|
|||
| Live Interview on Saturday Night Live (1) |
Mel Everett interviews Alisha's
Attic's |
|
| Key: | M = Mel Everett, K = Karen Poole, S = Shellie Poole |
| -------- | Acoustic Version of Alisha Rules The World is played |
| M: | Today I'm talking to Karen and Shellie out of Alisha's Attic. How's it going? All right? |
| S: | Hello Mel! |
| K: | It's going all right Mel, yeah, how are you? |
| M: | Good! I'm good, thank you. So come on, tell me what you've been up to recently? |
| S: | Well, we've been on a tour bus - |
| K: | We've been on a tour bus, been on the road - |
| S: | We've been sitting on elephants in Spain, doing the next video - |
| M: | Really? |
| S: | - and stuff like that, yeah, it's all very exciting. |
| M: | Has it all been busy at the minute then? |
| S: | Mmm, totally busy, we've just been totally, you know, full-on, we're either rehearsing, or we're on tour, or we're in some strange city in some strange country |
| M: | So what's this about the elephants then - is it for your new single? |
| K & S: | Yeah |
| S: | We filmed the video just outside Madrid because it was supposed to be really beautiful weather and we had rain and clouds the whole time - |
| M: | Oh no! |
| S: | - yeah, we had an elephant in the video and, er, we had to side-straddle that lovely elephant and it was fantastic - there's just looks of horror through the whole video - we're just like 'huh' - with these really wicked smiles on |
| M: | So did you not ask them to take you to Kenya or somewhere like that where it was a bit hotter? |
| K & S: | Oh we wish, we wish - we tried - |
| K: | We got Toledo in Spain, which was really nice as well, but it was err, not quite as glamourous as somewhere like that, no |
| M: | So it wasn't that hot |
| K: | No it wasn't that hot at all, in fact it was really hot the day before we came, and it had been hot, and the day when we left it was really hot |
| M: | Oh no |
| K: | And all the time we were there it was just horrendous |
| S: | And all the crew were like: "I don't believe this, you know, we don't have this weather in Spain" and we're like 'Great!' |
| -------- | New (single) version of Air We Breathe is played |
| M: | All right, so girls, how long does it take to put your slap on? That has got to be the big question, innit? |
| K: | Actually, when we're going out on stage - we've got a make-up artist that works with us when we're doing TV's and stuff like that, but when we're doing it ourselves, it literally is - honestly, Mel - it's we've got a bowl of glitter and a bowl of like, black(!) And we stick the black on with our fingers then put the fingers in the glitter and stick that over the top, and it literally is just like that, so our tour is totally bodged up affair, but - |
| M: | Really? |
| K: | - but when you we're on TV we get it done professionally you see |
| S: | And that takes about four hours |
| M: | Does she? |
| S: | That's why we look fantastic on TV, but when you meet us in the flesh it's like "oh - O.K." |
| M: | Not at all! You're both gorgeous! (What are you like - you nutters!) |
| K: | Well so are you! |
| M: | (Paid yer a tenner to say that!) Do you enjoy having your make-up put on, and stuff, is it like really pampering? |
| K: | Yeah, in a way - it's kind of nice becuase all the rest of the time, I mean like today for example, and anyother time that we're out, normally we don't really hardly wear much make-up you know, but it's just nice to sort of wear it - you know, more like a bit of fun more than anything |
| S: | They like having my hair done |
| M: | Oh dear [sighs] |
| S: | They do a hairstyle and then he goes "oh - I don't like that one" so he goes and plays with it even more! |
| M: | Really? |
| S: | Yeah - it's lovely, just sit back in your chair before you go on and be completely pampered |
| M: | Yeah - I love stuff like that - |
| S: | Oh - it's gorgeous! |
| M: | - but I don't really get it being on the radio - doesn't matter what you look like! |
| S: | No - they can't see! |
| K: | We really only get it when we're doing TV's and photographs for magazines and that, all the rest of the time, when we're doing any kind of touring or promotion or anything else - or anywhere else in the world apart from England, we have to do it all ourselves, so that's why it's a bit bodged up sometimes - |
| M: | Yeah! What are you like?! So what about the clothes and stuff - where do you get those from? |
