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Another r'n'r Christmas
23rd December 2005
To all our friends, lovers, and admirers from afar... Have a very splendid Christmas!
I've already had my birthday party, a little previous but that's how it is when you're a Christmas baby.
And what an Xmas break it should be! Off to my parents in Herts whose house is covered in thick black goo after the recent "Hertfordshire Oil Inferno". Sarah and Martin are having all the family over to theirs (wish them luck), Pete and Carly are staying within a high speed car chase of a hospital...
Great to see the Xmas Ghost Stories on BBC4. M.R. James live on, live on. Didn't the hurdy-gurdy player look like Danny from Ladytron? James's motto: you won't get to the top of the tree by cutting corners. And don't ask questions! Keep the mystery caged.
Five things to make yr Christmas swing like a roundabout:
1. A Paul Kelly organic turkey (the best, from Abel And Cole, my top tip)
2. The Rotary Connection - Peace Music (best Xmas album ever. Silent Night guitar freakout 'n all)
3. Mince pies and brandy butter (courtesy of W Martyn, Muswell Hill, North London's finest grocer)
4. Blind Ignorance (guaranteed fun at yr family's expense)
5. Bee Gees, Steptoe And Son, Son Of Dracula, and Seka on dvd (which is why I have my party before my birthday)
We've said it before and we'll say it again... Festivus for the rest of us!
love to you all
Bob xx
Xmas and the beads of sweat
15th December 2005
Promises promises... the test pressings of Nice Price came back with a beautiful hole in the middle of Who Do You Think You are. It's now been remedied but we missed the cut-off date for pressing it this side of Xmas. Apologies. It will be ready for mid January, with the US edition (hopefully hitch free) of Tales From Turnpike House to follow.
What else? Well, our FA Cup documentary takes us to Sunderland next as the winners of the Woking v Northwich Victoria tie were drawn away at the Stadium Of Light. The Barbican will be showing it next June, and we're hoping to get a TV screening.
I've just put the finishing touches on another UK folk compilation - if you liked Gather In The Mushrooms you will also cherish Early Morning Hush, out in the New Year on Sanctuary.
And now a few impertinent answers to pertinent questions...
Yes, Minky, Debs will be touring in the US with us, bringing youngsters Sadie and Donovan in tow. It just wouldn't be the same without her. Is there a b-sides compilation in the planning asks Peterloo of New York? Could be a cross-label nightmare. But after Nice Price there will definitely be more fan club cds and we will of course keep you informed.
Mats wonders what our favourite mixes are. Myself, I love the Aphex Twin mixes of Who Do You Think You Are and Broadcast's take on Angel, a proper remix, ie a mix of them 'n'us.
Tim gets a bit semantical but I'll just say that "wiped off the map" (the actual quote) and "wiped out" (your quote) aren't the same thing. Steady.
Klangster wonders what my favourite records of the year are. Wull, Broadcast's Tender Buttons has been played more than anything else new, with Annie's Anniemal second and The Cardigans' Super Extra Gravity not far behind. Magic Numbers album was disappointingly flat but going by demos of new songs (perk of being part of the Heavenly clan) they'll make a great follow up.
's all for now
love Bob x
US tour - it's all 'appened
1st December 2005
Early Christmas present! We'll be in America in February for Valentines day - New York on the 13th. Why not show up, see the Et, dance a little, romance a little, and get a room? We take no responsibility for the weather.
Feb 13th New York - Irving
Plaza
Feb 15th Chicago - Metro
Feb 17th San Francisco - Filmore
Feb 18th LA - Avalon
Supports aren't confirmed yet but you'll be the first to know.
love Bob xx
Manchester Evening News (very late edition!)
B-Music and Electriks present
***ELECTRIC MUD***
Featuring EXTRA SPECIAL GUEST DJ'S BOB STANLEY (SAINT ETIENNE) and CHRIS GEDDES (BELLE AND SEBASTIAN)
The first Imploding-Polyurethane-Eventuality (on Friday 25th November) will be manned by resident DJs Andy Votel (Songs In The Key Of Death) and Dominic Thomas who will be joined by DJs from original fuzz-tone revivalists St. Etienne alongside Chris Geddes from Belle and Sebastian and various other musical-circus-freeeks. IT'S A HAPPENING! Friday 25th November, Mint Lounge, Oldham Street, Manchester Admission £7. Doors 10.30pm-3am. Tickets available from Piccadilly Records, Fat City and on-line from Ticketweb (0870 060 0100) http://www.ticketline.co.uk
Nice Price
11th November 2005
Alrighty, here is the tracklist for Nice Price, our fan club cd which will be available in 2-3 weeks. It's our "Anthology", a journey through the past via different takes of familiar faves:
1. Nothing Can Stop Us (alternative vocal)
2. 7 Ways 2 Love (Sarah vocal, original white label)
3. Who Do You Think You Are (original mix, Debsey vocal)
4. Hobart Paving (alternative single mix)
5. Like A Motorway (demo)
6. Former Lover (single mix)
7. Western Wind (demo)
8. Angel (original mix)
9. Burnt Out Car (original mix)
10. Sylvie (alternative single mix)
11. Madeleine (alternative mix)
12. Lose That Girl (demo)
13. Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi) (demo)
14. How We Used To Live (Berlin rough mix)
15. Milk Bottle Symphony (alternative mix)
16.Goodnight (demo)
More details to follow, but hopefully that's whetted your appetities.
As you may know, Savoy are releasing Tales From Turnpike House in the US in January. They've rejigged the tracklisting so it won't start with Sun In My Morning and end with Goodnight. Just thought I'd warn you in case it drastically affects your body clock while you're listening to it. Exclusives on this version, as requested by Savoy, are Oh My and Dream Lover, plus the first cd appearance of I'm Falling, 7" b-side of A Good Thing.
Now a few fan questions need answering...
Stu Markham made a strange high pitched squeak when he heard Sarah, on BBC6, saying that we're taking a break and we don't know what we're doing next. This may have been hormonal. We're really busy! US tour dates are ALMOST in place. We are starting work on a new film in the spring, and the plan is to make it a feature with a Saint Etienne soundtrack - vocals 'n' all.
Also, we're presenting another film season at The Barbican in February. It's called Pop Fiction and will include a bunch of films and TV Play For Todays about invented pop stars. Lots of really promising material which I'm sifting through at the moment. Should have a dfinitive list in 3 weeks or so.
Edward Undecided asks if the soundtrack to What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day? will get a release. Yes, it will. Once we've got Nice Price out of the way and hopefully had the film shown in a few more places.
I'm glad that Dissolute spotted the Avengers reference (Chase Halt). Fingers crossed, I'm helping to compile a cd of incidental music from the Emma Peel colour series!
