Radio 1 Interview
Radio 1
1994
1994
INTERVIEWER: That's called 'Dirty Water', the opening title from the latest album by the Jesus & Mary Chain, and we're here calling the annual general meeting of the Jesus and Mary Chain to order. Present is Jim Reid. Good evening.
JIM: Yep how you doing?
INTERVIEWER: Ben Lurie's here bass player and William.
WILLIAM: Yep Hi
INTERVIEWER: So the annual report chaps or actually we're looking at 10 years at this stage Jim
JIM: Yes we're um
INTERVIEWER: Time for the band to break up maybe?
JIM: Tuh
[Laughter]
BEN: Alright we're outa her then
JIM: Yeah that's cool. Um no, tenth anniversary and we made a record, a single called 'Upside Down' and er it came out sometime I think October 1984. So ten years later we're still annoying people with um our records.
INTERVIEWER: Are you still enjoying writing songs William?
WILLIAM: Erm writing songs is probably the.. the.. the only pure enjoyment. You know everything else is kinda like work and it's ... writing songs is just just a incredible experience you know it's like ... When it works.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah
WILLIAM: Sometimes it's not very incredible sometimes it's miserable you know when you write a few bad songs in a row and you don't realise it until maybe two months later.
INTERVIEWER: What's got better and what's got worse over ten years Jim do you think? Has the kinda business got worse in a way?
JIM: The business has got better. I think um.. we understand the business more than we did then. We kinda thought it was the Mary Chain versus the world, which kinda in someways still is, but we know that there are some allies out there and there are people that just basically will let us get on with doing what we do. I mean, I'd say that we're probably a lot more confident about like doing what we do now, like whether it be playing live or whether it be us releasing records. We've been making records now for ten years and we've produced those records and nobody's interfered with that. And so therefore, you know what I mean, where as like maybe earlier on it was like paranoia. You know we've made a record now you know whose gonna change it or make an attempt, now it's just that we make records and people put them out and, relaxed.
INTERVIEWER: Ben how do you celebrate the fact that Jesus and Mary Chain has been ten years? Bottle of Jack Daniels?
BEN: I just get myself another beer and just you know just
WILLIAM: Well he, he's only just been here for five years so if we have a party he can soughta go home....
BEN: I can only come to half of it
WILLIAM: [laughing] Yeah you go home after a couple of hours.
INTERVIEWER: How about a live song at this point?
WILLIAM: Erm
BEN: Why don't we do er 'Everybody I Know'?
WILLIAM: Good idea
[Everybody I Know - live]
INTERVIEWER: The Jesus and Mary Chain playing live and 'Everybody I Know'. So William how have you managed to. The fact that you two guys are still talking to each other because when you look at brother partnerships in the history of music erm.. they don't always stand the test of time.
WILLIAM: Hmmm. It's erm, probably they do you're probably wrong. It's like the Everly Brothers for instance everybody knows they hate each other. But there's probably some deep bond that just keeps them together that maybe friends wouldn't tolerate. And erm, it's kinda weird being with your brother because there's no social graces, you know, if, if I have a disagreement with you there'll be some kinda mannered thing, but with your brother you just.. [laughing] punch him or something. You know and it's, it's kinda strange. It's strange for everybody, you know, that, that revolves around us to see it because there isn't many social graces with your family.
INTERVIEWER: And what about er the way your seen in this country compared to other parts of the world Jim?
JIM: Er in this country I think. In this country I think we're um probably taken for granted. I mean people don't seem to like give us erm, as much respect in this country as what we seem to get in Europe and America. Which is kinda weird considering like this is where we live and started and all of that stuff. It's weird I mean you.. I mean we've been talking about this a lot we've got an album out and like all of the worst reviews of that album were in this country and as far as we know, as far as we've been lead to believe, there really isn't any bad reviews of this record anywhere else. You start to wonder what does that mean you know?
INTERVIEWER: I heard you saying somewhere else that er it'd be interesting if the record had come out by just anybody's name a new bands name soughta thing how people would have reacted to it.
WILLIAM: Yeah
INTERVIEWER: Because it seems there's not a lot... They don't listen that much it's just that if they decide that your not particularly fashionable then your not gonna get a good review and that's it.
WILLIAM: Well we're … that's true, not only are we not fashionable at the moment but we've all this stuff that we carry around with us, you know, like, like six other LPs you know and um. And when people do, when I say people I mean journalists, when journalists review you they don't review the record they review the band and the personalities, and it's not really fair. You know we made a pretty good record and I think if it had come out under the name of erm Four Guys from Scotland or whatever, you know, that maybe people woulda you know seen it as "Mm isn't this quite a good record?" but it's The Jesus and Mary Chain and everybody's saying "Well where's the noise where's the feedback?" and all this rubbish.
