29th November 2000
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I'd just like to say thanks for a great fuckin'
show at the Scala! Not too many people could have followed AntiProduct, but
fuck me if it wasn't one of the best shows I've seen this year (and I've seen a
few!). When you were looking for a bass player, though, I thought it was of
vital importance that they were tall with long black hair and a party animal?
Short bald guy in a grey suit isn't quite the same! Not that it matters to me,
it all sounded good!
Daniel Brandon
Jon played bass on the album and I finally understand what an essential part of the sound he actually is. Yeah he's bald, but I did get the party animal that I wanted!
Bang bang, clang bang, explode explode, burny eyes,
stingy eyes, fuck-wow-fuck-wow- fuck! Thanks for the Scala night, my
friend.
Matt
That is just about the most accurate review I have ever read.
In the inlay of Black Leather Mojo, you mention
"City" in the thanks section. Is that Dev's City?
Dave
Draper
It certainly is. The one and the only. City was a big inspiration around the time of recording Endless, Nameless, and still gets cranked up nice and loud whenever me and Rich are shitfaced.
Finally got Black Leather Mojo! Found it in HMV in
London for 35 quid and bought it. Considering I travelled to London from
Scotland and spent three nights in a hotel before finding it, I can safely say
it's the most expensive CD I've ever bought. And it's worth every single
penny!
Clarkie
We hope to release a single in February and the new, fucked with version of the album in April, complete with new songs and maybe a new title. Congratulations on buying the thing on import. You now own what will soon become a very rare and sought after item, ensuring that you never need to be completely broke ever again.
I've stumbled upon a recording from the early 80s
which is apparently yourself and Stidi banging out a couple of tunes. They are
called Talk Of The Town and After The Fire. The singer sounds like you, and the
style isn't too distant from early Wildhearts, but I'm not too sure. If it is a
genuine recording, would you mind me sharing it with the Wildhearts Mailing
list, maybe through Napster, etc? This depends on me making it sound half
decent (a reference to the tape quality, not the songs!), and your consent.
Dazz
Yeah, She's A Talker and After The Fire were recorded with Stidi on drums and me on everything else. It was the first time I had ever sang, and it wasn't a bad job looking back. Probably gave me the confidence to sing with The Wildhearts actually, even though it preceeded it by nearly ten years. It was also recorded in the days when you went into a studio in an afternoon and recorded / mixed the lot in a couple of hours. I'd love to hear what you do to enhance the sound of those tracks as I don't actually own copies of them.
Just wondered if, since the show at the Scala,
you'd been approached by any Brit record companies with a view to releasing
Black Leather Mojo for the masses. Lordy knows, the album deserves to be
heard.
Wayne
Well, Wayne, those invited didn't all turn up. They thought it wouldn't have been very special. The good news is that everyone is talking about it now, so hopefully they will turn up in December.
That sucks about not scoring a deal yet. Wish I
could say I was surprised, but after seeing the kind of trendy nonsense that
companies have been signing for the past ten years, your case sounds all too
common. Please keep at it! Your record is too damn good! There are so many
people here in the US that are just dying for some good old fashioned,
straightforward, in-your-face, balls-out rock 'n' roll! And we're not getting
it. The record companies just keep signing the same stupid shit.
Chuck
Marwick
Don't worry, Chuck, I have a feeling that we'll get signed before the state of American radio disintegrates into something resembling UK radio. Someone somewhere will still be man enough to put his balls on the line for good songs. Problem is, there are too many young guys in this business, and too many old guys... just too many fucking guys! Now, a female A&R person would get this shit instantly.
My band used to be managed by Sanctuary, and when
we were finding it hard to get record companies interested they said we could
record for Sanctuary Records. Is this possible for SG5? I cant believe that a
band so full of everything the music industry needs - ie, entertainment and
great songs - has to shop around for a deal. Those bastards should be breaking
your door down for this record.
Paul Gautrey
Sanctuary Entertainment is a fairly new company and therefore not overly concerned with releasing singles, as this can lead to a severe loss of money. Maybe in time Sanctuary Records will get into releasing singles, but for now they don't, and I want a few singles pulled from this fine album. So I need a record company that can understand my needs as well as fully realise this dream.
Have you tried Alan McGee's new label PopTones for
a deal? From what he's been saying about the kind of bands he's looking for,
SilverGinger 5 seem ideal. Or have you tried that route already?
Moc
Creation turned me down a few years ago. Why would I possibly want to work with Alan McGee? He seems like a fool.
Have you considered setting up your own record
label and releasing the album yourself?
