4th April 1999
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If The Wildhearts were still together and Danny
presented some of the songs he wrote for The Yo-Yo's for inclusion on a new
Wildhearts album, would you have accepted them as they were, suggested subtle
changes or dismissed them totally?
Dazz
If Danny had presented his songs (especially 1000 Miles From Me), I would not only have accepted them as they were but would have given him the biggest kiss on the lips he ever had (I know he'd appreciate that). And then I would have relaxed for the first time since the band had started, safe in the knowledge that if I couldn't think up enough material for the next album, Danny would be on hand to save the day. Man, I spent a good few years trying to get Danny to write lyrics and come up with songs and now he decides to turn into one of my favourite songwriters today. Life in The Wildhearts had a tendency to be both unfair and ironic, but I think that this has to be the icing on a very bitter cake!
What was / how is your relationship with Jef? From
this side of the fence he occasionally came across as the outsider of the band.
I read somewhere that it was only on the last tour of Japan that you spoke to
him properly and realised what an interesting bloke he is. Truth or
rumour?
Dazz
Truth? We should have never sacked CJ. But it was a management decision that we thought made sense at the time. When Jef joined there wasn't really a band there to join, so he only got to see the ugly side of things. He also got to see Japan and a lot of the rest of the world, so he could have done worse. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Jef as a human being, it's just unfortunate that we were seeing the end when he joined and I didn't feel like making any new friends. With hindsight, things could have been much better, but things move on and you have to live with your mistakes.
I met you on the final UK Wildhearts tour, at the
Roadmender, Northampton. I made a complete arse of myself as I didn't have
a clue what to say and just ended up laughing at your jokes and nodding like a
moron. I know a lot of people on The Wildhearts Mailing List comment on how
they meet band members and their IQ drops to single figures and I was wondering
if you've had a similar experience when meeting 'stars' you
admire?
FiSH
Er... no. I can't say I've ever been so impressed by anyone that I got nervous around them. I did meet Paul Stanley once when I was a mad young Kiss fan, and I thought he was the biggest arsehole I'd ever come into contact with. So maybe that put me in good stead for the future.
I read somewhere that you recorded Sky Babies in
one take. Is this true, and if so how the hell did you pull that one
off?
Jamie Marsden
We managed to pull that one off because Ritch is a fucking amazing drummer - probably the most underrated in Britain.
When I saw you play at the Barras in Glasgow, you
came on for the encores and said that you weren't going to split. This made
me so happy that I spent the whole of the next song in tears of joy. I was just
wondering if you've ever had any experiences through music that have moved
you to a similar extent?
Jamie
Marsden
The most emotional experiences I've ever had were when we weren't going to split up too! But playing with Mick Ronson and some of the Japanese gigs were pretty throat-choking as well.
Thank you, thank you for the adrenaline rushes at
the beginning of your gigs. I saw four, including the Brixton Academy show
where you played the opening verse of Geordie in Wonderland, the crowd sang the
rest and you all gave us a clap at the end. Thank you for making my then
girlfriend lose all bodily control during TV Tan. Thank you for endless
sing-alongs and excitement. Thank you for the inspiration to pick up a guitar
and to try to learn to play... I know things move on, so although everyone I
speak to wishes that The Wildhearts would be around forever, I'm eager to
hear some of the new stuff, it could be even better and please release
something soon.
John
Gamble
Thank you for your kind words. Sometimes it's hard to look at something in a positive light when the end was so ugly, but I'm very thankful for your memory lane-type letter, if only to remember the band for what it was: a bunch of guys trying to make a big noise. People met and married at our gigs (look at Darren and Tara) and I like to think that the atmosphere had something to do with it. And that was down to you lot. A lot can be said about a band by the fans they generate, and judging by our fans we must have been pretty cool!
The new stuff sounds like it's gonna be fucking
cool. Any idea on when or if there'll be a tour with your band? Is it the
absolute end for The Wildhearts? There are so many stories around I dunno
what's happening.
