....
WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE? A very kind interview with themselves, to save me asking embarrassing questions of a group I like very much. Interview with Bees (Simon Beesley - guitarist with the Junies)
WELL TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THE JUNE BRIDES AND THE EFFECT BEING IN THE THE BAND HAS ON YOUR COLLECTIVE LIVES.
The J.B.s (if I may call us that) doesn't take up all our time & I doubt if it is the most important thing in our lives ever. But that doesn't devalue it in any way,of course. It helps us to keep occupied & sometimes it makes us happy.
IF I MAY SAY THIS "YOUR ORGANISATION AND MUSIC IS OFTEN HAPHAZARD AND AMATEURISH"
Yes, you may. It is not something we strive for (I think we'd like to be better musicians: or maybe that would spoil it!) but perhaps it gives our songs a certain edge, a little bit of character and even allows the bands own identity to SHINE through. Lets face it Lloyd Cole is OK, but you can't listen to a whole LP.
YOU ALSO HAVE A FAIR SMATTERING OF TUNES.
Well, I'd like to think so. Like most popular music of our time many of the melodies hint at something you may have heard before; we avoid direct plagiarism, but also avoid denying our similarities & influences (OUR HERITAGE??). We're not scared of GUITARS we just use them.
HMM? ... YOUR SONGS ARE QUITE SIMPLE
In the way that they are easy to play, but they don't destroy your brain.
ARE YOU POP STARS OR MUSICIANS ?
Well, I'd hate to see us as some sort of one dimensional pin-up pop-out band of bedroom wall heroes. But then we won't change for some snobby muso mentality.
HOW SERIOUSLY DO YOU TAKE THE MUSIC ?
As seriously as you can without becoming a total twit. We like to enjoy ourselves on stage. No-one has yet figured out the importance of punk rock in our society: neither have we, so we're in a continual state of confusion.
HAVE YOU MADE ANY MONEY FROM THE GROUP
No, but that doesn't make us martyrs or boys with massive amounts of integrity: we've never had the opportunity to take the cash and run. Perhaps we're too scared to face up to the responsibilities that pay cheques always involve.
WHAT SORT OF CHAPS ARE YOU?
As chaps, we tend to be decent chaps. Like most people, we dislike arrogance, impoliteness and people trying to be cool, all of which tend to abound aplenty in this crazy world of rock&roll. Often being unassuming is interpretted as being available to be taken advantage of. Obviously you you have to put your foot down sometimes. You can't let the engineer get away with murder every time you're in the studio.
ARE YOU GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD OR JUST YOUR OWN ?
I doubt it, but we may get lucky. I don't think we're anything special. If we are, then we shouldn't be, there should be a thousand bands like us. There are a million stories to be told and we can't tell them all.
HAS YOUR MUSIC CHANGED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS ?
Yes, although some songs haven't. The addition of viola & trumpet may have taken some of the emphasis off the guitars; we ALL can't do solos at the same time!
THERE SEEMS TO BE LOADS OF GUITAR BANDS AT THE MOMENT.
Yes, even the Eurythmics have well placed guitar solos to prove they're as up to date & modern as Eric Clapton. When Phil & I started the band, we were a bit worried that it would be too R.O.C.K -everyone was listening to the new avant-garde white boy electro experimental funk, whilst we still had our Wire and Skids LPs.
AND YOUR INFLEUENCES ?
I suppose I ought to mention the gratuitous Josef K, early Orange Juice, Fire Engines, Buzzcocks, Subway Sect, Velvet Underground, all of whom were FABBY, but so were Eddie Cochran, Otis Redding and the Clash : you never know Joe Strummer may make another great record yet.
FUTURE DEAD HEROES ?
Well they could include: Big Flame (what a row!); Jonathan Richman (past and present); Fine Young Cannibals (all hit discs should be this special;) That Petrol Emotion (newcomers, could be massive); The Love Act (could be bigger than us).
DID YOU EVER CONCEIVE THAT YOU'D BE THIS FAMOUS WHEN YOU STARTED ?
We never conceived that we'd be this famous when we started. I would have been happy if we had got as far as Cliff and the Shadows, or as well known as the Lines or even Felt ...
DO YOU DEPLORE THE MECHANISMS OF CAPITALISM, THE PROFIT MOTIVE & THE RELIANCE OF SUCH A SYSTEM ON GREED, ALIENATION, INSECURITY & POVERTY ?
Yes.
DO YOU ENJOY BILKO ?
Yes.
DO YOU REMBER 1977 & THE PUNK ROCK EXPLOSION ?
Yes.
WILL MONEY AND FAME CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE ?
Yes, and I won't bother talking to you then.
DO YOU OWN ANY SAINTS LPS ?
Yes, three.
PERE UBU ?
Phil owns many.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR OWN & PHILS VOCAL PROWESS ?
Well, I know we often sing flat and out of tune (me especially), but I feel that Phil's voice adds a poignancy that the songs truly deserve.
WELL,ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MENTION?
A passing comment on Adrian's beautiful bass lines, which have been sadly ignored.