Conforme prometido no post anterior, aqui fica a entrevista dom os Death In June:
Death In
June Interview
Grim
Humour # 2 Sept.’83 30p
Background
information: Although they only performed live occasionally, a healthy fixture
on the London live circuit at the time was this group comprising former members
of Crisis; a band most of those involved with the ‘zine also held aloft’s as
one of the better ones to have arisen from punk. Formed in 1980 and still going
now, Death in June were seen by us on many occasions around this period and
made an equally large impression at a time when all those bands being deemed
‘Positive Punk’ left mostly (wry pun alert) nada by comparison. Kerry White, boyfriend of Karen Willoughby and in charge of Herne
Bay’s Gower’s & Jones record shop and keeping it stocked whit a large array
of independent releases (at a time when the term actually meant far more than a
type of ‘alternative rock’ aimed at bedwetters going through pangs of
acne-induced angst), had forged a friendship with Douglas Pearce due to the
letter also working at the Rough Trade distribution warehouse in London and,
well, the interview seemed inevitable. Just a shame it was conducted via the
post, really. This method of interviewing bands was often employed by fanzines
due to time and budget restraints, unfortunately. Whilst convenient and,
indeed, vaguely comparable to those now conducted via email, they always lacked
the spontaneity of a life interview. Nonetheless, they could be interesting
still despite this, plus at least afforded both parties to actually articulate
whatever they wanted to say in a more coherent manner. The interview was done
around the time of their debut mini-album being released.
--------------------------
Original
interview:
Death In
June rose from the ashes of Crisis in late ’81. Their first venture onto vinyl
was the 12” ‘Heaven Street’, which got some good reviews. However, they seem to
have stayed very much an underground band, gigging rarely and generally keeping
quite a low profile.
GH –
Death In June have been together for quite a while yet it was only recently
that you caught the attention of the music press and received critical acclaim
for the mini-album, etc. Why do you think this is?
DOUG The third release for any group is always
important. We knew this and made an effort to make encroachments into the
national music press. These were easily achieved and successful. It was a case
of knowing that we were good, trying to make things happen and make other
people know that we were good. The problem with us is that we are all quite
shy, private people and don’t frequent the ‘rock and roll’ world like a lot of
other bands, so we don’t get to meet and butter up a lot of journalists, etc.
However, that’s the world we choose to live or, rather, operate in so we don’t
have to make any adjustments. We haven’t done too badly up until now.
GH What do you think of the music press?
DOUG It’s there to be used. But, like anything,
the vast majority of its contents are there by courtesy of major companies,
professional hypers, etc. So, what’s new?
GH Are you pleased with the album?
DOUG Yes, it’s the most complete thing I’ve been
associated with. Even though there is a lot of room for improvement and some
half-realised ideas, it’s the most satisfying record I’ve ever been on. It
stands head and shoulders above a lot of contemporary music.
GH How well is the album selling?
DOUG Far better than the previous two releases. A
little bit more of an effort and we could be on (the same) level as Crisis
were; which would be very satisfying as the past still haunts us in a lot of
ways. I’d like this group to do a lot better than what it’s doing.
GH Does running your own label help you to
present your music better than being signed to a larger label? (Have you roused
other label’s interests?) Will you use New European Recordings to promote other
bands?
DOUG As far as I know, no other labels have been
interested in us. Then again, we are hardly interested in them. The idea of
hawking a tape around a lot of businesses seems degrading and repulsive to us.
If they are interested and they want to give us some money, then let them come
to us. The drag about running your own label is the financial restriction. We
could be doing so much more if we had the resources… As for promoting other
bands, we have already. NER put out the first LP by The Legendary Pink Dots,
Brighter Now, and provided gigs for a group called Iron In Flesh, who will hopefully soon have a 12” out. We are
always looking for something to put out but there seems to be little of value.
GH Do you like playing live? Would you say
Death In June are a live band or a (studio) band?