Anything else new? I hope not, I need a good night's sleep.
love Bob xx
I Never Dreamed
9th November 2005
Anyone who's been paying attention will know that the Girl Group sound is more than a little important to the Saint Etienne aesthetic. So when Rhino put out a GG box set called One Kiss Can Lead To Another and announced a launch party in New York I was first in the queue. It really was such a night. On stage we had Lillian Walker from The Exciters looking roughly 26 years old, Maxine Brown looking gorgeous singing Oh No Not My Baby, La La Brooks from The Crystals, Toni Wine doing her best known song Groovy Kind Of Love... what a heartbreaker! But still as nothing compared to Margaret Ross from The Cookies singing I Never Dreamed, maybe my favourite song ever. I looked for a copy for roughly 20 years - Pete found me one for my 40th birthday present. What a gent. And who else was in the crowd? Only Russ Titelman, the genius who wrote it... and The Chiffons' What Am I Gonna Do With You, Glen Campbell's Guess I'm Dumb (with Brian Wilson), The Cinderellas' Baby Baby I Still Love You... what a guy! Me and Pete went to his office once when he was working at Warners and we were signed there. I said I thought I thought he was a great songwriter. "But I don't write songs" he protested, modestly. Yes you do I insisted, and listed half a dozen. Russ looked scared, asked if I was a Japanese tourist, and we left promptly. This time I kept my enthusiasm in check.... look, it's ME AND RUSS TITELMAN!!! Sorry.
Saving the best bit til last, Mary Weiss of the Shangri La's was in the crowd, singing and clapping along like she was a 16 year old fan. Your heart would have melted. She received more attention than anyone, mainly from men with Duane Reade carrier bags and dodgy combovers. Before she ran out screaming me and Cha Cha Charming's Sheila B sweet talked her into a photo opportunity. Reparata was even more scared. The price of fame, 30-odd years on. I wonder if the C86 20th anniversary will engender such chaotic scenes. I think it possibly will.
Bob xx
"I'm in a panic!" Reparata is overjoyed to meet me.
Sheila B, Mary Weiss, and me.
Scary Japanese tourist, Russ Titelman and Maxine Brown
Never Mind The Bow Locks
28th October 2005
I was hoping that would be the headline for a review of What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day. Well, a collective sigh of relief. I loosened up for the show by boozing the previous night away at a launch for a fabulous book called The Music Library (a collection of library music album covers put together by Jonny Trunk, published by Fuel, ask for one for Christmas).Djs playing super-rare instrumental mindblowers included Jerry Dammers, Julian House (the man behind all the Sterolab and Broadcast sleeves) and Martin Green - aka Tile Warehouse Worker Number 2 from our movie.
Anyway.... thanks so much for giving us such a great reaction. It really meant a lot to us as we've been completely absorbed with the film for the last few months. Sold out, and in such a beautiful venue. And we didn't fluff our lines. Phew. Paul's hair became more salt, less pepper as he finished the final version at 6pm the night before the screening. Ken Livingstone, Kenneth Branagh, Suggs and Bobby Gillespie were all spotted in the crowd! And I don't use exclamation marks lightly.
Oddly, the real Mervyn Day was on the news today as a goalkeeping coach to Prince Wilhelm of Windsor.
About time I answered some of your questions. Let's see now... (rummaging paper noises)... yes Sihmon, Stamboul Train is a real song, an instrumental that we shelved after we decided to put the soundtrack stuff on the second cd. Bottle Bank is still half-finished! It's spot got taken by Oh My.
Do the three of us have similar tastes in music asks Carlos Etienne. Well, I'd have to say very similar. Me and Sarah have an annual staring contest over The Clash, but we kiss and make up by agreeing that Sara by Fleetwood Mac is jaw-droppingly beautiful. On the tour bus, Edgar used to be a bit of a soundhog so we had lots of funk (gawdelpus), but there are hardly any disagreements. My Adam And The Ants tape got voted off on the Tiger Bay tour somewhere in the Midlands... not that I'm bitter.
Martin Saxon thinks it rather queer that we "hired" Brian Higgins for two songs on Tales From Turnpike House but didn't release them as singles. Isn't that the point of hiring Higgo, he asks? Well, call me a dizzy rascal, but we worked with Brian (the songs are proper collaborations) because we get on well and think the songs we do together work out quite well (He's On The Phone, Stormtrooper In Drag, Action etc). Yeah, yeah, it's all about the music... plus we thought Side Streets and A Good Thing made pretty good singles too.
Redmumba asks if Sarah sang on a 1989 single by Inter Nation. She denies all knowledge!
Stetgp wonders if we've ever appeared on Later. Yus, it was way back in the golden year that was 1994 and we played No No No (or La Poupee Qui Fait Non) by Michel Polnareff, plus one other song I can't recall.
OK... I know some of you are thinking it's an elaborate ploy that A Good Thing is being so badly marketed, but it really is down to the incompetence of the marketing guy at Sanctuary. Yes, there is someone there employed to do this stuff. He's also working on Status Quo's new record, so if that stiffs they'd be advised not to blame the BBC this time around. No ads, no video, I think you probably know we'd have done them if Sanctuary were willing to pay for them.
Jimmy Luxemburg, I'm very sorry, I didn't notice what David Essex was wearing either time we met him. But the sexual swearword he utters in What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day was his idea. Who'd have thought it? He's a smashing bloke, exactly as you think he'd be. It's a shame he couldn't make it to the Barbican because he's still working in Blackpool. He signed Debsey's copy of the That'll Be The Day soundtrack. Cheers to Davo, he's been a great help to us this year.
Bloody Radio 4. Last part of John Peel's biography, feeling all sleepy, then they wake me up and piss me off with their ridiculous govt-sponsored attacks on Iran and how Britain hopes to resolve the crisis without resorting to war. Christ almighty! Don't fall for this anti-Iranian crap. Israel's borders are fluid at best and Palestine was "wiped off the map" by Britain 60 years ago. It's oil again, of course.
(steps off soapbox) night night
Bob xx
Auntie's bloomers
26th October 2005
Yus my dear, I know I said the Culture Show piece was going out on NOV 20 but I'm sure you guessed I meant OCT 20, because it was a preview for our show.... tomorrow night! We're all calm as ladybirds on a velvet cushion being properly plumped by Diana Rigg. Oh yes. Nerveless. The film is waxed and ready, and the group sound great in rehearsals... what could go wrong? Fill in the gaps tomorrow pm.
It's all happening. BBC London - local news around 6.30 - are doing a feature tomorrow, as are More 4. This one (for digital viewers) is around 5 mins long, dunno what time it goes out.
Early risers may have heard me and Paul on Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday morning. We were treated like minor royalty - Peter Donaldson put us onto a derelict cement factory near Shoreham (Bond-esque, he reckoned) and the lady who booked us (bad memory, apologies) had seen us at a Durham University freshers ball in 1999 - hope she didn't encounter our lechy short-term guitarist. Jim Naughtie said "thanks". It was all quite surreal. I think I'd always imagined everyone in that studio was in semi-darkness, lying on some kind of chaise longue with a duvet, and constant cups of tea.
