TV Interviews
1983 - NDR
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Dubbed in German.
- Bad videoquality, black and white.
- Recorded in London 1983.
- If anyone feels like transcribing this interview for us, we would be really pleased. (Even though you can still hear Andrew talking in English the German takes over far too much for me to be able to transcribe it.)
1985 - Belgian TV
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Interview takes place somewhere around the release of "First And Last And Always".
- First part of interview missing.
I: ... to deal with the absence of hope like I thought I heard in some of your songs?
A: No. It's all about being very constructive, is this ... [points to record.]
I: Yes?
A: It's *realistic*. [Holds up record and leans forward to the camera.]
I: What kind of constructiveness?
A: Well, it's a grim world. Even in Belgium, it's a grim world.
I: Yeah?
A: So we feel it necessary to point that out and use that as a basis for everything else. [to the camera again:] Again, not unreasonable.
[part of No Time to Cry is played]
A: Well, that album's just about ... how you can deal with the world as it is. Through the medium of women, drugs, and roads, mostly. [drinks from beer.]
I: Yeah, but can you be a bit more clear about that. What's the real constructive concept of "First and Last and Always"?
[Eldritch bends down to put down beer and pick up a guitar case, unhurriedly.]
A: No, there's no one particular concept; it breaks itself down into, I dunno, five or six primary ideas.
[bends down to put down guitar case.]
I: Like?
A: Like how you deal with people, properly. How you have a good time without doing too much damage to yourself, and preferably very little to those around you that you care about. How you do the most damage to people you don't like. [puts cigarette in mouth and starts to light it.] Stuff like that ... [shrugs, lighter in hand and cigarette in mouth.]
I: When do you think that a concert is really satisfying?
A: When I collapse at the end of it.
I: You mean that?
A: Yeah.
[part of Walk Away is shown.]
I: In this country you're charting at this moment, for instance with "Walk Away" ...
[video disappears here for a second. Interviewer obviously asks Andrew whether the Sisters' chart success bothers them.]
A: [philosophically] No, we were brought up on chart acts. When we grew up, the only people that you got to know about were in the charts, so we don't find it strange to find ourselves there.
I: So you don't mind about, for instance, Killing Joke going for number one these days?
A: Well, we don't like fascists, otherwise we think they're great.
Transcription taken from: Three Sisters of Mercy Interviews
1985 - Belgian TV Villa Tempo
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1985 - WEA Press Conference
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1987 - Formel Eins
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1987 - New Grooves
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1987/1988 - Sky Trax
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Before this interview there is a much longer interview with The Mission.
I: Now, the current line-up of The Sisters Of Mercy has obviously changed quite a bit and..em..obviously a lot was said about the split being quite acrimonious. Is this true?
A: It started off very amicably. There was very good reasong for the band (slight pause) and it's former state to disolve, that everybody was very happy with. It was only after that that there was some descent about who should be called what. And then it got sort of strange and I got to meet a lot of lawyers. People kept sending me their lawyers, and I don't really get on with other peoples lawyers. Luckily I get on fine with my own.
I: The tried to call themselves The Sisters Of Mercy did they?
A: They did. They did. (Nods)
I: But even The Mission is a derivation of a song, isn't it?
A: Yeah, the next Sisters album was going to be called Left On Mission and Revenge. It was, it was a (slight pause).. I suppose the thread was which to link the album a street map of San Fransisco like a chessboard. Which is a thread that links... (rest lost in mumble).
I: After the disolution there was a couple of rumours about you being dead or disappearing and all this sort of thing. What actually happened?
A: I went away to put some weight on.
I: (giggles) Had you been ill?
A: Yeah. Yeah. We done a lot of touring and I was a shadow of my former self by that time.
I: And then Patricia stepped in?
(Both Andrew and Patricia nods.)
I: How, how.. What do you do to imrpove methods (?) with Andrews?
P: Ah, I also at the same time was in the same situation that he was , as far as health wise. Although since I'm a much bigger girl I was in much better shape. But it was time to change and time to move on. And we work well together and are quite good for eachother as far as that health situation...
A: Patricia stops me from doing all those things musicians like to do, which are very, very bad for you.
P: (grunt approvingly) I was trying to say it very politely. (giggles)
(This Corrosion is shown.)
I: On This Corrosion you employed the talents of Jim Steinman who is probably better known for his work with Meatloaf?
A: Not now atleast (looks very proud)
P: (laughs) Now he's got even something...hm...else to live off.
A: Now he's going to have to make another album with Meatloaf. Which I think he is about to do, to top what he just done.
I: Was it his idea to get a 40 strong choir on This Corrosion?
A: No, it was our idea. He was the only one person who would go along with it. Which is why he did the project...
I: Didn't you multitrack it over and over and over?
A: Yes, there is an awful lot of voices on that record.
I: Are you pleased with how that leapt up the charts?
A: It's very gratifying yes.
I: How important is the charts to you?
A: Not very (laughs)
1987/1988 - MTV News
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Interview split up in parts and shown on MTV News.
- The interviewer is Steve Blame.
I: Can anyone really influence society through their music?
A: I think it's stuid to pretend that it can reflect a change, can affect a change. All it can do is reflect what happening and make people aware what is happening. It would be stupid to pretend that rock music can lead the way. We just catalogue the times and make a prognoses as we see. That we're not gonna lead anyont into pitch battle.
------------
A: The details of the artwork. We spent weeks sometimes in the artwork room laying the stuff out which is unheard of in this business.
------------
P: And it was quite monumetnal which is why we went there. Lots of horses and camels.
I: Did you actually choose to use the director Hogan ro was that the record company's choice?
P: That was ours.
I: Why?
P: It's very difficult to find a video director. There is a lot of them ot there, but there is not many good ones. Ones that you would even consider looking at working with. And I liked what I saw with his.
I: What particular qualities has he got then?
P: (almost shy) He made me look very nice.
-------------
I: Why a cover of Emma on 12 inch "Dominion"?
P: I remember that song when it cames out and how bizarre it was at the time. It was very strange, it stuck out. I think it's very much Sisters type song. I think it's perfect for Andrew to sing.
A: We have improved it. WIth the way I sing it I think has twisted the emphasis in the right direction. Ehm, I always thought the perosn who should be singing Emma should be the victim, it should be clear at the end of the song that he is more stupid then the girl who just died on him, for putting up with her.
1988 - 120 X-ray
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1988 - Night Network
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1988 - Supersonic, UK
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Before this interview there is a video by The Mission.
I: Didn't anyone ever tell them never to work with kids or animals? Anyway, that was the Mission, and they actually were members of a group called Sisters of Mercy, weren't they?
A: Some of them were. Some of them were the bad guys.
I: Yes ... Yes, and we have in the studio now two members of the Sisters of Mercy ...
A: The good guys.
I: Patricia ... yeah, the good guys - you can tell because they're wearing black. Patricia and Andrew. Was the split not amicable, then?
A: It was to start with. But obviously with the sort of cartoon plagiarism, we, er ... we had a few problems.
I: You feel they're sort of ripping off your ideas?
A: Er ... no. They try. I think you can see them trying. That was a nice attempt at a beard I saw out there.
I: Yeah, right. Well, I like the sort of imagery there, it was very Poltergeistesque.
A: The man's still wearing an old hat of mine, which I find rather entertaining.
I: Yes. [laughs uncomfortably, takes a deep breath] Now, umm, you were not ... haven't released anything 'till "This Corrosion" for two and a half years. What were you doing during that time?
A: Hmmm. Getting well, getting healthy. Sorting myself out with the industry. Uhh, just establishing a stronger power base, I think.
I: [to Patricia Morrison] And were you in the ...
A: ... and writing better songs!
I: That's always what we wanna hear. Were you in the group at that time? Did you join recently, or ...
P: [a bit smugly] When the ... er, breakup happened, then the next day I was in the band.
I: Oh right.
P: We knew we'd work together sometime, and that was the right time.
I: Great. And you're from Los Angeles. How did you end up here in England?
A: Well, I was in a different band years ago, and we were touring with the Sisters of Mercy, and we met, stayed friends, and ... I was never really into that L.A. scene. I was when I started, but it has changed, and what I wanted to do ...
I: I just want to say, I don't think you look like a valley girl. You're not wearing like cowboy boots, and umm, ... [giggles]
P: Never a California girl anyway.
I: No, I approve heartily. Now Andrew, you're from the North of England, aren't you?
A: Yeah, I'm an adopted Yorkshireman.
I: Adopted, what's that mean?
A: It means I was born in the South, but only came to life as a *real human being* in the North.
I: Ah, Ah. [laughs] I like that. I feel the same way about moving to this country. Now, do you think there's still a North/South divide, do you find it difficult?
A: Oh yes, yes. I have a really hard time coming to grips with the values that still prevail in the South.
[silence, as interviewer waits for him to clarify, then realises he isn't going to.]
I: But you want to be rich and famous like anyone else, don't you?
A: Not at anyone else's expense, which is where I differ from ...
I: That's good, I'm exactly the same. Now, umm ... right, I'm looking here frantically ... [reading notes] Now, you're album ... er Floodland, was produced by Jim Steinman, who also ...
A: He did a track and a half.
I: Yes, "This Corrosion", didn't he? He did Meatloaf, what was it like working with him?
A: It was brilliant. He's really sweet, really articulate. Really intelligent. One of the few people in this business that can really hold their own on Eldritch Boulevard. [pauses] He was great to work with. Totally excessive little man.
I: I always imagined he somehow looked a bit like Meatloaf, but he doesn't ...
A: He does. He does. He looks like Meatloaf's older, more responsible brother.
I: [laughing] You didn't get to meet Meatloaf at any point?
A: No, no, he's away trying to write some songs, bless him.
I: Right. Well, I'm going to ask my patented Barbie question. This is probably gonna be a bit interesting. Now, what colour are your knickers, that you're wearing at the moment?
A: [without hesitation] I'm not wearing any.
I: OH! God, these rock stars, you see a lot of them they're not wearing knickers, what does your mother think? What about you, Patricia?
P: Take a guess. [smiling]
I: Black? Same here, same here. [to Andrew] And I also want .. you're affecting a very interesting fashion choice by wearing two pairs of pants. Why?
A: Well, the flies aren't done up on the bottom pair, they don't do up.
I: Right ...
A: I'd have been arrested on the way here if I'd just worn the bottom pair. Similarly, if I'd just worn the top pair. [motioning at trouser legs, which are in tatters]
I: Yes. So two together. It looks good.
