L: It was through a DJ named Charlie Gillett. He's known Dave Robinson (Stiff founder) for quite some time. I originally went to Charlie because I was looking for a job as a sax player. I was very shy about my voice at the time. People are always looking for a new Bee Gees or new Beatles. For something different it's a bit difficult at first. Charlie, for the first time, was someone that had shown interest in us. Les and I had just found enough confidence to write our own songs. I played Charlie something that we had just started. He gave us a lot of confidence and said he knew just where we should be, on the Stiff label, and he arranged for us to come and meet Dave. Dave had seen us before when we were playing with other bands. We walked in at the right time because Stiff had just lost a couple of their artists and were actually looking for artists to sign up. They left us pretty much on our own. It wasn't until we had a single out that it was a success. Stiff put out five albums on the same day. When it came around to releasing singles they wanted to make it a bit special, so first Mickey Jupp had one out, Eric had one, and then Rachel. I was the last one in line and had to wait six months. It was lucky. ("Lucky Number", to be more specific.) I don't think it could in any other country but this one (England). This country is very open-minded. When you look at the charts there's all kinds of things on them, from really stupid records to humourous ones, along with middle of the road.
L: I think we're still considered very underground. We don't get any airplay. They're very conservative on the media scene. The DJs that I met would quite like to play our songs. They probably do to some extent. It's real diffcult because they think we're from another planet.
L: We never really had much connection with traditional rock and roll. Our musical influences come in a roundabout way. In fact, from any conventional link, it would be more from black music - Motown, because that's what I heard mostly. The things that influenced me more were our jobs in the theatre.
L: No, not really. I think everything that we do comes natural to us. I suppose you learn from your experiences and pick up things... but what goes in and what comes out has an effect, but sublimely, not so much calculatively.
L: Ah yes but that song is not only about the Hell's Angels. It's for anyone that likes to live dangerously. If I'm actually singing about something that has happened to me, it's usually because... well, it's NOT because I want to re-create the history of it, but because it's in my head and it's stayed there awhile. Not the event, the reactions from the event.
L: It's whatever's needed at the moment. It's probably because I've had no musical training, I sort of use whatever is effective at the time. I think that certain frequencies can help generate a certain atmosphere, so sometimes I sing very high, not so necessarily words, but sounds, like vowel sounds. If I think it needs some sort of penetration, then I'll put a scream in. Maybe to sing very low can help to influence the person listening and make them understand more the mood of the song.
L: I think the problem is that we should be making more LPs. People tend to see each album as being specific... "You've changed directions." What it really means is, that we're capable of making many kinds of music. I think the more albums that we do, the more apparent that will become.
L: I always hoped that people would be able to move with our music. Some songs are definitely up-tempo. And we see when we perform that certain songs make people jump up and down und others don't. It's interesting to watch from the stage how people react physically from your songs.
L: I think it's a different feeling from the moment that you watch it. You miss a lot because it all happens so quickly. I've always been fascinated by these nature films that watch flowers open very slowly. And watching insects move.
L: No, they were all from the dictionary or the thesaurus. I was a bit sad that the electrical connotations of "flex" were left off. Flex also means... (looks around, picks up the cord to the cassette recorder) Like this here, it could be called a flex. It means insulated wire.
L: I can see very much in my mind pictures when I'm writing songs. I'd like to do about three videos for each song. What I'm frightened of is limiting a song by putting visuals to it. I like it when people come up to me and say, "Oh you know what that song's about, that's about..." and it's totally different from what I had in mind. I find it intruiging and I'd like to encourage people to use their own minds.
L: I'm NOT always in a wedding dress. Just recently. I wanted to try a different color. I usually wear dark colors and I'd be very happy wearing dark colors, but I thought, "You should change". I'd be very happy with black but that's because the most interesting clothes I've seen happen to be black. Also I like lace a lot, but that's only because I like the different pictures, and the different textures you can build up by the layers. It's just a lot of net curtains. I suppose the fact I wear a veil makes it a wedding dress. But then I have the other extreme. I like to dress in a tailored way, like the American cover of my first album.
L: I just think that personal freedom is very important. It disturbs me to see young people very conservative. I like to encourage people to be creative. If the Martians ever landed here they would be freaked out totally. Just look at a tree, what kind of thing is that? The world is a very wonderful and strange place and I hope that people won't try and make it very small. I think that's actually happening in music. In the future there won't be so many superstars. There will be a lot more alternatives. I like the idea of that, it's a healthy idea.
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