Interview With Hugh Reed Of The Velvet Underpants

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi Hugh, how are you doing? Hi, no bad. Right. We're experiencing technical difficulties. I'm trying to add my sure, no problem.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Is it just you or is it are there two of you?

SPEAKER_00 0:14

There's meant to be two of us. Um so I think I think we're talking across purposes. He's on Zoom and I'm on Teams, so I'm just trying to quickly add him. A few moments later.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

I'm going to see John.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Five minutes later. He doesn't turn up, we'll we'll we'll we'll be fine.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Um I well well, hopefully it can do in. So so you enjoyed the Springsteen. I saw that film, the Springsteen film myself.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

What did you think of it?

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Well, if I'm honest with you, I hate to say this, I was slightly disappointed because I've read the Springsteen book, which I enjoyed. And um, you know, I thought it was going to be the story of his life, you know, a bit one of those sort of biogue films, you know. I suppose it was trying to do something different, you know. And of course it was concentrating on the the album, you know. I think it's because I was expecting to see sort of, I don't know, something a bit different. So it was it was I mean, I I wouldn't say that I disliked it, but I I think I was a wee bit confused actually, because I suppose you know there's so many standard bio picks, you know, so you you're sort of thinking it's gonna be yeah, that's kind of why I liked it though, is because you do get used to it's always the starts with the the kind of childhood and uh yeah um whereas this was quite focused, it was just like on a it's pretty niche though. My sister's actually a really big Bruce Springsteen fan, so I went to see it with her, and she she really enjoyed it. Um uh because I think she usually I know much more about music things than than her, but you know, Springsteen is sort of her favorite artist, so she she actually knows her Springsteen, you know, thinking, oh, when are we going to see the rest of the band and stuff like that? Like it didn't feature other band members, no.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Um, and I think as well that they it's like they did that a bit at the beginning, just so he could he could get like the rock, the rock for Springsteen. Um but I think that's like that's kind of um like the actual album. Like they were trying to make it like a rock record, and that just got released fairly recently. The the the electric Nebraska is terrible. It's like yeah, it's almost like these three bands. I think maybe because he went away and did on his own, they were, I don't know, like reading between the lines a little bit. Oh, that's his thing, and felt left out and didn't find it in a wee bit because it doesn't sound like he obviously knows what he's doing, of course, and that's what he wanted to do, you know, a more acoustic sort of um sort of laid back album.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

I think because I've I read in the book, you know, when he was doing Born to Run, he became obsessive, you know. He just um he was never happy with it, you know.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah, I think he's got like in the river as well, like he would like would never know when it says something's finished.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Yeah, you know, like so. I think he was reacting against that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

But it's interesting. Have you ever heard of a like that that weird duo suicide?

SPEAKER_01 3:47

Oh, yeah, I saw so I've seen suicide twice in concert.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Henry's a big suicide fan, it's weird.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yeah, well, I saw I saw I saw that in the um in the movie Suicide Eye, but I remember again I saw Suicide at Apollo support in the clash, and they more or less got booed off. But my pal and I, well, my pal actually had the album, so we we sort of knew it and we enjoyed it, and then it was at the CCA, and it was about 15 years ago, and they got kind of the same reaction, you know. But but they were a good band, you know, they were innovative, you know.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yeah, what was the one about Johnny Tear? Johnny Johnny Teardop.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Yeah, Johnny Teardrop, you know, it's it's generally disturbing, you know, if you listen to it on headphones.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

And you can see Nebraska's actually quite disturbing. Um it's dark. And how what's the recording that you're you're doing here?

SPEAKER_01 4:44

You've heard is this being recorded by the way? Is it or is this what we're yeah? So um, but you know, there's the the label last night from Glasgow. You know, a lot of people are on that label recently, like the Bluebells, China Crisis, a lot of different bands, and um, so our album is going to come out with them. Um, I'm calling the album Savage Hospitality, because I was reading it was a book and it was letters that Rabbi Burns had written, and he spoke about the savage hospitality of the Scots, which means you know you have to go and get really drunk and have a hangover, you know. And I thought some things don't change. Um, so I thought that was it. That's why I'm calling the album Savage Hospitality. So I'm just it's just taking a while, you know. Just like when I say it's taking a while, it's taking about a year and a half, two years. You know, it's just hard to get. I've got about eight or nine songs, I've just got another four or five songs, you know, to record. So so just working on them. And I I'm doing one or two on Butte. See at weekends. My my main house is on Butte, so at weekends I head back to Butte.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

And is that opposite? Do you go to Lar? Is that from Largs to Butte?