A: On Eldritch Boulevard one pair of trousers *is* a criminal offense.
I: When we get back, I'll ask you about Eldritch Boulevard. Now, lets watch "This Corrosion", by Sisters of Mercy.
A: Yes please.
[This Corrosion is shown]
I: So, Sisters of Mercy, and "This Corrosion". That looked extremely uncomfortable to film. Was it?
[she's referring to the fact that it's raining in the video.]
P: Yes, very much. We wanted that corroded feel, and we got it.
I: Wasn't it kinda, sorta dangerous, with all the electrical gear? [pointing at screen with pen]
A: Oh yes. If we're gonna suffer, everyone else is gonna suffer.
I: Oh, good. Yes, I did a gig like that once. Sparks and water everywhere. It was not a very comfortable feeling. It looks wonderful. Now, if you had anything you wanted to take, your favourite possession, into the bunker if there was a nuclear holocaust, what would you take? Patricia? Your all time favourite possession.
P: [thinking hard] Nothing.
I: Come on ...
P: Nothing. I'd want it to go.
I: Oh.
P: 'wouldn't wanna keep it.
I: And what about you?
A: Yeah, I don't believe in rushing for the bunker. I'm one of those stand in the middle of the road people, and go with everybody else. But if Joanna Lumley was available, she'd be in my bunker.
I: Ok, I like that! What about Eldritch Avenue? What is Eldritch Avenue?
A: Eldritch Boulevard? It's close to the planet Morrison ...
I: Oh, I see. 'cause your last name *is* Eldritch, I wanna point that out to the viewers.
A: Not Boulevard ...
I: [laughs uncomfortably] Ok, now we're gonna be looking at your next video here, called "Dominion".
A: Yeah, the new one.
I: The new one.
A: Fabulous ...
I: Any exciting bits in that?
A: Tons, tons. Laurence of Arabia Part II.
I: Laurence of Arabia Part II, so lets watch the Sisters of Mercy, and "Dominion".
[Dominion is played]
I: Well, I'm gonna be saying goodbye now to the Sisters of Mercy [Andrew raises hands in mock helplessness], but one last question. You guys, are you gonna go touring at all?
[Patricia wryly holds up a large white card with "Next Question?" written on it. Andrew seems to be hiding behind his sunglasses.]
I: Great, ok, moving right along ... I like that cue card! [Andrew lowers his head to his chest.] Thanks a lot, and I'm gonna do a bit of gossip now, about, I'm sure, one of your favourites here, George Michael. [Andrew places his hand over his heart.] He's reported to having a slight nervous breakdown over arrangements for his Summer tour. [Andrew closes his fist and raises his thumb to give a thumbs up.] friends say George is so wound up about ... [stumbles over words]
A: That's easy for you to say!
I: Yes, that's easy for me to say! ... so wound up about it, because he does not want to be a has-been. George, you're not a has-been! Anyway, this is George Michael, and "Father Figure". Thanks a lot. Bye!
Transcription taken from: Three Sisters of Mercy Interviews
26 February 1988 - Bingo TV
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- In a German(?) TV studio, in about 1987. A female interviewer is talking in German to Eldritch. Patricia Morrison looks on. Eldritch is talking about the languages he studied at university. Then they change to English
- If anyone has the german part of this and feel like transcribing it so it can end up here please do.
I: The song "This Corrosion", what is it about?
A: Falling apart. And making a very loud noise. We had an awful lot of people on the record, made a very loud noise. Never had so many people on a record before.
I: Why?
A: I really don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time to have forty people singing at once. I've no idea why.
[This Corrosion is shown]
I: "This Corrosion" is from Jim Steinman produced. [In German: How did that come about?]
A: We rang him up. We were thinking of doing an Abba song originally. So we rang him up two years ago and he was busy, but he said "Yeah, I can make a record as stupid as you want", so when the time came to put "This Cor- rosion" out he was the only person we took, to ...
I: And why?
A: Because he really knows how to make a wonderfully stupid record. Totally outrageous.
I: You think it's a stupid record?
A: Yeah. Every time, every time you think to yourself: do we really want to go this far? and you say to Jim, "Jim, are you sure about this?", and anybody else will go "Don't do it!", Jim goes "More! More! More people, singing!". It works.
Transcription taken from: Three Sisters of Mercy Interviews
1989 - Club X
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1989 - Off Beat Nacht
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- [Apparently some kind of contest. Guess the person/band and win something. In German Christian says something about the band name being from a Leonard Cohen song.]
[Andrew comes up from being the "table". Apparently he shows up to early and Christan tells him to go down again - which he doesn't.]
C: Who is they man with the glasses?
[I think Andrew says something in German about being the fifth Beatles member? Audience keeps shouting and Christian tells them to be quiet, he is waiting for the phonecall. Christian talks some more in German about the prize you can win.]
C: What do you do when you get nervous? Smoke? I always keep massive of cigarettes with me, do you want one?
A: Have you got enough?
C: Yeah sure, what is your recepie?
A: Apart from the drugs?
C: Yeah.
A: Far too many cigarettes.
[Someone calls in and says Andrew Eldritch and Andrew says something in German.]
C: Andrew, you just came from Los Angeles?
[Andrew speaks German again.]
C: So what do you do against nervousness?
A: I smoke a lot.
C: Smoke a lot.
A: But mostly I shake.
C: What?
[Andrew shows his shaking hand.]
[Christian tells in German what Andrew just said. Cigarettes are being thrown into the audience.]
C: What else do you do against nervousness? Do you've recepie for that?
[Andrew talks in German again, the only word I can actually catch is 'Gift'.]
C: You just came back from Los Angeles, what did you do there?
A: I get very bored. I got to America to get very bored.
[Audience is making a lot of noise and Christian is annoyed with them. Stuff are being thrown on stage.]
C: When will there be some new records?
A: Sorry? (He apparently missed the question.
C: When will there be a new record?
A: As soon as you write me one.
[German being spoken again.]
A: I'm going back to Hamburg tomorrow to make the new album.
[Personal note - never try to translate anyting that you can't understand properly.... So if anyone out there wants to fill in the German parts please do so :)]
MTV 10 Years Anniversary
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
4-7 November 1990 - MTV
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1991 - MTV Reading
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1991 - Hamburg
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
28 January 1991 - 120 Minutes
Transcribed interview
- Comments by Hallucienate on Andrews facial expressions are in()
Andrew holds an unlit cigarette throughout the interview and has his dark glasses on so you can't see his eyes
- Black Planet -
Dave Kendall-It's MTV's 120 Minutes. Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy is here.
Andrew-(waves)
D- And if there was any doubt about the Sisters of Mercy's latest album title Vision Thing being a reference to the lack of George Bush's vision thing, that doubt is dispelled by a lyric in the title track where you talk about the million points of light.
A- (shows t-shirt with Bush/Noriega 88 on it)
D- Oh, Bush/Noriega. Can we get a close-up of this wonderous shirt?
A- It says on the back, "a desperate choice for desperates times."
D- Now did you read about Bush's lack of vision thing in the press? How did you, is that widely reported in Europe?
A- It came from his own mouth. Yes it is widely reported in Europe. Not only widely reported, but probably more widely listened too than in America.
D- And you, you've been living in Hamburg for the past, what, few years now.
A- Yeah, about six years now on and off. Yeah.
D- And since we're talking politics. What do you think of Mr. Bush's war?
A- I wish it wasn't his war. Think there has to be a war. But I wish it wasn't so much his war, that not his fault. That's the fault of other people for not joining in enough. I just wish he was doing the right thing for the right reason.
D- Why does there have to be a war?(Dave gets in over his head here) Do you mean Christianity and Islam? Or just about this specific issue?
A- About Kuwait. I don't like the Kuwait government more than anybody else. But it's the government of Kuwait(short pause before each word to sort of convey the least vile of two choices but I don't have to like it kind of thing)
D- Now as an album, Vision Thing is probably as horrific and intense as pretty much anything including classical music. Now when you're writing songs.....
A- (interrupts, playfully indignant) It's a very jolly record!!!
D- Oh yeah, right. (somewhat incredulous) A barrel of laughs, right.
A- It is, it is! (short pause, then serious again) Anyway, yes.
D- Are you in a rage when you write lyrics?
A- No, I was in a very droll mood when we wrote Vision Thing. I don't think it's a very angry record. It's a gung-ho record, but it's not angry because it's very confident. I think people only get angry when they're frustrated. And for me there's no sense of frustration or victim on this record. It's wonderfully cruel, wonderfully arrogant. And very droll I think. I think it's avery jolly record.
D- More on Vision Thing. Right here the first video. This is 'More' from the Sisters of Mercy.
- More -
D- More from the Sisters of Mercy. Andrew, who are the women appearing in that video?
A- (smiles) If they'd taken their masks off at any stage I'd be able to tell you. (pause) They're people from Los Angeles...that's like a lifeform which is kinda like New York people, but substantially different.
D- Now also making an appearance in that video is the Sisters of Mercy's newest member, Tony James of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. I wanna ask you just why you hooked up with him in the second 60 of 120 minutes.
A- (Smiles at Dave's segue)
- 120 theme music plays -
D- Dave Kendall with you for the second 60 of 120 Minutes. Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy is here, I'll be talking with him in just a few minutes...
- Lucretia My Reflection -
D- Welcome back to 120 Minutes. Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy is here. The band's new line-up includes Tony James of Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
A- Generation X. I tend not to think of him as a person in Sigue Sigue Sputnik. (smiles)
D- Do you admire him more for his work in Gen X then...
A- As a bass player undoubtedly because uh, Sputnik weren't really a musical phenomenon. I respect Tony as a person more for what he did with Sputnik , but I wouldn't dream of enjoying them through their records. Which really were peripheral.
D- Now also in the new line-up is Andreas Bruhne
A- Very good (finger punctuation gesture).
D- Thanks. (somewhat bemused) Where is he from?
A- He's from Hamburg. He lives right around the corner from me in Hamburg. We started working together about 18 months ago when I knew I wanted someone else to work with. Someone who could play the guitar, someone who played rock guitar. Real heavy. Real tight. When I wasn't sure that we wanted a band. So really it's me and him that put the album together. And the band took shape while we were making the record.
D- Now the last album, 'Floodland', had Patricia Morrison playing bass on it. Why didn't she work out....
A- Uh, that's an assumption which a lot of people make.
D- She didn't actually play bass? She was...
