10th December 2001
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Just how many of those guitars have you torched
and trashed to date? Do you have a special 'destruction deal' with BC Rich or
something?
Lee Neilson
How many have I trashed? Too many to mention. It gives me something to look forward to when I'm not drinking. And I do have to buy them, even though I get a discount as an endorsee. Still, cheaper than cocaine.
How come you only played 29 X The Pain at about
two gigs on the last SilverGinger 5 tour? I fuckin' love that song and have
waited ages to here it.
Matt
Because we don't want to turn it into something we feel obliged to play. It's a Wildhearts song and will never be a SilverGinger 5 song. We kind of always stuck it in the set because it's easy to play, but we don't want to have too much of a 'nostalgia' trip at every show. And playing a new, unfamiliar Wildhearts tune is kinda cooler than playing the same one every night.
Just a quick note to say thanks for a great night
at Nottingham Rock City. I honestly think that I will never see a better show
for the rest of my life. From the excellent support band to the flames on the
ceiling, the whole evening was impeccable, though Jon Poole scared me. I made
the trek from Hereford and met up with a friend I hadn't seen for a couple of
years. The whole weekend served as a reminder that I should get off my lazy
arse more often and do stuff, and for that I owe you one. Also, there was one
song that I didn't recognise. It wasn't Channel Bop, Groovus Maximus, Bodies,
I'm A Lover, Walk Like A Motherfucker, Last Bastard In Heaven, Motorvate, or
anything off Black Leather Mojo. What was it?
John Scott
That'll be California Man by The Move. The Move featured Jeff Lynne (ELO) and Roy Wood (Wizzard). The song was famously covered by Cheap Trick, which is where I heard it. It kind of 'fell in' when we were rehearsing, so we decided to keep it there.
I saw you play at Dudley. Bloody great show, though
you looked like you were having a few problems. Who's that girl who was selling
the T-shirts? She had a white SilverGinger 5 shirt on, horns on her head, and
was dancing with Stidi and taking photos. She was fucking great! If I ever wanted
a signed photo of someone, it'd be her.
Hicks
Her name is Fi (pronounced "fee") and she is indeed great. In fact, she's beginning to attract enough supporters to get herself a fan club going. A signed photo would, I'm sure, prove to be no problem.
My girlfriend and I bought tickets for the Astoria
Napalm Death support to see you, Jon and Stidi do your thing. And boy, were
you guys rocking or what?! We loved the G.A.Y. thing as well - very clever indeed.
When you can't have a backdrop, use something that's already in place in the
Astoria - brilliant! Although some narrow-minded wankers decided to hurl abuse
your way, we both loved your set, even though it was quite short (presumably
because of the actions of those tossers in the crowd). We'll hopefully catch
up with you at The Garage when you play. No doubt your throat needs a rest after
last night!
Andy Edwards
To be honest, I was expecting a lot worse. The whole thing was 'would you dare play a heavy metal set in front of a Napalm Death audience?'. And I like a challenge so I went for it. I expected bottles and lots of gob! As for the vocals... actually it's a lot easier to sing like that than to sing properly.
Having just completed a British tour and scheduling
some solo shows in England, what are your touring plans for the new year?
Stuart McMillan
My main concern in the music field is to record the next SilverGinger 5 album. In the meantime, I want to stay on the road for as long as I can, stay fit and focused; maybe stick in some more solo shows. There's talk of putting some Wildhearts shows together, so maybe that will happen... but it will be purely for fun, and there are definitely, absolutely NO plans to record anything together.
I've heard a rumour that The Wildhearts are playing
Brixton Academy on 18 December. Is there any truth in this?
Mark Kentfield
No.
How do you Walk Like A Motherfucker? And as I walk
with sticks, would I be precluded from doing so?
Andy Thorley
Absolutely not! Walking like a motherfucker is all about the mind, the attitude, and the outlook. It's all about taking no shit.
Who does the vocals on Walk Like A Motherfucker?
It's just that it doesn't sound like you.
Pete Henn
That'll be Mr Conny Bloom, Swedish guitar God and all round rock sex symbol.
You said that I'm A Lover Not A Fighter was written
for Dregen to sing in Backyard Babies. Did you change the lyrics much for your
version, or was it the same?
Jason Turner
The song remained exactly the same. I think the lyrics suit Dregen more than me. I've been known as a lover and a fighter.