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Uh Weams Bay.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Now you go there.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Weems Bay. You go to Weems Bay and then you take the boat, takes about 40 minutes to Rossi.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

So I I saw your document, like some of your YouTube um wee dogs are really good.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Yeah, well, just yeah yeah, that's right. Um, I just it during lockdown when I was on the island, you couldn't go off the island for three months. That's when I started making Hue Reeds Beautiful, you know. So I enjoyed that, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

And who was it that did the like, and I think I'd missed it before when I was looking at your YouTube, but it's that three-part little dock, it's it's really good because it like it gives you a good, it's got all your kind of cool videos and TV appearances and a little narrative between it.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

That was a DVD that came out about um 97-98. Um my friend edited it, we called it Carry On Up the Underpants, you know. So so and so um I've put it up in four parts to YouTube, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Yes, because that's it's it's pretty entertaining, like like the Ken Livingston.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 7:33

You ever seen that weird thing where Bobby Gillespie's on the Andrew O'Neill deal thing?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Yeah, and they're trying to dance like Michael Portello, and you could just see that he was so oh, it was the political class, you know. He just obviously had disdain for them, you know.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

I think he was going on, yeah, like they were all just squaffing champagne and stuff, yeah, it's what he said afterwards, you know.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

That's true, yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

So when you're doing the live shows now, will there be quite a lot of the the new material?

SPEAKER_01 8:06

But as I say, you know, some of them it's songs like Glasgow Girls, Turnet's Tea Cakes, you know, because it the band, um you you know, they haven't been out on a CD yet.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Yeah, the videos are good for those, aren't they?

SPEAKER_01 8:20

I well, I mean I mean, I made the videos myself and edited them myself, you know. A lot of them are tried and tested favourites. You'll know you've seen the band a few times. Um but but but um there is there is new songs that we've got a song um Jamaica Street. It's a wee bit like Sesame Street, I must say, but it's it's can you can you tell me how to get can you tell me how to get to Jamaica Street? We've still to get that recorded. We'll be playing that this Sunday, you know, at the um at the Clutha vaults.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

So I'm quite interested. I've never been to the Clutha, so that was like a wee bit of the appeal as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

I I've always like is wanted to have a very guthrie appeared at the Clutha. Wow. Yeah, because it's a very old folk bar, you know. Um I've got a crossroads from the Scotia, of course. And um and um it it's a well Billy Conley used to appear there quite regularly, you know, like in the 60s. But but they say that um and the the Clutha says it, so I believe it. Apparently, you know, Woody Guthrie's boat um was stopped in the Clyde. He definitely spent a night or two in Glasgow, and so the they say that they they're that he wanted along to the Scotia and the Clutha and did a few songs, but of course he wasn't famous or anything, you know.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

And he but and it's got like a socialist reputation as well. Like Clutha's like a kind of socialist hangout, so it would make sense, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Like it definitely where he would end, and of course, um very unfortunately there was a terrible tragedy that happened, you know. Yeah, so but but it's no, it's it's always been a good bar. In fact, they've made it bigger now, you know. It used to be, I would say, almost exclusively a folk bar, but now it's uh it's a bit bigger so it can accommodate bands. Yeah, you you you do live in Perth, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Yeah, yeah. So it's the the the the Tams is um where I think I've seen, in fact, is it just the Tams I've seen? I'm trying to think of seeing you anywhere else. Quite fancy going to that place in Paisley, because I've got family in Paisley, and uh what's the place you play there? That's quite good.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Well, we often play the bungalow bar in Paisley. But but well well, the bungalow bar, it's smooth location, but it's a very historic, you know. Glasgow in the late 70s banned punk rock, famously banned punk rock, The Stranglers, Elvis Costello, the Revillos. Many people played the the old bungalow bar, um and um because they couldn't play Glasgow, so it's it's got quite a history. And was that was that a noise thing, or was it uh I mean but what happened was you know punk rock came out, and I mean I'm older than you, of course, and that's so I vaguely remember it, and then counselors went to see the Stranglers play. I think it was at the city halls or something, and there was a riot. So the the councillors decided that punk rock was banned from from Glasgow. It was round about the same time they banned The Life of Brian, you know, the the film The Life of Brian.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