A- Well I'm, I'm not...
D- ...at liberty to say?
A- I'm not at liberty to say. But obviously I question the assumption.(sort of half smiles amusedly)
D- What about some of the darker elements of your music. Do you personally not that very seriously? As you sometimes imply in your interviews?
A- I think our music just reflects the world as it is. I do take that very seriously. We make hard records for a hard world. We make records for a hard world you can get by in and that you can have fun in and get off on. And really that what the records are about. 1)it's a damn hard world, 2) you can get by in it, it ain't so bad.
D- The one-two punch on The Sisters of Mercy's new album Vision Thing. Any tour plans?
A- We've just come off the road in Europe. And we're about to go on the road, (very pregnant pause) in Europe.
D- How about the states?
A- We're looking at the states. The problem with America is our audience here's not very big, it's loyal but it's not very big. And we are not a club band. (does an odd eyebrow roll kinda thing that I find impossible to describe adequetely). It's a long time since we played in front of less than 5,000 people and we don't intend to start now. That's the problem We'll see, if the record goes great, we'll BE here. If it doesn't, um we'll fly over America on the way to somewhere else.(laughs and smiles) It's sad, but that the way it is. I've got 3 trucks. I've got 3 buses. I've got 39 people in my crew. I've got to pay'em. I can't come over here and lose money I don't have.(Notice how it's become me instead of we now that money is involved in the conversation?)
D-Well it's the carrot and the stick approach. Buy Vision Thing and maybe you'll get to see the Sisters of Mercy live. Thanks very muh for coming by.
A-You're very welcome.
D-Good luck. Right here's a video off the Sisters of Mercy's last album, Floodland. This Corrosion.
- This Corrosion -
Interview is taken from: Halluciente's The Sisters Of Mercy Website - Interviews
1992 - Vox TV
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1992 - Pukkelpop
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- The interviewer is Paul King.
- Andrew seems to be in the mood for teasing Paul and interrups him during his questioning.
- Andrew talks really fast at times and mumbles a lot therefore a lot of questionmarks in the interview.
I: It's me, looking in the mirror and you're welcome to 120 minutes here at Pukkelpop in one of the dressingrooms of The Sisters Of Mercy with Andrew Eldritch.
A: (?)..my dressing room compass.
I: Yes (?). The inner circle. And this is a bit of a one off finishing off. You telling me aren't really up for playing this one you think?
A: No, I've been aching for a long time to go back home, write some song, make some records. It's been too long...
I: So this one is the last one now for quite some time you think?
A: I would imagine so. I have no intention playing again until I have one and half album in the can (unsure of this word). And that could take a while.
I: Right. Infact, you're driving of home tomorrow, aren't you?
A: Yeah.
I: Drive here today from Germany.
A: Why should I drive to (?) when we did one of those playing in your livingroom affairs yesterday?
I: Oh, a warm up?
A: No, actually like a regular gig in someones livingroom.
I: Yeah? What was that for then?
A: That was for us, for them, for the fanclub. Like in public, not like the MTV effect where you go to someones livingroom and you actually hire the church organ and then 3 million people get to play. And it's all mixed in and it sounds brilliant and it really was in someones front room. Not for press, not for TV, just between us owns (?).
I: That would be quite a show.
A: It was a gas. I got... as drunk and hoars as I usually get for a gig. And that was a regular (?)
I: (laughs) Perfect gig. Alright, we are gonna zoom off and watch on video and we will come back and talk to you in just a moment.
(Video is being played)
I: Welcome back to 120 minutes, Andrew Eldritch and myself having a chat. I'm actually have to ask...
A: Release me brother. This is my cart of the Shaolin munk (??). I hope you're enjoying it.
I: I got to ask you one question, because over the years we've done quite a number of The Sisters Of Mercy specials and we have turned up...
A: Not enough! You're far too late to be any benefit to my career. Carry on.
I: And we turned up and we come to see you in live perfomrances..
A: Well you turned up to see Nick and Public Enemy.
(Interviewer keeps talking, probably a bit annoyed that Andrew keeps interrupting him.)
I: And the fans have written to us, Andrew, and asks 'how come you never play Sisters Of Mercy live on 120 minutes?'
A: It's because we never let MTV film the show. We don't let anone film the show.
I: Why?
A: You've to be there. It's a being there king of thing. If we could film it, not that you camera people aren't good but, I always... I'm never happy with the sound tuning, if we got the chacne to mix it down, edit it, do it right. Then, yeah, maybe when we do that but... (trails off)
I: If 120 minutes guarantees you that you can remix the sound afterwards, you...?
A: Yeah. Then yeah.
I: We have to work on that.
A: Hard but fair I feel.
I: Alright, so listen. You gonna take a break, you're heading off, you're gonna write some songs and we are looking at another year, probably, before we see you again, atleast.
A: Yeah, I got another project in the pipeline but I'm not gonna tell you what it is. It's a side thing just to keep me happy.
I: We'll have to wait.
A: Such a tease.
199? - MTV 120 Minutes
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- PART I
Spig-
"I mean, I know it's stupid, I mean that I know that these trousers are stupid but I love them and rock music is like that. I think you've got to recognise that it's a stupid medium in order to ever do anything remotely serious through it. There is obviously a very fine line you have to walk between irony and what I would choose to call wit, because humour is so easily misinterpreted".
"I don't come from here but Leeds was the first place that was ever good to me, and I will treasure that".
"Late '81 I think, when I thought yeah ! there's something worthwhile here and we could actually be good at this !"
"There's a swathe of bands across this part of the country who all had a kinda sound kinda of a bit similar. That's one reason that I thought it was great to have Tim in the band now 'cos we were lacking that kind of Nothern guitar sound, it's very distinctive I think, I dunno where it comes from it's just something that's in the water up here or something".
"It's got a lot to do with no money and a lot of drugs I think".
"I mean I'd like to say that it's because we write great songs and we're really intelligent and not because we wear a lot of leather and stuff but ehm...but I don't know I guess it's different people look to us for different things".
"Because what I write is oblique and that's very easily confused I think with obscure, I don't think that it's obscure but I do acknowledge that it is oblique and I can kind of see where the confusion arises".
"I've always taken the view that to communicate anything to anybody you need a idiom, you need a language which everyone understands, rock music is a very well defined language and by twisting a metaphor even slightly you can say something very new and you can make a big point. I have no time for the avant-garde because I just think it doesn't achieve anything, it's a language which nobody understands and it can't communicate anything. I believe in the idiom, the idiom is there to help you I think and my favourite idiom is rock music".
"I'm not very good at ringing up people I don't know and when Craig quit she was the only bass player I knew. We toured with the Gun Club and she seemed pretty good at playing the bass then and she lent me a lot of moral support and it was good and I figured well I'm not sure I really want a band again and I'm not sure about these guitars. I find it very hard to sing over electric guitars because I have a very quiet voice but I figured well I'll probably always need a bass player so let's do it as a duo".
"I like things right, you know and someone at the end of the day has got to decide what right is and that's generally me. I don't mind who does what as long as it's always right and given that I'm the one who generally decides that makes it pretty tough on everybody else".
"I really like doing things the hard way, I really like doing things the hard way, it just it's the only way I know, I always seemed to like head for the nearest spot of trouble".
"For me personally I think '88 was probably the best because Floodland had come out and everybody had written us off for dead before that and suddenly we had three singles out and we were on Top of the Pops three times which is like outrageous for us and I just went home for a year and just sat in Hamburg thinking, yeah, alright, okay, thank-you !".
"I just don't like doing things that will make me die with a little less self-respect, I want to keep all mine, thank-you".
END of PART ONE.
PART II
Andrew J. Pinnel -
"On record, Andrews sort of lyrical quality obviously comes across more but live, I'd say it's very visual, very powerful, very strong and obviously the participation of the audience live adds a special dimension live which you don't get on record."
"The lyrics aren't your standard pop lyrics, obviously Andrew's perspective on life is slightly different to everyone elses."
"The Europeans tend to be a bit more stand-offish in a sense they have different sort of rituals that they do at gigs you know, lighters and stuff whereas in England it's very powerful down the front, the building of pyramids. The participation is a big thing and you can see that on some of the live videos, it really comes across. It's a dual thing, you've got the band, and you've got the... on the other side uhh... it just seems to work".
Spig -
"I think if people knew how I lived they'd be very surprised. I mean I live a very aesthetic kind of life, I mean....punchy. All I need is like two cigarettes and a view of the river and I'm happy you know? Maybe somebody's cat to play with and that's really it you know ? I don't sit in darkened rooms all day lighting candles and walking round backwards".
"I'd have made a really good diplomat, I'd look real good in a white suit and drunk. I carry myself very well in a white suit, drunk".
"I didn't think about what to do, I just thought yes ! I just felt good and I have never had the desire to make a record unless I had something to say so I thought well I'll go home and wait until I've got something to say and it took a while and even without touring I had spent about 18 months from start to end altogether promoting Floodland and it's a long time and you have to clear your head and if you don't do a bit of living then you've got nothing to write about I don't think. I tend to write in bars I tend not to write anywhere else".
"I was very distressed by some of the criticism of the last album which said well.. Why is this such an American record ? Just because we'd written about American politics I mean I find American politics very global because that's the way American politics is. I don't feel you have to be very impressed by America to write about it. I didn't spend much time there and we were trying deperately to get dropped by our American label while we were writing Vision Thing".
"We certainly did not make the record for America I've always made records for European mentality. I mean Americans are so stupid if I was to make an American record I'd have to make an instrumental record. I mean, I really couldn't sing on it There's nothing you could say that would possibly not go over and American persons head".
"We've only just started working together as a unit, I've got a good feeling about it, I've always had a good feeling about every incarnation of the band. It's designed to do what every other incarnation of the band was designed to do so I'm happy about that and I see no reason why it shouldn't get there".
"Not to put too fine a point on it (laughs), I really hate playing live because it just terrifies me, I find it very embarrasing, I'm not very extrovert basically".
"No, I'm just gonna like walk around drinking looking smug still, I think. I deserve a year of looking smug!".
the "END ?"
199? - MTV News
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- The interview is split up in different parts and used on the News section.
- Andrew seems pretty talkative and happy.
A: It's a dubbel album on one CD, with all our independent stuff on it. Everything we did between 1980 and 1983. And that got the old version of Temple Of Love on it, just to avoid confusion.
