C: Question number 7, we're about halfway there.
D: There is no way this is question 7. We were on question 6 about an
hour ago!
C: I'm missing out questions and changing the order! I've done
question 7 so I can miss it out. What influences you in choosing your
singles from the albums?
J: It used to be what we thought would be the best single. But then
it got to the stage where it would be what the record company thought
would be the best single. And now there is no influence at all. We
leave it up to the record company.
C: Are you optimistic about A Happy Pocket?
J: Success wise? No.
P: I used to be. And then I wasn't. But yes I am. Very.
D: Not in Britain.
C: In America?
D: Maybe.
C: In Japan?
D: Maybe, aye.
P: I'm very optimistic about it happening all over the world. It'll
take a while. A sleeper. Once the album comes out in Britain people
will say it's not just Twisted and Bent and How Can I Apply?
C: I hope that is the case. I would like to be extremely optimistic
about it but it's difficult to be optimistic with the success of the
singles and the general media response.
J: We've had too many kicks in the teeth to be optimistic about it.
P: It's tradition. I've been optimistic about every album we've ever
brought out and we've always been kicked in the teeth. Why should
this one be any different?
C: This B-side album you mentioned to me ages ago and you were adamant
it was going to come out but I've heard that it's not really. Is
there any chance that it will emerge?
J: There is a chance. When this was first spoken about it was to do
with an A&R man who we had that worked at Go! Discs and it was his
idea. And we agreed with it. But he has since left and we've got a
new A&R man and I don't think it will happen now.
C: Is your new A&R man not so much behind you then?
J: It's not that. The A&R man that we had has followed us through.
He was the guy that signed us. And he's left now. That's seven years
he'd been with us. There's another guy come on board and he doesn't
really know the history of us. He doesn't know the fanaticism of the
people that like us.
P: It's a great idea.
J: It is a great idea and we will push it. Whether it will happen is
out of our hands.
P: I think it will.
J: Aye, but we really have to push because it is something the record
company would have to pay for it and do off their own back.
P: The idea was that it was going to be free. So that's not obviously
going to happen. And the thing is if they're going to charge money
for it, they're going to lose a fortune! (Laughs) Nobody wants our
A-sides, never mind the B-sides!
C: You are one of the few bands I can honestly say that your B-sides
are almost as good as your A-sides.
J: That's good. They should always be good.
C: One of my favourite songs is the B-side to, what's it called ...
[Must be the effects of the alcohol since Calum has started to forget
song titles!] It was one of your first ones ...
P: Circling the Circumference? My Mistake?
J: It's got Che Guevara in it. What's that called again?
P: (Singing) Who's He
C: I only got that last month so it's really new stuff to me. I
really love that song, it's great.
J: Nice tune.
C: It's going way back for you so you probably don't like it any more.
P: Do you know January's Little Joke? Do you know the bit that goes
(sings a series of notes)? That's Who's He. (Sings a bit of Who's
He) It's the same. I hadn't thought about that until I heard Who's
He recently.
J: I don't mind people liking that song but don't expect us to play
it.
C: No, I wouldn't ever. But you've never played Circling the
Circumference and I've always asked for it.
J: We used to.
C: How do you find being in a pop group as a full-time job? How do
you rate that? Are you happy with it?
J: The phrase pop group doesn't sit very well with me. Band instead.
It's lived up to all my expectations and all my fears. It's what we
do, it's what I do. It's what I do best. I'm good at it. We're good
at the music. We're good live. We are a good band. Financially it's
been a bit of a disappointment, but that's life.
C: Out of interest, how do you get paid? Is it a weekly wage or do
you get a lump sum when you do an album?
J: We've arranged it so that we get a monthly wage. But it's not a
very healthy wage. We haven't really sold many records so we can't
argue. The record company do back us up. It's boring talking about
all that shit.
C: The last group of questions are all about best, favourite, worst
sort of thing.
J: They're probably the most entertaining questions.
C: Do you have any links in the music industry?
J: I've met enough people that like us. Lloyd Cole watched us most
nights we played. Paddy McAloon was into us. We met Justine from
Elastica and gave her a tape. People do seem to like us but they seem
to be embarrassed to talk about us because we're not very cool.
Anyone that we've come across that we quite liked has liked us.
C: Have you had any collaborations with other artists, or would you
like to in the future?
J: We had the chance to work with the Blue Nile.
C: WOW!
J: Basically we didn't have anything to work with. We wanted to write
with Paul Buchanan and he was up for it and we didn't have anything at
the time to do stuff with.
C: When was this?
J: Just last year. He's a friend of a friend and we asked if he'd be
interested in doing something with us and he said yes. And we were
quite surprised when he said yes and we didn't have anything to work
with. So we didn't do it.