So moral kind of panic.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Yeah, the yeah, yeah, you know, those those moral clip counselors that never take any bribes to build motorways through the city centre and stuff, you know, you know, those moral guardians. Clip redacted due to Collins' mundane anecdote.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

I think your gig, I'm trying to think what that gig I first went to, what year it was, but that was kind of like among like my friends went to it was quite kind of legendary because you used you would get like I would just I loved lighting music, so I just go wherever was there. Yeah. And um, I just remember, like I think it was Doc who did first, and you had a a really long do you used to have a really long mic cable and you'd run out into the public. Yes. Um and I think I might have been quite drunk because like I remember saying the last time you had a uh did you disco dancing um like little person, and you're like I saw him on that video just a short guy.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

There was a guy called back, we called him the Red Road Rapper, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

I remember telling everyone, I was like, 'There was a disco dancing little person, and there was like um and the quick change stuff was um was really good.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

But one of the last times we played, I think you were there, there was a a guy get thrown out. Did you see that?

SPEAKER_00 13:13

I I I was looking for the video. I had that video up on something, and for yeah, it it's disappeared. Do you find I was gonna ask you that?

SPEAKER_01 13:21

Do you find it like you did a review of it or something? Yeah, it was quite funny.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

That was hilarious, though.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Because he was actually I think the the the security didn't handle it very well because he was fine until they started.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Well, he he had something to do with he was he was there to see the support of other bands, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:42

You know, it was a good crowd, actually.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

They they brought a lot of um yeah, they they were quite twin towns, I think they were called, were quite a crazy band.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Yeah. But I think I think when you do your kind of crazy stuff, I think some do you find sometimes when folk are drunk they get a bit uninhibited too.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Well but but what I find is it does trigger the nutters. It triggers the nutters, you know what I mean? Yeah, um I I know you you you you do get um surprising reactions and stuff at times, you know. Yeah, and uh I mean I do it as an act, but I think some people think well they think that I'm a crazy nutter, and then the crazy nutter reacts. He thinks, right, I'm gonna get that crazy nutter, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Well, do you know? I heard them speaking of the the bouncers, and they're like, look, look, you need to kind of you know I can't remember if he was he was like dancing and elbowing people and you know, just generally just knocking people over. He's like, Look at that guy, and he's when you pull like big boxes. So in his head, he's like, like, no, but he's in the band. Like, that's that's the he's on stage, you're not on stage, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Well, another thing about the Twitams is one of the last times I was there, this girl came up to me. I mean, maybe you even know her, and she wanted a photo of me, and she was wearing the toilet seat round her head.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

That's I've got that picture.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah, and then it was because her mother, one of very unfortunately, her mother died. Um one what one of the her favorite photos of her mother is her mother after I put a toilet seat on her mother's head. You know what I mean? So she wanted something to commemorate that.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

It's weird though, that well, when I came before you guys went on stage, I went in the towns and everything was just setting up before the support came on. A really drunk girl came up and she's like, I found this. And I think someone's broken it off. And and she she thought someone had like peed on the toilet seat and left it in the corner. She handed it in behind her bar.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Well, see, see what actually happened was I'm up, I'm on stage and I can't find my toilet seat, right? And then this the girl came up to me and said she wanted her photo taken with the toilet seat. I go, I don't know what's happened to my toilet seat. She goes on. Then after the gig was finished, Barstaff came up to me and said, Is this something to do with you? And then gave me the toilet seat because somebody had handed the toilet seat in.