Andy
Palmer
As soon as there is ANY news on the touring or album release front you will receive it through this web site. Darren and Tara are the best contact for this info in the world.
I don't know about the end of The Wildhearts, but I do know that we are all busy doing other things. And that is the only story to take seriously. I'd be lying if I said that I don't miss the guys and would love to play with them again one day. We made a good noise that people still miss today, so maybe the public will be more responsible for us doing something together than we will. Time is a great healer and a good friend, and used responsibly can yield great fruits. Maybe we all need to ripen a bit first.
I was just wondering how you managed to get gigs
when you were in your first band, and where you even looked. I've got a
five-track tape, so I was thinking of handing that round pubs and stuff. Is
that a good idea?
Jim
Hopkins
The way I first got gigs was a little extreme, but could be modified to work for anyone. My first band was a glam-style band, and coming from Newcastle this was pretty rare. So we stuck out a mile but when we played we were actually really well rehearsed and had great songs that separated us from the norm. So make sure your demo tape stands up to your favourite band, and for god's sake don't go on stage and look as dull as everyone else. If you lot ain't dancing why should the crowd? If you get the crowd into you, believe me, you will get more gigs. It's that simple. Pubs are a great start as everyone is on the same level. So be LOUD and blow 'em away.
I've been playing guitar now for three years or
so. I'm not brilliant, but I'm alright. The thing is, I can't seem
to be able to sing and play at the same time. Have you got any tips?
Chris Harrison
Yes, practice. It takes a lot longer than three years to be really good at anything. When I played bass for a while I just could not get singing and playing to go together, and the only way I managed it was to play loads of gigs and risk looking stupid in front of people. One day it just clicked and now no one is laughing. Don't worry, it will come together, just don't give up.
Any chance of a cover of Cathouse by Faster
Pussycat? Are there any other covers you'd like to do in the
future?
Jez
There is no chance in the world that I will be doing ANY Faster Pussycat covers. I don't personally like nor know too much about the band. Backyard Babies asked me to guest on Babylon and it sounded like fun, but that's not a song I would have picked.
There are about 5000 songs I would like to cover and if I live long enough I will. But I realised last time The Wildhearts recorded some covers as B-sides that this is not a very popular move as far as the fans are concerned. So I will have to record MY favourite songs for a Xmas gift to the fans for free or something. But as yet it ain't Xmas and I'm busy!
I'm a Japanese fan of The Wildhearts. I saw
your shows in Japan twice, and one of those was a show that you recorded for
Tokyo Suits Me. I was so lucky to see the show! I know many people around me
love The Wildhearts and we are so happy that you love Japan so much. Thank you
very much. I'm also a great fan of a band in San Francisco called American
Heartbreak. I heard that you plan to play some shows in LA with the band in
April or May. I know that they really like The Wildhearts and want to play with
you. I know you are so busy with your own act, but I really hope you will play
with them.
Yoshikuni
Fukuda
I don't think I'll be playing with American Heartbreak now as I have to pay musicians, and in LA that just does not make financial sense. I would lose hundreds of dollars (in America nobody does anything for free), so unless I'm promoting a record or CD then don't be expecting any gigs for a while. Thank you for your kind words and I think you are going to like the new songs a lot.... matane.
Why does Japan get extra stuff all the time like
box sets and a final tour, etc?
Phil
Christopher
The reason why Japan gets so much cool stuff is because the record companies have their shit together. They realise a demand, albeit smaller than the Spice Girls, and fulfil the needs of the buyer. If things were efficient in England then there would be loads of the cool stuff that I wanted to do all along. But as it stands only Japan like my ideas. And they also think up great ideas of their own (like the 4 CD box set). Can you imagine an English record company putting that out? No, I didn't think so! As far as the "final tour" goes, we were booked to play some UK Xmas shows in aid of the homeless but The Yo-Yo's were busy so we had to pull them. Take it up with their management.
