From: Brad Jiulianti (bwjiul00@mik.uky.edu)


Interview of Norman Blake and Brendan O'Hare in _Select_ November 1993

Q: What's the Verdict on the Big Star reunion?
N: I've really enjoyed it.  I think as long as Alex makes some money out 
of it that's really good. 
B: We got to work with him again.
N: We did a song with him, an old Olympics song called "Mine Exclusively," 
which I can't find, I've looked for it on all the old Olympics records.  The 
thing we did with Alex sounded really tight, actually.  I think it's 
because Jody Stephens is The Nicest Guy In The World.  If I ever had to give a 
lecture onThe Nicest Guy In The World, I would bring Jody Stephens on with me 
and just say, Here he is.  Alex has a bit more, er, evil in his eye. (to 
Brendan) Have you seen this? (fetches latest issue of _Deadline_, RCA's 
ad for Big Star's _Columbia_ album has cartoon Chilton pushing pram with 
Teenage Fanclub inside.  Pram is captioned "pramwagonesque."  Ad slogan 
is "Don't Fannie about.  Get the real thing."  Much mirth ensues.)

Q: If Kurt Cobain had asked you to write the official Nirvana biography, would
you have done it and how much would you have asked for it?
N: I'd have asked for one per cent of the royalties of the new album.
B (taking the question surprisingly seriously): I wouldn't have done it.  
I'm not a very good writer.  You need a journalist to write a book like that.
N: I haven't heard the album yet.  Is it good?

Q: Has _The Times_ price cut from 45p to 30p tempted you to buy it?
N: I don't read _The Times_ I suppose if I buy any paper it's _The 
Guardian_.  But broadsheets are a pain in the arse, aren't they?  
They. Are. A. Pain. In. The.Ar se.  You can't fold them on airplanes.  I 
usually just read _The Daily Record_ for the telly. 


B: I read my mother's _Glasgow Herald_.
N: See, in France, the quality papers like _Le Monde_ and _Liberation_ 
are all about that size (small).  In fact, the better quality it is, the 
smaller it gets over there.

Q: Eaten any six year-old beef lately?
N: Sorry? (He has "been out of the country."  Brendan explains to him about 
the cryo-beef mountain and subsequent national scare there with.  Norman 
is frankly staggered)  I'm a vegetarian.  I haven't eaten meat for two 
years.  I eat a lot of pasta now.  I eat those Linda McCartney sausages.  
Sowhere's all this beef come from? It cannae be fresh.
B: It's frozen.  And they're saying it's perfectly safe, which I suppose they 
have to...But it's like those beefburgers that advertise themselves as 
100% meat.  All beefburgers should be 100% meat.  It's not much of a 
selling point, is it?  And there's a shop 'round my way that has a sign saying
"Milk kept in Fridge!"

Q: Have you heard the Jerky Boys?
B: No
N: Yes, we have.  You know... "Hey you, jerky!"
B: Oh, is that what that was?
N (doing jerky sketch): "My glasses are hurtin' real bad"
B (ditto): "Shall I bring my glasses?"
N: "I was speedin' around and drinkin' and speedin' all over..."  Yeah, 
someone gave us a tape of it when we were in America about a year and a 
half ago. Have you heard the Hall and Oates tape?  It's Daryl hall and 
John Oates having an argument in the studio. It's amazing. "No, no, it goes 
duh-duh-de-dur-duh-duh-de-dur."  "Fuck you, you fuckin' asshole, it goes 
duh-duh-de-dur-duh-duh-de-dur."  "That's what I fuckin' played, you asshole."
Fuck you!"  And have you heard the Buddy Rich tape?  That's good, too. We 
heard a story about him that's meant to be true.  When he died one of his band
rang up his widow and said, Can I speak to Buddy?  And she says, No, I'm 
afraid Buddy died.  He goes, Oh, i'm sorry to hear that, OK.  Next day he 
phones back again, Can i speak to Buddy? No, I told you Buddy died. Oh, 
OK, sorry.  The next day he phones up again, Can I speak to Buddy? She 
goes, Look, I've told you, Buddy's dead, why do you keep asking for him?  
And he goes, i just like hearing you say it.  Apparently Buddy Rich was a real
bastard.

Q: Have you tried out Subbuteo Astroturf yet?
B (immediately): Yes.  It's better.  If you pick up the players and shine the 
bases on your shirt, then they don't spin, they sort of glide up to the ball.
N: Do you play Subbuteo then?  We had a league between us, seven and a 
half minutes each way, with a proper cup.  You can play for 90 minutes 
but scores tend to be 54-52 by then.  We had some strange results, 
though. Chad beating Italy.  Dundee vs. Holland. Celtic vs. Brazil.  We got 
thedrummer from Gumball, The Rummager, into it.
B: Subuco.
N: Subukeo.  Now he's gone back to America with it.

Q: Would you like to win a Mercury prize for best album of the year?
N: Do you get any money for it?
Q: About 15,000 pounds.
N: Yes, yes we would like to win it.
Q: Primal Scream sold an extra few thousand copies of _Screamadelica_ 
when they won it. 
N: Yes.  We would like to win it.

Q: Who would you ring, Bono-style, from the stage at one of your gigs?
N: I'd ring Domino's pizza.
Q: He did that.
N: Did he?  I'd ring Bono then.
B: I'd pretend I was ringing someone.
N: Paul McCartney.  Aye, Paul McCartney.