This interview took place at the Happy House HQ on Thursday 9th May at about Mid-night. Lithium Joe had just played a gig at Lloyds in Grimsby and en route to the gig got busted for overloading their van.
Present are: Paul(P), Dave(D), Ian(I), Aidy(A) from Lithium Joe, Mac(M) and Micha(MI) from Scarper and myself Rick(R)
P: Are you saying anything about shorts Mac?M: I'm saying nowt!
R: For those out there who have never heard of Lithium Joe, can you give us a who's who and a brief history ?
D
: Mac's saying nowt about shorts!P: Nor am I... I'm Paul.
D:(in a Mickey Mouse voice) I'm Dave.
A: I'm Aidy.
I: I'm Ian.
P: Thanks for that Ian.
D: Lithium Joe have sold thousands of records world wide...
P: No, this is obviously not true...
D: This is obviously very true, just not in this particular dimension and this particular reality.
P: You've been reading too many comics... in Marvel's universe we may have sold thousands of records world wide but in the actual, normal, kind of straight universe we've sold a few!
D: (Sighs).
P: Well we have haven't we?
D: What sort of band are we? ask Mac.
M: I'm saying nowt, me.
P: We're a band who play music...
R: You've been playing for how many years?
D: Two and a half.
P: Five!
D: Two and a half!
A: Two and a Half!
P: We said two and a half, last year...
A: ...as the present line up.
R: What things have you put out since then?
P: You know!
R: I know I know but the people out there in fanzine land don't!!!
D: The first thing we put out was a tape called Baby Steps which unfortunately Adrian wasn't on, but in hindsight we wished he was.
P: The next thing we put out was On The Campaign Trail With Lithium Joe (tape) which he was on but in hindsight we wished he wasn't.
D: The next thing we put out which in hindsight we wished we hadn't was a track on a dodgy little number called Save Our Sabs. (Laughter all round.)
D: By someone very dodgy...
R: Yeah, that we don't want to talk about.
P: And then we put out the single from last year on Pigdog...
D: These Days/I'm No Good on the Enjoy Life EP released by Russell Remains on Pigdog Records, August 1995.
P: Very soon we're putting out a CD type thing on your label Rick.
R: Which I'm plugging now.
P: The Smalltown EP.
R: By the way all these questions are all motivated towards promoting the CD!
P: Buy one of Rick's CDs, he's gone upmarket!! If you put your stylus on it, it doesn't work.
R: Yes it does work, but it scratches right across it so you have to buy another one!
D: There's a Smile & Be Happy - Happy Styli.
P: That's what a CD is a disposable version of your music innit? You can only play it once 'cos you put your stylus on it and it scratches it, so you have to buy another one.
D: Is it styluses or styli?
P: It's stylum! No, Styleria!
A: Can I just say this: There's two members of this band who love the sound of their own voices, I'm not going to say who but if you listen back to the tape you'll know.
P: There are two people in this band who are well aware that cassettes have a short lifespan and we don't want to see you going "um, um" and then start shouting at half past three in the morning about condoms when we've run out of tape!
A: Bollocks... I've nothing more to say.
R: When you played with TV Smith (ex-Adverts) recently he said ".. how can I follow a band that make the Clash look and sound like Boyzone..." what did you think of that ?
D: That was ace.
P: TV rules.. he's our hero.
A: Speak up Ian you might even get on tape.
D: TV Smith is a top fella, he's about 400 years old, literally.
P: No he's only 40, which is divisible into 400... but yes he's a star.
D: It's nice when people say stuff like that when they've been going for so long.
A: You said he was 33 anyway!
D: He saw the Clash which is even a nicer compliment 'cos he was actually there at the time...
P: It might not be a compliment though.. he might say we ruined the Clash by making them sound like Boyzone. (More Laughter) If you read it right, it's great and if you don't - sod off!
D: More people should compare us with excellent bands...
P: Like Boyzone.. I mean the Clash! (Dave spontaneously bursts into a Boyzone song.)
D: So who are we?
P: We're shite.. next question, Rick.
R: What sort of things do you sing about and do you think that politics has a place in music? Do any of your songs carry messages within them?
P: All of our songs carry messages, you just have to look hard. No, I don't think singing directly about politics works, it sort of alienates people alot of the time, I think you have to disguise it. The sort of human relationship idea is sort of a little microcosm of politics in the way that you deal with people, so I tend to sing about those.
R: You're live performances are always fuelled with energy, do you find it hard to translate that energy and adrenaline into your songs in the cold environment of a studio ?
