The Charlatans UK – Interview

The Charlatans UK

Still in the studio overseas in Manchester, England, Jon Brookes, the fabulous drummer of the Charlatans UK, phoned in to give the latest on the group, life, and gossip.

I saw you were going to be touring the States with Stereophonics. Is every show with them?

Yeah. It’s going to be great.

Have you been doing shows elsewhere up to this point?

Well, last year we played a British tour and then went to Japan. We tend not to do many shows really, the least that we can get away with. (laughs)

So you aren’t going to do a ton of shows? Are you just going to the bigger cities?

Yeah. It costs such a lot of money and we have to pay for it ourselves. We’ve always had a good reception in the States and Canada and it’s important to go back there. It shows we are committed in getting there and performing. Groups like the Manic Street Preachers won’t go because they can’t play shows as big as they can in Britain and I think that is their own neck. We’ve got fans there, so it’s good to stick by them.

Are any of you married and how does that effect the group when you are away for a time?

A couple of us are married and it doesn’t really effect us because we don’t spend much time away. A month is about as long as we are away. Three of the guys have children and you have to be careful that you don’t burn yourself out. It’s a lifestyle we enjoy and we fight for, because once it is gone, it’s gone. We try to keep a certain balance.

I read an article, and I don’t know if it’s false, that said you were held up by the FBI.

Well, yeah. There was a bit of an altercation on an airplane. It was typical British overreaction. Some people recognized us and they said we were undesirable characters, coupled with an attitude like, ‘Who do you think you are talking to? Fuck off!’

Does it get annoying to have to come to America and put the UK on the end of your band name?

Yeah. It’s only in the States. It’s for legal reasons. A while ago it was brought to our attention that someone wasn’t happy with us using the name because there was an American band named the Charlatans. It’s a bit of a pisser.

It is.

Yeah. UK! (Jon says it as a word, Uck, instead of as letters, UK, and then begins to laugh)

Us And Us Only is a great album. I’m curious how different it is for the group going into the studio now compared to early in your career?

It was different from the start because we had Tony (keyboards) in the group. It was a big change with another member. We spent a lot of time writing the songs in two groups of two and three. We produced this ourselves and I think we learned a lot. I think we’ve gone through a lot of changes and periods whereby we’ve tried different types of music. This one has a few long songs and we’ve tried to make some interesting instrumental pieces on it. Next time I think we might go into an opposite direction and stick some choruses in it.

Do you set time aside in the studio to write?

Well, we don’t really work like that in the studio. It’s best to work outside and then come into the studio and try to work them out. I think it can be frustrating sitting in the studio twiddling your thumbs so it’s a good idea to have something to work on.

Was it hard to be objective when producing yourselves?

Not really. I think what it tends to do is make you more apparent of what you are doing. With producers, I think you tend to let them do everything for you. In terms of the drums, I had to really concentrate not just on playing the drums, but the parts to make sure they fit the song. It really does teach you a lot. You can’t ask everyone’s opinion all the time. Sometimes you just have to go with what feels right. Everybody was looking after their own shit.

You guys recorded this in your own studio, right?

Yeah, we have our own place called The Big Mushroom. It has been developed over the past year. It’s a fully fitted studio. It served us very well and it’s a lot cheaper than renting a place, I can tell you that.

You could go in there anytime you want and do whatever you want?

That’s right. We could just come in and hang out, do a little work, and maybe watch a little tv.

You were saying before that the next album might go in an opposite direction, and I was wondering if that was as much for you as it is for the fans?

Yeah. I think you have to take the previous one in consideration and if there are points that you didn’t like. If you want to change, it’s always good to look back. Like with this album, the songs are a bit long and drawn out and we didn’t go for loads of hooks, so we might address that next time. Maybe they’d get played on the radio. I don’t think that consciously we think, ‘Oh, we’ve got to write this record so it gets played on the radio,’ but I think everyone deep down is conscious of that. Maybe we will be on the next one.

What do you think about the music that is played on the radio today?

It’s hard to say really. I believe the music at the moment is really cheesy, and I think that is coming to an end. I don’t know about music in the States, but in Britain it’s been pretty up and down. One minute it’s cheesy pop, and then next you get Death In Vegas. So it’s up and down. It’s okay as long as they play your stuff. (laughs)

The States isn’t much different. It’s a whole lot of cheesy pop.

I could probably say it is crap, but you have to be more precise than that.

Speaking of the different scenes between the States and Britain, why do you think so many great British bands never seem to break in the US?

I don’t really know. I think it’s radio. I don’t think any band can break if they don’t get in the Top 40 or get on radio. Sometimes stations don’t want to play things. It’s the luck of the draw. I don’t really know, mate. If I knew the answer to that question, I could study up. (laughs)

What did you think about Liam using your tracks on his Prodigy mix tape, The Dirtchamber Sessions?

It was fantastic. He’s a cool dude. We like him. We’d like to work with him one day.

I’ve been reading articles in some British journals and I can’t tell the difference between truth and fiction. Like this Ian Brown (of Stone Roses) stuff.

What did it say?

That you guys were fighting because his family said you guys ripped off the Stone Roses.

That is just a bit of bullshit in the press, mate. It was a bit of comedy made. We don’t encourage that stuff.

I hate it because I can’t tell if the stuff is real or not, and I don’t want to report non-truths.

There is a lot of bullshit really. It’s eye candy really.

Lastly, what would you say to Americans that weren’t familiar with your material?

Where the fuck ya been for the last nine years?

+ charlie craine


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