| K: | Clothes - mainly are second-hand actually - most of our clothes that we wear are second-hand - even that we wear on TV and everything we get - you know, we mix it with a few designer bits 'cos our stylist is all like "oh this is the new bit from Jean-Paul this and that", and we're like "who? what?" |
| M: | Oh... [sighs] you've got a stylist then |
| K: | Yeah, we've got a stylist for - again for TV's and things that we do in this country, but all of the rest the - you know, we get a budget for certain things that we do and then we just - we can wear the clothes all the time - so we've got - mainly it's second-hand - we - we - me and Shell actually go shopping in Camden and Portabello and places like that, all the time, just for market second-hand clothes - it's our fave. |
| -------- | break for other music |
| M: | All right, so erm, you're pretty cool dressers now right - what did you wear when you were kids? |
| K: | There were some cool little things - I keep thinking about some of those little like tight lyrex T-shirts with the little diamanté things on |
| S: | Yeah - one shoulder, Olivia Newton-John style |
| K: | Yeah! They would be well back in fashion then |
| S: | Yeah - they probably are |
| M: | Yeah, they would |
| K: | ... chucked them away... |
| M: | I remember my brother's Superman underpants in the nylon material, they should come back |
| K: | Well I thought - I used to think I was Wonderwoman - my Mum bought me a blue leotard and sewed some little gold stars on the bottom of it for me 'cos I couldn't afford the proper one - like the proper outfit - and I never had a lasso - Mum wouldn't let me have a lasso but I had one of those little boomerang things that my Dad made me - and used to sort of turn around - I used to have my hair tied up, with a pair of my Mum's glasses on, I used to turn round three times - and while I was turning round I used to take my hair down and take the glasses off and then I'd be there in my leotard at the end |
| M: | Oh - mad! - that is crazy |
| S: | She still does it! |
| K: | I used to tell her she could fly and say "oh jump out of that tree, Shell, and flap" |
| M: | And did you do it? |
| S: | Oh yeah! |
| M: | I did it out of a window when I was a kid |
| K & S: | Did you? |
| S: | Good - 'cos I did it out of big old trees, and I hurt myself really bad |
| M: | I did hurt myself really bad - my ankles once - as it was my brother who told me to do it |
| K: | Did you think you could fly? |
| M: | Well he said, "I bet you can - you can be Superwoman if you go out of the window" |
| K: | See? |
| S: | 'Ere, 'ang on there mate! |
| M: | You know when your brother tells you to do something? |
| S: | Yeah - I'd do it! |
| M: | I did myself in ever so hard |
| K: | Did you flap? |
| M: | I did, and I hurt myself as well - |
| K: | So did she! |
| M: | - luckily a bush stopped me, a bush stopped me from really hurting myself |
| S: | Did it? Oh - nice old bush! I didn't have a bush, I had some pavement! |
| M: | That's even worse, innit? |
| S: | I know - and my Mum was like "Karen, you silly girl! Don't tell her she can do that 'cos she'll do it! |
| M: | You have to try these things though |
| K & S: | You do |
| K: | Now she knows it's not possible |
| S: | We used to do this thing called "bum-bumming" down the stairs - we used to sit on the staris and go like - skidding down the stairs and end up at the bottom in a heap - |
| K: | Carpet burns all over! |
| M: | (I did that as well!) My brother put me in a bean bag once and threw me down the stairs - that really hurt - don't try that at home kids! |
| -------- | Acoustic version of Indestructible is played |
| M: | Would you do anything shocking then to get yourself in the tabloids? |
| S: | No, I'd rather be out of the papers, to be honest |
| K: | ...... but you would - you do totally outrageous things |
| S: | Yeah, but in private, luvvie! |
| K: | No, come on - |
| S: | Not in public! I can accept any dare that someone offers me - well any of them lot - but no, I'd hate to be in the papers |
| K: | Yeah, definitely. But she does do totally outrageous things you know, in public, quite often, if you dare her. It's like "Shell, dare you to do that" and she'll go "oh - all right then!" |
| M: | It would frighten me actually like you know being famous, in case, you know, things were brought up from your past |
| K & S: | Yeah |