Ah yes, and our single A Good Thing is out on Monday. Thanks to one particularly dense boy at Sanctuary, all three formats are limited to 1,000 copies. As anyone else may have guessed, it was only the 7" that was meant to be limited. Duh! Well... we didn't mean to make it hard for you to find a copy but such is the way.....
Still, the film looks great. We're happy. Don't worry.
Bob xx
Cultured left foot
14th October 2005
Ahead of What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day? making its debut at the Barbican, BBC2's Culture Show are doing a piece on us and the Lower Lea Valley. It will be a seven or eight minute slot featuring me (Bob) in my first ever TV presenting role, a job I was born to do. Ian Sinclair, top Londonographer and psycho-geographer will be on hand to help me out/show me up. First chance to see clips of the film/hear our soundtrack! It's going to be on Thursday Nov 20th.
Billboard have announced that we've signed with Savoy in the States and that Tales From Turnpike House will be out there in January. Guess what? It's all true. There'll be two songs included which missed out on the UK edition - Oh My (glam racket about the mysterious young blonde in flat 23) and Dream Lover ("drifting, seductive, phosphorescent" - Sheridan Morley, Financial Times). Plus subtly different artwork, and a free crisp.
Bob x
A Good piece of news...
13th October 2005
At last we can give you what Boz Scaggs would call the "lowdown" on our next single, A Good Thing, out on October 31st. It comes in three formats - you know we'd just release 4 track EPs if we had our way but... they go something like this.
7": A Good Thing b/w I'm Falling
CD1: A Good Thing (das Germanwings mix), Missing Persons Bureau
CD2: A Good Thing, Book Norton, Quiet Essex
Beautiful artwork by Lora Findlay - see below!
So... the mix is by Charlie Casey and Steve Hellier, a Death In Vegas spinoff team. I'm Falling is a co-write (but not a duet) with David Essex, an outtake from Tales From Turnpike House. It's spooky, you'll love it. Missing Persons Bureau is an acousto-jazz autumnal cover - see if you can work out who did the original. Book Norton and Quiet Essex are both from the soundtrack to What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day? Book Norton was written by Debs - it's almost medieval.
The film has been taking up most of our lives. Remember, it's at the Barbican on October 27th... two weeks today. Bloody hell! We better get a move on. This week we've done the voiceovers with David Essex (in Blackpool at the Vox Box recording studio, very Phoenix Nights) and Linda Robson. Both were smashing people and did a great job. It's all coming together like a mini Reading Festival.
Something to do before the 27th... buy the Cardigans album on Monday. I don't know what they were thinking by putting out I Need Some Fine Wine out as the first single - all those nasty animal references, yuk. Every other track is great, especially Losing A Friend and Overload. So good. I'm jealous.
For now, goodbye
love Bob x
The Monsters of Spex: Seen through the lens of Martin Kelly
Here's some pics of our recent jaunt to Cologne.
Ian is not impressed by the majestic Rhine The performance was a trifle blue
Behind the music Annie and Timo raise the stakes
Pete, Bob and Anneliese on a train to our good buddy Franco's wedding in Thirsk
Dear Lovers...
20th September 2005
So yes we are playing at the new Fnac in San Sebastian tomorrow at around 10.30 in the evening. 40 mins or so of "high octane electronic rock'n'soul". And that's a quote.
A few answers to Lovers who have been asking the odd question..
Yes, Edward Undecided, of course you can ask us questions about Birdie. We see Paul Kelly virtually every day working on the film. Fire away.
No, Jamie Stuart, I don't know when the full length Up The Wooden Hills is coming out. The well-publicised problems at Sanctuary have held it at bay. But it's mostly finished and it will appear, hopefully in luxurious packaging. BTW, are you the ex-Charlton Athletic player?
Yes, Blissteria, "tolerate all the people you hate" was about the Super Furry Animals lyric. Much as I like them, it seemed a pretty lame sentiment as the UK was about to invade a sovereign state, the biggest protest march in British history having been ignored. I should put in a disclaimer for the other members of the band, that was just my opinion.
Other news... the fan club album Dirty Laundry has now been re-titled Nice Price and, yes, it will be out this year, hopefully in November. We've been trying to find a pressing plant that can individually number the cd's. Hopefully we've got one now. Paul has done a marvellous job on the artwork. Just you wait and see.
For anybody interested, I've currently got a whole page to myself - complete with daft photo - every Friday in The Times. Read about the glory of The Saints this week.
OK sweethearts, I'm off to cut our new single....
love Bob x
Hold the line (singles aren't always on time)
12th September 2005
A Good Thing will be the next UK single, out at the end of October. The plan at the moment is to release it the same week as the movie premieres at the Barbican. B sides will be Missing Persons Bureau, Stamboul Train, I'm Falling, plus a few chunks of the film soundtrack. Formats and exact dates to follow... Lora's artwork is beautiful.
As for the film, it is now called What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day? Linda Robson and David Essex are both guest stars. It's just about on schedule - as long as the Magic Numbers don't hijack our cinematographer for too long!
Potential gig: in San Sebastian, Spain, opening a new Fnac. Maybe next Wednesday. Sorry to be a rumour monger but it's better than no info at all, eh?
love Bob x
Thunder only happens when it's raining
9th September 2005
Had a great time in New York. Two DJing slots. The first was at the Beauty Bar and the night was Smashed Blocked. Host Josh played the kind of mindblowing garage I'd only ever heard at London's legendary Hideout - Q65's Cry In The Night, The Blue Rondos' Baby I Go For You - and Sheila B was spinning Japanese 60s girlpop of an unspeakably high quality. I'd never heard this stuff played out before. Blimey. The night ended in style when a hairy rocker insisted on hearing I Live For The Sun by The Sunrays. And Again. And then again. The place degenerated into drunken chaos with tables collapsing, blood being spilt, fights starting, and all the while the most innocuous pop song of all time played in the background. Finally the main window of the Beauty Bar was smashed and the police arrived as we all scuttled off. Pics to follow! And take a peek at chachacharming.com for the full gruesome details.
The second night was at highly fashionable Misshapes, sometime home to Jarvis Cocker (but not on this occasion). Less riotous but Janet Jackson's What Have You Done For Me Lately tore the roof off. I was also on "duty" for The Times which meant I had to see Lez Zeppelin play at a bar in Amagansett up in the Hamptons. Yes, they're a femme tribute band and they are unbelievable. If you live in the New York area go and see them before the rest of the world goes nuts over them.
Most exciting... I got to go to Jerry Seinfeld's house (except that's a secret) and saw Anton from The Brian Jonestown Massacre in a bar looking like, well, Anton! What a star. Dig, of course, being one of the top 5 pop documentaries of all.
Bestival this weekend. See you on the Isle Of Wight. None of us have been there since we were kids. Apparently it hasn't changed since 1976. And fingers crossed for Kim Clijsters at Flushing Meadow.
Goodnight
Bob xx
Touchez-pas.
