Interviews:

THE CHARLATANS 09/01 EXPRESS MAGAZINE

The band that refuses to lie down and be beaten are back! Throw whatever you like at them, and they'll dodge it and come back stronger. With a top new album about to come out, we catch up with them and they're tellin' stories of the Charlies in Wonderland.
Tim Burgess is sitting on the floor watching TV, excitable as a sugar crazed toddler waiting for the Teletubbies to start. But it's not the adventures of Tinky Winky and his chums that's on screen. Martin Blunt, Charlatans bassist leans over. "This is Tony's (Rogers) film that he made. It's the last time we were in America. Look, you see the 'Hollywood' letters? He's doctored it to says 'Middlewich'" Express is sitting on the pool table within the Charlatans Big Mushroom recording studio deep in the heart of Cheshire. Tim has now moved on from the home movie and is enthusing about the video for new single 'Love Is The Key'. Mark Collins is having his picture taken in the corner, Jon Brookes is milling about somewhere and Tony "isn't here today" everybody tells us. [Note: A couple of days after this interview it emerged that Tony had been diagnosed with a strain of cancer. All at Express wish him the best.] Meanwhile, Prince is having a shower in full view of all, donned in a pair of skimpy black pants, near a crucifix. Oh sorry, that's just a poster.

We are here to celebrate the release of the Charlies new album 'Wonderland' and, to be honest, it's just a bit good. From the aforementioned single (which contains - shock horror - female vocals), to the shuffling Dylan-esque 'A Man Needs To Be Told' (except Express doesn't ever recall Bob using drum and bass beats at the end of a track); and from the almost Chems-like genius of 'Belle and the Butterfly', to the hybrid of Kravitz-y rawk and British guitar pop that is 'Judas', it's a blinder. Although unmistakably the Charlatans, it's different to everything else they've made. And Tim, it has emerged, is the owner of the highest voice in pop. In fact, if it were any higher, only canines could hear the lyrics.

Was 'Wonderland' a good one to make? Martin: 'It's been great to make, it's got a kind of urgency about it. We started last August over in LA with Danny Saber (famed producer) who'd been wanting to work with us for ages, and we felt it was about time we got some new input. The last four albums had been self-produced, so it was about time. We stayed there for a month, and it kick-started if off very well". You've used a lot of things on this album that we've never heard from you before - the female vocals…? "It was always something that was in the back of our minds that we would have female backing vocals. It's with them being right in the middle of the chorus, but nothing was being held precious by anyone. It was 'Yeah, do it!'".

Do you think this album will be more accepted by the public as it's not as big a leap from 'Us And Us Only' to this, as it was from "Tellin' Stories' to 'Us And Us Only'? "Well I really like 'Us And Us Only', I liked a lot of what Tim was singing about, there's a more solemnness about it. With this, I think it's more about getting back to the beats and pumping it up. There's some really good RnB tracks on this album!". What about 'Belle and the Butterfly'? It seems like it's the Charlatans doing a remix of one of their own tracks! 'Everybody seemed to love that one when it was originally coming together. We were going around saying that it was our progressive house tune. Finally, after twelve years the Charlatans made an acid house record!". Will there be any remixes of the tracks on the album? "There was one by So Solid Crew. That was, er, (long pause) interesting, but we think it's already there. I think it'll be sampled a lot though. Will we be doing anything under a pseudonym? Yeah, yeah, that's gonna be happening actually (grins broadly). And no, I can't elaborate any more on that…!".

The Charlatans are pop music's equivalent of Weebles. They wobble but they don't fall down. Through members leaving, depression, members being detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, death, embezzlement of £3000,000 from them by a shonky accountant and the lead singer living on the other side of the planet, they've always kept the faith and managed to stay strong. Would they have developed in the same way had Rob Collins still been alive? 'I think we'd all be aboard the Oblivion Express. We'd probably all be in the middle of the North Sea on an oil rig! The Charlatans have always been a five piece band and when Tony came he slotted in brilliantly. He's a fully fledge card carrying member of the group, and it's worked out really well." And have you got an accountant you can trust these days? "[laughs] Yeah, this one doesn't stutter when he's telling lies!" What about Tim living in America, does that make it difficult for you? "Well, no. I mean, when we started two fifths of the band were living in the Manchester area, and the rest were from the Black Country. Whether we were there, or here or Tim was in London where he lived for a while, it didn't matter. If anything, when we met up we'd be like 'What's happening in London? What you listening to?', and it gave us a nice eclectic feel.".

The Charlatans. Loved by all, but not drowned in a sea of hysteria and hype. However two things have happened which would undoubtedly put them in pop culture's top bracket. 1) 'Then' is being used as the menu music on 'Grandstand', something to which Martin can only say 'Wow!" and 2) rubbing shoulders with top stars: "We were in Hull on the Tellin' Stories tour, in the hotel after the gig. And in walks Joe Longthorne! We had a great night with him. He was sitting around the piano, doing Shirley Bassey impressions and singing. We kept changing the lyrics - had a cracking time. Hey, that's show business!".

Indeed it is.

Joel Young