SPEAKER_00 16:26

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

You know, I've been I've I've got a there's a picture of you, me, and that that I you you took the photo of me with this girl who wanted the photo with the toilet seat, you know.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

That's a nice thing, though, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 16:39

It's like uh it's nice, it is nice.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

Uh I've yeah, and it kind of feels like it could be a good like family show. I'd quite like to bring my brother. I've got a brother with autism, and I think he'd love like the the the show.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

I must say, you know, and I'm pleased about this. Kid kids like the band, you know. I look like but we play Belladrum and um there's a stage that we play, and um and it it's great, you know. We put this will be the fourth year in a row we play it, but you know, it's like we play it at three in the afternoon, and and I think the the the guy who puts us on he really likes us playing because because nowadays it's it's families are going to festivals, you know. So so so I get the kids with the water pistol and all that stuff, you know. And so I think it's quite good, you know, that the kids like it. I mean, I see a lot of bands that don't put on a show, like Colonel Mustard, you know, he puts on a show, you know, and that that that I think that works really well.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

I think John, who still hasn't figured out okay, he sends his apologies, by the way. But I think he's mentioned um he's got a pal who knows some guys from Colonel Mustard. And how did you get like see something I've always wasn't sure? Like, I didn't ask you the last time, because like whether you actually were a fan of Lou Reed.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Well, absolutely definitely a fan of Lou Reed.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

So I think maybe you're just called Hugh Reed.

SPEAKER_01 18:19

But well, people used to say, you know, are you a tribute band? I used to always say, no, we're an insult to Lou Reed, but um no, see how the band going way back how it started was it was a 60s psychedelic band, and I used to have four televisions on stage, and I had projections going on behind me, and a saucer, you know, dropping oil, my pal was dropping oil. So it started as a a kind of a 60s tribute band doing quite a lot of Velvet Underground songs. But no, I've I saw I've seen Lou Reed in concert, and then I saw the Velvet Underground when they reformed, and then when we toured with Debbie Harry, which was the biggest thing we did, uh, round about that time, there was an all-night special on channel four about the Velvet Underground. Yeah, and Debbie Harry was the uh you know, she was the host for it, so she was speaking quite a lot to Lou Reed. So she herself told me, Oh, I was telling Lou I w were touring with Hugh and all that, you know. So, so that was good. And I've met John Cale. The story I I tell about John Cale, and this is actually true. Um, you know, he was signing his book in in Circuit Hall Street, you know, like the the bookshop in Circuit Hall Street. So I went in and I'm standing in the big queue. So when I got to the end of the queue, I gave him a copy of our album Take a Walk on the Clyde side, which which has the the uh an open banana, you know. Yeah, and so I gave it to John Cale, and then um on he opened up the book, he looked at it and he sort of laughed and we spoke a wee bit. And in the book, he wrote, Do not steal. So um John Cale, but which I think he was meaning don't steal ideas, but I was kind of shell-shocked because I just met him, and without thinking, I walked right past the till and went out onto St. Call Street. So I think this is so cool. I've got this book signed by John Cale, Do Not Steal, and I stole it, you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Power suggestion, though, it's like psychology.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Yeah, definitely, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

And did Debbie Harry tell like I the reason I was that thinking about Lou Reed is I've I went down a Lou Reed rabbit hole recently because I've always liked the Velvet Underground, and I had a couple of Lou's solo albums, and I think you know that thing in Trainspot, and there's the the the kind of like you got a bit, you know, sick boys like, oh, it's not as good as the Velvet Underground. But it's like I actually read this really good biography, and I just rediscovered or discovered a lot of his stuff, and some of it's like and like just so different. And when he starts playing the guitar again, and you know, and the band they had in the 80s were really good, you know.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Yeah, no, no, I mean Louie recorded so much great stuff. Um, of course, you know, Transformer 100% classic, but but even on the albums that are a bit like the 80s albums, you you always find one or two good tracks on them, you know.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

Yeah, they're interesting.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Yeah, and um no, I mean he was a although like when I saw him at play at the playhouse in Edinburgh, it was a bit weird. People weren't allowed to it was like being at church, you know, he people weren't allowed to um go out their seats and all that. Only in between songs they could go out their seats and all that, you know.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

