|
Interview: Jack Foley
WITH a successful 'reminder' tour behind them, and a greatest
hits album, Cool
As, out on May 19, the Inspiral Carpets have become 'cool
as fuck' once more.
Band members, Clint Boon and Martyn Walsh, took time out from
their busy schedules to hang out with IndieLondon's Jack Foley
to talk about the recent live performances, and their plans for
the future... as well as the odd recollection of the past.
Q. Has the success of this year’s ‘reminder’
made you wish you had never been away?
Martyn: No - it's probably a case of 'absence makes the heart
grow fonder'.
Clint: No, I'm still glad we went away... we've all prospered
as individuals as a result of our solo activities. I'm not talking
in a financial sense, but purely in a creative way. If we'd stuck
together in '95 I think it would have got a bit messy...
Q. Are there any plans for any more new material or live shows
of your own, aside from festivals?
Martyn: As of yet, there's no plans yet for new material,
but we are in the early stages of looking at some gigs at the
end of the year.
Q. Were you surprised by the level of support and the enthusiasm
with which your fans returned to greet you?
Martyn: No. We've always had a very loyal fanbase and I think
the only people that were surprised at how good we were, were
probably ourselves... And I feel that the recent gigs proved that
we've improved since our lay-off.
Clint: I wasn't surprised either. I've seen kids jumping
around in nightclubs to our records during the eight years we've
been apart.
Q. The cow logo, for instance, seems to have made something
of a revival… any chance of an Inspiral Carpets fashion range?
Martyn: We already have our own MOO-wear and we are always
looking for new niche markets! i.e. underwear, a la Kylie.
Did you have a marching girl band at all of the live dates?
And where did you find them?
Martyn: No. It was just for Brixton and it was the same marching
band
that we used for the "She Comes in the Fall" video
Clint: Unfortunately, most venues can't accommodate a 40
piece band of drummer girls...
|
 |
Q. What do you think of the state of music today, and are
you surprised/flattered that the trademark organ sound has recently
been picked up by some of the emerging bands of the moments, such
as The Caesars and Hot Hot Heat?
Martyn: Music seems to be in a state of flux but I've got
high hopes for some of the music emerging from Manchester that
is being based around an existing network of clubs, bands and
labels. I'm probably flattered that people are using the organ
sound, probably in the same way that The Stranglers were flattered
when we openly ripped them off - ha ha!
Clint: I'm not surprised about the resurgence of the organ
sound in mainstream music (Coral, Caesars etc) and I continue
to be very flattered when these bands reference us as an influence...
Q. Do you think there could be a Baggy revival over the next
couple of years?
Martyn: I seriously hope not! The Madchester scene was based
on a
"fook you" attitude towards the established music industry
and embraced all aspects of culture - like design, fashion, music,
drugs... and basically was of its time... I think any revival
would be second-rate really.
Clint: I think we're already in the middle of a revival
of sorts . I prefer
things to happen organically (no pun intended) rather than being
media-led.
There's still a lot of cool stuff happening in Manchester and
right now, it doesn't feel like we're under any sort of microscope
like it was in
'89/'90.
Q. From a nostalgia point of view, which live performances
rate among your favourites at the height of your success? And
Why?
Martyn: I got to say that the last eight gigs we did were
probably the
favourite Inspiral gigs
Clint: Of the old gigs, I would say GMex and Reading in
1990
Q. Who came up with the cow idea?
Martyn: It's from Clint - who used to live near a load of
cows.
Clint: I'm a bit of a cow lover, although I've never made
love to one.
Q. Aside from the Inspiral Carpets, what are you all doing
at the moment?
Martyn: I've got a project called DC10, in which I explore
my dark side - all of us are in some way, shape or form involved
in music and this keeps the idea of Inspirals fresh.
Clint: Shit loads of djing in clubs, radio presenting,
I've got a label called 'booney tunes', and I did the theme tune
for Engie Benji, which is
currently the most successful new kids show. It will be a single
at the end of this year.
|
