The fuckable-lipped Tim Burgess has headed up The Charlatans for 12 years, good time and bad. But mostly bad, what with the band going through death, imprisonment, depression, fraud, and now testicular cancer. And yet the now happily married Tim still manages to be one of the most charismatic guys on the...erm, alternative scene. Just don't say indie.
So you live in LA now? How's that?
It's all things. I live in Hollywood, and it can be pretty scummy actually. But I like that. You never feel like a freak in Hollywood, 'cause there are so many other freaks. And I consider myself a freak. Me and Michelle go to Crazy Girls, the strip joint. We went in, and the first person we saw was Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees! And we played this place called Vinyl just to freak out regular Charlatans fans 'cause it's a fetish place.
Are you the grand-daddy of indie now?
I hope not. 'Cause I don't feel like I've ever been indie.
Did you ever think you'd be here 12 years later?
No. You try not to think too far ahead anyway really, but every time we make a record there seems to be some sort of obstacle in your personal life to get over.
Gay boys go on about your blow-job lips...
Really? That's a compliment, isn't it? Fantastic.
Have they ever been used for that purpose?
Have I ever given a boy a blow-job? No I haven't.
I like the way you're apologetic about it.
Yeah, I mean. I think boys can look hot if they've got a good haircut and good jeans, but I haven't tried it yet.
Why did you get married?
I just thought it would be really fun, and we wanted a load of presents.
" We need a new ironing board ''
We haven't got an ironing board. Great tip: do it on the corner of the bed. I just don't like the idea of getting a board out.
Is it as wild as it used to be?
Are we as wild? I don't know. Everyone thinks we're still crazy.
Did you sup from the groupie cup?
I didn't, no. I don't like things that are just offered. I enjoy watching my friends get into it, but if my friends are married and I see them making out with someone I'll pull them off.
You're the moral guardian?
I don't condemn it, because I think people can do what the fuck they want, but I am quite moralistic.
It must be hard when you start out young and you have all that pussy thrown at you...
It's like being in a bubble. But I was always a bit slow on that front. You'd meet people and think they were just coming up for a conversation and then they'd start taking their clothes off, and I'd be like 'Eh, come on, put your clothes on.'
Were you just moralistic about groupie sex or is it sex in general?
I'm just protective of myself I think. The band's the most important thing for me, and I don't want to destroy myself. But I have fallen for people and I've been burnt and I guess I've fucked people over as well. What goes around comes around. But I think I'm a pretty good person who's got beliefs and thinks about other people. Unless they're evil or they're fools.
What have been the lows over the years?
When no?one buys the records. The worst was the second album. The first one went to number one and the second one went to 2I. And because the band has always meant so much to me, I felt that if I die right now I wouldn't give a fuck. I felt like my world had crashed. When the second record came out there was complete hatred towards the band. Still can't work out if we deserved it or not.
As lead singer, do the others give you a hard time for hogging the limelight?
Do you ever see Behind The Music [VH I music biog show]? They want the lead singer, don't they? And there are the others going, 'I couldn't understand why Debbie Harry got more attention than the rest of us' and it's like, 'You fool!' There's always a level of who's going to be in charge today, and if you want to stay at the top, you have to keep your shit together.
So they're all having a much better time than you?
Yeah, 'cause I have to keep my shit together. I like to party hard and I love meeting new people and going out, but when it comes to doing interviews, I never fuck up on it. I never don't turn up because I'm drunk somewhere.
Do you get more money than them?
No.
But you're the only one who could go solo, so you can hold that over them.
Yeah. Well, I'm not. Everyone could work.
Do you use your sexiness for marketing purposes?
I used to enjoy it. But the thing is - and I must have felt insecure about it - I used to pretend I wasn't into it, but really I was. So I had to learn how I felt.
There's that picture of you leaning back over a car with you stomach showing.
I love that picture. The shirt came up... and if Madonna can do it, I can do it.
Wasn't 'Music' the inspiration for the album?
Technically. I like the song, but we compared our drum sounds to see if they could equal hers. I think Madonna is absolute strength. I think everyone's frightened of her, and I quite like that. I just think of her as an icon. I think I might have a bit of a crush on her.