Reading the book is an interesting it's it's just such an asshole, but like Entertaining stories are amazing, you know.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Yeah, but we'll we'll see again that time it was regular music, put him on at the playhouse, and and I gave a guy from regular music, you know, our CD and all that to present to Lou Reed, and and they gave it to him and apparently just looked at it and just put it away like that. He looked at it in disgust, you know. Yeah, but they said that the atmosphere in the room, he said that this was the guy from regular music. They said it wasn't friendly at all. He wasn't a friendly guy, you know. I've heard he he he he used to have fights with David Bowie, like lit like physical fights, you know. And David Bowie almost seemed like such a mild manner of guy, you know.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

Yeah, apparently it was like in a hotel room, and look like he came and I think they're meant to be recording something, he saw you know, go away, and and and and bowie just literally lamped him.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Yeah, yeah. So but as I say, you you know, there's no doubt that he was a he he was a great artist, you know.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Yeah, um but yeah, so maybe a pod in the future, Hugh, if you're up for it, we'll do it we could do a deep dive on Lou Reed or do an album or something, discuss it.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Absolutely, definitely, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Yeah, he's definitely, and the whole John Gale thing's kind of fascinating in the Andy Warhol, it's just so there's so much and it's a lot of times.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

People when they think about the Velvet Underground, they always think about Lou Reed, but but John Cale, I would say, you know, I I know he did leave the band, but but he was like 50% of it, you know.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Uh is that weird, like the Phoenix and Furs is very much like the sound of that is yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

I mean, I mean like John Cale had studied the avant-garde composers and all that, and then he he brought that into the Velvet Underground. Remember that thing about the album, you know, they look they look at a famous album, and there was it was an it was one about Transformer, and then you realize so much was done by David Bowie, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Um he was like in like a susvene in those days, like he was getting all his heroes, like I think he had a more successful relationship with Iggy Pop, you know, and really kind of saved his life and everything. And you know, yes, tortured him and and more the like more the hoophole. It just sounds like it just sounds like Bowie, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 24:33

Yeah, yeah, that's right. You know, I even enjoy Lulu's version of the man who sold the world, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

I don't know if you've heard that.

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Have you not? She she it was it was the first recorded version, and the the whole back-end band does um you know, Mick Ronson and so on, and um, and then the the flip side of the Lulu one is watch that man, you know. But but they were as far as I understand, they were both recorded before um uh David Bowie recorded them, and then the David Bowie, I saw an interview with David Bowie, and he says, I'm really proud that I've written a hit for both a song that was a hit for both Lulu and Kirk Cobain, you know.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

That's a a good a good claim of fame. And yeah, I I saw Sanjeev Curly in your um your your your Facebook feed, and that was kind of interesting.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

Well, see I've known Sanjeev for years. I mean, I knew Sanjeev before he was famous. I um but um Sanjeev, he used to co-present a program, it was called it's a long story. I had a Chinese girlfriend, and her sister was a co-presenter of this program called Ghetto Blasting, and he can't even believe that a program was called that. It was it used to be on Radio Scotland in the 90s, late at night. Basically, they they shoved all the ethnics together, you know, for about an hour, like on a Friday night on BBC Scotland, and Sanjeev was a co-presenter, so that's how I got to know Sanjeev. But Sanjeev played two or three gigs keyboard in the in the pants, you know. Um he had a sort of uh everything he played everything in C, he just transposed the key and played it in C. I always say that I sang in the key of Yale and all that stuff, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 26:33

But and when you were when you were kind of doing the gigs in the early days, what was there a lot of the what kind of bands were going around about the same time? Did you tour with the fall? If I heard that speaking of Berkeley Front Men.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Yeah, we did three gigs with a fall, and um we had a mad manager at the time, and um he he's I don't know how, but somehow or other um uh you got uh Marky Smith got your CD and it was you know Carnicked. You'll know the song Carnicked, of course. So Marky Smith loved it, and apparently on the tour bus, he put it on repeat. Carnicked apparently was on repeat for over two hours, right? But I was told that by one of the guys in the fall, you know, he says I and then um Marky Smith famously I see. I'm very proud of this. I'm very proud of this. Marky Smith famously hated every band. He did, he hated his own band. Yeah, well, that's it. Because I met a guy that used to manage Delamitri, and apparently Delamitri supported the fall, and then they were meant to be taking their equipment and all that, and and after he saw Delamitri, he told them all to F off, and they'd have to they'd have to transport their own equipment and all that, right? And I was saying, well, Marky Smith loved us, and um and then um Marky Smith is still on the internet. He he he he was asked what band he liked, and bizarrely, he said orange juice and hewed in velvet underpants. So so I was pleased about that, but but we did he lived in Leif though, didn't he, for a while? Yeah, he did, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