David
Fairweather
Yes, many times. The cost to do it properly, however, is phenomenal, and would leave me bankrupt if it didn't work as planned. And in this business there are no guarantees. I think I'll let someone else's bank take the strain, ta!
Have you ever thought about going on tour with
ex-Wildhearts showcasing all the new bands?
David
Ambrose
I would love to, but The Yo-Yo's would refuse to do it. They're trying to get away from me and The Wildhearts or something. Strange, as most of their audience are Wildhearts fans, their videos are made by my close friends that made the Wildhearts videos, and they advertise the fact that they have a new "chat-room / mailing list" on The Wildhearts Mailing List! Getting away from the past? Hahahaha.
To me, a lot of the tunes on Black Leather Mojo
sound like old 70s glam type of stuff. Is that just because it's upbeat (which
is damn rare these days), or did you intentionally make it sound that way?
Brian 2E
Well, growing up in the 70s, it was pretty impossible to miss out on glam. Punk also. I like to think I mix 'em both up a little. Just listen to those old Sweet and Slade songs - man, those guys had the tunes.
Why are the last three tracks on the SG5 CD "bonus"
tracks? You only have the one CD out, right? What exactly are they bonus
to?
Brian 2E
The Japanese record labels always ask for bonus tracks to make the Japanese consumer buy the album on its Japanese release, rather than the import version that tends to appear in the shops before the domestic release. The fact that there is no import version does make this a little more confusing, but it seems to be standard practice and I'm not opposed to recording extra songs for anybody that's willing to pay for 'em!
I saw this On Ebay: "Wildhearts frontman Ginger's
new project, SilverGinger 5, Japan Tour silver guitar pick. Stage used, edges
worn. Obtained on a recent trip to Japan. Features the SilverGinger 5 logo on
the front, five holes for better grip, nothing on the other side. Only two
dozen of these picks were made for the band. SUPER RARE! Very cool addition to
a Wildhearts collection. Winning bidder to pay by Postal Money Order or Paypal,
within 7 days of end of auction. Priority Mail insured shipping, in a sturdy
container, for $4.00 within the USA." How Do I get One? Is this for real?
QHNF
Tell them to fuck off, we're getting loads more made. Fucking rip-off cunts.
What sort of music are you listening to? And will
you ever reform The Wildhearts?
Julian Fuery
At the moment I'm largely into country & western. I also kinda like really cheesy pop again. It changes all the time. I think you go round in circles with music, and you always end up back where you started after a while. I can't see a reason for reforming The Wildhearts, but if I ever do think of one then maybe it'll make sense to reform the band. For now, I'm happy with what I've got.
Did you ever catch up with Mark Keds after he
dropped The Wildhearts in the shit? If so, what did you do or say?
Jay
Cooper
Mark Keds never really dropped us in the shit. He's his own guy and can do what he wants. Always could. I wasn't too bothered that he didn't want to do it... he was never going to fit in anyway.
Should it be more coffee than whiskey, or maybe
50-50? I need a Caffeine Bomb...
Jimmy Andersson
Add whiskey to taste, but the stronger the drink the better the effect. More buzz, less trips to the toilet.
Have you ever played Just In Lust live? Itīs my
all-time favourite song, but it seems that it never appeared on live albums,
set-lists or bootlegs.
Heinz Becker
We used to play it, but that was before I developed my new vocal range that I use now. That song used to be such a bitch to sing. Now it would be pretty easy, but I'm just not into the song that much (and Brain Sugar from the Black Leather Mojo album sounds quite similar anyway, so we 'sort of' do play it... kinda!). But I used to be the only one in the camp that stood by that song. It's a cool melody, a cool sentiment and a fucking shite video!
On the back of the 10" vinyl version of the I Wanna
Go Where The People Go single, there are four passport photos. Are these real
pictures? If so, where did they come from? Have you ever looked at them when
you've been stoned? It gave me one of those 20-minute laughing fits!
GM
Herrington
Yes, they are all real people. I found a book some guy had made, over a period of years, consisting of discarded passport photos found lying around photo booths. I imagined people thinking they were far better looking than their pictures and tossing the offending photo on the ground. I guess there's no copyright to an ugly picture, right? I always wished that one of those people had got in touch after the single went in the charts.
What's Tom Take The Money about?
Jimmy
Andersson
We had a sound man called Tom who was offered a job with Metallica, so we told him "fuck it, take the money". He did, we split up and everyone learned a good lesson about how lovely this business really is.
Pissjoy = Abba's On And On And On?"
Chris
Of course... mix it with a dash of Pink Cadillac and you're cooking with gas.
What is Anyway But Maybe all about?