A: It's quite warm at Fairview (studios).
P: It is, they've got nice little heaters and coffee.
A: They don't like drummer's though, they stick you in this little booth.
R: What do they do to drummers then ?
A: Well they put you in a band with a bunch of wankers who then write about condoms!
D: Sorry?!
P: Anyway thanks Ade. The studio is a different thing altogether and you just try to get out of it what you can.
D: You can put more into actually recording, than you do live and it comes out sounding like a Fisher Price Tape recording.
P: So you have to make the best with what you've got and hope for the best really and hope that you can translate at least some of it, but it is alot more difficult.
D: When bands sound like they do live it's usually because they've gained experience in the studio and have found ways of making it sound like they do live. But it's not a case of doing what you do live and hoping that it comes across it's just..
P: ...different altogether!
A: We actually use a drum machine.
R: Is it a Boss DR-550?
P:..we sound like Echo & The Bunnymen..
A: No it's an ADG-1..
R: Is it, does it have condoms? (More Laughter)
P: No, so it'll probably have lots of little baby drum machines.
R: Despite your commercial appeal you seem to be very independent regarding everything you do and about things like agencies and record labels when many bands seem happy to sign up on the punk-o-rama band wagon? I: We would do but no-one wants us!
P: No, it's just...
D: The only people that want us is some sad label in Grimsby of all places! (more Laughter)
P: You can either sit on your arse moaning about a record deal which you aren't going to get in Hull 'cos there aren't any record labels in Hull...
M: Ehhh??!!!
P:... apart from Pigdog...
D: ...and Porkys...
P: Oh yeah but we're hardly likely to get signed to a dance label!
D: We might...
P: You just get on with it, you know all the labels are in London and if you want to be in a band and do what you do then you just go out and do it. Nobody's gonna come and rescue you if they think your good in your bedroom, you just gotta go out and play.
D: I know what you mean by the question but I'm feeling pedantic tonight so I'm gonna go ahead..
R: That's what I like.
D: You know you say "...despite your commercial appeal you seem to be very independent.." that kind of suggests that if you were commercial you wouldn't want to be independent, but I don't see any contradiction between the two terms.
P: Does commercial appeal mean they're gonna use our music on adverts?
D: It does.
M: Advertising shorts.
P: Yeah, Advertising shorts.
D: If it means we write tunes within our songs then I don't see why we can't be independent.
P: It's like sex really, you can whore yourself out to the highest bidder or you do it for love, mate.
R: If you had three wishes what would they be (and don't be clever and say another three)?
A: I want some condoms as my first wish...
P: I don't want any wishes 'cos it's all pants innit! I want that we haven't been picked by the pigs tonight for having an overloaded van.
R: You've all copped out of this one.
D: I've got three wishes but nobody wants to hear them.
R: Come on, I want to know what they are.
D: My three wishes are that the four of us could make an adequate...
P: ...record.
A: Stop interrupting...
D: Do you want to know or not?
P: It's the school teacher, I've been reprimanded, go for it Dave - Mr Foy.
D: My first wish is that the four of us could make an adequate living doing the thing we love.
R: Which is making music to appreciative crowds...
A: Oh yeah.
D: The second one is that there could be peace in the world (Everyone laughs) and the third one is that all the little children could be happy and have enough to eat.
P: Thank you Dave "Michael Jackson" Foy. (More laughter)
P: Are you going to go solo and pretend your Jesus on the Brit Awards.
D: I might just do that.
P: Then I can pretend to be Jarvis Knobber or what ever his name is and jump around and that. (The conversion breaks down into sillyness about Pulp and Jarvis Cocker)
MI: If you've got people worshipping Jarvis Cocker you could call them all cocks!
R: That's spot on that.
P: That rules, next question.
R: You do your own fanzine called Joe Public and I saw in a recent issue of the Irish newsletter React saying that your it gives a great feeling of the band, what reaction have you had to it ?
P: Well people read it.
I: Overwhelming apathy. (more laughter)
P:.. in the face of tedium.
D: Mr PR says that when we used to send off the shitty little A4 sheets nobody mentioned them ever. But people do mention the fanzine and do comment that it's a really good idea. Ian's bass playing article gets mentioned everytime.
P: People write to us saying what aload of arse it is put more Jarvis Cocker in it! (more laughter)
R: So they don't say "we want more cocks" then ?
P: No they don't say they want more cock, there's enough cocks in this band without anymore!
D: I reckon we've had an excellent response to it.
P: Yeah, I thought it was pretty good actually.