Which is kind of um yeah, for it's another thing to think.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

I mean, he was a bizarre. I was speaking to one of the members of the fall, you know, and it was kind of like stating the obvious, it must be a bit difficult, you know, working with Mark. And then he he told me this story that he had like a four-year-old daughter, and and they were he was driving to rehearsal, but he was leaving his his daughter, you know, off at um off at the nursery, but he picked up Marky Smith and he'd left the passenger seat empty, so he thought Marky Smith would sit in there. But oh no, Marky Smith goes in and sits beside his four-year-old daughter. So he says, Oh, this is my daughter Maria or something. And Marky Smith was taking that cigarette out and he took a big puff of the cigarette and went, I'm your evil uncle Mark. And he and put and just expelled all the smoke all over her, and she immediately burst into tears. So that's an example of behavior from Marky Smith, you know.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

But he's another one that's like um like his autobiography is one of the best music books ever. It's just so funny, it's really funny.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

And did you ever see The Fall Live at all, though?

SPEAKER_00 29:37

No, unfortunately, unfortunately not. Um he did a song with Edwin Collins, actually, weirdly, you know how he said, Um well, maybe that's why he mentioned I was surprised when he mentioned it. Um it was like a weird disco kind of thing, it's brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

But I'll need to search out. Um he did a ballad about Edinburgh, which was actually really good, you know.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

He's got so much stuff. Like I had the peel sessions, like every peel session.

SPEAKER_01 30:03

Really?

SPEAKER_00 30:03

Recording, and it's like about four days long. Like, because people love them.

SPEAKER_01 30:08

Well, you know, when he was on stage, he would go over and just mess about like with the guitarist's amp and the bass player's armp, turn things up, change the tone, you know, things you would never normally get away with.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

He hates the guy from you know, the one that went the bass player that went on to be in the on radio. Mark Riley. Mark Riley just abuse that book, like half of it is just him like going on about how much he hates him. It's it must be an uncomfortable read for him, as well.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

But but but then again, people it's just like Lou Reed. There is the element that the guy's also a tosser, you know what I mean? You know, yeah. And he but but but maybe taught some tossers make good music, you know what I mean? But but like Irvin Wells, she likes the pants as well, you know. Yeah, so so a lot of times I'm um like you're trying to get. I remember I was I was living in Beijing and I'm trying to get into the local Wii magazine, and then there was an American guy, and I'd be sending me emails. I met him a couple of times and all that, and he's and he never did anything. And I saw him in a bar, a fella got up to him and say, Look, you're cun everyone else likes us. You're just a what the fuck do you know? Yeah, but I didn't say that, but uh, it was what was going through my mind, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Yeah, in good company, he's he's he's do you know he did something with Mogwai, didn't he? Like some sort of spoken word thing, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 31:34

Uh my Yeah, yeah, I I he's not I think he even did something with Primal Screen, did he? Right, or something.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Yeah, yeah. Speaking of which, uh, that's one of the things I love love about Glasgow is like particularly the kind of music I like, you can late 90s, you could go to like nice and sleazy's. And I it's like the equivalent of somewhere in, you know, when you go somewhere in Hollywood and all the stars are the all the stars are it was like Stuart Braithwaite, um guy from BMX Bandits.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

Well, as I said, I don't want to be sort of um name-dropping, but when I was in Beijing, you know, the um Mogwai came to Beijing, and uh I knew this Chinese journalist, he was a music journalist, and his English was great, but he was afraid that he couldn't understand the Scottish accent, so he contacted me. So I went along and with him well, we we interviewed Mogwai for the Chinese Q magazine, you know. Very cool. So so that's that was cool, and it was really nice. I'd met them sort of very, very briefly before, but it was really nice just talking to them in Beijing, you know.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

They're pretty normal though, aren't they, Mogwai? They seem quite normal.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Oh, absolutely, yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

They have like Glasgow like quite uh like collaborative. You get that impression, because you always seem to have like folk playing on each other's albums, and you know well, actually, I mean I haven't found Glasgow, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

You know, um you know I found it's gen generally collaborative. Of course, I must admit there was certain bands that we hated. Like exercise cry, all that type of thing, you know. Yeah, but but um but but we didn't have any contact with them. It wasn't as if they were hanging about the 13th note, you know what I mean? Or nice and sleazy, you know.