------------
A: Because I got the kind of record comapny that isn't really intressted in new songs because they might not like them. They are much more intressted in old song that were a hit once. To be a hit again. Sad but true. I would like to make a new album, do somwthing new and intressitng but I can't get the record company very excited about it.
------------
A: Everything as it was. Pure history. That means the bad stuff stays bad, Warning! And some of it is very bad. But it's all the things a lot of people spend a lot of money for when they buy bootlegs. The rare stuff. There is a demand for it, so. I kind of made a trade, people get to buy the old embarrasing old songs that I really don't want released. And I get a car. I always wanted a car, this record gives me a car.
------------
A:I just came out of the studio. I have been remaking Temple of Love with Ofra Haza, and well the band. It sounds like the original version but it definitly have Ofra Haza on it.
I: Why did you decide on Ofra Haza?
A: Ehm. I would quite like her to marry me but I thought we better get to know eachother first. So we made the record.
------------
A: It's called Some Girls Wander By Mistake because it really is the history of people rather arbitrary and haphasidly (spelling?) learning a trade from nothing. You can tell that the first records where made with no money, no talent and no amibition. And by the time we get to 1983 there is a hint of progress. We wanted.
------------
(About how Andrew writes his songs.)
A: I play everything and then I get people to copy the parts and if they play them better, great, if they don't then it's me on the record. It's quicker that way, simpler. I think if someone got a song it helps to have that coherent way of putting it down. For us, writing or recording by commity (spelling?) has never worked.
------------
(About Public Enemy tour.)
A: I thought it might be a intressting kind of bill. Unfortunately it was too intressting for America. America have a big problem with anything intressting, particularly when it's black and white. Our record company really hated the idea of Public Enemy, so (slight pause) it didn't go as well as it mgiht have done.
199? - Andrew Eldritch co-hosting Off Beat
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- eotunun provided a translation of this interview/co-hosting thing on the Heartland Forum.
- It's also available on Youtube with translation for those that are intressted.
Eckert: "Welcome to Off Beat!The great night has taken place, the reviews were very mixed, in my opinion it was as chaotic as it should, only one point bothers me a bit, that is Philip Boa. For he made a remark:(inserted video of P.Boa on stage, saying "Yes, I know, but it wasn´t our choice!") We were wondering what he might have meant with that, and we didn´t find out. Andrew and I couldn´t figure it out, either. He is, by the eway, my studio guest, Hi Andrew!"
A.E.: "Good evening!"
Eckert: "Good evening!"
A.E.: "Good evening!"
Eckert: "Good evening! Well, good evening or not; Phil gave us a riddle there, for what did he mean? Did he mean he didn´t want to appear on stage or he didn´t want to appear with playback? For it came out that many people said we had forced him to use playback. But no, that was his very own wish to use playback! It must have been when he was on stage that he noticed what a major mistake he had made there, as he got his reward immediately. (Inserted Video of P.Boa onstage, getting a shower from the audience and leaving the stage in anger while the musictape goes on playing) Yes, "Splut" it went.."
A.E.: "his own fault!"
Eckert: "His own fault, isn´t it? Andrew, what do you think about it? You can´t let anyone say such things about you?"
A.E.: "No"
Eckert: "Would you do such things?"
A.E.: "Absolutely not!"
Eckert: "Absolutely not.. Andrew Eldritch, The Sisters of Mercy, Hamburgian by choice, fencer, contemporarily on holliday, a longterm holliday. You have more or less just returned from Los Angeles. What did you do there?"
A.E.: "I got pretty bored there."
Eckert: "You got bored there, can that happen there?"
A.E.: "Oh yes! It´s the best city for that!"
Eckert: "It´s the best city for getting bored?"
A.E.: "The best of all!"
Eckert: "You have to explain that."
A.E.: "There is nothing there! Nothing at all, no people, only traffic."
Eckert: "And that´s why you have retreated there. (Andrew confirms) But you are a person who doesn´t like being in public anyway?"
A.E.: "I take a look at it."
Eckert: "Just stand asside an watch people."
A.E.: "Yes, I have difficulty when it comes to taking part."
Eckert: "Maybe we should just listen to some music to get your tempers up a bit. Do you have any wis...?"
A.E.: "If the need be.. Go ahead!"
Eckert: "Go ahead? A bit of music: (This Corrosion video played)
Andrew Eldritch is here as guest today, my co-moderator. Did you ever do such a thing before?"
A.E.: "I never did. It´s rather badly paid, isn´t it?"
Eckert: "It´s very badly paid.."
A.E.: "That´s why!"
Eckert: "(laughs)Do you earn enough, meanwhile?"
A.E.: "Hmm, nah."
Eckert: "One never earns enough, right?"
A.E.: "(hesitates) Well, I don´t"
Eckert: "When exactly did you come to Hamburg?"
A.E.: "About three years ago."
Eckert: "And why?"
A.E.: "That´s a long story.. a quite mortifying one!"
Eckert: "Why mortifying?"
A.E.: "Ah, just go on, please.."(Andrew toys around with cigarette and lighter)
Eckert: "(laughs) You can´t keep telling me to go on all the time.. It´s allright if you light a cigarette. Okay. You live at Hamburg, I won´t tell where for otherwise you´ll have all the girls in front of your door.. You have been living in the city for a while?"
A.E.: "Every now and then.."
Eckert: "..now and then.. And you are member of a fencing club. What do you do there, fencing? Is that the kind of sport for you?"
A.E.: "One might say so, yes. I was forced to do it as pupil as I couldn´t play rugby."
Eckert: "You couldn´t play rugby. I never liked that either, an awfull sport!"
A.E.: "Man simply is too brittle for playing rugby!"
Eckert: "And that´s how you got to fencing to keep the people at distance? Is it still like that today, a bit of Zen or the art of fencing?"
A.E.: "(thinks for 5 seconds) Yeah. In a way. That all sounds rather pompously in a way, but it´s true."
Eckert: "How many times a week do you go fencing?"
A.E.: "Two or three times, if I can spare the time for it."
Eckert: "And that´s really hard training?"
A.E.: "Yes, it´s quite strenuous."
Eckert: "So you really feel it in your bones?"
A.E.: "I feel it in my knees."
Eckert: "So, despite avoiding rugby, you have problems with your knees?"
A.E.: "Yes. But I survive fencing!"
Eckert: "You survive.. There are various kinds of weapons. Foil, sabre and rapier, which do you use there?"
A.E.: "Well, I am a sabre master."
Eckert: "A sabre master. Is that the heaviest? It isn´t the heaviest, is it?"
A.E.: "No, rapier is the heaviest."
Eckert: "Do you have enough training opprtunities at Hamburg?"
A.E.: "Actually not, cause here in Hamburg sabre is hardly used, so I have to fight with rapier. Which stresses the wrist."
Eckert: "Wouldn´t you like to go to Tauber-Bischofsheim once?* To take a look?"
A.E.: "For a short holliday!"
Eckert: "For training?"
A.E.: "For a hollidaybattle!"
Eckert: "That would be something?"
A.E.: "Sure."
Eckert: "I fear we have to watch even more music so that your tempers get still better. (Andrew giggles) Do you know "Turnpike TV"?"
A.E.: "No. Never heard of it."
Eckert: "Never heard of it? Well-That´s an english company, founded about 1981, which produces freaky video programmes. You never heard of them?"
A.E.: "Well, I don´t have a TV set, so..(laughs)"
Eckert: "So, Turnpike TV is a company from England that started years ago to make very abstruse and really really good videos available for sale. We allready saw some of the videos the Turnkipe boys made, for example "Two Cut". There also is firm belonging company called "The Turnpike Cruisers". And here comes the big deal for all Off Beat watchers: If you want the full catalogue what videos they offer, that´s everything from wallpaper videos (Turns to Andrew)Do you know these? (Andrew shakes his head)No? You put in a tape, and see, for example, an aquarium!"
A.E.: "(Whispers)Oh my...!"
Eckert: "Yes, but really good! Or, for example, one is called "Baby". And you only see a baby, one hour of nurseling! Anyway-really crazy stuff"
A.E. Interrupts Eckert: "Well, I´m only intersted in nude women and drugs!"
Eckert: "Nude women and drugs! We´ll continue there in a minute! In a minute!" Introduces a video by the Turnpike Cruisers)
*Germany´s fencing centre. Training site for the olympic teams etc.
Eckert: "Andrew Eldritch, still guest here as co-moderator at Off Beat. By now he hasn´t fully warmed up yet. He´s a bit nervous, I think.."
A.E.: "..I didn´t get any coffee yet!"
Eckert: "You didn´t get any coffee yet?"
A.E.: "Nah.."
Eckert: "We can get some, that´s no problem."
A.E.: "Welcome."
Eckert: "Shall we get you a coffee and the we´ll go on?"
A.E.: "With whole milk, grey, nice grey. English style."
Eckert: "English style. But I fear the coffee itself is somewhat stronger than the usual english one."
A.E.: "Now you have me trembling!"
Eckert: (laughs)"You really want a coffee now? Okay, I´ll get you a coffee, and meanwhile we´ll watch some more stuff by the Turnpike boys. They made a video with Alien Sex Fiend, R.E.P., RIP, Rest In Piece!
(break)
So, Andrew, there you have your coffee. Admit it, am I not like a mother to you? Cheerio!"
A.E.: "Stimulating frees!" (I am not entirely sure about this)
Eckert: (laughs)"Now tell me more about nude women and drugs!"
A.E.: "Oh, you are so young!"
Eckert: "I am too young? I only look young.."
A.E.: "When you´ve become a bit older."
Eckert: "How old?"
A.E.: "As old as me, for instance."
Eckert: "How old are you?"
A.E.: "Old as hell!"
Eckert: (laughs)"Aww! Oh come on! A bit! Now I have to grizzle a bit."
A.E.: "I´m not thirty yet."
Eckert: "You are not thirty yet? In this life?"
A.E.: "..in this life."
Eckert: "In the former one, you are?"
Andrew half laughs, half coughs out smoke
Eckert: "Allright, let´s talk about music. None by you, for you are having a creative break, if I get the picture rightly?"
A.E.: "Yes."
Eckert: "What do you think about Alien Sex Fiend?"
A.E.: "Never heard that!"
Eckert: "Never heard that before?"
A.E.: "Got something to do with those "goffs"?"
Eckert: "With goffs, yes. What do you think about goffs in general?"
A.E.: "That´s quite daft, ain´t it? The Goth scene, I mean."
Eckert: "Yes? But they all refer a bit to you, just so you don´t.."
