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Andy Partridge of XTC Live: Chat Transcripts

Tuesday, May 30, 2000 5pm ET

Wasp Star (Apple Venus Vol. II)
by Andy Partridge (of XTC)

On Tuesday, May 30th, Barnes & welcomed Andy Partridge of XTC to talk about the group's new album, WASP STAR (APPLE VENUS VOL. II).

Jennifer from Barnes & Live: Good evening, Andy Partridge, and welcome to Barnes &! How are you, and where do we find you tonight?

Andy Partridge (of XTC): You find me in the back room, which is loosely termed a study, and which is packed absolutely floor to ceiling with books. I took my shoes off, and I was strumming away some really moronic rock 'n' roll on my old acoustic guitar, waiting for you to call.

Lydia from New York: I know you have a backlog of songs, and that the orchestrated APPLE VENUS PT. 1 and the more rock-based WASP STAR help catch us up. How much more material do you and Colin have in the can? What will APPLE VENUS VOL. 3 sound like, and when can we expect it?

AP: APPLE VENUS was meant to be a pair of disks. Originally, they were intended to be housed together in one set, but due to time and finance, we couldn't do that. So you have to imagine they're from the same set -- male or female, day or night, heads or tails of the same coin. As for the backlog of songs, I don't think we're going to record any of the material that didn't make either of these two volumes. We may release it in a demo form in future, in the form that it was recorded, but we want to move on to new pastures.

Arne Wendt from Somerset, NJ: Hi, Andy. The new album is on the normal genius level that you guys seem to achieve any time you put one out. Fantastic! Anyway, I would like to ask you: I've read in your latest interviews that you would have preferred to have "Stupidly Happy" as the first single released as opposed to "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love." I agree with you, but is this another case of the record company overwriting your decisions? It's still a great song, but it would seem to me that you might attract more listeners with "Stupidly Happy." Thanks for your time, and best of luck for a deservedly bright future!

AP: Time to get careful with the "g" word there. I'm only a genius when I've got my jeans on. Right now, I guess I'm a chino-ius. "Stupidly Happy" will be put forward as a radio single, so I'll just bide my time.

Holly from St. Louis: Were there any videos made for APPLE VENUS Vols. 1 and 2?

AP: We started a video for "Green Man," and it was made by an ads director who had never made a pop video before. I thought this would give the imagery a different edge, a different sensibility, but it was really crap, and we had to pull the plug on it. It was never finished. So there is a half-completed "Green Man" video in the vault, and there's no video for anything on WASP STAR as of yet. I think videos always look better if you shut your eyes, in any case.

Steven from Illinois: On WASP STAR, you guys sound so energized, and the songs are as great as they've ever been. What accounts for the spark to this album?

AP: Hmmm. We're enjoying being senile delinquents. Our own studio helps. No Dave Gregory saying "you can't do that" helped. Nick Davis and his up energy helped. And I think that we just felt great to be recording again, after the long legal layoff.

Geo Dee from Falls Church, VA: I thought your guitar work was very effective in WASP STAR. How does Dave Gregory feel about how the album came out?

AP: I don't know. He's never spoken to me since the day he left the band. I guess I'm the Great Satan.

Keven from Grand Rapids, MI: As an XTC fan for 20 years, thanks for the wonderful new album! I understand your reluctance to tour. Do you and/or the band ever play XTC music live for your own enjoyment or for private audiences? What is your reaction to the immediate energy of hearing your compositions live?

AP: We'll play a private gig for anyone who could supply us with a harem, fully stocked. No, we don't play XTC material for ourselves, other than in the writing and recording processes. Kind of pointless -- it's like staring in the mirror all day.

Jim from Warwick, RI: Andy: Congrats to Colin and yourself on a stellar LP -- WASP STAR! I am enjoying it thoroughly! I love hearing you guys crank up the electric guitars once again. Question regards the future of XTC in the studio -- do you see XTC recording on a quasi-regular basis now that you are free of your Virgin contract? Speaking of Virgin, what else will they release of XTC to finish out the "contract"? I heard it was a double-CD set of demos that will include "Nigel," "Mayor of Simpleton," "Senses," "Dear God," etc. Is this true? Thanks and best of luck in the future.

AP: We hope to record as regularly as we can. You have to be regular. To get out of our contract, we had to agree to a box set, but at the moment I have no idea what that will be comprised of. The only thing left at the bottom of the Virgin barrel is splinters.

thallo house from Houston, TX: Thanks in part to your and Colin's brave example, we have started our own label and released our first CD. What do you know now that you wish you'd known before you'd started "Idea"? Thank you.