| S: | We've actually done nothing like |
| K: | We've done nothing shameful, I mean we've done loads of tragic things like - |
| S: | Musically we've done lots of shameful stuff - but then, you know like, it was eleven years ago so it don't really matter |
| K: | It was all stuff that was just like when we were thirteen and fourteen, and was just with producers and stuff, never came out as singles, never was signed to a record company, it was just like backing vocals and stuff like that, so that's fine, and 'cos it's such a long time ago, it's fine - |
| M: | You laugh at it - |
| K: | - it's quite cool even, we look back - |
| S: | Oh yeah, we laugh our heads off! |
| K: | - and see pictures of us, and we're like "my ra-ra skirt was quite cool, you know, I think it was all right!" |
| M: | The 'pedal pushers', remember them? |
| K & S: | Yeah! |
| S: | Do you remember the puff balls? |
| M: | Yeah! |
| S: | You had to puff 'em up before you sat down! They were cool.(!) |
| M: | Blimey, that is sad! |
| -------- | break |
| M: | All right, so you've just finished your tour, what was the wildest thing you did? |
| K & S: | Erm... Oh... golly... |
| M: | Moonies, and stuff like that? |
| K: | Oh, that happens - that happens daily - |
| S: | I think it's - it's usually the band that do something outrageous |
| K: | Yeah, we're quite outrageous when we're together - as a little unit - when we're on the tour bus, doing you know, silly - we play games like - we play silly games like, there's this game called "ghosties" that we play, where - it's just so stupid - we you have to pretend that - the other people have to pretend that you're not there - or something like that - |
| M: | Oh I'd hate that! |
| S: | It's a word game, and if you're out of the word game, if you lose like a place, then you become a "ghostie", which means everything you say everyone's got to ignore, you have to do - you have to try and get people to like look at you, or something |
| K: | So consequently you get really outrageous situations happening, and you're trying not to look at the particular member of the band doing something really outrageous - it's quite funny - |
| M: | It's a really good game that! |
| K: | It is! |
| M: | I must try that. Have you tried that one where you have to drink and you say "I'm going from London to, er, Paris" |
| K: | No - |
| M: | Have you ever done that one? |
| K & S: | No - |
| M: | Ah, I'll have to try it with you one night - it is so annoying - |
| K: | We'll have to give that one a go, Mel. |
| M: | It's so annoying - |
| K: | Is it? |
| M: | It is so annoying if you don't get it, I got absolutely wasted the other week because I didn't get it - it took me about three hours to get it - so every time you get it wrong you have to drink this Vodka or whatever |
| K & S: | Hey, that sounds good! |
| M: | Hey - sounds good fun! So what other sort of things have you done while you were on tour? |
| K: | Erm... it's pretty much - you know it's really boring - everyone thinks it's a great life, but it's actually quite boring - |
| M: | Is it? |
| K: | - you know, sitting in a bus, and five hours to the next place, and it's really cooped up, and everyone's sort of - you know, within a couple of weeks of being on tour it's like eurrrgghhhh, let me out! |
| M: | Do you never get sick of each other? |
| S: | Yeah, we crawl in the walls quite often! [I am, I feel fades in] |
| M: | Really? |
| S: | Constantly |
| K: | but, no, we just have really good fun, you know, getting up at service stations at three o'clock in the morning, and you know - |
| -------- | I am, I feel is played |
| ...followed by a break, then... | |
| -------- | Acoustic Version of White Room is played |
| M: | All right, so you're gonna be touring with INXS real soon, is that right? |
| K: | Yeah, it's all going really well |
| M: | Have you met INXS before? |
| K: | Yeah, we met Michael and Paula once in France, with Dave Stewart actually, and then after that we met them a couple of times at different award ceremonies and stuff. I think they're looking forward to us going, and we're totally honoured to be on it and playing Wembley Arena and things like that, you know, it'll be amazing |
| M: | It'll be brilliant won't it? Rather wild - |
| K: | I know - you're at massive stadium and you just think "Oh my God", we went to see a gig the other day and we were like "oh no" |
