AMSTERDAM �97 INTERVIEW (Andy Bell & Vince Clarke speak at a Dutch Radio Station) Interviewer :In the studio Andy Bell and Vince Clarke from Erasure, Hi there ! V-AB � Hello ! I-Hello, welcome to the studio. Oh, we just played a track by Abba. How much is Erasure influenced by disco music ? AB-I must put disco music�Vince ? I-Can you please come� closer to the mike ? VC-I don�t know, that one is your favourite ? ? ? of it� AB-You don�t know it ?�hmm, well we do like doing dance songs, and we do like doing, ah, play energy�and disco divas songs. There�s one in the new album called � I-especially the high nrg, or ? AB-Yeah, called Don�t say your love is killing me, I think may be the next, ah, single and we�s, we�ve find it, fancied ourselves as, hm Whitney Houston doing the song. But, hm, we don�t always go for it, though. It�s like, ah, I think, hm, we find it easier writing ballads, slow songs. I-Really ? AB-Yeah, I-Oh VC-It`s cause we�re older AB-It�s difficult, it�s difficult VC- Because we�re older and maturer and wiser. I-Yeah. But you�re obviously Abba fans which resulted a few years ago in the Abba EP.Do you think you were the ones who started that whole ABBA revival ? AB- I think we just got the crest of the wave, really. VC-And we happened to be at the right, doing the right thing at the right time. I mean it was never meant as a, anything strictly serious when we, recorded it, you know, it was all done in the spirit of fun. I-Yeah, but it was a really brilliant, VC-Thank you I-Especially the songs, the videos, yeah. Was it fun to impersonate Agnetha and Frida ? AB-Yeah, it was really good VC- We�ll ah, we do all that usually, you know, on the weekend, that�s how we dress normally, so� for us it was just a normal day. AB- No, he looked better. I think he looked better I-But it wasn�t the first time you were dressed up like women� AB-No, Vince, tell them, go on, tell them.. VC-Secrets, eh ? AB- How long, how long has that been going on � VC- All over years and years I-Ooh, ooh�You�ve been working together for more than 11 years now. Ah, you had a lot of chart success, especially in England. Do you consider yourselves a co.. a commercial band ? Because you still have a record deal with the independent Mute� VC- I think that we are hm, a pop band, you know, we write pop songs, and we don�t, I don�t think we pretend to be anything over than� I-Yeah VC-�writing pop music, it�s that we�re into, I mean, we�re into the songs that are 3 and a half minutes long I-But you don�t like labelling� VC- Well, you know, it�s hm, �I think as long as nobody considers us serious, I think that that would be a terrible label to, throw on us. I-Yeah. But the music of Erasure is very accessible, so I can imagine it�s very hard to convince the self-called serious music lover� VC-Oh, but it�s, hm, you know, it�s� that�s true, I mean, especially ? ? ? and, I mean in Holland in particular, it�s been a problem for us, but, hm� You know when we play shows in the UK for instance, our audience�s really mixed, you know, you get a lot of, families coming to our gigs, as you would for a family entertainment I-Your success is really huge in Europe� VC-Well, it�s, it�s�.it�s, it�s kind of a mixed, it�s a mixed up bag, you know, it�s not , we don�t have a trendy audience, or a cool audience. I-Hm, hm VC-I think we�ve an audience that�s just there for a good time. I-But you were never that succesful here in Holland� VC-No, never I-How come ? VC-We must be useless.(laughs) AB- No, I�I�I think we cut in between somewhere here. It�s, that, people sort of don�t understand , I think they hm, think, maybe because we use synthethisers� I-Yeah AB�-that we�re not musicians. I-It�s a typical, hm british, or ? AB-Hm, I don�t know, it�s� VC- I mean, we�re not really, we�re not really musicians, I mean the thing is we pretend it, and we pretend everything, and hm, I thought that maybe you�d invent something that sorts us out AB-Yeah, they�ll now it before it�d be out, you see. I-But there�s ? ? ? because the audience here has the same problems with bands like Pet Shop Boys� AB-Yeah VC-Ah, that's good. That's alright, then. (laughs) I-OK. Andy I heard a rumour, that you enjoyed the night life in Amsterdam. Is thast true or? AB-I did. I-I d...You did? AB-No, we were on...Vince was here a couple of years ago I-Right AB...and he stayed at an apartment, so we were over all the time, and I was going out all the time, you know. VC-It's a nice nightlife here, it's very easy. I-But is it different where you..? VC-I mean, it's different from London, you know. So, I think, hm, the nice thing here is that there's not really an at..., you don't get attitudes, you know you don't get attitudes in...clubs, and bars, it's hm, everybody's out there just for a nice time. I-Yeah.Is this your first gig over here in Holland? VC-This is actually our third gig. I-But you haven't been... VC-But we haven't been here for years, though. The last time we played here, we played at the Paradis, I think. And then before that we played the Milkveg, ..and played to the bar staff AB-It's very nerve-racking I-Hm-hm. After turn you're gonna make your greatest hits for us. What are your personal favourites? VC-Hm, I think that, tonight's...I really love the new single, my band member'll say that, In my arms AB- And I like A little respect I-A little respect, and the new single In my arms.Er, on the b-side of the twelfth inch of In my arms you cover the Blondie song Rapture...why? It's a remarkable choice, I thought. VC-Yeah, we had like a, we were offered, there's a record company, London records in the UK were gonna do a comp, er, like a tribute album so they offered loads of bands to... AB-US, London-US, it was. VC-Was it London-US? AB-Yeah VC-They asked loads of bands to do Blondie tracks, and that's how we thought we would go for it. But unfortunately that album never happened, so we thought we would, hm, stick it as a b-side. AB-I saw her, Debbie Harry, when she was playing with the Dress Passengers, and, hm, did she know anything about it? I-But, will it be in the new album? AB-No it�s not in the album VC-No, not the album, it�s just on the � AB-It�s eleven original tracks in the album I-When can we expect the new album ? AB- March 24th I-March 24th, alright. Well, it�s been nice talking to you VC- And to you AB- Thank you very much I-��� ? ( says goodbye in dutch) |
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