A.E.: "..REALLY?---But why?"
Eckert: "..I don´t see the least hint why- I mean, I find your songs heart-refreshingly cheerfull and.."
A.E.: nods emphatically, gestures to emphasize even more "You are right there!"
Eckert: "..they allways really pick me up, I mean, I find them really good.. Maybe they don´t exactly make me laugh, but.."
A.E.: "..maybe I´ll tell you some about the nude women.."
Eckert: "..YES? (chuckles) well, your music gives me a real feeling of lust to do everything! How strongly are music and lust connected for you?"
A.E.: "Much."
Eckert: "Much? Is it as good as with drugs and women?"
A.E.: "No, but, you see, I´m not so good at drugs.. and.. women.."
Eckert: "Not so good? That´s why you prefer music?"
A.E.: "See, I´m rather small, quite brittle, not a great f*cker.. So I had to become musician. Someday. You learn everything"
Eckert: "So you became musician."
A.E.: "Somewhat"
Eckert: "When did you make that decision?"
A.E.: "A pure coincidence! That was.. eightyone, or ..eightytwo, I believe. I was drummer back then. Bad as hell."
Eckert: "And that was when you thought that has to become something real now?"
A.E.: "I just didn´t want a regular job. (chuckles)"
Eckert: "You just didn´t want to do real work? Exactly, that´s it!"
A.E.: "That´s what it´s all about."
Eckert: "That´s what all rock´n`roll is about, they are all people who just don´t want to work?"
A.E.: "I was trained, that´s back then, trained to translate chinese!"
Eckert: "You generally have a crush on odd languages, you learnt german as well. How did you get to that?"
A.E.: "well, I am sorry, I lost my abillity of speach at America. So that´s recently."
Eckert: "When you were there, during the holliday? You loose that fast there?"
A.E.: "for, the amis can´t speak english as well."
Eckert: "That´s only some basic english what they speak?"
A.E.: "You don´t at all! You just sit in the car."
Eckert: "And drive past each others.."
A.E.: "Yes."
Eckert: "How did you get to german? That´s a quite an unusual language, after all, especially for an englishman."
A.E.: "No! I´m anglo-saxon. See?"
Eckert: "So that´s the connection. Classically."
A.E.: "Since the fifth century."
Eckert: "Man, you are actually well-educated!?* That´s the bee´s knees! Listen, I heard you are interested in nursery rhymes?"
A.E.: "Just the meanest."
Eckert: "Just the meanest? Like "Zehn kleine Negerlein***"? Can you recite that for us, for I can´t remember it anymore."
A.E.: (Sings the second verse) "Nine little negroes went hunting, one was shot dead, so there were only eight! ..Or so."
Eckert: "What was your interest in that? Did you want to adapt that? Was that some idea, or is that still some idea of yours?"
A.E.: "Na-I just got a cheap CD."
Eckert: "A cheap CD?"(laughs)
A.E.: "It´s called "Bi-Ba-Butzemann****".
Eckert: "Bi-Ba-Butzemann?"
A.E.: "A Bi-Ba-Butzemann dances!"
Eckert: "These old german nursery rhymes are.."
A.E.: ".. They really are mean!"
Eckert: "A part of them is really under the belt, allmost fascist as I find, like "Ten Little Negroes". Don´t you think so, too?"
Andrew nods emphatically.
Eckert: "There is one version of the verse where it says "The one sh*t to death", not "was shot dead", do you know that one?"
A.E.: (laughs)"No!"
Eckert: "It´s true, it´s really tough! And how did you get to that material, who introduced you to it? Or did you find it yourself sometime?"
A.E.: "Well, as I said, cheap CDs."
Eckert: "I see, on some ferry tale CD. That´s where you found them."
A.E.: "Yes."
Eckert: "And do you intend to make something of it? Sisters of Mercy with german nursery rhymes?"
A.E.: "Nah.. Maybe appear a few times at Bavaria with that perhaps?"
Eckert: "At Bavaria?"
A.E.: "Yes, they got a crush on stuff like that!"
Eckert: "That´s what I heard, too. They got crush on such things, yes."
A.E.: "It really is a pity that Gauweiler has quit and that.. that.. giant frog.."
Eckert: "Giant frog?"
A.E.: "Yes, that, that Strauß-thing."
Eckert: "Yes, well.."
A.E.: "..for the two aren´t as funny as they used to be."
Eckert: "Since he quit, you mean?"
A.E.: "You can´t enjoy them as you could then, anymore. It´s a pity."
Eckert: "There is a german musician called Rio Reiser, did you hear about him?"
A.E.: "Nah."
Eckert: "Well, he didn´t want to go to Bavaria anymore. But you would still go there? at least for shows?"
A.E.: "Erm.. Yes, for taking a look at it."
Eckert: "Take a look at it.. Erm, when you have such a creative break, how do you notice that it´s time again? For a new record?"
A.E.: "Well, I sit in my flat in front of the mixing desk, and I wait. And then -finally- someone sings to me."
Eckert: "Someone?"
A.E.: "Someone sings to me."
Eckert: "Sings to you? Like some kind of a muse, one might say? From behind, right into the ear?"
A.E.: "Then the song sudenly is there."
Eckert: "Do all your songs happen as fast or that abrupt?"
A.E.: "One has to work on them, still!"
Eckert: "That´s clear. But the ideas come like whoosh!, they don´t come one by one, that something grows, that just comes like that in one piece?"
A.E.: "You can´t ..invent the ideas like that. It´s just somehow there. And you either have them in controll or not."
Eckert: "And what do yo..."
A.E.: "...Well, what do I know, I am no musician!"
Eckert: (Nearly spits out his coffee for laughing) "Okay, then we´ll have some more music, perhaps you´ll change your mind about your being a musician."
A.E.: "A better one than those on the screen anyway!"
*actually Eckert uses a pun here**, saying "Verbildet" instead of the correct "Gebildet", which means well-educated, but in a useless way. I was considering translating that as "Ill-educated", which I thought might match well-What say you good people, a good choice? In that case I´ll edit.
**this commedy is second to none.
***An authentic german song for little children, traditional, "Zehn kleine Negerlein" means "Ten little Negroes".. The song is similar to the Ten Green Bottles song. Only that it´s a countdown with humans, and more inventive about the means of their exclusion from the sum..
****Title of another german nursery rhyme. Less questionable than ***.
Eckert: "Tell me, Andrew: Do you know Link Ray?"
A.E.: "Yes, but only from seeing."
Eckert: "Only from seeing and hearsay?"
A.E.: "Yes, that´s right."
Eckert: "Rumble Link Ray."
A.E.: "He was here in our studio, and we asked him to do the Two Minutes for us. You know, we give people two minutes of airtime, and they can do what they like. Do you want to see what he did?"
A.E.: "Please!"
Eckert: "Good. Link Ray!"
(A two minute clip with Link Rays blurp gets played.)
A.E.: "Fine!"
Eckert: "Mister Link Ray! Talking about everything, I mean life, un.."
A.E.: "I am absolutely don´t care if all the guitarists in the world simply get extinct!"
Eckert: "You absolutely don´t care? I mean, It is remarkable that it´s those very people of whom you know exactly what they were like -well, you just have to take a look at Lou Reed- Now he´s (makes a pope salutation like gesture).. An Link Ray the same, but somewhere they must have got their experiences.."
A.E.: "Well, narcotics are bad, anyway!"
Eckert: "Are bad?"
A.E.: "yea.."
Eckert: "Awfully bad!"
A.E.: "Stimulating frees, anyway."
Eckert: "Stimulating frees? Well I can´t call that okay in this place, I must not, you know, just sit here and say "You all take some stimulants now!", but I mean,.."
Eckert: "That would be very bad!"
Eckert: "That would be bad, wouldn´t it? .. but there are those natural stimulants. Erm."
A.E.: "Prf.. uuuuh ermmmm.."
Eckert: "Um?"
A.E.: "Umm, errr"(Scratches his cheek)
Eckert: "Yupp, maybe we should watch the.. the charts now! And them something by Sonic Youth, an by then maybe we can of anything?"
A.E.: "May be.."
Eckert: (laughs)
(Break in the video)
Eckert: "So these were the charts, and after that something new by Sonic Youth. Do you know them? Andrew? What do you think of them? I think they are quite good!"
A.E.: "Oh, yeah." (nods confirmingly)
Eckert: "so, I also like "chiccone youth", that cover version"
A.E.: "Then I do so, too!"
Eckert: "Yes, Good? We´ll permitt them?"
A.E.: "Yupp!"
Eckert: "Do you have a list of favourite records , by the way? Are there any favourite records where you´d say you.."
A.E.: ""Funhouse" by The Stooges. And "Low" by David Bowie. And at the moment those bulgarian female choires"
Eckert: "Those bulgarian choirs, yes the really are good. And Books! Can you think os any favourite book spotaneously? Now don´t you say The satanic verses by Rushdie!"
A.E.: "No, I didn´t read it."
Eckert: "..didn´t read it."
A.E.: "Eliot! T.S. Eliot!"
Eckert: "Everything?"
A.E.: "Shakespeare is good, too. At the moment I read Milton. That´s a rather difficult read.*"
Eckert: "There is a movement in music of plagiators, who copy stuff to make something new of it. Under the heading of sampling. Is it legitimate if that happens in literature, too? What I´m saying is, do you feel inspired be such lyrics as your own lyrics?"
A.E.: "By the style, yes. Sometimes."
Eckert: "So, by the expression, the way of expression?"
A.E.: "Yes."
Eckert: "And that is a source for you where you get inspired."
A.E.: "Eliot allways is with me. In my head. And Shakespeare. Well, Englanders."
Eckert: "Englanders. When will you go back, do have any desire for negland after all?"
A.E.: "No, it´s become horrible. Too much H."
Eckert: "Too much H? So Link Ray is right after all?"
A.E.: (nods) "Quite!"
Eckert: "Quite.. And what else has become horrible about England?"
A.E.: "It´s become expensive as hell."
Eckert: "Yes?"
A.E.: "Yes."
Eckert: "So there is no desire to go back there?"
A.E.: "Naah.. Initially I was going to buy a new house at north england. But as I have no money.. Well.."
Eckert: "Allright, we´ll insert the account for donations in a minute if you all want that he gets a new house at northern england as well!"
A.E.: "Hm! Commerzbank Reeperbahn!"
Eckert: "And the number of the account has to be added. Perhaps there really will come some money!"
