?
i had a great time
HL: What about Eldritch's (in some circles infamous) washed out Marks and Spencer's underpants, as mentioned on the Sputnik site... were they 'regulation wear' on the road?
my girlfriend could not take them seriously - it did cause ..friction
HL: Who did the laundry, and do you think his pants will ever appear on eBay?
unlikely
HL: What were your pants of choice during that time? Photos would suggest a nice sensible pair if briefs to compliment the denim...
kalvins
HL: The Sisters are in one of their notorious 'quiet' phases, and Andy's even gone so far as to guest on bass with New Model Army for an FC St Pauli charity gig. Have you been tempted to give him another call and drag him out of hiding for a guest spot at a gig? I'm sure he'd find the Carbon/Silicon concept deeply amusing...
no, we have not spoken in a while - he has his own clock - we will though - there's a mutual respect there - he never broke me
HL: You said that after Sputnik split you stopped believing in rock and roll. Did the whole Sisters experience make you a believer again?
its fun being in a big band, no mistake
HL: Many thanks, and best of luck with the Carbon/Silicon extravaganza!
Carbon/Silicon: http://www.carbonsiliconinc.com
Sigue Sigue Sputnik: http://www.sputnikworld.com/
There's also an unlocked thread here for you to comment on this interview:
http://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7356