Andy Interview

Interview by me for the SKIN fan club newsletter - Bristol Bierkeller Monday April 22nd 1996


How about the videos? Who chooses the story or the theme for the videos?
Well, we put it out to tender almost. We send the track out to several producers, video producers, and they send back a written script of what they think the video should be.

So the band don't decide how they want the video to look....
We haven't as yet, or we did on one and it didn't really work so, you know, we just put it out and see what other ideas people have got, and we'll add to those ideas but we go through them all and see what we think is best and call the guys in and have a meeting about it. And the last 2 videos we've just made, How Lucky and Perfect Day, we made with the same people, and basically they had ideas that we.... The first one, the How Lucky video, was something that had never ever been done 'coz it's new on the market, this perspex 2-way mirror stuff and they thought wouldn't it be great if we could build a box entirely made of this, so nobody knew what it would look like or how it would work, and it worked really really well. It was different.

So what's the new video like then?
The new video is... in another box!!!

Someone likes putting you in cages!!!!
It's a bit weird actually. We're in a box with vertical stripes around it and we're on a turntable which has got a spiral on it and it's moving round, and the camera's moving round, and it's moving in and out and up and down, and we're also splattered with paint and all this paint and everything is all luminous and there's all ultra-violet lights, so it's glowing, and it switches between us in this box, and us covered in paint where you don't necessarily see us but you just see the paint that's glowing on us and it goes into negative.

That must have been fun filming that!!!
Yeah, well we literally had to stand there in front of a wall and they dipped brushes in a - covered our eyes - dipped brushes in pots of paint and were throwing it at us basically. That was a case where they came up with the idea of the room and Myke came up with the idea of "let's paint ourselves" and then it came up all... painting, doing body-painting is too expensive, too time-consuming, so let's just throw it.. so we did!!!

Are you looking forward to going to Germany and Europe?
Germany.. Yes I think so, because it will be a chance to play our heavier stuff to a heavier audience and they are much bigger shows than we played last time we went to Europe. Last time they were quite small - this time they're averaging between 2000 and 4000 a night so they're a lot bigger shows so it will be a lot better. We're living on a bus for a month. We'll have hotels on days off I think. It's quite pleasant you know, 15 guys all on one bus, in bunks, sharing one toilet, if you can imagine that - it's all pretty basic!! It has it's moments!!!!

Are you going to let Dicki do all the talking then?!
Yeah I did, last time we were in Germany I followed Dicki everywhere!!!

Are you going to learn any German yourself?
Last time I tried to speak German in a bread shop, I tried to order, I don't know, "zwei Brot bitte" or something like that, and the guy answered me in English, so he knew I was English just by saying three words so what's the point in learning - I tried and they didn't want to know!!!

How long are you playing for - the set?
30 minutes I think. So not long!!! We're on about half seven, so.....

What do you think of Bruce Dickinson and Helloween then?
Some of the guys in the band are good fun so we'll have a good laugh. And we know them all because we've toured with Helloween before and we've toured with Bruce before so it should be good. We know all the crew, we know everybody, so it should be a laugh.

Does this mean you'll be getting pissed every night then?
Well we did last time!!! Out of the gig, on to the bus and drink and play cards until about 4 in the morning then go to bed!!!

It'll be a lot more relaxed for you, won't it?
When you're doing that, you don't have to do any thinking for yourself, if you know what I mean. Even doing this (i.e. UK tour) we've got to plan what time we get up, how long it's going to take to drive us there, whereas there it's like, the bus takes you there, into the gig, out onto the bus and then you're at the next gig.

Do you know what's planned for you after the Paris gig?
We're doing some festivals in Europe during July with Iron Maiden, like Finland, Sweden, Germany.... I'm not sure, I know there's 4 or 5 festivals we're doing in July, June/July. I think we're actually doing one on a day off in the European tour and we're going on the day off to Holland and doing one with Golden Earring and Saxon!!!! I was only told that yesterday, and I don't know when or where or what.

On your day off?!!
Yeah, on a day off!!!! So after the gig we all pile in the bus and drive to Holland, do the gig and then we'll drive back again for the next show wherever it is we are at the time, which is probably in Germany.

So you're not going to have much time off then after the European tour?
After the European tour? No, I mean not a long space of time anyway. But I don't think we'll be touring again over here until like September time. But I don't know - there are no definite plans as yet. We've got to try to slot in Japan, if they want us!!!

I'm sure they will!!!
Yeah, it's going quite well over there. They're quite obsessive, but very very polite with it which is nice. Whenever it's like autographs, they all queue up very orderly and very nicely and they're so polite it's amazing.


Most of the rest of the conversation is obscured by Whatever's drummer soundchecking, which makes Andy comment - "Whatever - the noisiest drummer in the world!!!!"

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