AP: Basically, our record deals are much better by subleasing "Idea" records to everyone else, which means instead of a pitiful crumb of cake, we now get a sensible slice. Everyone should start their own record label and sign themselves to it immediately.

Noah Agruss from West Hollywood, CA: Andy and Colin, thank you both for sustaining your music through what must have been some trying times. I've admired you and your work since DRUMS AND WIRES hit the U.S. Here's my question, Andy. What gets your creative juices flowing when, or if, you get stuck in the middle of the songwriting process? Are there any regular musical inspirations that you find yourself coming back to for fuel? Thanks again from a fellow composer.

AP: I don't actually know what gets the creativity flowing. You can't buy inspiration by the glass, unfortunately. What you have to do, I find, is tune your head to blank and let your subconscious run riot. If the conscious is in control, it's like a newspaper office full of editors. No story's going to be allowed through the frontal lobes. You have to drift off and do nothing. Drugs and drink are anti-creative.

Ian Childs from Stevenage, England: Could you describe a typical "day in the life" of Andy Partridge?

AP: Exceedingly mundane. Today I mowed the lawn, copied some DATs in my home studio, strummed the acoustic guitar a bit, went and got some groceries, had a curry, and spoke to Terry Chambers, our original drummer, by phone. (He's in England due to the death of his father.) So I don't lead an art life, that's all.

Greg Clark from Atlanta, GA: Is there going to be a HOMESPUN version of WASP STAR? And how is the toy soldier collection coming along?

AP: The toy soldier collection is not growing fast enough; if I had my way, the house would be overflowing -- perhaps it is already. We weren't going to do HOMESPUN II, but the Japanese label I think has convinced us to do it. Hopefully, there will be enough positive reaction to these demos.

George Tipton from Fairfax, VA: "Playground" is a great song. Does the intro owe anything to Badfinger's "No Matter What"?

AP: [laughs] No, the only things I've ever heard by Badfinger were "Come and Get It" and, yes, "No Matter What." No, it doesn't, is the answer -- he said, adjusting his noose.

Jim Smart from Honolulu: Any chance that your wonderful song "The Ship Stuck in the Ice" will see the light of day?

AP: If we can negotiate with Virgin -- or bamboozle them enough -- we intend to put out all of our home demos of recorded songs or unrecorded songs in a series called FUZZY WARBLES. So "Ship Trapped in the Ice" may well surface on one volume of the latter.

Schiddy Schidwell from Reston, VA: Your NPR interview revealed that "Boarded Up" is about your hometown of Swindon, but does it also refer to the band's long absence from the recording studio?

AP: You see, Colin claims it's only about Swindon, but I think when you write songs, your subconscious sends out Morse code about your deepest personal feelings. And I think when Colin wrote "Boarded Up," it was also his mental state at the time.

Tom from Seattle: Andy, congratulations on another fantastic album! I'm curious to know the financial implications of being on the roster of an independent record company versus a major label. In other words, if it takes selling 500,000 units to yield X with Geffen/Virgin, how many must be sold to earn the same with a company like TVT? Also, do you ever look at the top-seller list of such "e-tailers" as Barnes & Noble and CDNow? Thanks.

AP: I'm not on the Net, so the latter part of the question is unfortunately void. I guess our financial arrangement with TVT would mean that we have to sell about 150,000 to net X.

Jeremy from Los Angeles, CA: I purchased SONG STORIES (from B&N, in fact!) and love the book. I was wondering if you intend on working with anyone to write any new books in the near-future?

AP: I was a little disappointed by SONG STORIES. Of all the interview material that we did, logistically Neville Farmer could only include a fraction of what we said. He seemed to go for the more banal, sweary quotes. I think at least 75% of the book is Neville's own personality. So there are much better books waiting to be written, but I think Neville did a pretty good job.

Peter Nau from Arlington, VA: Explain to us Americans where in the world the expression "Aunt Sally's head" comes from on "The Wheel and the Maypole."

AP: Okay. At English fairgrounds -- carnivals -- there was a dummy head of a woman, I guess, known as Aunt Sally. You would hurl sticks at Aunt Sally's head to knock it to the ground and win your prize. I guess the stick is my penis, and Aunt Sally's head is Aunt Sally's head -- either verb or adjective.