Josh and Layla - the Peters and Lee of New York
"I wanna hear The Sunrays... Sunraysunraysunrays!" Andy, apparently, lives for the sun.
"SSHHHH... if only you wouldn't clap so hard."
Number one and number two international Lou Christie fans (Bob's the number two)
Josh and Sheila defend Williamsburg from marauding Sunrays fans
Teardrops are falling from our Spanish eyes
15th August 2005
Creamfields was wild. The area looked rather like the Gaza Strip with lots of makeshift homes full of Essex folk rather than Israeli settlers. It was a dustbowl, hideous, but the crowd was lovely. Ladytron were their usual ace selves, Danny looks more like his George-Harrison's-son namesake as time goes by. Mira is lovely. Goldfrapp had a wardrobe that took up 26% of the backstage area and naked lionesses on stage, a bit like Eurythmics in the delivery but with considerably better songs.As for us, we had the sun blazing into our eyes and probably looked like a pair of squinting Dave Stewarts with Sarah looking totally unphased at the front. But it was great to meet old pals (not that old) like Jose, Araceli, and Yug. Some pictures to follow.
Seems the next single will now be A Good Thing. B sides as before. Such is the way in a fledgling democracy.
Bob xx
BAFTA night beckons
11th August 2005
Cinema news... We're filming intensively in the beautiful Lower Lea Valley at the moment, working on Mervyn Day, the film that premieres at The Barbican on October 27th. Well, we're one day in, but it's all very exciting. Shooting the opening sequence at the Eastway cycle track tomorrow. Paul Kelly is best boy. Kevin Pearce is in charge of screenplay. The DVD of Finisterre is selling wonderfully, so thanks to everyone who's picked up a copy. Makes us feel like proper Cecil B Dementeds.
The Gonna Make You A Star season at The Barbican is apparently being repeated, at least the Chris Needham show is with a 10 minute "reunion" show from last year! Great to see so many of you Lovers are also Needham lovers. Maybe one day we'll play our version of Crash Gang live.
This weekend we're at Creamfields in Almeria. Not sure what to expect apart from blistering heat. I'll be the one in the sky blue sun hat, daft but effective. I look like a Coventry City fan crossed with Peter Butterworth.
Some DJing news... I'm playing with Pete Paphides at the Green Man festival on Saturday the 20th. Plus a couple of dates in New York - Smashed Blocked on Friday Sep 2nd with Sheila B from the fabulous Cha Cha Charming where it'll be psych/garage/northern uptempo stuff, and Saturday the 3rd at Misshapes with Jarvis Cocker. Debauched electronica and a smidgin of Lieutenant Pigeon at that one, I reckon.
Next single is planned to be Lightning Strikes Twice, rejigged by the mighty Xenomania. B sides in the cupboard are I'm Falling and Missing Persons Bureau. As soon as we've got a release date you should be the first to know. Unless the Belgians get there first.
The US release of Tales From Turnpike House will be in the new year. Like the Japanese release, it'll probably have a slightly different (ie longer) tracklist than the European release. Maybe it will include the legendary Bottle Bank. You never know.
Very little has given me more pleasure recently than a copy of Vashti Bunyan's new album, Lookaftering, arriving in the post. I can't say I've been waiting 35 years for the follow up to Just Another Diamond Day, but you know what I mean. Vashti's singing and the arrangements are beautiful. Autumn can't come quick enough! Les Dennis's turn on Extras was almost as moving - hats off to The Wrestlers' resident comedian.
And who'd have thought last New Years Eve that The Guardian would be running this story in August:
"Anne Widdecombe - My advice to The Magic Numbers"
Game and a half, eh?
love Bob x
Our city
13th July 2005
Our thoughts are very much with people who have been affected by the bombs in London on the 7th. As always seems to happen with tragic occurences like this, everybody knows somebody who was caught up in the tragedy.
We won't be able to play on the London United stage in Burgess Park this Saturday - Pete's on his honeymoon and guitarist James is in the US - but I'll be there and I'd encourage anyone who can be there to turn up and show why London is the most beautiful, most multi-cultural city in the world.
Moving on... I'm glad the Finisterre dvd has gone down so well. Some of yr questions answered:
* Yes, it is coming out in the US in September. Plexi are based in NYC.
* Beggars/Mantra own the Action video whereas we own Finisterre the film and all the live clips. We had to license the music from the album from Beggars/Mantra. They'd have wanted an arm and a leg to license a video. You don't get nowt for nowt with these chaps.
* Price is sadly nothing to do with us. We'll get the same cut however much each shop charges so go for the cheapest option knowing we won't starve! Fopp had it for £15 I hear.
The ezboard for Lovers Unite members is playing up again. Just to prove I'm not fibbing when I say I'm a technophobe, I just haven't got a clue what to do. Luckily Blockbuster Wiggs is big on this stuff. I'll twist his arm when he gets back and we'll have the problem resolved soonest.
Have a great Bastille Day. Remember the two minute vigil at midday.
love Bob xx
A Postcode Synonymous with Class
1st July 2005
For some excellent "views" taken from the audience side at our recent Brighton gig by Andy Newson
click this link: http://sensorchip.blogtog.com/archives/1135_1970348709/66995 much less seamy than
the backstage bacchanalia depicted further down this page.
Saint Etienne posters can be spotted in this picture of artist Derek Sullivan's studio from the brochure of a
Toronto art show called Dedicated to you but you weren't listening which also featured Jeremy Deller
(who has provided the rather fine sleeve notes on our new cd). What taste. click here
The Towering Inferno
30th June 2005
Last night we had a launch party for the Finisterre DVD. It was on the 29th floor of Centre Point smack bang in the heart of our capital. The incred views combined with the endless free drinks and lack of air con created a giddy atmosphere. The DVD looks great, it was the first time we'd seen finished copies. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed by the packaging. The film's not bad either. Don't slash the seats.
Me and Sarah made an appearance on BBC's Woman's Hour on Monday. I came out of the studio feeling like I'd been pumped full of oestrogen. You should be able to find it on the BBC website.
We were collectively saddened by the news that Richard Whiteley had died. I remember having a driving lesson after school in 1982 and getting home in time to see the first ever Countdown. He made an appearance on Foxbase Alpha, at the beginning of side two. Our friend Pete Paphides interviewed him once and asked if Richard knew the joke about what Carol Vorderman does when she's got constipation (answer: she works it out with a pencil). Richard laughed for about ten minutes and said he'd use it in after dinner speeches. None of us ever had the nerve to be a contestant on Countdown, though obviously we'd wipe the floor with the lot of 'em.
Sorry ladees!!! Pete and Carly tied the knot on the 25th. I was the best man. It was an amazing day, and night, with Carly's Glaswegian family raising the bar continually until I gave up the ghost in the hotel bar around 4am. Pete and Carly were long gone by then. Wish them the best as they honeymoon in grease. Sorry, Greece.
