music: interview

> 13 MINUTES WITH DANIEL ASH
In advance of his Thursday show in Buffalo, rock auteur Daniel Ash chats with us about his new solo CD, his favorite music and where The Bubblemen have been hiding.

By Allison M. Counasse
Music Editor

Daniel Ash, the former member of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets and Tones on Tail, has emerged from the darkness with a new self-titled solo CD released last month on Psychobaby Records. He plays The Continental in Buffalo, NY on Thursday, March 28, 2002. Lennon opens.

Daniel Ash: Hi
ErieEnt: Hello. How are you?
DA: I'm fine. How are you?
EE: I'm very well.
DA: Well, I've just got up actually. So... OK, let's start.

EE: Your tour got off to a bit of a rocky start with the car accident in which Patina Creme, your bassist, was hurt. How's everything going now?
DA: Well, yeah, it's a bit of an understatement. Patina got hurt really badly in the accident. It was like one-two-five of us in the car and she's still in the hospital. I mean apparently it's going to be about eight months until she's fully recovered. She's pretty banged up.

So anyway, lucky I found another bass player (Mike Peoples). He's actually a roommate with the drummer (John Servo) anyway. They're in another band called 16Volt. And, we basically had like three hours of rehearsals stretched over two days and then straight on the road. So it was pretty sort of... had to do it real quick but the bottom line is it's working out really well. And he's very tight.

We just had a gig last night in New York and it was probably the best one of the tour. Very good, you know? Yeah, definitely. I mean the audience was great. We played well. Well, it gave us a big lift actually, that gig last night.

EE: So you're happy that you decided to go ahead with the tour?
DA: Yeah. I think the alternative would have been everything would've fell apart because you know there was a lot of factors on this tour -- promoting the album, financial factors. If we didn't do the tour, we would really be in a bad position financially, etcetera.

EE: How do you think the audience is receiving your new material?
DA: It seems really good. I'm surprised some of the acoustic stuff is going over really well. I'm just doing this one song in the middle of the set called "Sweet F.A.", which is something that I wrote when I was with Love and Rockets, and that one's been going over really well. I wasn't sure if I was going to be doing that song before we came out because I thought it might be too much of a downer, too sort of subtle but it's been going over really well, that track.

Daniel Ash
(Photo © 2001 Chris Jenson)

selected discography:

Daniel Ash (2002)
Foolish Thing Desire (1992)
Coming Down (1991)

Love and Rockets
Lift (1998)
Sweet F.A. (1996)
Hot Trip to Heaven (1993)
Love And Rockets (1989)
Earth Sun Moon (1987)
Express (1986)
Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven (1985)

Tones On Tail
Everything! (1998)

Bauhaus
Gotham(1999)
Swing the Heartache, The BBC Sessions (1989)
1979-1983, Volumes I and II (1986)
Burning from the Inside (1983)
The Sky's Gone Out (1982)
Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape (1982)
Mask (1981)
In The Flat Field (1980)

related links:

Daniel Ash - official page

EE: That's cool. What other songs are you doing during the set?
DA: Well I don't want to give the whole list out but I'm doing stuff from Tones on Tail. We're doing "Go!" which always goes down really well and a few other things from Tones. Something from Bauhaus. A few things from Love and Rockets and then the rest, it's sort of half, half the set is old material and half the set is new material.

EE: Do you have any opinions on the new Love and Rockets remasters? Do they sound better to the trained ear?
DA: I haven't heard them. I am aware of the remastered albums and such. You're talking about "Earth Sun Moon", "Express" and what else the "Love and Rockets" self-titled one?

EE: But you haven't actually heard them?
DA: No. I'm too busy.

EE: Do you think that there will ever be a Love and Rockets Best Of compilation?
DA: Yeah, there is. We are supposed to be doing one of those. That is something that's in the works.

EE: Well talk to me about your current album. Favorite tracks?
DA: Right. (pauses)
I like "Burning Man" a lot. I like "Sea Glass". I think "Rattlesnake"... To be honest, I like all the tracks on this one. It took about over two and a half years to pull it all together because there was various complications on why I couldn't get it finished and things. So it's very eclectic because of that - because I was going through different things at different times and working with different people and working in different studios.

I like to think that there aren't any fill up tracks on the album. That it's pretty consistent.

EE: Do you like writing songs alone or collaboratively?
DA: I always write songs alone. I've never written with anybody else really. As far as the lyrics and stuff goes, it's always a really personal thing.

EE: When you set out to write a song, does it just come to you or do you have to work at it?
DA: Usually lyrically I have to work at it. I don't like writing songs but it's something that I do. It's not sort of enjoyable. I like the feeling of when it's finished, that's a great feeling -
when I think I've got something that's solid. The actual writing process, I pretty much hate it.
EE: Necessary evil?
DA: Yeah.