R: You actively encourage hecklers at your gigs where most bands would try to shy away from them, have you ever had any trouble from someone not being able to take it all in good humour ?
P: No.
D: Just about...
P: Oh yeah, someone threatened to kill me once in Scunthorpe.
R: Physically ?
P: Yes, he threatened to take my life if I didn't shut up.
R: Did you shut up?
P: No!
R: Good.
P: I don't believe in it. It's one of my three wishes that I never have to shut up. Well that's all three actually.
R: If you could play with any band in the world who would you play with and why ?
A: What do you mean play with? (Laughter)
R: I'll re-phrase it for you, if you could musically play with any band in the world except for Aidy who would physically play with someone who would it be and why ?
A: Madonna.
P: I'm not bothered, really.
D: I'd like Queen to support us...(a silence hits the room)
A: You've shitted there haven't you?
D: I have, I've ruined it for all of us now.
P: I'd like to die and go to hell to have a jam with John Lennon and Kurt Cobain and I could get someone in on drums.
D: Think about it though if we played with Queen I could use Brian May's amp and I wouldn't have to take my own.
P: What and have a total arse-a-thon backstage about effects pedals. So Brian what do you use and how do you use it?! I: Well you'll know, you've been watching the video all week! D: That's a lie.
A: Dave, you bought it.
P: Yeah and for twice the normal price 'cos you loved it so much! Yeah that'd be cool or better still supporting Queen with George Michael singing.
D: Have you noticed the difference between the interviews we do for the Hull Daily Mail, etc... and this one.
P: Yeah it's because...
R: They're edited!
P: If we arsed on about the pants we normally talk about, actually though you did Dave - but your sensible.
I: What are you fanning that thing around for? (regarding the proof of Joe Public#2)
D: I'm not.
P: Yeah Dave would like to play with Queen and Aidy would like to play with himself!
D: I don't really want to play with Queen.
P: You said you would!
D: I was only joking.
I: No you weren't.
P: You meant it.
I:You have got a Brian May video though.
D: I haven't got a Brian May video.
P: You have.
I: You can't deny it now this is all going in Rick's fanzine now and you still got it and watched it.
P: You did Dave.
D: I took it back the next day.
A: We watched it before you took it back!
P: And you got out that Glen Matlock Bass playing!!! (more laughter)
R: What question would you have asked yourselves ?
P: When can we go home.
A: What are we doing here.
D: Can we each ask each other a question ?
R: Yeah, go on.
D: Paul... a bit of brow beating here, why are you such a git?
P: Just lucky I guess!
D: You got to ask someone now, it's like a game.
R: Pass the insult!
A: Ask Ian or I'll kill you!
P: Ade...
A: Paul...
P: ...why are you gonna kill me?
A: ... he says brandishing a knife, can you brandish a knife?
P: Yes you can. You can't bum a knife, well you could but it would be like some medieval haemorrhoid operation - "Get your arse out and we'll chop 'em off here, a couple of leaches on each cheek and you'll be sorted!". I can't think of one question I want to ask you, how's your mam?
A: Great!
P: Sorted! Ask Ian a question now.
A: Why are you always playing with your knobs?
I: Well it's just a kind of nervous twitch.
D: It's true actually you can see him on stage, you know the volume knob on the guitar has to be on full, well when Ian's not playing he's putting it on full all the time...
P: No, it's because he's haunted by someone who keeps turning them off!
I: It doesn't turn off!
P: Since he's got dreads, he writes bit into the songs so he can hold the note, scratch his head and go back to the bass line.
A: I've got to ask Dave a question...
D: No Ian's got to ask me a question.
I: I'm not gonna ask a question because I don't care what you think.
A: You're a miserable bastard..
I: Yeah, I am!
D: What do you wish to achieve out of things?
I: I'll ask a question then, what makes you think you'll be suitable for a position in this band, what qualities do you have ?
D: Well actually I have had quite alot of experience with this kind of thing as I've been in a few bands before this.
I: Do you work well in team?
D: I tend to find that I do get most satisfaction from working with a team, I must admit. It's the satisfaction at the end of the day when everyone has pulled together bringing their various strengths and covering up each others weaknesses.
P: We haven't got no weaknesses!
D: I do find though that my greatest strength is transmitting my Aura on stage...
P: I thought that your Aura might come into it! Is it glowing?
D: Obviously, I am a fantastic guitar player and you will find over the years, if you do let me join your band, that my guitar influence in guitarists from many bands in years to come...
P: He's very red..
D: ...will transcend all expectations...
P: Plus the fact that all the lasses fancy you...