Our mysterious film at the Barbican now has a name. Mervyn Day. Which leaves you none the wiser. It includes a butcher's bike, and a flute.
Sanctuary have agreed that we can take another single from Tales From Turnpike House, with mixes. And other quality b-sides. Which will probably bankrupt them.
love Bob xx
The Road is the goddamndest....
22nd June 2005
See what a gas we had in Glasgow:
GLASGOW WELCOMES US!
ANNIE LOOKING RADIANT ALONG WITH BOB AND SARAH, PETE LOOKING RADIOACTIVE
IAN CATT PERFORMS HIS LEGENDARY NAKED ROPE TRICK
ROCK COULD BE SO GOOD...
THE SECOND TOUGHEST IN THE CATHOLIC GIRLS SCHOOL
PETE'S EXTENDED FAMILY EXTEND THEMSELVES BEFORE HIM
PETE FRIGHTENS ANNIE WITH HIS DETAILED DEMONSTRATION OF THE VENUE'S
FUTURISTIC TOILET
THE MADCAP LAUGHS
OOH MATRON
I SUPPOSE A ROCK'S OUT OF QUESTION
Had ourselves a real good time
19th June 2005
It feels like we've been away for a month! Cream crackered! This may have something to do with a relentless diet of pork pies and San Miguel. It's been a gas, though. Just wanted to say thanks for coming and being so vocal.
Koko looked like it was all going to go horribly wrong. The bass amp blew up amongst other things. But these always turn out fine, well nearly always. Annie was great, what a star. Her sidekick Timo - Timo Of Finland - is mates with our Finnish acquaintances, including the band Super who Ian Catt produced. To make a small world even smaller, Annie said that she'd sent a demo to our old Emidisc office in 1996 when she was in a Norwegian girl group called Suitcase. Ah yes, it all flooded back... the demo sounded great but EMI wouldn't stump up the plane fare for us to go and see them in Bergen. Bah. No wonder they're on their knees!
Glasgow ABC was like a Spanish hotel in the seventies, half-built with bags of plaster and step-ladders everywhere. To add to the seventies effect, drummer John spotted that backstage smelt exactly like Spacehoppers. Annie played a couple of genius new songs (Kiss Me and Wedding, number ones in our hearts already) and we all got wallopingly drunk with Pete's Scottish family. Timo is fond of bearhugs. Pete had fun with the "Japanese" toilet complete with "lady" button.
The Northern College Of Music is a curious venue. Probably better if you have a symphony orchestra with you instead of a cowbell and a Roland Jupiter. We were sharing our air-conditioned (thank gawd) backstage area with a tuba player and various penguin-suited musicians. Andy Votel was not one of them. None of us had thought that the venue wouldn't have decks (decks? you weren't even allowed to smoke anywhere in the building) so "The Voice Of The Electronic Lawnmower" sat on his box of records and wept. Luckily he'd brought a copy of his forthcoming Welsh Rarebeat compilation cd so we stuck that in and it sounded wild. Mrs Votel - Jane Weaver - played a gorgeous set which was all new as far as I could tell. The first song had exactly the same chords as Last Orders For Gary Stead!
Sarah got the whole crowd on stage for Nothing Can Stop Us. Then she smoked a cigarette openly, brazenly. It was that kind of a night. Off to the Cornerhouse to play the gems me and Pete had picked up at Beatin' Rhythm (absolutely one of the top three record shops in the world) in the afternoon. Andy V and Dom and us slowly turned into melted blobs, it was like a bleedin' sauna. Bus home around 3.30. Now for a sunday roast...
If I can work out the technology, we might get some pictures sorted out.
til then
love Bob x
Down the old Prince Regent's gaff
Pissing down in London, beautiful summer afternoon by the time we reached the Sussex coast.One major hitch - Annie's gear got sent to the wrong airport so she couldn't play. Happily for us, we know local folk heroine Mary Hampton and when we called she dropped everything and ran full pelt to Concorde 2. If you like Sandy Denny and Anne Briggs you've got to hear Mary sing, the purest most beautiful voice you could wish for.By a crazy coincidence she sang Silver Dagger, the Appalachian folk tune we adapted into Like A Motorway! Don't know how many people noticed. The kids were out to par-tay so it was a bit noisy when Mary took the stage, but there was much whooping and applause by the end.
We were a little shaky, bits of vocal/keyboard/guitar refusing to come out to play on a few songs. But I think was pretty good for a first night. Nice to get a good reaction on Teenage Winter and Stars Above Us (much dancing).Will re-jig the set a bit tonight.
Now we're orf to Camden, then I'm-a-livin'-in-a-bus for a couple of days. God knows how groups do 48-date coast-to-coast tours on them. Must stink to high heaven.
Sleepy, need coffee,
Bob xx
Top 36 smash
June 13th 2005
Thanks to everyone who bought the single and filled our hearts with joy. We still get a kick out of reaching the Top 40, and you'd be surprised how many complete strangers stop you in the streets and say "good to see you're in the charts again". very heartening.
The Glasgow ABC show has sold so well they're moving us up to a bigger venue. It should be a swinging night. Last time we played Glasgow it was in a church, with requisite deathly hush. Now, let the carnival begin...
More great reviews for Tales From Turnpike House over the weekend. Five stars in the Guardian, though I'm not sure why they think it's our last album. Up The Wooden Hills - the full-length album of children's songs - is out around November. It's 75% finished.
As you may have noticed, a lot of the old stuff on the messageboard got wiped after hackers attacked ezboard. Soz.
See you at the Concorde 2 on Wednesday
love Bob x
Gonna See You At The Barbican
June 5th 2005
For odd reasons there's been nothing on this site about the third annual Saint Etienne film festival. This year it's called Gonna Make You A Star and it's a selection of unbelievably great pop documentaries. If you like Spinal Tap, Dig!, or Some Kind Of Monster then this is for you Full details on the Barbican website.
First one is on Tuesday June 7th (yes, I know it's short notice), then 14th and 21st. Sixties night tomorrow including the legendary Mike Stuart Span documentary. The band are going to be there! Plus me and Pete and maybe Sarah.No Q and A but we'll be in the bar for searching questions on, ooh, anything from Pamela Blue b-sides to the wind chill factor near Archway Tower.
We're in rehearsals at the moment. It's sounding great! Don't know why I'm surprised by that.
Side Streets out tomorrow. Please buy as many copies as possible from chart return shops. There. I've said it.
Other things we're up to this week include a Guardian interview which should be in the paper on Friday. We're also in the next issue of the excellent Stool Pigeon. Whenever I mention that name Kid Creole steals into my mind and stays there for a good half hour.
Right now I can't get Among Dreams by Ariel Pink out of my head.
And on that high-pitched note... til the next time,
Bob xx
Festivus for the restivus
May 20th 2005
Just back from a yakking-on-about-ourselves trip to Germany. Next Friday (27th) me and Pete will be DJing at a Natt & Dag party in Oslo. Absolutely no idea how public it is (but I think it is), just thought you'd like to know.
