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?

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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?

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 ?

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!

The Beloved on the cover of Melody Maker, 27th January 1990

The Beloved on the cover of Melody Maker, 27th January 1990. Photo by Tom Sheehan.

So the big news today came from this link where IPC announced plans to revive the Melody Maker name with a comprehensive online archive of the magazine.

I’ve joined the good folks over at the WSC forum in expressing my cynicism that it’s anything more than just hot air. I’d love to see it happen but won’t be holding my breath.

And relax…

David Stubbs interviews The Butthole Surfers, 2nd April 1988

David Stubbs interviews The Butthole Surfers, 2nd April 1988. Photos by Andy Catlin.

You can either read this for the outrageous Stubbsianisms that pepper this interview, cf. “Plunging in at the anus and excavating, tunnelling a giant point of exit at the sockets, they are one part giant surge of flesh, one part holy revelation.” or for Gibby’s quotes, which ironically, sound a lot like Stubbs alter-ego to be – “Hue and what? Fuck me…Humourless and Cry [more like!]”

Either way it’s worth reading.  And if you’ve never heard of the Butthole Surfers then why not track down Locust Abortion Technician or Hairway to Steven