SPEAKER_00 33:33

So for the Clifford, what what time are you guys on at the well eight o'clock?

SPEAKER_01 33:38

It's free.

unknown 33:39

Cool.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

I would say it's free to get in, but you have to pay to get out. No, no, it's free to get in. By the way, I if I say so myself, I think it'll be packed, I think it'll be a really good uh I think it'll be packed as well. We're gonna get there uh um early and expect mayhem because I remember there was a wee kind of Facebook review, and the guy the guy goes, Hugh Deed came out in his boxing gloves, and he spilled he immediately spilled my pint. He says on the plus side though, I managed to catch a turn's tea cake later on.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

Have you got more more props as you've like gone on as to get new songs?

SPEAKER_01 34:19

Well, I'll be doing it at the Clutha. I've got a prop that I make my head disappear, so my head'll be disappearing, you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:28

There was a giga wind in Perth, and the first time I think my mate Paul was there, and you were sizing him up for some sort of like there was some sort of thing where he was to dress as you.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

Well, yeah, you there's a there's a black bag trick that that that that's what I do nowadays. The black bag trick. So I um you might find yourself.

SPEAKER_00 34:56

I cut that out. But um, yeah, but it's like yeah, so anyone that hasn't that's watching this and hasn't seen Hugh, which definitely if they're in glass.

SPEAKER_01 35:14

Things don't change too much, but but I I do try and think about new things, you know.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

Yeah, I'd um and it must be must be kind of hard work, eh? Like because you get a good workout.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

But I can tell you, I mean, I've got my bus pass now. I won't start going into the exact age, but I do have my bus pass. But um yeah, it it can be quite tiring, but as I say, I I enjoy it and I find myself when I'm on stage, like for example, we we were up in Bellown and it's quite a high stage, and then before you go on, you say, I say to myself, whatever happens, do not jump off that stage. Do not jump off that stage, and you're about four minutes into the gig, you just jump straight off the stage, drop down about 12 feet or something. But it's just because you go into this sort of well, I go into this kind of hyper sort of um mode, but you know, I enjoy it. Okay, it's fun. I hope it's fun now. I want to be fun for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 36:13

Yeah, it's one of these things I think is because you you put a lot out, you get a lot, you definitely folk respond to it. Perfs are pretty, I would say perfs are pretty um um muted audience, usually.

SPEAKER_01 36:28

So, you know, but as I say, we've always enjoyed the Twatams. I remember I had a covers band called The Punk Priests, so and we and we played Twatams, and I always remember that was a brilliant gig. This was again in the in the 90s, you know. I would come out dressed as a bishop, and the bands were dressed as priests, and I used to do sex and I'd do we did the injury, sex and drugs and rock and roll, and it was on a lectern as if I was giving uh a sermon, you know, about sex and drugs and rock and roll. But what I remember is jumping off the stage, and and I think it was some it was some student night out, and about four or five guys all jumped on top of me. And the guitarist was always going about how my timing was always out. But he said there was this mound of bodies, and I was under I was under the mound. And he says, for the only time that he'd ever known I I got it timing perfect, not perfect under this mound of bodies. That was in the twat arms, you know.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

And just a quick shout. Oh, I know you're you're you're gonna have to go soon, but for what what festivals have you got coming up? What and what other live shows so we can check out?

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Well, um well, we're playing, you know, Belladrum, doing the rabbit hole. There's uh Viking Festival in Largs, there's some Paisley Arts Festival, but I'm excited that we're there. I don't know if you've heard about that big punk festival called Rebellion in Blackpool. I mean, that's by the way, that's definitely worth it. But so everybody check the website.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

When's when's it on?

