| John Griffiths of Llwybr Llaethog Glitter interview, winter 1998 g: Tell us a little about the band! j: Llwybr Llaethog formed in 1984 after I'd visited New York and seen people spinning on their heads and scratching records in a club called the Roxy. The original idea was just to do a Welsh rap... g: Where did you get the name from? j: We found the name at the back of a dictionary and thought "Oh great, no one will be able to say that!" g: What are your influences? j: 70's dub reggae: King Tubby, Keith Hudson, Jammy's. Hip Hop: 80's style stuff with lots of scratching. Samples: Cold Cut, LL Cool J, etc. Indian and African music such as Bhangra, Indian film music. Heavy Metal: Mot�rhead, Black Sabath (old school). Classical music: Dvorak, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. Pop: Wham!, Jacques Brel, The Fall, Vanessa Paradis, Killing Joke, Tricky, Scott Walker, F.S.O.L, Patsy Cline, etc. g: Is it true that you had the first rap in Welsh? j: Yes, but someone would've probably got round to it eventually. The lyrics are tongue in cheek macho stuff, self mocking. It's on our first release Dull Di-drais EP on Anhrefn Records. g: Is image important? j: Probably definately but it's never been our strong point. g: Is there such a thing as a Welsh scene? j: You tell me, you're the experts! g: Is there a difference between North and South Wales, music wise? j: People in North Wales tend to think South Walian people aren't proper Welsh, because most can't speak Welsh and the ones that do "can't speak it properly". People in South Wales tend to think that North Walians are bearded rednecks who are stuck in a timewarp, determined to force the world to speak Welsh. g: Is the Welsh assembly a good thing? j: Any decentralisation of power must be good, but it remains to be seen who'll end up in charge. g: Who do you regard as cool? j: Helen Mirren and Eric Cantona. g: What makes you happy? j: I am happy when I'm able to offer nice food and drink to my friends and when my feet are not cold. I am happy in the night with someone to cuddle, my head full of thoughts of a wonderful day tomorrow. I am happy to receive letters from faraway places, showing interest in the music we have made. I am happy when we are performing or recording. I am happy when I have someone to love who loves me too. I am happy when I'm not depressed. I am happy when kissed. As a band we are happy when we get a new record out and when strangers are kind to us or when people enjoy our gigs or buy and enjoy our records. g: What do you dream about? j: I dream about women, sex, war, flying, climbing, falling, running, people and places I know. Mountains feature a lot, as do rivers. I grew up in North Wales where there are many mountains and rivers. g: Who did you look up to as a child? j: Anyone who was taller than me! Dennis Law, footballer for Scotland and Manchester United, and Keith Moon. g: Name three records that changed your life! j: King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown by Augustus Pablo. God Save the Queen by Sex Pistols and One For the Treble by Davy DMX. g: Have you ever been involved in the making of a fanzine? j: Yes, Llmych, an 80's Welsh fanzine. Llwybr Llaethog are: John Griffiths and Kevs Ford, plus a variety of singers, musicians, poets, comedians whom they recruit to contribute to different songs. Owain Wright from Rheinallt H. Rowlands and Dyfrig Evans from Topper have recently done songs with them, as have Dave from Datblygu. Our favourite Llwybr Llaethog track is Fydd Y Cwhyldro Ddim Ar Y Teledu, Gyfaill, 'cos it's ace! (c) Glitter Fanzine 1998 |
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