Hi Steve! On Midge Ure’s album “Little Orphans” he made 2 tracks “Get A Life” and “Cry” with you, Richard Barbieri and Mick Karn. Do you have any memories from these recordings? Also waiting patiently for the upcoming work with the swedish Charlie Storm and Thomas Steiner. Thanx for the great music!

We only spent a couple of days together at Midge’s home studio recording these tracks and at the time they remained ‘unfinished’, as far as I recall.

A bit of trivia on the subject of early collaborations: At the end of ’79 (after finishing the ‘Quiet Life’ album and performing in Toronto) myself and Mick (Karn) recorded 4 or 5 track demos for our old school friend Jack (Jak Airport) from the band X-ray Specs, who had recently disbanded. I don’t think anything came of these demos. I believe Richard (Barbieri) also contributed some keyboard parts. Sadly Jack passed away in 2004.

(Polaroid taken around ’77 in Brockley with Jack in the middle)

 

Hi Steve! Just wondering if you have any memories of playing in Toronto, Canada back in 1979. I do recall you had a cool photo of the Toronto Island Airport for sale, called ‘Pilot’. It must have been somewhat overwhelming touring North America when you were just in your early twenties/late teens? Can you recall the impressions left, especially with regard to fans and the music industry, from touring at such a young age?

It was rather a long time ago and such a brief trip, not a tour. Since I recently had occasion to look at some old journals I found the following:

05.11.79 – STARTED REHEARSING DAILY FOR CANADIAN SHOW

12.11.79 – RECORDED BACKING TRACK FOR LIFE IN TOKYO (AIR/PUNTER)
13.11.79 – RECORDED BACKING TRACKS FOR COM. CHINA & SUB. BERLIN (AIR/PUNTER)
14.11.79 – RECORDED BACKING TRACK FOR EUROPEAN SUN (AIR/PUNTER) – FOLLOWED BY REHEARSAL
18.11.79 – FINAL REHEARSAL – RAN THROUGH SET 3 TIMES
19.11 79 – DRESS REHEARSAL AT ‘VENUE’ (NOT SPECIFIED) – EVENING STANDARD PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTO SESSION IN FOYER
22.11.79 – FLEW TO TORONTO VIA NEW YORK  – DELAYED BY FOG
23.11.79 – INTERVIEWS / PRESS – EVENING PARTY AT THE DOMINION – TV CREW RECORDED INTERVIEW
24.11.79 – DAY OF CONCERT – TWO PERFORMANCES 7.30 & 9.30
25.11.79 – DEPARTED TORONTO NIGHT FLIGHT TO PARIS (VIA MONTREAL)  – DUE TO STRIKES NO FLIGHT CONNECTION – SPENT THE DAY IN PARIS

Live in Toronto (I think)

In transit and in Paris. I believe we managed to see the Polanski film ‘Tess’ that day.

Hi Steve. Hope you are well. A few things… Do you tire of people asking you questions about Japan? (Apologies for asking this, because there’s one or two coming up…) And, as someone who schlepped up to every early gig that I could, the first couple of albums had a profound effect on me musically and I continue to listen to them regularly. When was the last time you listened to AS and OA? Also, while I’m aware there’s some dislike of these albums in band circles, do you not carry a small debt of gratitude to them? That without AS and OA, there wouldn’t have been the rest of the catalogue? Cheers Paul

Gratitude in the sense that the studio recording learning curve began with them, you have to start somewhere … but musically they were somewhat premature in our lives as musicians and many of the tracks lack focus, taking a stab at various different musical influences with no real follow through. There are a few tracks which shine through as an indication of where we were heading but the majority are more a case of wanting to sound like a band that can play their instruments rather than creating something with any depth, which was down to our age and wanting to prove ourselves, as well as inexperience, (although I can understand why some people would enjoy them for that very reason, but it’s subjective). I also feel that the production was wrong, should have been more edgy, because our influences at the time were more in line with American punk, and at that age had we teamed up with the right kind of producer steering the recordings with a bit more imagination then perhaps something better might have emerged. I’ve not listened to them for many, many years but it’s not something you forget.

London 1978 (photo by Günther Rakete)

 

Hi Steve, being a drummer myself, I’ve always felt really amazed by your drumming, your unique beats and rhythmic constructions for songs. Have you ever practised on a regular basis? Any favourite drum books? And any posture problems due to playing drums, ever? Lots of respect and admiration here. Your drumming has always inspired me. Best regards, all the way from Brazil. Edu

Thanks very much for the compliment.  I used to play virtually every day when I first started out, not so much practicing drums as such, more playing within the band and coming up with patterns. I didn’t have access to any drum books so it was a case of listening or watching and figuring out how things were done. I guess I compromised on technique by jumping straight into things in that way and then adapted my abilities accordingly. I don’t think I’ve had any posture issues due to drumming, (perhaps I would have had I not started using drum stools with back support), but I never had great posture to begin with.

In rehearsals 2001 (photo by I. Chavez)

As of right now, Japan is coming back among young age groups. Do you ever get recognized for being in Japan? and do you like being recognized from Japan, or would you rather be recognized for your other musical work?

If you mean literally being recognised then no, it’s awkward, but it doesn’t usually happen because the 300 remaining old JAPAN fans are frail and partially sighted now and the younger age groups are too busy looking online to notice a real human.

Hi Steve. As an avid collector of your work , both music, and photography, i wonder , do you collect anything obsessively ? Is the `collecting`of your own personal ephemera (scarves, hats, old instruments etc …) a source of bemusement or something you can understand , assuming you collect yourself ? Kind regards Craig x

I’m not the collecting type, I accumulate rather than collect but will jettison en mass. I’d say space is more important to me than possessions.

Tender Extinction is a very beautiful album and has been the soundtrack of my life for the last few months. I really enjoyed the fact you decided to sing on it. I read you didn’t particularly agree that you had an interesting voice but I know a lot of people who do and to me it adds something to the album, making it more personal maybe. It definitely adds to the collection of vocal textures the album represents. I wondered if you had taken photos of the album sessions? It would be interesting to see the different vocalists in action. Assuming there were such things as sessions or did these collaborations happen via email whereby you’d send them the finished instrumental parts and they would add their own contribution separately? I’m also very grateful that you invited Perry Blake to appear on Her Distance. All the Best, R.

Thanks for letting me know you enjoy ‘Tender Extincton’, it’s very much appreciated. The entire album was made virtually by exchanging audio files so I’ve no photographs of work in progress. I think it’s a great method for musicians and vocalists to take their time to attain the performances they’re happy with, provided they have the facilitates to self-record, and it’s easy to go back and fourth so you don’t have to go with the initial ideas. I haven’t met Perry since we worked together in the early 2000’s, I’ve not met Nicola since we worked together on her Mandalay project some 30 years ago, and I’ve never met Melentini. Thomas and Tim I meet more frequently but not during the recording of ‘Tender Extinction’. That might seem odd to some but I think a lot of us like working this way.