Rob from Ohio: Andy, where'd you get the inspiration for "The Wheel and the Maypole"? Probably one of the two or three best XTC songs ever. Thanks!

AP: They're two songs sewn together at the hip. (Or the un-hip, if you're XTC.) The first half was originally a song called "If The Pop Won't Hold Our Love" and was a loose bouquet of sexual innuendo, with a rustic slant. The second song was originally called "Everything Decays" and was about the cycle of birth, death, and renewal through the fertilization of decay. Decay is very necessary to new life. I couldn't think of how to finish either song up, so I tried smashing them together, and they fell in love with each other quite easily. The end section, where the two songs lay over each other, worked a treat.

Rocky from Houston: Andy, whatever became of that black Les Paul Custom I saw you use on the Black Sea tour? Last I saw it you had put white Sargent stripes on it.

AP: I think it was stolen in New Zealand, in Christchurch, along with the Paul, so someone somewhere is riffing like mad on borrowed instruments.

Holly from St. Louis: Unfortunately, I first heard XTC well after you stopped touring. Can you tell me if you're still plagued by stage fright or if there's any hope for a tour (however small or big) anytime soon?

AP: I don't die when I get in front of audiences -- not in the comedic sense, in any case -- but I still don't feel like I want to be a public entertainer. I think to be a good public entertainer, you have to be an actor. And you have to be good at lying with your emotions. I'm not a convincing liar. So I'll leave the live gigs to those who....

Mary Ellen from Dallas: I know APPLE VENUS VOL. 1 and WASP STAR collect songs you recorded in between record deals. But have you been recording and writing new songs in the last few years? What was the last thing that made you want to write a song?

AP: There was no material recorded between 1992 and 1997 because we were legally held. So APPLE VENUS and WASP STAR were recorded over the last three years. A busy old time. Actually, the last song I wrote was for a man who makes beautiful guitars for us, and I wrote him a one-minute jingle for his web site. If you want to hear the jingle, you have to go to

Epicanthic_folder from At Large: First off, thanks for such an upbeat new CD! The X-er angst currently in vogue was tired after about two weeks.... I read online that a work titled TAKE AWAY THE LURE OF SALVAGE was considered (by some) the "second-best album ever made." I thought I knew everything you'd ever done, but had never heard about this. Can you comment/tell where it's available?

AP: TAKE AWAY THE LURE OF SALVAGE was the second batch of dub experiments that I did with XTC's material in 1979. It was available on that label beginning with the letter "V". In retrospect, I think some of the material is good, but some of it doesn't hold up -- but that's the nature of improvisation. On a technical level, it's all pre-computer. There is no sequencing or mechanical means involved in the process.

Jennifer from Barnes & On behalf of First Book -- a nonprofit organization that gets books in the hands of underprivileged kids -- I'd like to ask, what was your favorite book as a child, and why?

AP: This is difficult to answer because I didn't really read a book of my own volition until I was about 15. I was scared by the massive print in books. I preferred books with pictures in them, so I could crawl up and rest from swimming through all that print. I think the first book I read was either NAKED LUNCH by William Burroughs or HOT HOUSE by Brian Aldiss. The only other books I remember reading were heavyweight novels that were on the school curriculum, and we all had to read together in the class. I just remembered: My favorite book as a child had no words. It was a book that contained a plastic packet of water on the back cover, and the preceding pages were cut like portholes or cave entrances, and it was a book that was like a trompe l'oeil seabed. Are there any books out there these days with real water waiting in them? "Dear Sir, my son drank your book..."

Mitch from Mitchville: Who is the mysterious but greatly appreciated "Spoofy" that the band thanks in the WASP STAR liner notes?

AP: Caught you out, Mitch! "Spoofy" is one of a cast of many, many make-believe characters that populate this house. He is a five-inch-tall gingerbread man who causes nothing but creative mischief. His accomplices are Bingles, Jiffy, and a one-legged gingerbread dog called Spinky. Anything untoward that happens in the house is usually blamed on this band.

Arianna from West Covina, CA: Speaking of Terry Chambers, do you have any intention of ever working with any of the old members of XTC again? Maybe even Barry?

AP: Who was it that said, "Never go back"?

Clay Barrister from Virginia: Who are some of your favorite novelists and poets?