We're playing Bestival, a festival on the Isle Of Wight, on Saturday September 10th. The line-up is a gas: Magic Numbers, Go Team, Super Furry Animals, British Sea Power, Royksopp et cet. It's an exclusive UK festival appearance by ourselves, and if you come bring a glass of beer and a bag of chips for Mr Ian Catt - it's his birthday on the Sunday.
We're off to Almeria, Spain, in the midsummer cauldron of Saturday August 13th. The Creamfields festival, this one, put together by Jose and Paloma of Barcelona's legendary Mond club.
The Finisterre DVD is out on July 4th in the UK, released by Plexifilms (Wilco, Galaxie 500, the Moog documentary). A bit of misinformation has been flying around this release - it definitely is coming out in the US (Plexifilms are an American company after all), but slightly later. There are loose plans for a New York screening in September.
Japanese bonus tracks for Tales From Turnpike House haven't been decided yet, but they'll probably be picked from the b-sides of Side Streets. Feel free to add info to our message board (you probably know a lot of stuff before we do) but please try to refrain from inventing stuff or sending red herrings out into the Etienne's lake. That's our job.
Oh, the Dirty Laundry fan club cd will only be available to fan club members via the website (ie not at gigs).
goodbye, my sweet potatoes
Bob xx
Bathgate no more
The address of the mysterious ABC in Glasgow is: ABC2, 330 sauchiehall st, glasgow G2 3JA
and tickets for the gig on the 17th June can be bought from either the box office : 0141 204 5151
or ticket web (24hrs): 0870 903 3444 or http://www.ticketweb.co.uk . Sorry about the confusion
but its a brand spanking new venue.
Promo Time is here again
May 13th 2005
It's nice to hear so many concerned voices about Side Streets not being on the radio yet and a lack of press.... BUT, we're still a month away from Tales From Turnpike House and the UK monthlies all come out around the week of release, so don't fret. Today we're chatting to Word magazine, having our picture taken by Uncut (curiously, holding a copy of the first - only true - Stone Roses album), and Sarah is appearing on Roundtable at 6. Next week we're in Berlin, Cologne and Stockholm with lots of interviews lined up. Oslo and Paris the week after. It warms the cockles of your heart as me dear old mum used to say.As for radio, we've got a lovely man with a posh voice and a weakness for port hawking our wares around the BBC. Fingers crossed.
Fan club albums... we're working on the artwork for Dirty Laundry (coulda called it Boys From Summer but Sarah would feel left out). If it's ready in time for the shows it could end up on the merch stall, otherwise the site is being spruced up as I write. Tee shirts v soon, promise.And we're working out how to make I Love To Paint and Built On Sand without upsetting people who have forked out for the originals.
What's the record I've paid the most for? Yikes. Three hundred for the Thors Hammer EP, unbelievably tough Icelandic beat record from 1966. There's a CD on Ace, try downloading I Don't Care or Better Days if you're intreeeged.
love to all
Bob xx
Smash the Sixteen etcet.
There's a "budget" version of our Smash The System comp out in June, just the one disc and 16 tracks, Sony's idea but our tracklist. It's basically singles from 90 to 98, with radio edits of Avenue and The Bad Photographer being the only things that aren't readily available elsewhere. We could have stuck on Lover Plays The Bass but we'll save it for something prettier. Oh, the artwork is similar to STS 1 but with a different colour scheme and pics, beautifully laid out by the beautiful Paul Kelly.
Hopefully our fans in Scotland won't be watching us play live on a building site (Glasgow ABC), though the idea is quite intreeeging...
more soon
Bob xx
Tour Dates!
Here we go, a whirlwind trip around the UK...
Wed June 15th BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Thu June 16th LONDON Koko
Fri June 17th GLASGOW ABC
Sat June 18th MANCHESTER Northern College Of Music
Also appearing on the first three nights is the wonderful ANNIE, creator of the popped-in-fucked-off classic Anniemal. In Manchester we have the equally wonderful JANE WEAVER of Misty Dixon and Twisted Nerve notoriety, with DJ Andy Votel playing wild sounds from North Wales, South Wales, and Turkey.
Fancy flier to follow...
New Albums Everywhere
So, just to reiterate...
Side Streets is out on June 6th: b sides are Murder In E Minor, You Can Judge A Book By The Cover, The Leyton Art Inferno and Got A Job.
Tales From Turnpike House is out on June 13th. Gigs are being finalised for that week even as I write.
We are putting together the first fan club cd that will actually be on sale for Lovers only. It's called Dirty Laundry and will include alternate takes and demos of much loved songs, some quite dramatically different to the finished versions.
More soon
love Bob x
Happy Birthday Crackers
April the 12th, she's 21 again! We're all going to have a fine celebration. Crack open a Party Seven to wash down the cheese and pineapple stick things. I'm also celebrating having my computer fixed - by Pete - so I can once more keep everyone abreast of our comings and goings.
Not that I need to. You all seem very clued up and we have a mole within our organisation loading artwork up before the promos are even ready! None of you has missed out, they won't be around for a week or so. The design is by Lora Findlay who is the star behind the sleeve on my Gather In The Mushrooms folk comp (did any of you like it? I only saw the vicious replies and couldn't read on for the tears streaming from my eyes).
Thanks for your concern about the fanclub boots. We will (honestly) be getting some goodies together for you, just trying to work out an efficient way of posting them so that nobody feels they've been left behind, you know what I'm saying...
Yes, Hans Moleman, that is David Essex playing Dad on Bedfordshire.Can't tell which territories will take the EP, I'm afraid, it's down to the individual companies. I know the Far East are including b-side bonus tracks.
Release date for TALES FROM TURNPIKE HOUSE is now May 13th which, hopefully, is final.
Elsewhere, I must apologise for the Barbican neglecting to tell us tickets would be on sale for our October show. Heck, we haven't even started writing the music yet! You should have heard it from us first. We will be playing a live soundtrack of new music to a 40 minute film about London's Lea Valley. Plus another set of Turnpike sounds.
Before that, we are curating a season called GONNA MAKE YOU A STAR at the Barbican on June 7, 14 and 21st. TV pop documentaries through the ages, including the legendary Chris Needham Teenage Diary. More details soon.
love Bob xx
Most Depressing Day Of The Year
Apparently, according to scientists. Jan 24th - everyone's cold, broke after Xmas, tax bills etcet.
But it's a fine crisp winters day in London Town and what do scientists know anyway? Soz for not writing anything for a while. My computer self-destructed and lost the ability to write on this site... so I'm round at Pete's now borrowing his learning-komputor. I'm glad everyone enjoyed NYE so much. Let me put on my spectacles and see what questions arose from that glorious evening...
You Can Count On Me is our song, but I do like the idea of Bing Crosby or Peggy Lee singing it (bit late now). And it wasn't written especially for the show, it'll be out soon.