| M: | I would be frightened - I would absolutely fill my pants if I had to - |
| S: | We were frightened at the Hop and Grape in Manchester, do you know what I mean?! |
| M: | So do you reckon you'll be able to handle it all right, do you have anything that'll calm your nerves down before you go on stage and stuff? |
| K: | Vodka! |
| M: | Vodka! |
| K: | The old vodka and tonic always does the world of good |
| M: | Does it? |
| K: | Just one or two, you know, we don't go overboard before, but- |
| M: | after? |
| K: | Just a couple, you know... |
| M: | Yeah, right... |
| K: | ... you have to don't you! |
| M: | Too right, you gotta aint ya? So what do you hope to be doing in the future apart from your touring and stuff like that, have you got a new album and stuff? |
| K: | Erm - yeah, we're halfway through writing the second album, just in pre-production at the moment, and we've done about nine tracks for it - and we've been doing so much live work - there's a lot of the live element on the second album, which is good for us really, it's sort of evolving a bit I think, so we're totally excited about the second one. |
| -------- | break for some other music |
| M: | What is in the future? What is in the next five years? |
| K: | Well we hope in the next five years, we hope we're definitely still doing exactly what we're doing - |
| S: | What would that make it, album number... four? |
| K: | 'Cos it's gone already two years since we signed our record deal and since we've had - you know, since things have been happening it's been like a year and a bit, so it's really gone really quickly, so I think in the next five years definitely still doing what we're doing. But in the next ten years, I mean, we'd like to get more into writing songs for other people, I mean we see ourselves more as songwriters really, so we're just gonna work on the song writing side of it more, definitely over the next five years, and you know, hopefully writing songs for other people |
| S: | And then we'll be on album ten! |
| K: | Then maybe a bit more coinage - |
| S: | - and more cocker spaniels! |
| M: | You're nutters, you're completely -! |
| K: | - other people can do it then! |
| S: | Yeah! |
| M: | So could you teach me to sing? 'Cos I wish I could sing - |
| K: | Yeah - "I wish I could fly"! [they all burst out laughing] |
| M: | Orville! |
| S: | Yeah, that's perfect for you! |
| M: | So as long as someone doesn't have to stick their
hand up my bum, I'll be sorted! I'd love to do that though, I really wish I could sing. |
| K: | Well we'll write you something - |
| S: | Why don't you go on - erm - "Stars In Their Eyes"? |
| M: | Yeah? |
| S: | And be someone like - |
| M: | Be you! |
| S: | Yeah - |
| K: | Or just be both, both of us - |
| S: | Or go on as someone completely bizarre like Al Green - |
| M: | Or Bonnie Langford! |
| K: | Yeah, Bonnie - |
| S: | Yeah, you could! Why don't you do that? |
| M: | I reckon I should! In fact, I'm gonna write off to them... |
| S: | 'Cos I watch that - when I'm home I watch that every week |
| M: | Do ya? |
| S: | I do, I do. And when they do the final, I actually 'phone up and vote! |
| M: | You don't!? |
| S: | I do! I do... |
| K: | Sad my sister, aint she? Sad... |
| S: | I get well into that. I think it's fantastic 'cos when they wave goodbye at the top of the stairs, and you think, "who're they gonna be" - |
| M: | Yeah I love that! |
| S: | - they're a woman and then they're a bloke! It's like - I know who he's gonna be, I know it , I know it, who looks like that - |
| K: | He's Olivia Newton-John! |
| M: | We do that when we go out on a Saturday night, we like turn round and "Tonight, I'm gonna be a supermodel!" |
| K: | Really? I used to go out with my friends and we used to pretend - we used to be like 'Pasquelle', 'Francesca' and - |
| S: | French - |
| K: | Yeah, we used to be like French girls and go "I cannot understand your English" [she says in a mock foreign accent] |
| M: | I think everyone does that! |
| S: | Everyone? Oh good! |
| K: | And like we used to go out with wigs on occasionally, my friend got loads of wigs, 'cos she used to work for this company, and we used to just go out with long wigs on and just totally wild, no-one ever knew! It was fantastic! |
| M: | Crazy! Absoultely barmy - |
| -------- | Other music fades in, interview ends |
Return to Alisha's Corner!
This interview is copyright Alisha's Attic, Independent radio and Mercury Records.