DOUG We dislike performing live because it
places restrictions on us as people and ‘artists’. We are happier in the studio
where we have more control. But, having said that, there are plans to do some
more public appearances but, really, that’s all going against the grain a bit
so I don’t like really know what the outcome of those will be.
GH Did you enjoy the support to Sex Gang
Children at The Marquee? Surely this could have held drawbacks, such as being
tagged with the ridiculous ‘Positive Punk’ banner and (merely) gaining 0’cult
status’, etc.?
DOUG No. It was everything we expected: badly
organized, no decent soundcheck, no room – the usual, in fact. As for the
‘drawbacks’ – only a fool would lump us in the ‘Positive Punk’ bracket and cult
status is something we already have. That in itself is no problem. It’s only if
you can’t build on it that it becomes one.
GH Would you say that their music scene is
healthier than your own, i.e. gig-wise?
DOUG I don’t necessarily believe it’s healthier
overall. It’s that the people you deal with in many of the places are more
interested in what they are actually doing than just another way of making a
quick buck, although I’m sure they have their fair share of those as well. The
continentals appear to approach us from a different angle than the British. All
our best interviews have been with foreigners.
GH Where does the name Death In June originate
from? And what does the symbol stand for?
DOUG Death In June came about purely by chance
and then we realized the ‘significance’. It means different things to different
people, including us as individuals and humanity as a whole. It does refer to a
specific event when ‘man’ decided to go one way instead of another. However,
the symbol is this: the skull of death and the ‘6’ equals June, the sixth
month.
GH Is there a certain fascination with history
in war with Death In June, as some of the songs suggest?
DOUG There is a certain fascination, yes. However,
that is really encompassed in our interest in European history and culture. Why
plagiarise other cultures when there is so much of worth in our own and it’s
only misplaced feelings of guilt that stop us from using our heritage. War
history does form the basis for some of our songs, but not overridingly so.
‘Heaven Street’ is probably the only one that was written with those things in
mind. References crop up in other things, though.
GH Had Crisis helped in developing your current
musical style?
DOUG Since Tony and me were the major forces
behind Crisis I should think that’s inevitable, but then we were going nowhere
until Pat came along. We all have equal say in the routes that we take. All
three of us write material. I should think it’s been a coming together of two
groups successfully. Pat was in Runners From ’84, which Tony joined for a while
after Crisis split. In fact, we had a guest participant with us recently who
made his debut at The Marquee, who was also in Runners. He may become a
full-time member.
GH Do you feel the ‘independent’ ethic is
important to the band’s career, i.e. fanzines and tapes, etc.?
DOUG To an extent, yes. People doing things
themselves can only be admired but, then again, most of the indie market was/is
absolute shit.
GH The next 12” is going to feature acoustic
guitars and kettle drums. Are you aiming at a more diverse or commercial sound?
DOUG –
That piece was taken out of context (Sounds article). Acoustic guitars and
kettle drums are already featured on the LP, i.e. ‘Heaven Street Mk II’. In
fact the next 12” will probably not feature those instruments. However, getting
back to the question, I think we are going in both directions. What will appear
first to the public is another question. There is some pretty odd stuff
recorded already (the film soundtrack), but how (it) will see the light of day
I am not sure. There are numerous possibilities.
GH When shall we be hearing of Death In June
next?
DOUG I can’t see any new records out until the
winter sometime. There will be a track on a double tape compilation, called
Pleasantly Surprised, out in about a month. The track is ‘Black Radio’. As for
gigs, we will probably be playing a few in early Autumn and some more in
London. Then there’s Europe…
DEATH IN
JUNE: Selected Discography
‘Heaven
Street’ 12” (New European Recordings, 1981)
‘State
Laughter’ 7” (NER, 1982)
The
Guilty Have No Pride MLP (NER, 1983)
Burial
LP (NER, 1984)
Nada! LP
(NER, 1985)
The
World That Summer 2LP (NER, 1986)
Oh, How
We Laughed LP (Eyas Media, 1987)
Brown
Book LP (NER, 1987)
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