MEAN RED SPIDERS
WAVELENGTH #32
SEPTEMBER 17th - 11PM
I
thought their funky jam space seemed as good a place as any to sit down with
the band and see where their heads were at. So after a couple of joints were
passed around the room we got down to the task at hand.
— Rob Boak
Can you listen to Starsandsons or are you all currently taking a break from
it?
Adam: I listened to it this morning. I could listen to it every day, I feel
it’s important to because it keeps me believing so strongly in our art.
Minesh: I’m currently taking a break from it.
Dave: I heard it at a party not too long ago but I’m definitely taking a
break. Although we practice the songs every week so it’s hard to be totally
free from it.
“Secret” is a beautiful and hypnotic song. Who made the video and what’s it
about?
Greg: Alastair MacLeod, the old bassist from Neck, is a film student and he
really wanted to make a video for us. We enjoy getting our artist friends
involved with the Spiders so we thought it was a good opportunity to work
together.
Lisa: Basically Alastair was travelling in Europe and brought along a Super
8mm camera, so the video is images from his trip. We’re very pleased with
how it turned out.
Dave: There’s a great juxtaposition to it because the song is so slow while
the images are changing quite rapidly.
(History ed. note: “Secret” was originally performed by Magic Lamp, featuring
Greg and Adam along with Neck’s Dave Rodgers and former A Tuesday Weld
vocalist Elisabeth Kurtis. And Alastair can now be found strumming and
screaming in Folk Festival Massacre.)
Who do you feel is making interesting music these days?
The Beta Band, Mogwai, Neck, Do Make Say Think, Massive Attack, Southpacific,
Kid Sniper.
What is the biggest difference between your first release and Starsandsons?
Greg: Starsandsons is definitely a full band effort while our first, Places
You Call Home, was recorded over a long period of time, so this new one is
truer to what the band is all about.
Minesh: We were a hell of a lot more emotional about this record.
Lisa: There were some fistfights but the police weren’t involved.
Greg: Plus everyone in the band is smoking drugs again so there’s more of a
consistency on this record. (Everyone bursts out laughing.)
Finish this sentence: “Happiness is…”
Adam: Right now.
Greg: I’d agree with that, we’re pretty Zen right now.
Rob Boak is the bassist in Interstellar.