The following interview took place with "Big" David and "Wee" David from
Magicdrive over email on Thursday 16th July 1998. Thanks to them and
to their manager Dave Stewart for making it happen.
Two of these men are "Wee" David and "Big" David HeadCleaner: Tell us a little bit about Magicdrive - how did you get together? How would you describe the kind of music you play? Is there a Magicdrive manifesto? Are you in it for love or money? Wee David: Magicdrive came into existence to make the kind of music that we wanted to hear, that we just weren't hearing anywhere. Concise, melodic, entertaining, intelligent, interesting, futuristic, energetic and not just some fashion statement. We were fed up of hearing wannabe-famous journalists replicating their record collections (have you heard my cover of "Pretty Vacant"? - HeadCleaner). We will never be self-indulgent and we will never repeat ourselves. We will never repeat ourselves. Big David: See "Wee" David's answer. H: Who would you say were your main influences? Conversely, who would make you run away screaming, clutching at your ears in horror? WD: We all have very different iffluences, so I couldn't say anything specific. However, we are all united in our hatred of Paul Weller, Oasis, The Verve, Cast, or any other plodding collection of idiots that cannot see any further than The Beatles. BD: I am influenced by any bands that rock or interest me in other ways. Conversely, I run away screaming from bands that do nothing but whine about how shit their life is: I DON'T CARE MAN!!! H: Do you feel part of any scene, or an affinity with other bands such as Silver Sun or A, for instance? Or do you feel part of some big Scottish band vibe at all WD: We only really feel an affinity for other bands who try to push the envelope - Mogwai, Athletico Strip, Tiger & Cornelius. I haven't heard any other Scottish bands that I liked to be honest. BD: Although we are Scottish we are not really like any other Scottish bands but I wish them all good luck, unless.. see answer to last question! H: What's the most embarrassing record in the Magicdrive collection? Come on, don't be shy... WD: "Paul Weller": 'Sunflower' (Me and Jeff) BD: "Ned's Atomic Dustbin": album. H: Do you think that British music is dead? What are your opinions on recent views on that subject? WD: It's not dead, it's only sleeping. Major labels have signed too many bands. This is the hangover from Britpop, as there was after punk and New Romantic. People get bored eventually and all the soundalike bands will flounder. Ironically a lot of great music will be ignored by journalists as they scramble desperatly to name the next scene. But the underground will grow again, and rightly so. BD: The only decent pop music comes from Britain or the US (Apart from "The Cardigans" & "Cornelius") so if British music is dead then we are all in big trouble! H: Who would the members (alive or dead) of your all-time fantasy supergroup be? WD: John Bonham (Led Zep) on Drums, Elvis Costello on guitar & vocals, Robert Fripp (King Crimson) on guitar & Keyboards and Chris Squire (Yes) on bass guitar & backing vocals. BD: Vocals: Snoop Doggy Dog & Liam Gallacher, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix & Graham Coxon, Bass: Duff 'Rose' McKagan, Drums: John Bonham and Keyboards: Money Mark. H: What's the most surreal thing yet to happen to the band? WD: Getting signed! BD: Likewise! Any advice for bands out there just starting out? On a related note, anything about the band's past you'd go back and change now? WD: Try harder. Treat the music industry with the contempt it deserves. Be cocky. Only do what you want to do. Yes, I wouldn't have put out "On The Soft", it was too throw-away and flippant. I think it gave a lot of folk the wrong idea. (I don't mean the fans, I mean journalists and the like.) BD: Yes and No. H: Who would play the members of Magicdrive in a Hollywood movie of the band? WD: Wee David: Tim Roth, Big David: Woody Harelson, Jeff: Dustin Hoffman, Jane: Gugneth Pottrow (She wishes!) Kate: Leslie Ash. BD : Likewise! H: Thanks for your time and patience in answering the above questions. Finally, a chance to plug away for all your worth - what are Magicdrive's plans for the future? WD: An album a year for the next decade. To open the Scottish parliment. A film-noir project. Jane's country album. To never move to London (Just to piss them off!). Not to speak to the "indie" press, just to fanzines and newspapers. To keep getting better! Thank you, Wee David XX BD: Likewise! |