This interview occurred over email with Michael Guarrine, lead singer of Chicago outfit Assembly Line People Program, the first signings to Graham from Blur's Transcopic record label.
Thanks to him, Charles, David and Ted of the band and also Niamh from Transcopic for helping to arrange the interview.

How long have Assembly Line People Program been together?

3 years.

How would you describe yourselves and the sort of music you play? What's the ALPP philosophy?

We push all our music to the edge - it is something that is in complete revison all the time. We border on the line of perfectionists, but in the creative sense, music is about being creative and that is what we push to the limit all the time. This is not necessarily "punk" music: there is more to it. The idea of being pigeonholed is quite bothersome. You need tolisten a few times to truly understand

How did you come to be Transcopic's first signing?

Graham really likes our music, he started a label and the rest is history. I have also been friends with him for quite a while.

What's it like being in a band with three brothers? Do they ever gang up on you?

It is not that bad, there are times when they do but you have to realize that they are the best of friends and have been that way most of their lives. They are a tight unit so acceptance is a bit strange, but when it comes to the band I am really the glue that holds them together. The outside opinion, which they respest on every level (if they admit it or not) - without me nothing would get done :)

What's the Chicago music scene like? Do you feel part of it, or outside it?

Basically we are right in the middle of it, there are a lot of camps that are set up through labels etc. But our focus is the music, we support the bands around us but we are not caught up in being part of a scene. There are not enough good bands right now to have a scene, you run into the problem of what is good music and what you are going to see because it is something that your friend is in. There are a lot of young bands that are coming up and they will mature into great bands. This takes time, and that is why we say we are right in the middle of it. Chicago is a very fragmented city, but one of the most creative. This is our home and we love it.

Who would you cite as your major influences?

Trenchmouth, Gang Of Four, James Chance And The Contortions, Jaks, 60's soul, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, early 90's Dischord stuff.

If you were in a room with Saddam Hussein, Bill Clinton, Marilyn Manson, a Spice Girl, Liam Gallagher, the drummer from Hanson, a gun and one bullet - who would you use it on? Anyone else that gets your back up particularly?

Michael, Charles, David - "kill ourselves". Ted-"who the fuck cares!" (thanks Ted - HeadCleaner)

Would you rather ALPP became incredibly successful for a short time then split up, or stayed underground producing music for years?

Does being underground mean that you are unsuccessful?

Sex, drugs or rock n roll?

Rock and roll.

What do you think of the internet? A valuable mechanism to let the underground communicate easier, or a geek-club for people with no friends?

The internet is an information tool and should be used wisely, like the telephone etc. If the ONLY WAY that you can make friends is electronically then you have some serious problems.

Finally, what are ALPP's plans for the next year?

Tour U.S.A., UK, Europe, maybe Japan and make the second album.