AP: Colin is the poetry nut. I tend not to read novels these days. I read almost exclusively historical books, or books with an art or design slant. Some novels I would recommend from earlier years would be THE GOOD SOLDIER SVEJK by Jaroslav Hasek, SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut, LETTERS FROM A LOST UNCLE by Mervyn Peake, and SWEET DREAMS by Michael Frayn.

themolefromtheministry from Stratosphear of Course!: Allo, Andy! I was wondering if Holly enjoyed being on the LP, and if she has caught the bug and now wants to join the biz? Also, I have heard Colin's lad is a bit keen. What do you guys think about your children entering the music biz, given some of the horrible things that have been done to you by the industry?

AP: They're not in the biz, strictly. Holly loves to yell along with the Foo Fighters and plays her Fender Stratocaster, but I don't know if she's thinking about making a career out of it. She does have a fantastic voice, though, but I had to encourage her to sing out of tune on "Playground," because it didn't sound like a gang of schoolchildren. It was closer to Whitney Houston. Colin's son Lee plays drums for a local band called Keoma Breed, but I don't know how high he's set his sights.

Randall Payton from Portland, OR: Andy, now that the label embargo is over, do you have any plans to write with or produce other artists? After the WASP STAR promo campaign is wrapped up, what are XTC's plans (other than a long, deserved nap)? Keep strummin' ad nauseam!

AP: I'd consider writing with anyone, and just a couple of days ago was asked to produce Catatonia. I don't know about the long, deserved nap -- Colin's a terrible snorer. I think it will just be some more heads-down, no-nonsense, mindless, Godlike creativity.

Marty Secero from New Jersey: Andy, it is a privilege to be able to pick up a new XTC album, and I have to say that WASP STAR is absolutely wonderful. I can't get it out of my car CD player, and only a crowbar will do the trick. Please tell us: How are the Dukes of Stratosphear these days? Any chance of your acid-tipped alter egos raising their heads in the future? Thanks for all the incredible music!

AP: No, I think that the Dukes are done and (angel) dusted. The psychedelia I think is out of my system now -- but only today I was thinking, should we do that anonymous glam album or not? I like the idea of being hundreds of other bands, and nobody knowing. It's a sort of mischief that rubs off on you when you live with Spoofy, I guess.

Jennifer from Barnes & Thank you, Andy Partridge, for a terrific chat! Before we sign off, do you have any parting words for the online audience?

AP: This is a bit like being asked to design your own tombstones -- the parting words thing. I think I'd like on my tombstone: I can see up your dress.

[Thanks to Paul Burgess]
Related Information

After recording some of the loopiest new wave of the late '70s, XTC stopped touring and went into a studio seclusion that produced a series of difficult, thorny albums. So it came as quite a shock in 1987 when the group released one of the prettiest pop records ever, the Todd Rundgren-produced SKYLARKING. A pop operetta to rival SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and PET SOUNDS, SKYLARKING begins with the sounds of young love in June and ends, decades later, with an aged lover crying over the ashes of his deceased partner. In between are whimsical pop-song evocations of the seasons that serve as a metaphor for the marriage the album (loosely) chronicles. While the dark tale of doubt, "Dear God," would be an MTV hit, the record is unsinkably bright, and songs like "Grass," "Season Cycle," and "Earn Enough for Us," open up a virtual Crayola box of sonic hues. Rundgren's brilliant segues and orchestrations place a surrealistic pillow beneath the powerful melodies of songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, making SKYLARKING an island of beauty in an age of cynicism, and a bona fide classic. Jon Dolan

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Drums and Wires

If the Talking Heads had come from the English countryside, they might have sounded like XTC. Three shut-ins hailing from the tiny town of Swindon in southwestern England, the band emerged on the English punk scene of the late '70s playing a loopy art-pop that sounded like nothing else of its time. Curdling with quirky noises and slippery studio effects provided by ace producer Steve Lillywhite (Pogues, Billy Bragg), XTC's art-pop classic DRUMS AND WIRES referenced everything from sci-fi soundtracks to '50s sock hops. Andy Partridge's giddy vocal delivery on ebullient tunes like "Helicopter" and "Limelight" is hilariously tongue-in-cheek, and his evocative, virtuoso guitar playing oozes through the spaces in the album's herky-jerk rhythms. Evoking the Beatles crossed with Devo on songs like bassist Colin Moulding's "Life Begins at the Hop" and "Making Plans for Nigel" (the band's first substantial hit), XTC constructed a record that, though wonderful and strange, endures as a timeless gem. Jon Dolan

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