What else? My Wicker Man pilgrimage... I did this five or six years back and it was amazing. We did it in a day which was cutting it fine, but the Galloway/Wigtownshire/Whithorn area is a beautiful place to go on holiday anyway. Pretty much untouched since the 19th century, let alone 1972. The pub where they sing Gently Johnny is EXACTLY the same. We couldn't do Willow's Song justice so we won't cover it. I think Lush and Doves have both done it, too.
Besides - yes it's a completely unofficial cd but I like the artwork! We're playing Moscow on Thursday (B2 Club, 11pm, maybe I should have mentioned this before) so I'll have to pick up a copy. And the Russians have made three Saint Etienne Anthologies, just like The Beatles. My mum will be so proud. As for The Emidisc Theme - we'll have to put this on a fan club cd, you're right.
Klang are a wonderful group and I'd love to say I produced their 45 but I didn't. The closest I got was financing their first (unreleased) single which Liam Watson produced at Toe Rag. Cilamc asks about my connections to Saint Mark - he was a friend of Tris Penna who ran It Records, a nice bloke from what I remember, looked a bit like the young David Bowie, but we never recorded/wrote together.
Sunnysaint, you may think we are obtuse with our single choices but hindsight is a wonderful gift. The only single that wasn't our choice was The Bad Photographer but we wanted to put out Goodnight Jack so what the hey! And Italianjob was wondering why the sound varies at different gigs. Well, when I'm doing the sound it's always brilliant, but y'know.
Japanese release for our next album? I hope so!
Will inform you of a release date for It's A Good Thing and Tales From Turnpike House as soon as we know.
love Bob xx
Live On A Hot December Night
December 30th ... Brighton tonight. Watch the Etienne attempt to tear the roof off after a fish supper. Concorde 2, on the beach, in case you fancy turning up. Magic Numbers supporting.
A couple of things before I jump on the bus. Chris McClaine wonders if we'll ever play in Argentina - it looked on the cards for January but seems to have fallen through. Babies, nannies, logistical nightmare. But fingers crossed. We'd love to go. I've always wanted to visit Fray Bentos. Also, repeats of Today's Special on Channel Four - these seem to get shown when they have a five minute gap in the schedule and we're as surprised as you all are. Oh, and we are fan club members 1, 2 and 3!
To everyone who can't make it to these shows, have a fun-packed New Years Eve. We'll be nearer to you in 2005.
love Bob xx
Our Michaelmas Term
Nearly there. We've been in rehearsals, as you'd expect. The line-up for NewYear is the same as last year's Christmas do, only with Young James replacing Little Barrie (now busy with his own band) on guitar. There will be a sprinkling of new songs and the odd surprise. Very odd surprise.
All of the album is finished except the first single - ain't that always the way? It just needs a little tweak. The title is It's A Good Thing and it's Sarah's first A side on her ownsome since Hug My Soul. Not sure about formats yet, that will be down to Sanctuary, but we've recorded about a dozen potential B sides so we'll try and fit on as many as the goddam BPI will let us. Release date is late March/early April. How does it sound? Super.
Well, I won't write any missives over the next few days so have a wonderful Christmas, and an even better Festivus. I think the Lovers Unite membership cards are quite beautiful - the singular work of our Paul Kelly - and I hope you'll agree. There will be a positive avalanche of new Saint Etienne music next year. Thanks for being so patient and supportive.
Sing and be glad! It's Xmas!
love Bob x
Fan Club Mailout
18 Dec 2004
Hello All - Just to let you know we've started mailing out fanclub packages - it's taking longer than we thought
so please be patient especially if you live overseas.
Q and A Corner
November 22nd 2004
What an odd evening. I've been waiting in for Brian Wilson to call, as you do. I was meant to be interviewing him about the Smile documentary being shown at the NFT on December 10th. I fussed around, making a new version of Smile for my own amusement, for several hours. Kept me out of the pub, anyway.
More significantly, The Concretes are playing at The Legion on Old Street on Thursday 25th. I'm DJing, suitably wintery sounds. If you want to see them a month before our New Year Hop, here's yr chance.
Why don't we print our lyrics? A few people have asked, so here's a quick explanation. We write words and music with artwork and sleevenotes and ads and live visuals and EVERYBODY sees/hears it in a different way. Just checking the Smile lyrics tonight, I was surprised to see the line is "Cabinessence timely hello" when I'd always thought it was "Cabinessence time we hallow". I sort of prefer my interpretation (sounds cosier) but I'm not going to argue with Van Dyke Parks.Basically, we give you the ingredients, you create your own interpretations, your own memories. I know some of you will think it's a cop out but it's the truth.
Album NEARLY finished. Give us another 10 days. Shall I let slip a couple of titles? Lightning Strikes Twice (quite witchy), Goodnight (a lullaby, of course), Sun In My Morning (throw back the curtains, Richard!). Oh, and Fascination probably won't be on it.
Now I'm off for some kip.
see you on December 31st,
love Bob xx
October 11th 2004
I tell you what, I'm rather tired. Our new album (no title yet) is going very well but since we've recorded 23 songs it's taking a rock'n'rollin' long time to mix. Hopefully you'll be pleased with the finished record.
A couple of DJ dates for me on the horizon... 31st of October in Dublin, don't know the venue (rank amateurism eh?), and the 5th of November at the Mond club in Barcelona. This means I'll miss the FA Trophy tie between Hendon and AFC Wimbledon and I won't bump into Adchelle on the terraces. It's a hard one to call, but seeing as AFC now have half of last season's Hendon first team it should be a good game! One more Hendon FC fact before I move on - that's the crowd at Claremont Road, Hendon at the very start of Finisterre (with some added World Cup atmosphere, because 250 people sounds more like 12 when you play the tape back).
How can I help you? Well yes, Adchelle, Fotostat was indeed a dramatic rework of The Bad Photographer. As for Your Head My Voice we've never asked Aphex Twin but we assumed it was Debsey's voice. There is an original version of Angel somewhere, not that dissimilar to the Way Out West mix, but better from what I remember of it.
Sarah info now - no Beau Wallace, all the vocals on Golden's Anglo American are by the group themselves. Bartieboy knows something I don't... how did you hear Miles Apart? Isn't it great? Well, it will come out at some point deffo, we'll give you plenty of notice.
Cover stars of yore... yes it's Ziggy from Grange Hill inside the He's On The Phone CD. Pete and Sarah once did a radio soap with him (playing themselves). Not sure where I was. The two gents on You Need A Mess Of Help are/were the proprietors of The Sea Breeze guest house in Brighton, they get a name check on the sleeve.
Dolly Mixture CD... well yes, don't I wish I had a spare box of them. For anyone thinking of forking out fifty, sixty, or seventy quid for one, DON'T! unless you really can't wait. I know they are going to release their whole back catalogue at some point, in the next year or so. As for our next CD, Jason Spaceman, there will be a single in January but we ain't got a clue what it will be just yet. We better hurry up and decide.