A.E.: "I don´t have it with me. But Mrs. Bremer at the Commerzbank Reeperbahn, she´s informed."
Eckert: "So the people only have to write to Mrs. Bremer at the Commerzbank Reeperbahn. That´s Spielbudenplatz I believe, and that´s Hamburg, er.."
A.E.: "..Nonono!"
Eckert: "Further down?"
A.E.: "At the other side."
Eckert: "The other side? That is.. Actually, what is that?"
A.E.: "Reeperbahn!"
Eckert: "Reeperbahn! Okay, Reeperbahn. It´ll arrive. Simply send it there. And that´s all for today´s Off Beat, I have some mor eby the Chainsaw Zombies. Do you know them?"
A.E.: "A good name!"
Eckert: "A good name, right? And they are good boys as well, unfortunately slightly groggy. They were supposed to appear here at a Hamburg stage, but the drummeress had half a pneumonia.. A drummeress! A very good girl. Anyway, I got them for an interview, short it was. Swedish boys are somehow difficult to handle, don´t you think? They either are fully stoned, or coming down, hangover style. Didn´t you notice that yet?"
(Andrew shakes his head with a very raised Eyebrow)
Eckert: "Okay, *ahem* The Chainsaw Zombies. And that´s all for today´s Off Beat with Andrew and with me, and I hope you enjoyed it. See, you, well, next week, well.."
A.E.: "..See you!"
Eckert: "See you."
*This last sentence is very quiet and difficult to understand, I am not sure if I heard it right.
199? - Super, Germany
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- If anyone that understands Germany feels like transcribing this one I would be glad to put it up here.
26 November 1992 - Elf 99
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Mod: I tell you a secret now. During preparing the show, half of every collegue above the magic age of 30 years got wet fingers and heartbeats when they heared about the appearance of eric burdon and the other half felt the same way when they heared that TSOM will be at the studio. They are really here. Hello Andrew, you are the one who did something remarable: moving from the music-mekka england to hamburg - why?
AE: I just wanted to make some holidays and kinda got stucked.
Mod: How long are you here yet?
AE: It's 8 years ago now..
Mod: And how long will you stay?
AE: Well, no idea..
Mod: It may takes more time - not bad that you're here I'd say. Question of the show: What would you do if you're the king of Germany?
AE: Well, first of all disestablishing that "siezen" (=to adress somebody formally, like saying "sir" instead of "you") because it's stupid to embedd this in a language. Respect has to be earned you know. Secondly I'd donate the FC St.Pauli a few millions and than resigning for the benefit of the republic.
Mod: That's already three wishes at onces - no way! When are you where to "experience" next?
AE: Across Germany in december.
Mod: A real beautiful x-mas surprise for all Sisters-freaks - but now music, ladies and gentleman, The Sisters Of Mercy - Under The Gun
1993 - ZTV, Sweden
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
-
[Textbox: In Auugst 1993 The Sisters Of Mercy released their second compilationalbum "A Slight Case Of Overbombing". The record is the groups sixth album since the start in 1980. Nowadays Sisters Of Mercy is a one man band - Andew Eldritch is in charge.]
I: "A Slight Case Of Overbombing" is the second compilation album from The Sisters of Mercy, why?
A: Why not? I think every band has to, when as soon as it hits the charts the actual release date, The Greatest Hits, just to make some new friends, make people aware that it's a major band, not a cult item. I don't really like the reputation a cult act. I think if what you do is good then it's not only a challenge but a responsibility to spread it to as many people as possible.
I: Are you more satisfied with "A Slight Case OF Overbombing" than the other compilation album "Some Girls Wander By Mistake"?
A: Oh yeah. "Some Girls Wander By Mistake" I've always described it kind of lika babyphotos, it's lika a collection of babyphotos. Intressting for the people who already know you but you wouldn't to show your babyphoots to a stranger where as the greatest hits is something you definitly would want to show it to a stranger.
-More-
I: Is it really your favorite songs the oes you have compiled for the album?
A: No, but I do tend to prefer them more. I tend to prefer the less bombastic songs. But I'm smart enough to know that the record company can't sell those as singles. Which is one of the reasons why the records is called "A Slight Case Of Overbombing". It does tend to represent the more bombastic side of the band I think. Some of my favorite songs are more indirectly powerfull. We've written a lot of songs or I've written a lot of songs which I thought could be hits in the same that REM have hits, but I can't get my record company, particularly in Britain, I can't get them to understand that I'm Michael Stipes and not Ozzy Osbourne.
-Dominion-
I: The picture of you as the king of goth and black hair (trails off)...
A: No it don't. That is not really my picture. I have to go a long way to prove a point. I very, very, very rarely appear on stage in black clothes, because I just know what the people are gonna say about the records, because there is a lot of (long pause) lazy reactions to my work, based a false interpretation of what I wear. Mostly I go on stage in yellow or white, bu I have found out that you have to do that for five years before people notice that, maybe, the popular impression of you is slightly wrong. That is just something I have to live with.
-Dominion continues-
I: It was like a whole style. While the girls where dressed as Susie Sioux, the guys where like you. How do you feel about it?
A: Well not the guys I hang out with, or the girls incidentily.
I: How does it feel to be stylist? (Weird phrasing)
A: I don't feel responsible for that, I really don't feel responsible for it, so it doesn't... Unless someone like you asks me that kind of quesiton, it's not really something I think about. If I see soemone dressed like the kind of people you're describing, if I see someone like that standing at the busstop I don't react to anymore than I would seeing a housewife at the busstop. I really don't feel connected to it, I don't feel responsible for it.
-Temple Of Love-
I: Quite a few time, for example on "Floodland", you've been dealing with political things.
A: Yeah.
I: With Mother Russia, is your intresst in politics still as big as..?
A: Yeah, I think it's important. As an artist I tend to interpret politics through the details of everyday life. I'm not very good at singing slogans. On the occasions that I do sing slogans like "Mother Russian, rain down, down, down" that is a much as a metaphore as any direct political statement. I'm a politicial animal. I think it's important that people pay attention to what's going on around them. People who say to me 'we are not intressted in politics' they are just people that acceptwhat goes on arroudn them and I find it very difficult to accept that without commenting or without wishing to change it. And I've always trid to make records for the world as it is. That's why I maybe have a reputation as a pessimist or a cynic. I don't reagard myself either of those two things. I regard myself as a realist. I've always tried to make records that refelct the real world, it's tough but that is not a dark point of view, it's just realistic. And I've always tried to write songs which show how you can have fun in a tough world and how you can find that path through the minefield.
-Temple Of Love continues-
I: Maybe I understand things wrong but I can still.... You deal with important subjects but the same time there is humour in your songs as well.
A: I think it's an important weapon - humour. And I think it is important to laugh, it's important. It's a 20 century esthetic. I think everybody has an appreciation of the absurd.That appreciation is particularly well developed in English people, we hve a lot of ways expressing that which aren't common to other local cultures. Most of our television humour involves extreme violence. And we find that very funny.
-Temple Of Love ends-
A: I like songs. That if you can make a song mean something then why not? It's cowardly to back away from that challenge I think. Appart from which, it's what I'm best at. Why should I give up making songs that mean something? On of the great things about this band, why it's sitll going, the whole idea why The Sisters still mean something is that we do reach people in a different way to most bands. We might not mean as much to as many people, but we mean more to the people that we reach. And I think there is a place for bands like that. I have no problem with Roxette, I have no problem with bands that write great tunes for the maximum number of people. But that's not what I do, what I do is write songs that means more and I accept the fact that I reach less people. I try, especially with the records like "A Slight Case Of Overbombing", I try to reach more people. But ultimatly if I had to choose between reaching more people or reaching less people deeper, I would choose to reach a few people deeper - every time.
-Under The Gun-
I: So, Andrew, are you living for love?
A: Well, that's a complicated question. And my answer is even more complicated, that's were the two minutes at the end of the song, comes in, where I'm singing real fast. I answer it in my particular fashion. I kinda interpret the question diffrently. There is a complicated dialog in the song between the female voice and the male voice. Not because they are female or male, I don't regard that as particular important, but the dialog is clearly two sieded because of the sounds of the voices are different. Because I sing baritone and Terr has a voice lik an angel. My answer involves serious use of weaponry, but that is kind of like a metaphore really, I'm not sure I mean it directly.
-Under The Gun continues-
A: I'm very pleased with it, on the album I'm not sure. Where as it makes such a great single because the sting and the tale of the song doesn't really happen for four minutes. And these days four minutes seems to be along time to ask people to wait for the punchline. Especially when it takes me 2 minutes to sing the punchline, and I'm singing pretty fast by that stage. It's kind of complicated and most people don't like complicated music anymore. I always try to keep the surface pretty simple and I try to have a good tune so that people get sucked in before they get hit. But I like to put a lot of stuff underneath and that's quite unpopular these days I think. Poeple just want a song that goes "Baby..Boogie...Baby".
-Under The Gun continues-
I: You worked with Terri Nun from the group Berlin?
A: Well kind of yeah. The tape I was working from already had her vocal on it. Although I met her once in the mid eighties I didn't meet her to make the record, I just fucked around with the tape that her vocal was already on. But that was one of the reasons for my wanting to cover that song, to work with that song and change it around because I thought her vocal on it was great. So I used the original demo because I don't see the point in re-recording something that is already so great to start with. So I edited it, I changed the bas, the drums and keyboards around what was already there, a little bit. I got a friend of mine from Leeds to put some electric guitars on, and then sang my stuff. So the original version sounds kind of like I don't know a sort of Jennifer Rush song I suppose and the new version sounds like Jennifer Rush from hell.
I: You've been living in Hamburg now for nine years. but all this time you've spent in the city. Why don't you want to come back to Britain?
A: Ahem, because it's fucked up. Maybe I move back there full time when the goverment changes, or maybe when the next few goverments start repairing the damage that Tatcher did. But the current goverment won't repair that damage, if anything they are making it worse. Britain just doesn't work anymore. It's hard to live there, because the infrastrcture has broken. And particularly now that I can see Britain from the outside I'm even more aware off what's wrong with it, and that does make me very angry. I would change it by offering to be mayor but at the moment I can't see anybody voting for me. Maybe in ten years or so, when I look like a mature and responsible adult.
I: Andrew, are you a person that is hard to deal with? You split with the first edition of Sisters Of Mercy and then Wayne Hussey...