Why did you decide to rewrite the lyrics to Church
Of The Broken Hearted? After hearing the version from the 12 Bar gig (on Grievous
Acoustic Behaviour), I'd honestly have to say that the original lyrics spoke
to me on a much deeper level than the Black Leather Mojo ones
Gareth Strange
Yeah, that's one of the reasons. The original was written during a time of heartbreak, and if I'd kept those lyrics I wouldn't have been able to sing them every night (unless I was going through the same emotions... which I most definitely am not!). I recorded the song again under pressure from people who were dead right for suggesting it, but I think it was a wise move to change the words before it turned out so good and I got lumbered with playing it every night!
Why did you remove two tracks for the UK release
of Black Leather Mojo?
Jon Tarbard
I wanted the Japanese release to still be special, and having an extra two songs does just that.
What's the song Thunderfuck all about?
Greg Walker
It's about fully realising the truth, the penny dropping, seeing what is in front of you that maybe everyone around you could already see. In this case, it was the fact that The Wildhearts were finally over.
On Amazon.co.uk there's an album simply called
Ginger. On the cover is just an iris from an eye. I've never heard of this one,
but to confuse matters, at the bottom of the page it says, "People who bought
this also bought these items," and then lists a few of your CDs. Can you tell
me if this is one of yours?
Pete Thacker
No, it's not one of mine, it's a Canadian band called Ginger. Maybe you can get in touch with them and let them know!
Have you ever been on (UK TV show) Never Mind The
Buzzcocks? If you were on it, what would you say?
Greg Walker
Nah, I don't like the idea of appearing on that programme myself. I'd be too self-conscious... but I would love to get Random Jon Poole on it. Now that would make good TV! Mark Lamarr fancies my girlfriend, apparently!
I was wondering if you had ever heard any Andrew
WK. A lot of people, myself included, think that there's a bit of a Wildhearts
sound in there.
Jason Turner
I think they're / he's really good, but The Wildhearts sang about loads of different subjects, and Andrew WK seems to only sing about partying. There's nothing wrong with partying, don't get me wrong. I just don't really see the connection as clearly as a lot of other people do. I guess we sound more alike than The Wildhearts and Limp Bizkit. Either way, Andrew WK signifies that people are at last sick and tired of Nu Fucking Metal, so God bless him.
Who's your favourite band of all time?
Greg Walker
Probably Ramones.
I'm a 19-year-old lad from Yorkshire, and I've
been a big fan of yours (and The Wildhearts') since I was 12. It was partly
because of The Wildhearts that I started playing the guitar. I'm studying music
technology at Leeds University, and I was fortunate enough to be in the front
row at your Joseph's Well gig. I don't drink or smoke. I don't go out much as
I don't have anything in common with the other students. I just practice on
my guitar. It's my dream to form a band when I finish my degree. What I wanted
to ask you is: is any of this worth it? Have you ever thought of just saying
"fuck it" and getting a full-time job in a supermarket or something? Is it normal
to feel disheartened when everyone is telling me to give up my "pipe dreams"?
I would really value your opinion on this.
Paul Barton
Well, I've never wanted to work in a supermarket. But yeah, of course I've asked myself "is it worth it?". And the answer is always YES! This business isn't for everyone, however. This is why you see so many bands around, yet not all of them stick around. You know in your soul if playing music is the right thing for you. And I don't mean music theory or the technical sides of the craft (important as they might be), but the connection with others; the feeling of having something to say and wanting to say it to as many people as possible. And not just saying it to millions over a three year period - I mean saying it to millions over a lifetime. The choice is yours. If you decide you don't want to do this, then you are not quitting, you are just letting someone else have the chance. If you decide you want to do this, then you have to want it for life. It's a tough road, but if you want it, then whatever it is that you love about playing music will always be there.
What has been the musical highlight of your life
so far?
Stuart McMillan
Working with Tim Smith (Cardiacs) on the Black Leather Mojo album was amazing. And writing a song for Jason Ringenberg (Jason and the Scorchers) and recording it with The Wildhearts as his backing band was very special, too.
What has been the biggest disappointment in your life so far?
Stuart McMillan
I'd have to say that last tour with The Wildhearts would come close. But top of the list is when EastWest / Warners wouldn't release the first Wildhearts album in the States because it was "too punk", and "punk will never sell in America"... and a few months later Green Day came along and cleared up, then made way for Rancid, and Epitaph records, and blah blah blah...
