PENNY BROADHURST

The man, the legend...Penny Broadhurst meets Mark E Smith of the Fall and laughs a lot. This is more or less a straight transcript, because we wanted to preserve the spirit of the actual interview rather than dilute it with lengthy prose. The setting: a bar in Leeds, 2001.

Tell me about the new album.

Well it's called Are You Are Missing Winner (silence). It sounds great, really. The Unutterable was a bit too polished, this is...very raw.

Why is there a cover version on the album (Motown hit Gotta See Jane)?

Getting the group in training. It's a different group from the last one, believe it or not.

Changed again?

Well, not completely.

(We both laugh.)

Penny Broadhurst talks to Damo Suzuki, leader of the Damo Suzuki Network and former vocalist with Krautrockers CAN. 2001.

You say you like to create music live and studio work doesn't interest you. How much of each gig is improvised?

Penny Broadhurst has a word in the ear of the composer and Artist in Residence of the Harrogate International Festival 2001, Michael Nyman. His new work, a fifteen minute orchestral piece entitled A Dance He Little Thinks Of and commissioned by Yorkshire Orchestral Consortium (YOC), was premiered at the Festival. It was performed by the BBC Philharmonic and conducted by Vassily Sinaisky.

You're obviously playing a major role in the Festival as Artist in Residence. How did that come about?

William Culver-Dodds (the Director of the Festival) invited me to become Artist in Residence, Composer in Residence, and I accepted. It's very rarely offered.

Is it something that you've had experience of before?

Penny Broadhurst interviews Ross Jeffries, a self-styled Speed Seduction Expert who appeared in Louis Theroux' Weird Weekends series and reputedly was the inspiration for the character of Frank TJ Mackey (played by Tom Cruise) in Paul Thomas Anderson's movie Magnolia. This email interview was conducted in 2001.

Why did you come up with the concept of speed seduction?

You know how it is when you meet a national institution. Possibly. You're nervous as hell. Then you can't find said celeb anywhere. He finally emerges with a Borders bag in his hand from somewhere near McDonald's. Penny Broadhurst meets Paul Daniels in 2001.

Penny Broadhurst transcends the distance between here and Louisville, to talk bollocks with Jim James of My Morning Jacket via email in 2001.

If your life was a sound, what would it be?

Oohs and aahs from choirs

What is the soundtrack to the film in your head?
These Eyes by The Guess Who

If you made a scrapbook, what would be in it?
Blood and sweat from everyone I love and one super-sized KFC value meal.

What would be your ideal meal?
One super-sized KFC value meal with 15 piece family-sized bucket and couscous with broccoli. Also I would have Magic Shell (Ed. - the kind of icecream sauce that dries hard) on peanut butter cup ice-cream for dessert.

Penny Broadhurst interviews Lou and Andy of Lamb around the release of the What Sound? album. Lou Rhodes is now a successful solo artist.

Why was Gabriel the first single?

For some reason it just seemed the obvious choice. I think it's really such a...song, do you know what I mean? It sounds odd me saying it. It's one of those songs that kind of wrote itself. A lot of the songs seem to do that. It's like, I just have an idea and then it just takes on its own lifeforce. Gabriel was one of those. It just felt right.

Do you believe in angels?

"I just wanted to talk about them because I really dig that librarian look the singer has going for her. I half expect her to have a tattoo of a book with angel wings, I don't know.

They are also on a long tour, so I was hoping people would take a chance on them at a live show. See all their tour dates on their myspace.

It is also a place where you can check out some of their songs.

I like songs like 'Give it Up' (it sounds like a synthy-motown number) and 'LJaded' (it's like a pseudo "rap" song about LiveJournal). Some great DIY sound and I officially predict Penny Broadhurst will be a household name by 2009, if not sooner."

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