That's all for now, lovers
Bob xx
September 23rd 2004
So The Trip is out on monday. As you may have guessed the artwork is generic, nought to do with us. We're plugging it next wednesday on the Phil Jupitus breakfast show on BBC Radio 6. It's a digital thingy so everyone should be able to listen to me and Pete's early morning croaks.
As for Judy Don't You Worry, Sarah had started writing it when we were recording Sound Of Water, but it never got finished in time. So she whipped it into shape for Kelly's Locker a tad later.
I guess everyone would add or subtract a song or three from a single CD comp - Travel Edition is a mix of singles/our favourites/representative stuff which we could release in the US without any problems. Lover Plays The Bass will surface on CD sometime soon, but there were the usual legal complications (blahblahblah) which meant it couldn't be used. We did think of it.
As for Sarah's solo stuff, I'll ask her and report back! She's been a bit pre-occupied with a new baba and recording our new album. By the way, some nifty suggestions for album titles. Keep them coming!
love from Bob xx
September 14th 2004
I'm intrigued by Vlaovic's question about the Dr Who comp. We never knew this came out, but the cheeky sods did give out a CD at a Dr Who convention including There There My Brigadier. None of us got one (is this becoming a familiar story?), not even trusty sidekick Gerard johnson who is a bit of a Who-ophile. Bah! My Gran bumped into Tom Baker in the street in 1975 and got his autograph for me. I later gave it to Maureen Tucker whose kids were mammoth Dr Who fans. I wasn't complaining - I got a thankyou letter from Mo which meant as least as much to me.
One other query from 3d Tiger - dunno what Sarah thinks but me and Pete's pre St Et doodles are best left in the cupboard.
love Bob x
September 7th 2004
Hello everyone,
Well, our first piece of news is that The Trip is out on September 27th. It seems to be going down well at NME and Uncut. Tracks include Serge Gainsbourg - Cannabis, Dusty Springfield - I Start Counting, Bobby Hutton - Lend A Hand, Julie Covington - My Silks And Fine Arrays, Isley Brothers - My Love Is Your Love, and about 40 others. We think it's magic, mister. Thanks to saintola for sticking the entire track listing on the message board.
Now for some of yr notes and queries. Pet Shop Boys sample, young "somystified"... obviously we're on thin ice when it comes to acknowledging samples, but... I remember when we'd finished Fox Base alpha and gave a cassette (pre-CDR days) to that fine writer Jon Savage, who was a good friend of Neil Tennant's. She's The One, said Savvo, made Neil smile. Didn't say if he LIKED it of course! But he knew we'd have our minds blown by the mere idea of Neil T listening to our album.He was right.
An Xmas full length album suggests William 1975 - yus, we've thought about this before, it may well happen. But not this year.Too busy finishing our "proper" album and getting the NY event sorted.By the way, The Magic Numbers are MAGICAL.
Saint Etienne was a name me and Pete dreamt up at school aged 13 or 14, an imaginary group because neither of us had the patience to learn to play an instrument. Then, at the height of DIY in the early eighties, we hired a portastudio for a week, with a Korg MS 10 we'd saved up for, and created an unlistenable noise under the name The Lost Chapel Picnic (gawdelpus).Next, around 83/84, when we created our semi-famous 'party tapes', we chose the nom de guerre Reardon. The thinking here was that nobody from the UK would use the name because of Ray Reardon the aged snooker player, therefore the name would sound like an authentic NY electro artiste.THEN, (are you still awake?), we were The Next Projected Sound for our pisspoor 1988 attempt at acid house, mainly memorable for Richard Norris coming to the studio and lending us his 303. Finally we returned to the name we first used, thank God.
Trafalgar Square gig - we're working on it!
The Sub Pop comp you may have heard about is called Travel Edition. It'll be an 18 track single CD with 2 new songs, Primrose Hill (from the Finisterre film) and Fascination, a sample track from our next album proper. Sub Pop let us pick the songs and design the artwork - another Paul Kelly meisterwerk. When we have a release date we'll let you know. Should be this side of Xmas.
Yes Jason Spaceman, Brian Wilson's Smile shows blew my mind, and I guess it did the same to you and yours. Beautiful. Having lived with the bootlegs for years, it was incred how easy it was to stitch it together and make sense of it. It had been in Brian's head all that time. Very inspiring, which may give you a pointer to OUR next album! Subject-wise anyway.
Shock Corridor is one of Pete's lyrics and I wouldn't dare ask him, but the title is lifted from the film, very lynch/Frost imagery.
Western Wind we did first see as a Poem On The Underground, though it seems to turn up everywhere now. Tankerville was named after a road in Streatham, South London, en route to the old Catt place. Just round the corner from Lonesome, the most enigmatic postal address in Greater London.
Finisterre DVD, like we said, is unfortunately only partially in our grasp.The company who financed the film are looking to get a bit of money upfront and have a couple of potential licensing deals. We want to do it ourselves but need this lot to stump up a bit of money. It's frustrating but we'll get there, maybe next year I'm afraid.
Flute melodica and glockenspiel... are quite often real, in fact Ian Catt ALWAYS plays melodica, that's never a sample. Depends on which studio we're in, really.And what's lying around. At the moment there are lots of intriguing kids toys lying around the place.
Take care yous lot, and keep questioning,
love Bob xxx
Some more info, Aug 10th 2004
I Love To Paint cover comes from a postcard of the Hyde Park estate (now demolished) in Sheffield, given to us by Jarvis Cocker.
Finisterre DVD won't include Caff/ Today's Special as extras. We're saving them for a second DVD along with other short films we're working on.
Diferent Drum by the Stone Poneys is beautiful - we couldn't possibly improve on it so we won't try! But thanks for the suggestion.
The version of Barbara Mason's Yes I'm ready that you need is on the original Artic 45 or a Bear Family CD of her 60s albums.
Kodak music? Wasn't us, but we did do the music for a Euro 2004 preview programme on Eurosport. If you blinked, you missed it.
I think Brian Higgins has a bee in his bonnet about Cathy Dennis because (in my opinion) she nicked his style wholesale for Britney Spears' Toxic. He's a brilliant bloke, more pop-conscious than anyone I've ever met, and I guess he felt a bit cheated.
Me and Pete have another comp CD out soon called The Trip. It's part of a series - previous ones include Tim Love Lee and Tom Middleton (both highly recommended). More of a mix CD than Mario's Cafe. Sorry to burden yr wallets and purses again but we're sure you'll love it!
Finally Vlaovic, don't let the bastards grind you down! Everyone should feel free to say what they want and it makes a change to hear from someone who prefers us Good Humor onwards. Lovers - love each other!
love Bob xx
New Year's Eve Bash!
Let's face it, New Year has been rubbish recently - well not any more. We have conjured
up the perfect way to see in 2005. Tickets are on sale now on the above numbers and website - or click http://www.gigsandtours.com/index.asp?link=saint+etienne&site=se
