Happy Mondays on the cover of Melody Maker, 31 March 1990

Happy Mondays on the cover of Melody Maker, 31 March 1990. Photo by Tom Sheehan.

Someone asked for more Madchester stuff so brace yerself for Shaun & Bez at their peak. Besides I never need much of an excuse to scan in Ride interviews. How young does Andy Bell look in this pic?

Ian Gittins interviews The Wedding Present, 22nd April 1989

Can’t believe we’ve made it to nearly 2 years of AMP without any Wedding Present so far. I’m sure Mr. Agreeable will have savaged Gedge and co. for the Ukrainian folk concept album. Nobody really liked it did they?

Steve Sutherland interviews Swans, 22nd April 1989

Steve Sutherland interviews Swans, 22nd April 1989. Photos by Tom Sheehan

Everett True reviews the singles of the week, 22nd April 1989

Interestingly ET signs off with “one of these days I’m gonna emigrate over there” in his review of New Zealand band Straightjacket Fits. Well he’s not quite there but he is in Brisbane and that’s enough to impress me. So well done to ET for displaying such vaulting predeterminism in his review but however good it sounded I can’t believe it’s better than The Cure’s Lullaby, one of their finest ever singles and I’m no great Cure fan. Anyone got a copy of Life in One Chord? Thought not.

Swans on the cover of Melody Maker, 22nd April 1989

Swans on the cover of Melody Maker, 22nd April 1989. Photo by Tom Sheehan.

This issue in response to a reader request. In case you didn’t know Michael Gira has recently announced their reformation. Read more here

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=124862190&blogId=526344640

Chris Roberts interviews Jane’s Addiction, 21st January 1989

Perry Farrell = Peripheral ?

The Stud Brother review Fade Out by Loop, 21st January 1989

Simon Reynolds reviews Hunkpapa by Throwing Muses, 21st January 1989

This was one of the many records I lost at college by innocently agreeing to lend it to ‘a friend’ never to see it again. Truth be told I didn’t much like it and probably bought it as much for the Vaughan Oliver sleeve as the music. And I don’t know why but the title of this record is always Hunkapapa in my head, I guess it just flows from the tongue better.

Government anti-drugs advertisement, 21st January 1989

Of all of the big social ‘issues’ I was aware of back in the 80’s the only two that I really remember affecting me that much were the impending nuclear war with Russia and heroin.

Back in the 80’s heroin was bad. It was worse than bad – it was evil, pernicious and addictive. In fact, it was so addictive that if you so much as wrote the word ‘Heroin’ down you’d start stealing money from your Mum’s purse to buy your next fix and before you knew it you’d be dabbing the brick dust on the floor of the school toilets. But that fear, that mystery, brought with it the sort mystique which made doing heroin kinda sexy as this famous press ad proves. I mean look at that the eyeliner he’s got on…so sad, so fragile, so fucking cool.

I still remember that ad and although I don’t specifically remember this one above, I’m sure there’s a strong collective memory within my generation of this very orchestrated fear campaign. I don’t know what the legacy of these ads is. I’m not a stranger to casual drug use but I’ve never taken heroin, never injected and know very few people that have. Is that an indication of their success or merely proof that I was middle class and scared easily?

These days you Talk to Frank of course, a campaign that has probably indelibly affected today’s teenage generation as deeply as the 80’s heroin campaign did to mine. The difference between now and then being that nowadays teenagers are warned off the full spectrum of drugs and not specifically heroin. Is crack the new heroin? Is meth the new Crack? Is heroin still the same scourge on society as it was 20-30 years ago? Probably, but it feels like it’s just part of the mix now rather that the embodiment of evil it once was.

Remember kids – just say no!

Perry Farrell on the cover of Melody Maker, 21st January 1989

Perry Farrell on the cover of Melody Maker, 21st January 1989. Photo by Joe Dilworth

I just never got Jane’s Addiction. I really tried with Ritual de lo Habitual but it just didn’t click.

But then there was a time in L.A. around 2000, when, hopelessly stoned and locked away in the 4×4 for my own good, Perry Farrell spoke to me. Sang to me. Communed with me. However long it lasted I can only compare it to a religious experience. And then I sobered up and the music sounded shit again. Drugs eh? Who needs em?