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IS THIS THE BLUES I'M SINGING?

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS ADAMS, AUTHOR OF TURQUOISE DAYS: THE WEIRD WORLD OF ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
by Daniel Nester

As editor of La Petite Zine as well as the editor of his book, I thought it might be interesting to revisit my experience with Chris Adams, author of the definititve biography of Echo & the Bunnymen, Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen.

I say "experience," because, before I met Chris, I didn't realize someone could be so obsessed with a band. And that's saying a lot: I have been obsessed with the rock band Queen since I was 12 years old, and thought I had the rock obsession thing down. With Chris, I realized I had a long time to go.

So for months, while we edited his books, he and I went over the words of the band -- the book is, largely, an oral history with historical analyses -- Talmud-style. We debated the band's place in rock history. Heady stuff to talk about in the case of Echo & the Bunnymen, I had thought. I mean, this is one of those bands, I always thought, one of the cassettes you had to have in your glove compartment at the ready if you wanted to kiss new wave girls.

How wrong I was. Oh, how wrong. On with the show.

When people approach you and make fun of Echo & the Bunnymen, one of your life's obsessions, what do you say to them?

I level them with my patented "death's head" stare, then break into their room (at their mom's house, in the suburbs), burn their Kansas and Journey box sets, and shred their kiddie porn. I like to think of it as a public service.

Are British people inherently cooler than Americans?

Absolutely not. Except in Liverpool. But Liverpool's not English. It's its own separate planet. Planet Scouse.

But England is general, it's weird. Great chocolate (their Kit-Kats and Flakes), great beer. Great soccer/football. But the tobacco is awful. Even the Marlboros. And a piece of soggy lettuce on a sandwich does not qualify as "salad." A fact lost on the cats who write the menus in London.

When and where was the first time you physically touched a Bunnyman?

I was hanging out with Martin and Charlie Sheen at the Playboy Mansion, swigging tequila and consuming powdered inhablables off the mammoth chestal regions of scantily-clad/unclad young woman. Hef sauntered up, be-piped and bathrobed, and sneered "Hey Adams, that's my WIFE you're besmirching with your wanton, lascivious acts!" I casually replied "You wanna piece of me, old man?" and popped him square in the jaw before he could respond. He went down like a sack of shit. Good times, good times...

[I ask for a serious answer.]

Honestly, what was the Bunnymen's highest point, when you could say, "There -- that's when they were the greatest band in the world." And secondly, where can you say, "There -- that's when the Bunnymen were their most disappointing, musically or interpersonally."

I think live, the Bunnymen might have peaked around '83 or '84. Those shows had a certain element of...almost religion about them. It was stunning, just jaw-droppingly amazing. But, in terms of albums, I've gotta say that my personal favorite is 1999's What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? It's a timeless, gorgeous suite of songs, perfectly executed. Amazing lyrics. But, as far as Bunnymen fans go, I think I'm in a minority regarding this.

At their worst? '87--"the grey album." The album cover was gray, the songwriting was gray, the production was gray, the tour was...not so much gray, but pretty bland. They were pretty uninspired and predictable--they'd phoned it in...collect. That said, "The Game" is an excellent song. And "Rollercoaster" is a killer rocker. But I don't think anyone was surprised when they broke up shortly after that record came out.

If you were to appear onstage during a Bunnymen concert, which member would you be, which tour, and which song?

I suppose I'd be Christ, the new, jaw-droppingly talentless member. Which tour? The next one. Which song? Their as-yet unrecorded medley of "Gimme Shelter/Gods Will Be Gods/Fly Me To The Moon/Walk On the Wild Side." See that guy with the Vox Phantom that isn't plugged in, looking clueless? That's me.

Have you ever masturbated to Echo & the Bunnymen and, if so, what song(s)? Shagged? Have you ever had sex to Echo & the Bunnymen and, if so, what song(s)?

I'm afraid I've never learned how to masturbate. But I understand you're a Queen fan, Mr. Nester, so I suspect you've spend an inordinate amount of time pursuing that activity. Got any tips? Shagged? Absolutely. To the entire box set [ed. note: Crystal Days, the 1999 box set that covers the band's entire career]. It went round the carousel three times.

Why do you think Echo & the Bunnymen are obsessed with Television's Marquee Moon album? I fail to hear any similarities in the bands.

Really? I hear similarities--I think Will Sergeant's leads are often similar to those of Tom Verlaine. And I think the Bunnymen were inspired by the way Television meshed guitar sounds, and went off on tangents, within the context of well-written songs. The Bunnymen did a version of "Friction" that's just great. I would love to hear 'em do "Marquee Moon", the song, and Tom Verlaine's "Kingdom Come" or "Five Miles of You." By the way, for the record, I think Verlaine's first solo album in twice as good as Television's "Adventure."

Whatever happened to whatshisname, the lead singer of Echo & the Bunnymen Mach II, from the years the Bunnymen carried on without Ian McCulloch?

I think he's a teacher, like a substitute teacher. Kind of like a substitute frontman, but with chalk and tweed instead of a mic and guitar. Met him once, though, and he was a nice enough guy.

People have started to cover Echo songs, yes? Which artist would you love to hear cover an Echo song?

Yeah, there's been quite a few Echo covers over the years. Mostly ultra-underground indie stuff, but a few of the notables are Pavement's "Killing Moon," Hole's "Do It Clean," The God Machine's "Zimbo"--which is massive and devastating--and Coldplay's "Lips Like Sugar." And The Flaming Lips did a great medley of "All That Jazz/Happy Death Men." Oh, and Velocity Girl did a cute, sweet version of "Seven Seas." And I think Oasis did "Rescue" as well. I would've loved to have heard Sinatra tackle "Ocean Rain" but it's a bit too late for that, obviously. But I'd love to hear Leonard Cohen do "Nothing Lasts Forever." And I think the Vines could pull off a Bunnymen cover. Maybe even The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, if they could stretch themselves outta their self-created "We love The Stooges and The Mary Chain" little formula. But I think, when I've heard other groups or artists cover the Bunnymen, it doesn't generally work. They might hit the notes or whatever, but the essential magic is almost always missing. And that's the most important thing, I think.

One last question: Is this the blues I'm singing?

It's actually closer to suburban ska-funk, with...is that a hint of dub production on the bassline? Swank.