EE: In your opinion, what makes a good song? What makes you happy with the final product?
DA: That's really a weird question. That's like saying "What makes a nice color?" It's just something you connect with, I suppose.

EE: Are you actively involved in your website content development?
DA: Sometimes. To be honest, lately, I've been really busy - just on the road and just writing material and rehearsing this tour. So for a few months there I haven't really had much contact with it.

EE: You've released material specifically through your site like the "Mastermind" single in 2000.
DA: Oh yeah, right. Well, I had a different website then. That was something that was just all I was doing at that time. That was a lot of fun actually, that was a lot of fun.

EE: Do you like using the Internet as a means of distribution?
DA: Absolutely. I think it's there to be used exactly for stuff like that. I think it's great.

EE: Some other topics... What are you currently listening to? Favorite bands or CDs?
DA: I really like the Keoki remix album. I like Deep Dish. I like this band called The White Stripes which I'm interested in. I haven't got their album yet but I want to get it because I really like the single. I think, as far as bands are concerned, that's the only band that I'm sort of really interested in at the moment.

EE: Last concert you went to (aside from your own)?
DA: (laughs) It's been so long, I really can't remember. I don't really go to gigs very often at all. I really don't... I can't recall. Many years ago.

EE: Really?
DA: Yeah. I think so, thinking about it, yeah, a long time ago.

EE: How about the first concert you ever went to?
DA: Oh, that would have been Roxy Music when I was 15 years old in England at the Rainbow Theatre. I definitely remember that.

EE: Do you consider them a big influence on you?
DA: Oh yeah. Big time. Yeah, very much so.

EE: Who else do you count among your influences?
DA: Oh, just the obvious, you know, David Bowie and T.Rex, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop… That's what I grew up on so you know that's what mainly influenced me to do what I do.

EE: What are your thoughts on bootlegging concerts? Do you care if your fans tape your shows?
DA: Not really. I think it's all promotion. Bootlegging gigs doesn't bother me at all. You know, the sound quality totally sucks but I mean it's just an overall vibe of the thing and I think it's all promotion for the band so it doesn't bother me really.

EE: Any questions that you're dying to be asked that no one asks you?
DA: No, none at all. (laughs) No.

EE: What are you going to be doing when the tour wraps up?
DA: Well I'm sort of thinking of moving to New York but I don't know maybe that's just a whim because I will miss the California weather because I live in Los Angeles so I don't know. I just had such a good time there last night, it would be the idea of maybe having a little place there and a little place on the West Coast; would be great but we'll see.

When we get back though, what I am hoping is that we are going to be on some outdoor gigs in the summer, possibly doing Europe or Australia. Touring over there which would be fun. So they're the possibilities.

And, at some point, I've got to come up with another album as well because time's getting on. Depends if the live situation carries on because I'm hoping to work this album for the next 12 months to promote it.

EE: Sounds good.
DA: So, yeah, hopefully some more gigs mid-summer in the States as in festivals or some stuff in Europe or Australia.

EE: Do you think The Bubblemen will ever make another appearance?
DA: I really don't know. Maybe. You never know. Possibly. They've gone back to the Planet Girl many years ago though.

EE: They might make another appearance one day?
DA: They might. You never know when they're going to pop up.

EE: Do you ever feel pigeonholed by your old material?
DA: Yeah.

EE: People connecting you with your previous bands?
DA: Yeah. I mean that's totally understandable. That's what I've made over the last twenty years, the music that I've been involved in. So, of course, people are gonna... I think that's totally should be acceptable really. I mean, what else you know? But you know I've been in three pretty diverse bands from Bauhaus to Tones on Tail to Love and Rockets. They're pretty disparate of each other, so I've got like a pool of stuff that I can use there.

EE: But right now, you're moving forward on your solo career?
DA: Well yeah, I mean, that just seems to be the way to go. I have a lot of fun doing this.

EE: Does it bother you that you haven't had a solo CD out in 10 years?
DA: No, not really, because last time 'round when I was doing the solo stuff, I sort of came to the conclusion that it was similar to what I was doing with Love and Rockets but not quite as good whereas this time around, I feel that it is as good if not better to me. I mean a lot of people are saying to me that it is better than stuff I've done before. So, we'll see. Time will tell on that score. But I think that this album is fully realized, you know? I mean, I think after doing this for so long, I know now more about production and all the rest of it to make it more solid. I've still got a ways to go but I think, hopefully, I'm heading in the right direction.

EE: Well, I wish you luck on your tour and with the CD. Thanks for speaking with me.
DA: OK, no problem. Thanks very much.
EE: Thank you.
DA: Thanks, bye.

Daniel Ash plays The Continental in Buffalo on Thursday, March 28th. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster or at the door.

The Continental
212 Franklin St
Buffalo, NY 14202-2106
Phone: (716) 855-3938

(2002-0326)