QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
BRYAN DAMAGE asked:
Which Pink
Floyd album is your favourite and why?
BAZ: I don’t actually like them at all, though I have been advised to
listen to Dark Side of the Moon. I think my fave album would be their last one
ever!
Heaven or Hell? BAZ: In reality, it’s a
tough choice. There’s definitely more fun in Hell, and I can’t actually
imagine me in white playing the harp! I quite like the JW theory that we are
inhabiting Hell now, and that we ascend to Heaven after death.
Do you really think that Harlow deserves its bad
reputation and why? BAZ: Like I’ve said on many occasions, it’s a
nice town… it’s just spoiled by the it’s inhabitants and their activities!
What equipment do you use on stage and how does it
affect your sound? BAZ: I use a Zoom multiFX for the bass (Thunder
II). I have programmed one sound that I use all the time, which is basically a
heavy flanger/chorus with slight distortion. For vocals I like a nice quick
delay with 2 or 3 repeats, though in rehearsals I favour a backwards delay!
Daddy or Chips? BAZ: Both are very
dear to my heart, and essential to my well-being!
REPLICANT asked:
What’s the best thing about being in Dead
Heaven? BAZ: A few things. 1> Having the freedom and
ability to play the songs that we want to play. 2> Playing with bands
that we are in to, and meeting lots of nice people in the process. 3>
Listening to Nino create his magic.
And the worse thing? BAZ: Erm....
I'll need to think about that!
Who would like to cover one of your songs?
BAZ: Besides the obvious choices, I'd like to hear Placebo or The
Cure doing one of our songs.
If there was a film made of the Dead Heaven story,
who would you like to play you? BAZ: I would definitely opt
for Kiefer Sutherland or Jonathon Rhys Meyers.
Hair or Fur? BAZ: Definitely hair! The have been no great fur-styles in the history of rock n roll!
Ziggy Stardust or Aladdin Sane? BAZ: That's a really tough one. Both are great albums, great images, and a very important stage of the man's career. If my life depended on it, I'd have to choose Ziggy (which contains my fave DB track of all time, 'Moonage Daydream')
Where would you like to be when you die - name the tune for your funeral - embalm, burn or cryogenics? BAZ: I'd like to be high up, looking out over the sea, surrounded by people that I love. The tune for my funeral is known, and to some people's surprise, it's 'Everybody Hurts' by REM. Don't freeze me or keep me, please burn me. Ashes to ashes!
It’s very unusual these days for bands to write their own material, where do you get your inspiration? BAZ: The inspiration for the music can come from anywhere, tho usually we 'jam' a song till the 'feel' is right, then we structure it. Lyrically, I suppose most of my inspiration comes from past experiences, people I have known or know, and my own emotions and feelings.
I’ve always wanted to ask this; when you write a song, what comes first, the tune or the lyrics? BAZ: In most cases we get the basic music written, then I adlib rough vocals and tweak them later at home. I have over 2000 lyrics, written over the past 15 years, so I am never short of words! A few of the songs have been written tho by sitting down and singing/playing them acoustically.
I’ve heard the term Goth/Punk used to describe Dead Heaven, do you find it annoying that the music industry has to pigeon hole a band in order to make it ‘fit in’ somewhere? How would you personally describe the Dead Heaven sound? BAZ: The 'pigeon holing' doesn't annoy me really, it's a basic way to describe the style of music. Tho, it can turn some people off. We have been compared to so many bands from different styles over the past few years, (such as The Jam, Southern Death Cult, Duran Duran, The Cure), that it seems that most people tend to hear different things in what we play anyway. Ideally, we would describe our sound as 'Dead Heaven'. I usually say that it's Joy Division meets Killing Joke meets Psychedelic Furs, tho Nino would probably disagree!
When I saw you play at the Garage I couldn’t believe that you still managed to produce a sound as loud as when you were a four-piece band, what technology are you using now to replace the other band members? BAZ: The backing track ONLY consists of drums and minimal synth, the real noise and power is still created by myself and Nino. The 'magic' that we had when we started this band is still there .... it's something in the air!
Do you use talcum powder inside your leathers Baz? ;o) BAZ: There's absolutely no room for anything else inside those trousers!
Lastly, are you planning to do any gigs in Essex at all, in particular the Southend area? BAZ: We are looking to play in Essex, we've been talking to a few promoters. As for Southend, we are hoping to get something at Riga or Chinnery's this year, tho it is hard for bands from outside the town to get gigs there, so keep ya fingers crossed (or call the venue to put a word in for us!)