C: That's very interesting.
P: That is very interesting.
C: Would you get back together with him if you got the chance?
J: The thing was we asked if he would be interested and when he said
yes we then asked ourselves what were going to do. I said I didn't
want to do a version of something blah, blah The offer is still open.
But when it came down to it I couldn't think of anything that we
could possibly say "We've got this..." We're a bit individual. I
can't really imagine many people working with us - we're very
individual in our tastes.
C: Go with the Blue Nile!
J: Well you know people say that blah blah. Our manager thought it
was a great idea but the basic thing is we are the way we are and the
only reason we are any good is because of the way we are and to try
and work with someone else is a strange thing to try and think of.
Our style of music and our style of lyrics is just a bit different.
It's hard to try and think of someone else getting involved.
D: But then again it might be quite easy. It depends. It's just a
daft kind of thing. I would say that we have more chance of doing
something with Shaggy than we have with anyone else. I bet that could
happen. That is my prediction. We'll do something with Shaggy.
P: That is a great idea Davey!
J: Frank is a huge Shaggy fan. Every single.
P: Shaggy has got a voice and a half!
C: You'll turn into Mr Boombastic then?
J: That is a magic record. It is a stunning record.
D: Everyone one of us, we're all quite groovy. We know about slow
dance rhythms. Like the slow seventies rock music that Paul likes.
It's the same thing. Safecracker goes about that speed. I'm talking
bpms here. A slow lovers' rock band.
J: That's what we are, a lovers' rock band.
C: What is your favourite song?
J: I've got two or three that are my favourites. You Made Me Feel.
Earlies. One At A Time. Safecracker. I'm The One Who Fainted.
P: You Made Me Feel. January's Little Joke. The Main Attraction.
Outside.
D: Recorded songs I like My Mistake. Playing songs live I like the
more intense ones. A lot of things the Trash Can Sinatras have done
are quite strong and quite forceful. I like that vibe about life. I
like the intensity of things. I like a wee bit of violence - as long
as it's not directed at me. As long as going the other way, we're
giving it out. There's a lot of things about the Trash Can Sinatras
that very few people pick up on. And some people have noticed: "Aye,
you're very intense". Playing live we reach that sometimes and it's
magic.
C: Have you got to the stage where you can say a song yet?
D: A song? There's loads. It depends.
J: Say a song.
P: You're not going to get it.
D: There's too many. There's too many bits of things. I'll give you
one. I've Seen Everything when we do it live and if Frank's in the
mood for doing it right then it's good. And I like that. And me and
Frank like that.
C: Now favourite B-sides. Although My Mistake is a B-side.
D: That's my favourite song.
C: I won't bother with Davey again because he waffles on for so long!
P: Save Me.
J: One of my favourite other B-sides is a cover version we did called
Tonight You Belong To Me. I think that's a really nice song.
C: Have you ever done it live?
J: We played it once and we recorded it. It took us so long to get it
together, to work it out and to play it that way that we played it
once and we recorded it and that's it. We'll never play it again.
But it's great. It was a lovely moment.
C: What is the official release date for A Happy Pocket here?
J: As of today, it is 29 August.
C: And in America, do you know?
J: I believe it is simultaneous.
C: Do you have any plans to release a video of your videos?
J: We do have plans. The record company don't have plans. We make
our own videos. There's little Super 8 films we've made for a lot of
our songs that people have never seen, that have never been broadcast.
They've been broadcast on a programme in Ireland which is the only
place that has ever shown them. There's about four or five Super 8
videos that we've made off our own back.
P: Some amazing stuff!
J: Really Good.
C: Do you think there will ever be an official Trash Cans video?
J: What we want to do is build up so much stuff. We're constantly
making these films. We're in the process of finishing some just now.
And we're hoping to make eight or nine of these - not just new songs
but old songs too - and then hopefully we'll be able to bring out a
video which will have the videos we've made for TV, these Super 8
videos plus some live stuff. A big chunky wholesome video with a lot
of stuff on it. Right now there are no plans but we're on the case.
We've got a lot of stuff that people have never seen and somehow we'd
like it to come out. The only way I can imagine it coming out is on a
format that people can buy because I don't imagine it will get shown
on TV.
C: What is the proudest moment of being in the group and what is the
worst or most embarrassing moment?
S: This is a Smash Hits question!
J: There's been a few really proud moments.
P: First time ever I recorded Frank in the studio singing Obscurity
Knocks.
C: And worst moments?
All: That gig in Falkirk. [I was there and can testify to this!]
At this point the tape finished but Calum told me that Davey passed on the facts that he used to be in the under 16 Scotland football squad and that Frank is great at golf and snooker.
Back to my TCS page