SPEAKER_01 38:05

Uh August, uh late August, and just about everybody appears in in the one place. Like last year, and last year I saw Pill, I saw The Undertones, I saw Hugh Cornwall, um, The Damned, you know, and it's just in this sort of the Winter's Gardens in Blackpool. So it's just so amazing, you know. Oh, one theatre there's a damned, and oh, there's John Leiden over there, you know. But but we we're on the periphery of it. There's but there's bars that are on the periphery.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

So um that'd be a good, yeah. We might um don't be in a blackpool since God my 20s, early 20s.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

It's it's a brilliant, it's a brilliant weekend, and then um we'll well we're just playing. There's a bar called Rhythm and Bruise. So in fact, we're playing there in about a month's time, but we'll be playing there again in August, and then we're doing we're playing with the Alex Harvey tribute band in Gallishields, you know, the Mac Art Center.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

So and where's the thing in view? What's the is that is that did you say that B or was that comment?

SPEAKER_01 39:11

It's it's the the Glenmore Bowling Club. That's going to be on a Sunday afternoon. That lets people come from Glasgow. The last boat from View at 8 o'clock in the evening, you know, so it'll be in the afternoon. And we're playing with Becky Wallace. I don't know if you've heard of Becky Wallace. No, um, um yeah, she's a singer-songwriter. Cool. Um she's married to Darren McGarvey. Do you know Darren McGarvey who does those class documentaries on BBC Scotland?

SPEAKER_00 39:40

That rings a bell, definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

Um so and then I've done in Butter Hall.

SPEAKER_00 39:46

There's a few of Dune the Rabbit Hole might be a go, because I've always fancied that's usually got a pretty good lineup as well, hasn't it?

SPEAKER_01 39:54

Yeah, well we we're on at the very end. As I say, we're not usually on the main stage, they usually tuck us away in the corner, but um, you know, it's it's you know, it's uh it's good to get out there, you know.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

And we'll um I'm looking forward to the new album when uh when it as well.

SPEAKER_01 40:15

Yeah, I know what I just I feel bad because it's just it's just taking so long. It really should have been out a year ago, you know. But I'm just trying to get the songs finished off, but I'll get but we'll get there, you know.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

And a plug for your merch as well, because I'm gonna treat myself to uh a t-shirt, because as you said when you were talking about like meeting John Kale, the the walk on the Clyde side, um it's pretty cool. So um if you and uh they're still available, I take it.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

Yeah, you just you you you buy them online, it's it's sold through t-shirt nation. But if you if you search it, because because they just send it out direct, you know.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

Cool. Uh yeah, they're they're pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

And obviously, you know, sit but whenever this is going up, just send me the link and yeah, absolutely. I'll give you a all the different you know, Facebook, etc.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

What I'll probably do is seeing as I um probably wait until me and John have been to the gig and do a wee review after it.

SPEAKER_01 41:14

Yeah, no, you know your reviews are always really good. I mean, but feel free to give us a bad review as well, you know. Don't worry.

SPEAKER_00 41:21

I think I d I think I I can't see what you would have to do again.

SPEAKER_01 41:26

Like, but I think the closer will be good because the the the thing the closer, I'll tell you, the stage is very small, so there's a lot of room for chaos, you know.

SPEAKER_00 41:37

Yeah, that's why like like these these kind of gigs um are like it's gonna be great fun. Um and if anyone is watching this and any of the the upcoming gigs that Hughes talked about, if you haven't seen them before, definitely check them out.

SPEAKER_01 41:55

But Paul and thanks for your support over the years. You know, you have given us a bit of support over the years, and I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 42:04

I've almost like genuinely like it started when I was like writing about like hand on heart, like all the gigs, like that was a very memorable gig for me. That that twat arms gig. You know, it was a great gig.

SPEAKER_01 42:19

You'll probably end up being famous for having bad taste, you know what?

SPEAKER_00 42:25

Well, Marky Smith was it Marky Smith, Edwin um no, so it's Edwin Collins heal likes, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um Urvan Welsh, that's I can I can I can be in that company.

SPEAKER_01 42:37

Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_00 42:38

Yeah, well. Well you're up to again. No problem to you then, man. Take it. Okay, then you're sending