Sisters of Mercy - SUB-LINE in Oct. 1993

From: USO <SGR@FRCU.EUN.EG>
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 1994 09:13:47 +0000 (O)

Of course my translation is not perfect. Actually I've had two translation problems:

... three years for an album. And I don't like to hurry things up, first because I'm not motivated to produce music like a worker on an assembly line and secondly because the LP has to be good for ...

It's a German figure of speech:Musik am Band fabrizieren .. It has an english equivalent but i just can't remember it.

Then there was "Bandmaschine" which I translated as "trackmachine". (You'll find it in the question about Depeche Mode). I really don't have any idea what that is, it's propably some kind of sequencer, mixer or anything in that direction.

Also the comment, that Andrew only cares about the first three rows in concert shocked me. I am sure he did not mean this, but failed to express himselfe correctly.

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Parts of a Sisters Interview done by the German Magazine,
SUB-LINE in Oct. 1993 with Andrew in Hamburg.

Translated by: Osama Salah Ghazy (SGR@FRCU.EUN.EG)

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Subline: We and your fans were surprised that you released something like a second "Best of..."

Andrew: This is not a "Best of..". "Some Girls Wander by Mistake", that were `babyphotos'. The new album is a "Greatest Hits"-compilation but definitely not a "Best of..". A "Best of.." contains really only the best of an artist or a band. "A Slight Case of Overbombing" is only a compilation of the singles. There I see a big difference.

Subline: "A Slight Case.." is subtitled Volume One. So, when can we count on Volume Two to be released? Maybe in a year or so?

Andrew: In about 10 years. I intend to write until then a series of hits; but twelve hits in a year would be a little difficult. Volume One means also that I don't intended to stop as an musician in the scene, which many people expect me to do. I've been called dead many times, so I thought by calling the album Volume One, there would be no doubt that I still have many plans.

Subline: With the new album you didn't present new material apart from `Under The Gun'. The last studio-recording `Vision Thing' is now also three years old..

Andrew: ...that's not a long time for me...

Subline: ..but maybe for your fans...

Andrew: ... they are used to wait. The band existed since 1984, the first LP wasn't released until 1987 the last 1990. So, I need about three years for an album. And I don't like to hurry things up, first because I'm not motivated to produce music like a worker on an assembly line and secondly because the LP has to be good for me. I do only want to release a LP when I am 100% sure that all songs on it are good, and if this is not the case I prefer to keep silent. Also it is very important for me to have a private life. When I release yearly a new album and go on tour frequently then this is not possible.

Subline: This is what distinguishes you from 90% of the other bands in the scene.

Andrew: This is exactly what dilutes the talent. I don't understand from where this pressure comes in those musicians that produce music this way. I don't feel this pressure.

Subline: Do you see yourself as an perfectionist considering music.

Andrew: Yes, but this does not mean that everything I do is perfect. Sometimes perfectionism can be a mistake. It kills the spontaneity.

Subline: In the credits of the only new song "Under the Gun" you name two

unknown persons. Who are `Hughes' and `Seeman'?

Andrew: `Hughes' is a man and `Seeman' a woman. They both are songwriters and wrote ten years ago a song called `Two Worlds Apart'. With out my contribution `Under The Gun' is `Two Worlds Apart'. I've practically taken over the song from them.

Subline: Can `Under The Gun' be considered something like a coverversion?

Andrew: No, the word `coverversion' has a legal meaning. I've re-written the song, made it a little longer there and a little shorter there and I've given it a new end. The original was published ten years ago in Japan, but it's almost unknown.

Subline: Since we are talking about songs, how do the Sisters-Songs get done?

Andrew: I won't tell you, this is my secret.

Subline: OK, we respect that. You've said there are many other important things in your live despite to make a new album. What are those things?

Andrew: Life, a completely normal life, phoning, shopping, reading newspapers and so on. I've made my drivers license abut a year ago. Now I can spontaneously drive to other countries and cities. When I feel like it I drive to Amsterdam. And in the last time I've done that often..

Subline: Why Amsterdam?

Andrew: It is a totally gay city. I like being there, I've also been often to England, to Leeds of course. I've still there a lot of friends which finally respect that I try to make something out of my life. It can annoy people who only sit around and smoke drugs, when they see someone of them showing initiative and being active.

Subline: You've done recently a concert with Depeche Mode?

Andrew: Yes, there was one in England and one in Belgium. There were about 60 to 70 thousand fans. Depeche Mode had two 24 track digital trackmachines and a light show worth over one million DM. But their show was weak. We've tried to make much power and noise.

Subline: How was the reaction of the Depeche Mode fans?

Andrew: I don't know, because at the front were of course our fans. When I play a gig I do it only for the first three rows, what happens behind that doesn't interest me at all.

Subline: How would you personally chracterize "Under The Gun". It isn't a typical Sisters-Song, more a Pop-song.

Andrew: "Under The Gun" is Jennifer Rush with an Uzi.