Suede
Strangeboy
“The
history of this fucking band is ridiculous. It’s like Machiavelli
rewriting Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. It involves a cast of thousands.
It should star Charlton Heston...”
So came the sound bite from the lips of the bands vocalist in 1994.
How often has that one been wheeled out to please adorning parents at
Christmas I wonder? Well one more time won’t make a diffrence.
But with Suede’s numbers now having swollen in size, has this changed
them in more than appearance? Well local muso-loser, Parker Biro caught
up with new Suede-boy Alex Lee to talk about all things leathery.
AD: How the devil are you, young man?
Alex: I’m fine thanks...just got back from Europe where we've been
touring all summer.
AD: From Strangelove to Suede...hows the transition been?
Alex: It doesnt feel like a transition ‘coz it was 2 years after
Strangelove ended to me joining Suede, so it feels new and exciting.
I’ve known the band for a pretty long time so it was nice and easy
to join them.
AD: Is the reaction of the fans a similar experience to what you
got used to in Strangelove?
Alex: Yes...both bands made and make music with a large emotional content,
and that alone seems to attract a certain core fan-base......a great
thing to have!
AD: As new boy to Suede is it "nice" playing songs you've
bought over the years?
Alex: Well, yeah...there's no ego involved, but I wouldnt've joined
a band I didnt like.
AD: Did u write any stuff for the new album?
Alex: Yeah....some were jammed in the studio with the rest of the band,
and a couple were done with me sending Brett a tape, and that one "Astro
Girl" was completed kindov over the phone!
AD: The Tony Hoffer sessions for the album were abandoned....why?
Alex: Basically, the stuff we did sounded excellent, but didn’t
sound like a cohesive album. Also, Suede are a traditional English band
and Tony's American, so that alone kindov made us regroup and quit those
sessions. He is an excellent producer and will carry on making excellent
records....it just didnt work for us.
AD: Onto Steven Street....why him?
Alex: Well, he had the same musical reference points as us and he realised
that after spending ages on the songs before we would want to work quick,
which we did. He's known for producing great english records, and we
are a great english band (laughs).
AD: Did Mr Street tell u any good Morrissey stories?
Alex: Loads, but I'm not telling you any of them!
AD: So what’s the plan for Suede long term...does the band have
much more to say?
Alex: The good thing about being in a band is that your future isn’t
mapped out too much, and I love that. All I know is that we have Asia
next year, and we're starting to look at next summer now. Then....who
knows.
Well with Suede set to begin a UK tour on October 30th at the Barrowlands
in Glasgow, and a new album, ‘A New Morning’ recently released,
Suede would certainly seem to go from strength to strength. This could
be more than a new morning, a new beginning maybe?
Insider dealing - Parker Biro