D: I don't think they do, actually.
P: They do, they queue up after the shows and want to buy T-shirts off you!
D: Like who?
I: Like those two lasses tonight.
P: Yeah, and that was a quiet night.
D: I write to her all the time.
P: So you encourage it actively.
D: Oh god, Yes! (More laughter)
D: Rick... why on this earth, this beautiful earth place...
P: This paragon of animals...
D: have you decided to take on this band, why?
R: Errr.. because I'm a glutton for punishment... I have been all my life, it's just one of those things.
D: What was it that attracted you to us and think I'll give up the rest on my life for this band?
R: I wanted alot of stress on my back, I've got this thing for stress you know. I'm attracted to it in great quantities and if I'm not totally stressed out then I'm just not happy!
P: Cool.
D: No seriously, we've answered all the questions seriously.
R: Yeah right! Alright seriously, I thought you'd make me alot of money!! No I'm lying actually...
P: You mean you don't think we'll make you alot of money?
R: Well, err.. No, not really!!!
D: Rick's a top fella buy his fanzine even though it's free!!!
P: And buy all the singles and tapes he puts out...
R: ... no I just like backing a band that I like, simple as that really.
A: Don't you love us, individually?
R: I'd love to shag you all independently but I'm married.
D: Do you get quite alot of positive feedback from Happy House?
R: Yes, we do. I mean we get stacks more mail since we started doing it.
P: Fanzines rule.
D: They are the absolute corner stone of society as we know it. It's alright to say that there should be a better way of distributing fanzines to your average punter but I don't know how you'd actually do it...
I: Well you'd get some huge corporate backing and sell it in the shops wouldn't you.
R: Then it would be a magazine anyway.
P: Huge corporate backing for fanzines.
D: Fanzines just seem to be self serving, they're an excellent idea and keep things independent like, that is far better than the glossy shit that is fuelled by advertising. It's alright if you're kind of selling it to people who are converted anyway.
R: Yeah, but you should always be reaching for a farther audience.
D: But how do you do it?
R: You can't immediately but you have to aim that way and in time you reach more and different people through underground distros and people you just write to throughout the world without having to compromising your values.
P: You're advocating signing to a major here Dave.
I: They do reach wider audiences though don't they. I mean say a year or two ago I'd never really heard much about fanzines and the fact that Rick's getting more mail than before, shows that they do get across to people. The letters we get about our fanzine shows it gets across and the people on our mailing list aren't your typical fanzine type of person, alot are students.
R: Yeah, so if you introduce them to the fanzine circuit they maybe more willing to buy a zine at the next gig they go to.
I: That's it, that is exactly the point I was making.
P: The future of Rock & Roll in this country is in the shit 'cos it's run by fat office arses who have no idea about music and write complete rubbish about shitty bands who nobody's interested in, that's why fanzines are so important 'cos they operate independently. Instead of having somebody with 3 inches of foundation cream on their face on the front of the NME - normal people who are elevated to gods and it's stupid.
R: I think fanzines come from a basic level, they promote want they want to because they like certain bands, they don't interview bands they think they should interview because someone's paid them so much money in advertising, they interview bands they want to because they like to see them live or like their records.
D: With fanzines you can be pretty sure that there's no underlying motives.
R: Yeah, you know your getting it from the raw level and from the heart.
P: Where else can you read an interview with Bugbunch from Walsall or somewhere.
R: Finally, time to say anything you want ?
P: I want to go to bed, buy the single everyone, please. I don't want to mend fridges for the rest of my life, please, please, pretty please buy the single.
D: In fact if you gonna buy the single buy it out of charity...
P: Yeah, because you'll be stopping a poor idiot from mending fridges, it's an honourable profession but not one I particularly want to continue in, I don't see my career prospects lying in the fridge industry, although it's pretty cool.
A: Also imagine that you are six years old doing a sponsored silence and when you ask people for money and they don't give you it...
P: It's because you've broken the silence.
A: I won't finish what I was going to say then...
D: So do you think we've actually increased anybody's understanding of us then ?
P: No, in fact I think the most interesting part of this interview was when Rick went for a piss!
On that note we end this interview. Lithium Joe are a great band and a great bunch of blokes who take their music more seriously than their interviews. They have a free quarterly fanzine called Joe Public published by us here at Happy House and the Smalltown EP is out on 3rd June 1996. Lithium Joe are also on tour and set for an 8 day tour of Ireland, if you want to write to them drop them a line at:
Lithium Joe, PO Box 506, Hull, HU5 1YX, UK.