JIM: I think the thing that kinda disappoints me is that you would imagine that when people try to make an effort for each album to sound like, not like the other albums that should be applauded I would of thought. I don't want to come across as like you know like whining too much here but it does kinda grate a little bit. But you know we do make that effort we try and, we made 'Psychocandy' it came to let's make another record we'd absolutely no interest in making another 'Psychocandy' 'cause we'd made one already and it was a good one so we decided to make a 'Darklands' instead. And that's the way we approach making albums, you've made one it sounds good why make it again? I know that it's kinda... it would probably erm do our career more good if we did. Erm you know what I mean like you make a record that's successful make it again. As a career move that would probably you know be the smart thing to do. But we really don't look at this as a career we look at it as like, bunch of guys love music, love making music and you know I mean like all of these people that tell us to make 'Psychocandy' again all I say to them is like if.. Make it yourself you know? We've made it if you don't like what we're doing now make your own record. 'Psychocandy' is probably the most successful record that we've made sales wise, it sold a huge amount of records and it would have been easy to do it again but it's not what we want to do.
INTERVIEWER: Mmm Now he's got that of his chest I think we're going to have William's love song, can we call it yeah?
WILLIAM: Hmmm [doesn't sound too sure] yeah this is a love song. Its called erm 'Feeling Lucky'.
[Feeling Lucky – live]
INTERVIEWER: That's Jim, William and Ben from The Jesus and Mary Chain and 'Feeling Lucky'. So what's ahead now you off on the road soon?
JIM: Yeah we're going to erm we're going to America for a couple of months in October.
INTERVIEWER: Will that lift your spirits a bit and make you feel a bit..
[Laughter]
JIM: Yeah spirits are lifted [laughing]
BEN: Probably on and off like on a sought of daily basis.
JIM: But you know I mean what we tend to do is like, if there's a demand for the Mary Chain then we'll be there. It's like we like to play to enthusiastic crowds. You know if it seems like the record's doing well in America which it is we'll go there.
INTERVIEWER: And another ten years William I mean do you think ahead much or do you just go with what's happening at the moment?
WILLIAM: Erm, hmm, ten years....I'll be what 32 then.
BEN: 32 you damn liar.
[Laughter]
WILLIAM: Erm that's a long time in the future. Erm I mean at heart we're song writers, you know, it doesn't matter if you write songs and release records on WEA or Mom and Pop records whatever, you know. Just as long as if we're still creating and we're still releasing that's fine. I don't care if we're selling millions of records... I'd want to, I mean that's obviously what everybody wants but if not then, then I'll take the other option and just continue creating and releasing.
INTERVIEWER: Well listen thanks for coming by tonight it was good to see you.
JIM: Thanks a lot.
WILLIAM: And you.
[Come On]
JIM: Yep how you doing?
INTERVIEWER: Ben Lurie's here bass player and William.
WILLIAM: Yep Hi
INTERVIEWER: So the annual report chaps or actually we're looking at 10 years at this stage Jim
JIM: Yes we're um
INTERVIEWER: Time for the band to break up maybe?
JIM: Tuh
[Laughter]
BEN: Alright we're outa her then
JIM: Yeah that's cool. Um no, tenth anniversary and we made a record, a single called 'Upside Down' and er it came out sometime I think October 1984. So ten years later we're still annoying people with um our records.
INTERVIEWER: Are you still enjoying writing songs William?
WILLIAM: Erm writing songs is probably the.. the.. the only pure enjoyment. You know everything else is kinda like work and it's ... writing songs is just just a incredible experience you know it's like ... When it works.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah
WILLIAM: Sometimes it's not very incredible sometimes it's miserable you know when you write a few bad songs in a row and you don't realise it until maybe two months later.
INTERVIEWER: What's got better and what's got worse over ten years Jim do you think? Has the kinda business got worse in a way?
JIM: The business has got better. I think um.. we understand the business more than we did then. We kinda thought it was the Mary Chain versus the world, which kinda in someways still is, but we know that there are some allies out there and there are people that just basically will let us get on with doing what we do. I mean, I'd say that we're probably a lot more confident about like doing what we do now, like whether it be playing live or whether it be us releasing records. We've been making records now for ten years and we've produced those records and nobody's interfered with that. And so therefore, you know what I mean, where as like maybe earlier on it was like paranoia. You know we've made a record now you know whose gonna change it or make an attempt, now it's just that we make records and people put them out and, relaxed.
INTERVIEWER: Ben how do you celebrate the fact that Jesus and Mary Chain has been ten years? Bottle of Jack Daniels?
BEN: I just get myself another beer and just you know just
WILLIAM: Well he, he's only just been here for five years so if we have a party he can soughta go home....
BEN: I can only come to half of it
WILLIAM: [laughing] Yeah you go home after a couple of hours.
INTERVIEWER: How about a live song at this point?
WILLIAM: Erm
BEN: Why don't we do er 'Everybody I Know'?