Jimmy
Andersson
It's about not having anything in half measures, as in "are we going to fuck or are we not going to fuck?"
Mindslide... what's that one about?
Jimmy
Andersson
It's about when your mind invites the devil in for a cup of tea and he overstays his welcome, raiding the biscuit tin and leaving his muddy footprints all over your clean floor.
Why wasn't Church Of The Broken Hearted ever
released by The Wildhearts? 'Cos its a blinder, man!
Someone who never
left their name
It was recorded, but always badly. Some bands just don't really do ballads.
Why did you choose to cover To Love Somebody?
Steve Emmerson
I don't know. It was just one of the many songs I have in my head that I'd like to cover. I'd like to do a whole album of other people's songs one day. Maybe for the Internet only.
Black Leather Mojo is totally cool. You are
the man, Mr Ginge. However, why the distorted,
super-mid-range-noise production? OK, so Endless, Nameless was an exercise in
being fucking noisy, but come on, chunky geetars pumped up to ten is the most
exciting sound in the universe anyway. It don't need anything else!
Dave Pain
I didn't think this album was too distorted... maybe I'm going deaf after playing next to Danny McCormack for too long. I thought it sounded great! Maybe you should live with it for a while.
What guitar do you play these days? The pointy
guitar pictured in Kerrang! a while back was cool - I believe it was a BC Rich.
Do you own any more BC Rich guitars? What do you think of the Warlock?
Choi
I love BC Rich guitars. I'm trying to get hold of as many of them as I can. I have some Warlock guitars coming over from US. I can't imagine anything more perfect to use and abuse than BC Rich. I would heartily recommend using BC Rich, but (like anything) the more you spend the better the guitar.
What's your gear set-up? The tones on the album are
monstrous! Hope it's a Les Paul.
Joey O
I always use my trusty Les Paul 25 / 50 Anniversary guitar for all recordings. It's a hardy beast with a good attitude towards studios, and it seldom goes out of tune... which can also come in handy.
Bush or Gore?
Tom
Well, I'm not adverse to a bit of porn now and again, but splatter is definitely my cup of char.
I'm John from Argentina and I'd love to know if you
are coming here.
John
I would love to come to Argentina, but unless we can get an album out in your country then it will always remain a distant dream. Hey, why not try to get it played on the radio over there? Maybe that would help! Sometimes history is made from a few people believing in something.
Can you actually speak Japanese? On Tokyo Suits Me
you address the crowd in Japanese now and then. I was just wondering if you
could speak it fluently.
Ben Wright
I don't speak Japanese fluently but I'm really into it. Fuck, man, I can't even speak English fluently.
Have you seen any Peter Jackson films, such as Bad
Taste or Braindead? They are top splatgore fun. If you ain't seen em, you
should check em out.
Adam Lunt
Yeah, I love Peter Jackson movies. How could any self-respecting lover of splatter not be impressed by the volume of gore in Braindead? Why doesn't he do something new and wet for the new millennium? I would seriously love to work with him.
You've got a couple of quid: how about funding Evil
Dead IV?! You can do the soundtrack and make a mint from it!
Andy
McMillan
All the Evil Dead movies have sucked progressively more cock since the first one. Someone like Tim Burton or Peter Jackson should make an Evil Dead sequel and have it ten times as gory as the first one.
What do you consider to be your greatest musical
moment, and who do you admire in the music world?
Julian
Fuery
I would say the SG5 Scala show was my favorite moment in music, but not my "greatest musical moment". That would have to be working with Tim Smith on Black Leather Mojo. He's a kinda God as far as I'm concerned. And to have him complement my work is pretty special, to say the least. Who I admire the most in the music world (a nice 'n general term there) is easy to answer. The fans. Always and consistently the fans. Not anyone's either... but mine! They keep me alive in more ways than one.
I just want to know what you think of Jesus, and
did you know he was predicted in the Old Testament? Please answer. This may
sound a bit sad that I'm doing this, but I just wanna know.
Ashley
Craig
I am sure that Jesus was here, and did some pretty great things, but trusting the human need to embellish and gossip, and considering the fact that the New Testament was based on the reliability of word of mouth, I'm convinced that the story is startlingly different to that reported (reported on many, many years after the fact too). Anyone with a soul would find it impossible not to believe in something bigger happening after this is over, but anyone with a mind could never fully believe in the facts as handed down through the ages by a bunch of humans. Faith is, for me, a very personal thing, and the confusion spread by organised religions, regarding essentially the same subject, does not affect my faith in the slightest. If God is the Father then Jesus is you, me and every one of his children.
Does Alex always bounce his dick off the drummer's
head like that?
Anna