A: Yeah, that's only a couple of people that even been in the band that I'm not still friends with. These thigns are exaggerated by the press, and I think a lot of ex-members try and create a conflict maybe to keep themselves intressting when they are not doing very much. In the same way that musicians are generally the kind of people that are very eeasily encourage to buy lawyers, to make work for lawyers, they are very easily led because they don't really know the business and because they don't have anything better to do when they leave the band. But I'm firends with almost everybody that were in the band where in the band for quite a while. Most bands don't exist very long, this band has been together for 13 years, in one shape or another. So it's not really a history of conflict. We are just a litt bit more open and honest about our internal conflicts, the internal conflicts that any band has. And because I'm not very good with the media, I'm not very good at answering the criticisms of me or because I'm too busy doing something. And so certain rumours tend to gather strength just because I don't answer them.
-Dominion-
[Text field: Andrew Eldritch is said to be hard to work with. The latest version of Sisters Of Mercy with (among others) Tony James from Sigue Sigue Sputnik have split.]
[Text field: Likewise the colaboration with Patricia Morrison (former Gun Club) ended. And when the second version of The Sisters Of Mercy split in the mid eighties the former members Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams formed The Mission.]
I: Looking back at the split. Was the reason really that the words Wayne Hussey wrote, for the lyrics of his, was the thing you couldn't...?
A: Yeah, I tried to sing them. There are a few bootlegs in existance of me trying to sing Waynes words and you can just hear that I'm not convinced by them. I can't breath any meaning into them. And the other big issue was the whole issue of lifestyle. Those guys all loved to be on tour and they really didn't like doing anything else, and for mw it was exactly the opposite.
I: You like the studio better?
A: Yeah, I really don't like being on tour. Playing concerts are one thing, I can just about handle that, but being on tour I find really de-humanizing. And there are things I prefer to do, and becasue I can do those other things I choose to do those other things.
I: Waynes former writing was too hippiesh for you, like flowers, and God and stuff?
A: Yes, I have a problem with his imagery but mostly I've a problem with the fact that his songs doesn't mean anything and they are not intended to mean anything.
I: Do you think you will keep on going, work on your own? Because as I can see you're fascinated by the modern technique of making music.
A: Yeah. I love writing songs and I love making records. And as long as the pemitial (unsure about this word) activities get too boring or too frustrating then I shall keep doig that. When I next get the chance, I'm gonna go home, think about some new songs. I'm gonna start doing that on my own. If I write the kind of songs that sounds like I need help from the outside, then I'll work with other people. Otherwise I will keep working on my own for the next time. I don't really know until the songs for the next record takes shape what kind of people I have to work with, if any.
I: Is there someone you want to work with?
A: Not praricularly. Not for a whole album. There are certain people I'd like to work with dor maybe one single. There are producers I would like to work with, I would like to try working with. And there are singers that I quite like to make one song with but as far as the band goes I think I want to see what kind off... I want to see what the songs asks for before I make those kind of decisions.
1994 - Viva
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
1994 - Sat 1
About the interview:
- Not transcribed.
22 January 1994 - Show Biz, Germany
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- If anyone that understands Germany feels like transcribing this one I would be glad to put it up here.
200? - 30 Ton(?)
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Andrew talking about technology.
A: I sing for The Sisters Of Mercy, and today I speak for 30 ton. (30 ton being said in another language)
A: Only when other machines had already given them technical problems. I never creativly been helped by a machine. Although I do remember one strange day when I was having, I was trying to record on my best Stratocast guitar, which are green. I spent half a day trying to record the guitar part properly and in the end I picked up my red quitar and 'Ah'. Almost exactly the same Stratocast but this was red. There was something creative about the colour of the guitar, but otherwise I can't remember on occasion where the technologies did anything more to help you to solve the problem that was being caused by other technologies.
A: Two of us are at the moment quite excited by the prospect of guitars that tune themselves. That would enable you to ofcourse play the next song much more quickly after the last one, which is always a good idea. I always want to finish one song and go straight into the next, I don't want to stand around, trying to think about some speach to deliver or something funny to say. That is not what I'm there for. I stand on stage, just sing the next song. And if I don't have to wait for the guitarplayers to tune up, that would be nice. But even if they all take tuning guitars I suspect it's not going to work properly.
A: I think when it comes to stealing you probably find that Mozart said that Savieri was very good at stealing. I think that stealing is always been a part of music. And frankly as a musician and you're trying to make a brand new language, you know that nobody is gonna understand it. Everything we do, everything other muscians do, we try a fresh bybrid, an intressting and useful hybrid. A new dialer language that you already know otherwise nobody would understand you. But obviously there are limits. I think that technological stealing, is probably no different at the end of the day, to stealing with musiclogical. If I could really tell you what a key was or how a tune is put together. Or how an arrangement was put togethter. I could probably tell you people have been stealing from eachother for hundreds of years. It's obviously much easier to say 'Ah, that's a drum sample I heard before'.
A: Only last month one American court, it may even been the Supreme Court, I don't remember. Even last month an American court said 'Yes, that prisoner could be forced to take pschyco (unsure of this word) drugs to try and make him sane'. And then they would be allowed to execute him. Because he was on deathrow, or he would have been on deathrow if he was sane enogh to be on deathrow. So first we have to do is make him a well person, then kill him. I think it will be a long time befor there is a machine to make those stupid decisions. I'm sure they know (mumbles). To have a stealth Supreme Court which are invisible to radar.
A: I think it's hard to tell where the end of civilasations is. Maybe it's already happened. It's hard to think of anything after Shakespear been as good as Shakespear and not for a long time now. And everybody agrees that now what we know as Shakespears written by commity. Effectivly through corrections, corrections and refinements, and probably losing a lot of things that weren't really good and we still think Shakespear was great and we still can't think of anything since then that was better than Shakespear. And to be honest if the next generation Aqua records is not quite as good as the previous Aqua records I'm not really gonna care about that. And something tells me that when nothing is left on this planet except nuclearwaste and cockroaches there will still be Lemmy.
A: That thing is one I miss most about my life being on this particular tour. One of my cats is fairly new and a bit strange in the head because he grew up in the wild. And I had to put them in a cat-hotel for six weeks and I know he must be hating it.
A: I'm Andrew Eldritch, I sing for The Sisters Of Mercy . And we have been talking technology on 30 ton (the show name is once again in another langugare.)
2008 - Burgas
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Interview with Ben and Chris.
I: You said that maybe there will be new stuff by the band and maybe it will not. Is there gonna be a next album soon?
C: You'll have to wait and find out. It's difficult. The whole question about the new album is very difficult to answer because the problem these das with the Internet and people downloading stuff from the Internet. You spend a lot of money in the studio and do promition for the album and then people download it for free. Kind of what we think about it is that we write new songs and we play them live and the gigs inevitably get recorded anyway by the fans and so the fans hear the new songs on the cds. We are not recording an album and then making someone else rich and losing money ourselves. But the music still gets ot there (unsure what he says "to the fans that way"?)
I: Have you ever thoght about releasing music (can't tell what's said) or some kind of alternative releasing. From yourselves in your studio but still not like cd?
C: MP3's on the net? Before we joined Andrew and Chris, who was in the band before us, they did a song called "Susanne". They recorded that and put it on the Net for a free download. And I think that is the way to go, peronally, record it yourselves and then just put it on the website. It goes directly to the families (or fans?) and like I said there are not making someone else rich while we... (trails off)
I: Do you ever have sex on your own music?
C: Do I ever have sex listening to my own music? Actually there was once, when the song came on and I said "sorry, I can't do it".
I: So you hate yor own music?
C: No, no, no, not on purpose. I was, God I can't believe that I'm saying this, it was a cd that I girl brought, this was along time ago Sally (his current girlfriend), it was a compilation cd and I had to sort of go "can we not?".
I: OK, I know that you really love to drink vodka but have you tried Bulgarian tequila?
C: Yeah we had some (trails off).
Chris and Ben is given something (tequila maybe, there is a bottle).
I: What do you prefer, personal or festival gigs?
C: Festival gigs!
I: Why?
C: Because, festivals are bigger and generally it's summer and it's warm. Especialy when you come to places like Bulgaria where it's warm. When you got a gig, lets say in Leeds where I live, you turn up and you walk into a venue and it's four walls . And you soundcheck and have some drinks in the bar and you get a shower (??). And that's cool and everything, but when you come here, attend the festival and there's poeople around, other bands kicking around, there's other bands through the day and you get to talk to other bands and have some nice food. It's a lot more fun.
B: Social.
C: Especially being outdoors, if we were indoors on a nice day like this it would be horrible.
I: Isn't there a chance to get your own concert outdoors?
C: Yeah, that be great.
I: You've a billboard hit and a UK Chart hit but you always hate commercial music?
C: To be honest, that was before we joined the band.
B: 1990. We have been in the band for two, three years so that was a long time...
I: In the band the musicians always like change, have you ever thought about what will be kicked off the band?
C: To not to be in the band anymore? It would be shit.
I: Weren't you scared when you entered the band?
B: Because of the history? I think if you look back at all those other players I think they lef ton their own accord. There was certain issues that couldn't be resolved and they had other things they wanted to do. I don't necessarly think it was ever a case of being thrown out of the band. I htink it was a lot more of it wasn't the right time for them. But we've had such an amazing time over the last few years, playing all over the world. Meeting amazing people, going to wonderful places. Just having a good laugh. He said yesteday about doing something like this that it's like a holiday with your best friends, but you get to play music as well.
C: When I was a kid, I've always been into music, the only thing I ever wanted to do was to play guitar in a band. I always wanted to but I never knew if I would get to do it. So now it's neat to be doing it, and be doing it for a living. I never thought about being in Bulgaria. Just to be here is a joy and a privelege. It's the best job in the world.
I: How do you see your future in the band?
C: Sometimes it's nice to leave things up to the Gods. I've no idea what's gonna happen tomorrow. I would hope that we will be doing more gigs, and more writing and recording. And if we don't then we had an amazing time for a bit. I would hope to be carrying on like we have been doing. This is too much fun. I'm almost imploding with fun right now.
I: What the best thing about the band, the tours or the music or the playing.
C: It's all of it.
I: Where is Andrew now?
C: He's just getting ready for the gig. He's backstage getting ready for the show. He doesn't usually do interviews on gig days.
I: What was the last great gig you had?
C: Belgium last week was good, oh no a week before that. That was really good. They are all great for different reasong. There is always something good about the day. And we are all very good friends, so it's like he said yesterday.