I'm listening to The Clash and Motley Crue at
the moment. Do you like them? I have heard that Nikki Sixx likes The
Wildhearts. Also, why don't you write some songs with Paul
Gilbert?
Fumi
Yes, I love The Clash and I thought the first Motley Crue album was great. I also hope that me and Nikki Sixx will get together soon and start writing some new songs. But he is on tour at the moment so we will have to wait. Paul Gilbert is a huge Cheap Trick fan so if we wrote together it would be very pop. I love pop so this would make me very happy.
What's your favourite Wildhearts album and
why?
Mark Bartlett
My favourite Wildhearts album is Earth Vs The Wildhearts as it was not just our first album but my very first album too. And it still sounds great and probably always will.
Are there any unreleased 'Hearts songs that you
are really proud of and think we should hear? When are we gonna hear
them?
James Smythe
Yes, there are some really obscure early songs that I just got a hold of. I want to put some work into making them sound really good and then use the Internet to make them available to fans. But don't wait too hard as they probably won't be made available for a while yet. Watch this space.
Do you still see / get on with any of the
ex-Wildhearts?
Chris
Harrison
Yes, I'm still best mates with Ritch and Danny. But I don't get to see them very often so I'm missing them a lot.
Did you pick all your own support bands? I only
ask, 'cos you got me into Baby Chaos, and you also had some other bloody
good acts. Plus, I'm about the last man alive who still thinks Blameless
are okay...
James Smythe
Yes we did pick all our own support bands. We are still fans of stuff ourselves, and to be able to see a band like Groop Dogdrill every night for free is a cool thing! Nowadays, we'd be fucked because our favourite band would be The Yo-Yo's!
Just visited your new web site and thought I'd
drop you an e-mail. I can't begin to tell you how much you've
influenced me as a singer and songwriter, or convey just how much enjoyment
I've derived from listening to your music... I'm sure you're
probably inundated with people asking you questions about The Wildhearts, and
that's understandable as they were one of the best bands ever in my
opinion. But now I say bring on Silver Ginger! I'm totally confident that
it will be your best work to date, and hopefully it will serve as a vehicle to
get most of America's head out of its collective arse and listening to you!
No pressure there, eh? If you ever do make it up this way, I'd be honoured
to buy you a pint or ten. Best of luck always!
Chief
Thanks a lot. All I can ever ask for in life is to influence someone as much as I've been influenced in the past by people. This is a shit business with little concern for music, so the only way to find out you don't completely suck is from people like yourself. Thanks for making a cynical bastard very happy.
I've been a fan for as long as I can remember
and know what the majority of songs you've written are about, but
there's one that I've never been able to figure out and that's
Jonesing For Jones. So could you please perhaps explain what it's
about?
Kev Leam
Jonesing for Jones was written loosely about my ex-girlfriend but can be a metaphor for missing something so much that the reality of the situation is living in a constant state of angst and unhappiness. Love is supposed to feel good but for the most part feels like a serious case of heartburn. "Jonesing" is American slang for withdrawal, usually from drugs, so I thought making a comparison between addiction and love was quite apt.
On the last Wildhearts tour you played at the
Winter Gardens in Cleethorpes. I'd like to know what you honestly thought
of the place. I know Danny enjoyed it, even if it was only because he spent all
afternoon in the pub (I am sorry, I did actually invite him).
Kev Leam
Cleethorpes' Winter Gardens was a brilliant gig / day out. The people were mental, the party was wild and I got to play guitar with Groop Dogdrill so I was one happy bunny that day.
What do you think of the new Marilyn Manson
album?
James Smythe
I've only heard the new MM album a few times but I think it's bollocks.
Silver Ginger? Not going grey are you,
Ginge?
Anon
Grey?!?!?! Jesus, how old do you think I am? No, I'm not going grey, and being a redhead I probably never will.