WILLIAM: Good idea
[Everybody I Know - live]
INTERVIEWER: The Jesus and Mary Chain playing live and 'Everybody I Know'. So William how have you managed to. The fact that you two guys are still talking to each other because when you look at brother partnerships in the history of music erm.. they don't always stand the test of time.
WILLIAM: Hmmm. It's erm, probably they do you're probably wrong. It's like the Everly Brothers for instance everybody knows they hate each other. But there's probably some deep bond that just keeps them together that maybe friends wouldn't tolerate. And erm, it's kinda weird being with your brother because there's no social graces, you know, if, if I have a disagreement with you there'll be some kinda mannered thing, but with your brother you just.. [laughing] punch him or something. You know and it's, it's kinda strange. It's strange for everybody, you know, that, that revolves around us to see it because there isn't many social graces with your family.
INTERVIEWER: And what about er the way your seen in this country compared to other parts of the world Jim?
JIM: Er in this country I think. In this country I think we're um probably taken for granted. I mean people don't seem to like give us erm, as much respect in this country as what we seem to get in Europe and America. Which is kinda weird considering like this is where we live and started and all of that stuff. It's weird I mean you.. I mean we've been talking about this a lot we've got an album out and like all of the worst reviews of that album were in this country and as far as we know, as far as we've been lead to believe, there really isn't any bad reviews of this record anywhere else. You start to wonder what does that mean you know?
INTERVIEWER: I heard you saying somewhere else that er it'd be interesting if the record had come out by just anybody's name a new bands name soughta thing how people would have reacted to it.
WILLIAM: Yeah
INTERVIEWER: Because it seems there's not a lot... They don't listen that much it's just that if they decide that your not particularly fashionable then your not gonna get a good review and that's it.
WILLIAM: Well we're … that's true, not only are we not fashionable at the moment but we've all this stuff that we carry around with us, you know, like, like six other LPs you know and um. And when people do, when I say people I mean journalists, when journalists review you they don't review the record they review the band and the personalities, and it's not really fair. You know we made a pretty good record and I think if it had come out under the name of erm Four Guys from Scotland or whatever, you know, that maybe people woulda you know seen it as "Mm isn't this quite a good record?" but it's The Jesus and Mary Chain and everybody's saying "Well where's the noise where's the feedback?" and all this rubbish.
JIM: I think the thing that kinda disappoints me is that you would imagine that when people try to make an effort for each album to sound like, not like the other albums that should be applauded I would of thought. I don't want to come across as like you know like whining too much here but it does kinda grate a little bit. But you know we do make that effort we try and, we made 'Psychocandy' it came to let's make another record we'd absolutely no interest in making another 'Psychocandy' 'cause we'd made one already and it was a good one so we decided to make a 'Darklands' instead. And that's the way we approach making albums, you've made one it sounds good why make it again? I know that it's kinda... it would probably erm do our career more good if we did. Erm you know what I mean like you make a record that's successful make it again. As a career move that would probably you know be the smart thing to do. But we really don't look at this as a career we look at it as like, bunch of guys love music, love making music and you know I mean like all of these people that tell us to make 'Psychocandy' again all I say to them is like if.. Make it yourself you know? We've made it if you don't like what we're doing now make your own record. 'Psychocandy' is probably the most successful record that we've made sales wise, it sold a huge amount of records and it would have been easy to do it again but it's not what we want to do.
INTERVIEWER: Mmm Now he's got that of his chest I think we're going to have William's love song, can we call it yeah?
WILLIAM: Hmmm [doesn't sound too sure] yeah this is a love song. Its called erm 'Feeling Lucky'.
[Feeling Lucky – live]
INTERVIEWER: That's Jim, William and Ben from The Jesus and Mary Chain and 'Feeling Lucky'. So what's ahead now you off on the road soon?
JIM: Yeah we're going to erm we're going to America for a couple of months in October.
INTERVIEWER: Will that lift your spirits a bit and make you feel a bit..
[Laughter]
JIM: Yeah spirits are lifted [laughing]
BEN: Probably on and off like on a sought of daily basis.
JIM: But you know I mean what we tend to do is like, if there's a demand for the Mary Chain then we'll be there. It's like we like to play to enthusiastic crowds. You know if it seems like the record's doing well in America which it is we'll go there.
INTERVIEWER: And another ten years William I mean do you think ahead much or do you just go with what's happening at the moment?
WILLIAM: Erm, hmm, ten years....I'll be what 32 then.
BEN: 32 you damn liar.
[Laughter]
WILLIAM: Erm that's a long time in the future. Erm I mean at heart we're song writers, you know, it doesn't matter if you write songs and release records on WEA or Mom and Pop records whatever, you know. Just as long as if we're still creating and we're still releasing that's fine. I don't care if we're selling millions of records... I'd want to, I mean that's obviously what everybody wants but if not then, then I'll take the other option and just continue creating and releasing.
INTERVIEWER: Well listen thanks for coming by tonight it was good to see you.
JIM: Thanks a lot.
WILLIAM: And you.
[Come On]