I: You go to a lot of festivals. What's the best band you have heard lately and you really enjoyed their gig? Not famous, I want new.
B: We had a couple of different support bands, a lot of those were good.
I: It was a big tour right?
B: Warlocks were really good, The Ivory was really good and my favorite was a french band called (?), that actually split up which is really sad. I would go and watch them play every night, they were such a good band.
I: What do you want to say to Bulgarian fans?
C: Hello, Hope you enjoy the gig and thank you for being supportive!
23 March 2009 - Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Interview with Chris.
Before the interview starts Chris talks about the hat and his haircut (I think it's something about the camera not being pointed correctly in the beginning.)
[In Swedish before the interview starts Janne Stang tells that the interview takes place at Nosturi on the 23rd of March and he is there with the legendery Sisters Of Mercy.]
I: You're in the middle of the tour right now?
C: Yeah.
I: How has that been?
C: Great, loads of fun. I do it everyday if I could. It's brilliant! We don't have to think and I get paid for playing the guitar. And I get loads of free Guiness (spelling?).
I: And you don't have to do soundchecks?
C: Oh no we do soundchecks.
I: I thought you had other geezers doing that.
C: Oh yeah, we got our boys. No we do soundchecks. This tour have been different for me because I'm doing more of the (unsure of word - arboury?) stuff and things like that. That's been really intressting to do and learn about a bit.
I: How did you hook up with The Sisters Of Mercy?
C: To cut a long, long story short. They needed a guitar player and a couple of people recommended me. They knew my name anyway 'cause I've done osme session singing with the old lead guitar, Adam, a few years back. They needed a new guitarist so they went and saw a few bands around Leeds, checked on the Net and stuff like that. We got a few mutual firends so they came to see us one night at The Woodhouse Liberal Club in Leeds and they liked me, liked what I did and said "Do you want to join our band?". So here I am.
I: What was your relationship with Eldritch and The Sisters before you joined?
C: I had met Andrew once, very briefly. It wasn't really meeting, we were just att the same place. But I never knew him before. Like I said, I'd known Adam before, the former lead guitarist. I didn't know him. The Sisters were one of those bands where I knew a few of the songs and liked them. But I didn't know a lot of their stuff.
I: You weren't like a huge fan?
C: No, not at all. I knew the famous ones like "This Corrosion", "Temple Of Love", "Dominion" and stuff. I always liked them, but it was one of those bands where a mate lent me some stuff. I said that to Andrew "I have to admit, I'm not a massive fan, I know a couple of tunes but I'm not a massive fan". And he said "Brilliant!". He wanted someone to come in that was new, didn't have preconsived ideas what it was gonna be like.
I: It's seems that Andrew Eldritch wants to get ride of the image he had in the eighties. In his haydays if you will.
C: Yeah, I think it pretty does.
I: What is it like working with him?
C: Great! I'm not sure if I'm destroying certain myths now...
I: He is a bit of a mythical figure. Does that goes for Leeds as well?
C: You say that, you say he's a mythical figure, but to me he is like, he's my boss. He's not a mythical figure to me, he's my boss an he's my mate. We go out and get pissed, watch the footy, talk about cricket.
I: He actually goes to the toilet as well?
C: (Shakes head in disbelief). He's been brilliant. I think Andrew is one of those people who, if you don't give him any shit (can I swear?). If you don't give him any shit he'll not give you any shit. I've never have done and concesquently we got on very well, both personally and professonally. Like I said, bandwise we klick on a lot the same bands and we are into the same sort of music. And personally we hang out and go out for drinks.
I: There has been talk about a new record for ages now. Can you say anything aout that?
C: No.
I: Nothing?
C: We talk about it. We talk about all sort of stuff. And we record bits and we try it out but it's an increadibly difficult time to be doing stuff like that. That is something Andrew and me disagree on, because I tend to think, that if you.... I tend to write these songs... People say "Why do you write these songs" and it's because I can not do it. I got these kind of wiffley things in my head and I have to write them down or to record them and stuff. And Andrew's take on it, he... It would cost us so much money to record a record to keep it up to the standard of previous albums and stuff, that we would have to have a record company involved. We couldn't do it by our own bat.
I: You're waiting for the famous 3 million dollar deal?
C: I think that's been exaggerated. I don't know, like I said, I'm Mr New Guy.
I: If it was up to you, would you do it?
C: If it was up to me? No, I don't know if I wuold. I'm not saying that. But one this is that the new songs sort of get out ont the Net now and with... There is always people taping the gigs and stuff. And I'm not saying that's alright. There is always people taping the gigs and they always get passed around on the Net and stuff. And the new songs kind of get out that way. And yeah, it would be fun to do big shiny versions. We talked about it a lot and like I said, we have recorded. And I'm sure we will again. I got some ideas, some things I want to do.
I: Is it gonna be like Guns'N'Roses "Chinese Democracy". Is it gonna be announded forever and ever and never get out?
C: We better make it really really good then? Historicly, there has never been anything released, like here's the title, here's the cover or something like that. It's been hinted at. And he's done stuff before I joined, they recorded stuff. Bands always slag off record companies and journalists. I have met so many record companies and journalist now and I have to say 90% of them are a waste of time, and actually bad people. They are leeching off other people, without any descernative (?) talent of their own. Like I said, it's not all of them.
I: But they are the owns with the money then?
C: Sometimes yeah, And so to enter a working agreement with people like that it's just stikes me as, you know, ethically wrong.
I: I have an idea for you then. You should make a fan contribution kind of thing. Fans contributes a certain amount of their choosing and then you use that money to make the best record.
C: I talked a lot of people about it, and I thought about it a alot and we talked about ideas and stuff. My personal take on that, although it works great for some bands, and I think it's a great thing. I kinda think it's taking the piss a bit, to sort of go "Hey buy our record" when they not even heard it.
I: I'm sure it's about 3 million who would do it anyway.
C: 3 million?
I: Probably more.
C: If those 3 million people would all give me a tenner then...
I: Here is the back account (jokingly)
C: Yeah that be nice. I think it's a very good idea in principal but working it I think it's very difficult. There is almost no point in releasing anything anymore. My other band (Eureka Machines) released an albut last year and we've sold like 1000 copies. And I went to one of those download sites (or torrent sites) and our album is on about 80 of these torrent sites. And one of those torrent sites, 6 weeks after it came out, 8500 people downloaded it. I'm not stupid or naive to think that all those 8500 people would have bought the it. At first I was like "What's the fucking point, why release anything?". The more I think about it, you're not going to be able to change that. And that is what kids do these days, they're brought up to download and they don't see it as wrong. So it's a question now to almost embracing that and thinking "This is gonna happen, how can we profit from that?" I'm not necessarly talking financial profit but generally as a band. And if people are gonna download it, and we say that's cool, maybe that means that more people buy t-shirts or come to gigs or you know. For Eureka Machines next album we'll record it and we will put the album on the Net, on the website, with artwork. If you want it in your car or whatever, you can print it out and you got it.
I: For free?
C: For free. But if you want a really nice copy, that's got like handwoven rabbit by the basplayer, you can buy that for 20 quid or whatever. For the whole standard of 11 songs album and artwork, just have it, you know. I rather just have it out there. But that's my take with my little band.
I: Well it's a tricky time for music business.
C: It's increadibly tricky.
I: Best of luck with that. We move onto...
C: It looks like I keep looking between your legs and I am. (Janne have his notepad there.)
I: You are going to Russia next? Have you been there before?
C: Yeah we did Moscow in the end of 2006 which was amazing. We're doing St. Petersburg and Moscow this time. I can't wait. I go anywhere, if someone... We are doing a gig in Beirut nxt month. When I was a kid I used to go see all these bands, and I still do, all the time and I just think "Wow, I bet that's cool" and now I'm doing it. And occasionally I wake up on a morning and I go "I miss my girlfriend, or my family or my mate" and I just think "stop being a dick". All I ever wanted to do is this and that always makes me go "yeah". So anyway, we're off to Russia.
I: Apart from that, what does the future look for The Sistes Of Mercy?
C: You never know. It's one of those things that... One thing I've learned, I let you inta a little secret here, about Andrew is that you should never ever second guess him. If you always think that h's gonna do this or he's not gonna do that then a lot of the times he will surprise you. It's never boring, if you put it that way. I'm sure there will be more gigs and more summer festivals hopefully. Because we like doing festivals a lot, because there's big crowds and the food is really good. We're talking about the future and doing some more gigs. Keep on keeping on because if you don't, someone else will.
I: We got the sign, It's time to say goodbye, any last words?
C: No, At this point it's always good to have some kind of witty thing to say but yesterday was Ben's birthday and we got really drunk and so my brain isn't working.
I: You look really good anyway.
C: (Touches hit hat) This old thing.
2009 - MTV Brazil
Transcribed interview
About the interview:
- Interview with Andrew, Ben and Chris.
- One of the few interview that Andrew have done the last 9 years. Amazingly enough, this on MTV!
B: My lasting memories about the previous time we were here it was just an awsome time, generally. The gigs and the whole experience. Why not? Why not come back for that again.
C: I think they are always really up for it, because, I'm not sure why that is. I don't know if it's a culture thing. If the people here are just generally a bit more up for it. Or if it's because not so many bands comes through here, I really don't know. But they always seem to come along to have a good time rather than cry about setlists or complain about not wearing the right top hat or whatever. They just there for having fun and seeing some good music.
-This Corrosion-
A: Now it's much easier to be a band with the Internet because you can talk directly to people. It's been twenty years since I talked to MTV, I don't even watch TV so.. We just have the Internet and that works for us. We don't bother to put out records, we don't have a pressagent, we don't normally do interviews. But we still get work, wether it's the same for a fresh, young band that doesn't alreday have a name for themselves I don't know. But for us, it's great.
-Lucretia My Reflection-
A: It's an unfortunate fact these days, that everybody turns up to a concert with a cameraphone. I don't really know why they are there except to... Much like yourselves, they are just there to film it for the benefit of, I don't know, their mothers or their daughters or whatever. It doesn't replace actual records. It's a kind of parallel universe of bad sound and bad pictures. I can live with that and it keeps us famous, it keeps people buying concert tickets. And that is our work really. Our work is playing concerts, we are not quite so intressted in the business of putting out records. Making records is exciting and intressting, releasing records is very, very boring.
-Walk Away-
A: We expect there'll be some noice, some lights, much smoke and we expect people to have a good time because that's why we are here.
-Walk Away continues-
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