>My name's Phil, I'm an American, and I'm a Wildhearts
fan. My good Scottish mate (Jon) introduced me to The Wildhearts earlier this
year, and I'm hooked. Can't get enough of it. Wish I knew about the band years
ago so I could have possibly taken in a show. I check the SilverGinger site
every month or so to keep up on the latest news. A couple of weeks ago, I read
Ginger Says and noticed the picture of you and the crucifix. As I'm a Christian,
I was wondering what the significance of the pic is, or what 'message' you wanted
to convey, be it artistic or otherwise. My knee-jerk interpretation was that
it was mocking God in a sexual kind of way. I discussed it back and forth with
Jon, and he convinced me that there's probably nothing like that intended. I
don't ask the question as a sceptic, nor do I intend to come across as judgmental.
I'm just curious.
Phil Sackenheim
I was drunk and don't remember the picture being taken! I'm not a Christian, but I'm not a heathen either. I don't like to disrespect things like that for no reason. I think it was just one of those photos that looks worse than it is. I hate the picture but have no doubt in my mind that there's no meaning behind it, and I therefore don't mind it being on the site. Mocking God? Absolutely not. I believe there is a God and would never mess up my chances of doing well by him / her / it through disrespect. I'm a very spiritual person with very strong beliefs / instincts that I stick by.
(Editor's note: I sent the pic to Ginger for clearance before it went on the site. He said it was OK. When I found afterwards out that he didn't like the picture, I asked him why he'd okayed it, and he said: "I hate most pictures of me! I didn't want it to represent anything, even if meant sticking it on the site to prove that it means nothing 'anti'." So there ya go.)
Did you once do a cover of Only Women Bleed? What do you think of the song in general?
Shannon Skie
Yeah, it was one of those spontaneous moments at the Camden Monarch, when The Wildhearts played our 'official' last show! I love the song. I always loved the delicate and caring nature of the lyrics. They made Alice seem much more like a strong figure, and therefore much scarier than a cartoon. Unfortunately, Alice opted to change the words when performing on his Sex tour from "He beats you once in a while" to "I beat you once in a while", proving that Bob Ezrin had a lot more to do with the more intelligent moments on Welcome To My Nightmare than Alice himself. Or Vince. Or whoever was in the vocal booth singing the bloody thing.
If you do make an album of covers, would you consider getting the fans to help
you decide what songs to record?
Toby Marsh
No! It would defeat the point of recording all my favourite songs, wouldn't it?
CJ has a Descendants sticker on his guitar. What
are your views on the band or the American punk scene on the whole?
Nick Jackson
I never really got into American punk. This 'happy hardcore' thing always left me cold. Bands like Dead Kennedys, Ramones, X and Big Black always had the spirit of punk in their bellies, but they never called it punk, it was just their version of rock 'n' roll. Punk to me is a very British thing. I'm sure there are many great reggae bands, but no one does it like Jamaica. Punk = Britain.
I notice on the sleeve notes for Grievous Acoustic Behaviour you call Bob Dylan a
"figure of banality" or something. Now, quite apart from the fact that I'm sure I've seen
you wearing a Bob dylan 'Everybody must get stoned' T-shirt somewhere, I assumed that as
somebody, like me, who believes that Steve Earle is a genius, you would also, like me,
think Bob Dylan is a genius. Have I misunderstood, or do you really hate Bob?
Andy Thorley
Well spotted, my man. The T-shirt was something that I picked up in Thailand, and I didn't even know it was a Dylan song! I just thought it was a bunch of mixed up words, the likes of which Thai merchandise excels in. I have to admit I'm not a fan, but obviously I can appreciate his contribution to music to this day. I guess it's just that voice that I don't get. I love cover versions of his stuff (and plan on recording my own version of I Shall Be Released at some point), but I think it's just a case of his sound being slightly before my time.
The other day, me and Nat picked up a copy of Metal
Hammer because there was an interview with you inside. We were shocked (to say
the least) to see you singing the praises of Marilyn Manson and Fred Durst.
Judging by your past comments about them, we were wondering if you were misquoted,
or have your opinions changed?
Lee Woodward
Whatever my opinions of Fred and Marilyn's music, it doesn't negate the fact that they make for very convincing and successful rock stars. The theme of the interview was 'rock stars', and to ignore the two largest rock stars in the world would have made me look a little uninformed, don't you think? I don't own any of their music (and don't see myself doing so), but their effect on today's rock music makes them both very compelling figures. You don't have to be a fan to appreciate something.
How are your ears, man? Relatively speaking, I'm
only just starting out in the world of playing in a fucking loud band, and mine
are screwed already. Are you an earplugs man?
Gareth Jones
No they aren't screwed, they're just hardening up. Turn it up and suffer, young man. Earplugs? How dare you. The idea of playing loud guitar music with earplugs in makes as much sense as wearing your clothes in the bath.
