Interview taken from HermAphrodite #9.
Poncing dandies. Great Southern nonces.
Bleedin’ pansies. You’ve heard it all, and so have they, but it’s not strictly
true any more. My Life Story are trying to get away from all that. So they
might have made some good tunes – ‘Duchess’, ‘Motorcade’, that song about
Reasons Why. That all tends to be forgotten in the face of, well, Jake’s face.
But the foppery frippery insults are slowly dying, as is the memory of the
glitter – ‘the glitter! the horror!’ - and That kiss-curl. They’ve still got a
string section, they’re still all skinny gets, but they do rock awfully hard
nowadays. And besides that cuddlesome thought for The Crow/Paul, and keyboard 
Danny (
currently curled up along a corridor of Manchester’s SU building ), they’ve
also got a bottle of wine. And the opportunity to natter about themselves. So
they’re happy. Particularly when I mention recent glowing reports about the
band’s onstage presence. Steve Lamacq’s been talking, on the radio ( cos that’s
part of what he gets paid for ), about My Life Story. He says they really rock
now. And that no-one can level the accusation of their simply being ‘foppish
dandies’ any more.
Paul – “I think people said we were ‘on fire’.”
Danny – “It was a good gig that. We are playing well at the
moment. We haven’t done anything for two years – well, we did about four dates
this summer – and it’s just nice to be playing a whole long tour. You get that
whole feeling and atmosphere back again.”
They’ve been deliberately staying away from us, says Paul, until
the album was properly finished, and they felt they could shine onstage again.
When they parted with Parlophone, they found that they were masters of their
schedules again. And didn’t lose days in the studios because they had too much
to do.
Danny – “You need to focus on one thing. I think this album has
come out really well because of the way we recorded it; the four of us went
away to a residential studio for two months, recorded the album and co-produced
it.”
Paul – “We were a lot closer to things, this time around.”
Danny – “The new album is a lot more based towards a four-piece
sound, so it generally is rockier.”
Me – “So it’s not just that Jake lost the kiss-curl ?”
Danny – “No.”
Paul – “We have a bit more substance than a hair-style. We’d like
to think.”
And so there are to be no returns to the glitter-shower stage-sets
of old, either.
Paul – “We’re not about that any more, we’re a lot more earthy
now.”
Danny – “We don’t want to be known for stuff like that – it
doesn’t reflect the new album, does it ? We made a conscious decision to move
away from all that, let the songs speak for themselves.”
Without being dressed up like a Christmas tree. Okay.
Danny – “We suffered from too much image,
people weren’t actually listening to the songs.”
me - “So you’re
more than just shiny trousers ?”
Paul - “Fuckin’ yeah ! We always were
though, that’s the problem.”
And they really want their new material to be heard, not just
seen.
Danny – “I mean, we still put on a show, we still give it all
every night, and that’s really important too us because that’s what people come
to see. That’s the whole point of playing live – you can’t just go through the
motions.”
And as they’re only just returned to us, they haven’t yet tired of
the touring treadmill. Besides which, they are being looked after. They have
two buses. One with four people. One with the rest of them. Their bus is the
best, apparently. It being immaculate. And with a lovely bus driver. Who 
has them waking up to a fresh pot of
coffee, and announces over the tannoy system when unstable road surfaces are
approaching, so as hot drinks etc. can be grabbed in safety.
Paul – “It’s horrible travelling two-hundred miles every day, so
we always sleep through the journey. It’s better that way, I mean, what would
you rather do ?”
I agree with him. Although...
Me – “I don’t know if I’d be able to get to sleep on a bus.”
Danny – “That’s the thing – when you have a day off and go home
you can’t go to sleep because your bed’s not moving.”
Though the rest of the associated touring malarkey he quite likes.
Danny – “I quite like being away really – you don’t have any
responsibilities.”
Me – “You don’t have any pets then ?”
Danny – “I’ve got some goldfish but my flatmate’s looking after
them. ( pause ) It’s my flatmate that needs looking after – he doesn’t like me
being away.”
Paul – “It ruins his routine...”
Me – “So you’re relishing the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, and The
Little Chefs along the road to success...?”
Danny – “Little Chef ? I wouldn’t fuckin’ ever eat in a Little
Chef.”
Me – “Oh, they’re lovely.”
Danny – “Fuck off ! They’re DISGRACEFUL, Little Chefs, I can’t
BELIEVE they get away with the SHIT they sell. It’s the worst food I’ve ever
tasted, and we’ve had some bad food, let me tell you. They can’t even COOK the
food properly, and that’s a BASIC NECESSITY. It’s BULLSHIT man...”
Paul meanwhile is just quietly eyeing his friend.
Paul – “This is a prime example of a man who’s been on the road
too long.”
With the ranting. And not just the mis-aligned hatred of an eating
establishment so fantastic they have their own brand of carpet.
Danny – “I HATE it. I’d rather STARVE. I’d rather just drink
whisky instead. It’s better for you, I bet.”
I can’t even tempt them around to The Little Chef’s range of
Dipping Doughnuts.
Danny – “Fuck off, I’m not eating shit like that. We just eat bags
of fruit.”
Aren’t they good...
Danny – “And we go swimming quite a lot.”
Paul – “Yeah, we’re mad swimmers. Me, Dan, Roger the new guitar...
S’good, you clean yourself up.”
Danny – “We had a brilliant time in St. Austin; we woke up, and
the bus was parked right next to the beach on this beautiful day. So we went
for about a two hour walk up the coast, and then sat on the beach, went into
the sea.”
Paul – “And it was so hot !”
Danny – “Though it was FUCKING FREEZING in the sea.”
That’s another reason why they’re still doing alla this.
Danny – “You can be sitting on a beach in October, everyone else
is in an office.”
But they’re not getting in their Christmas shopping, whilst on
tour. Shame.
Paul – “I’ve got people who take care of that.”
Me – “But you’ve got to get your mum something yourself!”
Danny – “Oh, yeah – your mum’s the most important one.”
Naturally.
And then to change the subject...
Jake has taken to
introducing ‘Empire Line’ as ‘a song about models injecting heroin into their
toes’. A line which always makes my toes feel squeamish.
Danny - “I thought
it made your toes go numb...”
Ha-ha.
Paul - “The idea
behind our next single; it’s obviously about the whole super-model thing.”
And the ‘foul
horse-play’ which lurks beneath the surface sheen.
Danny - “It’s just
that whole thing of hiding it from the public, and the public believing this
myth that people actually look like that. No-one looks like a fuckin’
super-model. They’re touched up, they’re whited out - you can’t EVER look like
that. The whole thing is just bull-shit.”
True. And then,
while we’re talking about the new material...
I try to convince
them that ‘Yes ( To Everything )’ sounds like The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’. The My
Life Story representatives before me remain mildly unconvinced, but promise to
watch out for any similarities.
Paul - “We haven’t
lifted it on purpose, we’re not trying to be The Cranberries.”
Although...
Paul - “I actually
liked that last single. It proves how much they’ve crossed over, doesn’t it, if
I don’t mind them.”
And Danny loved the
‘flying scarecrow’ video.
Danny - “I quite
like the Goth image, it was quite good.”
me - “So what did
you do in the Eighties ?”
Danny - “What did I
do in the Eighties ? I went to school.”
But he did own a
pair of pointy boots.
me - “Did they have
buckles on one side, and the other, and also a zip ?”
Danny - “They did
have a zip, yeah. And they were very pointed and black.”
Paul, however,
claims to remember NOTHING of the Eighties. Even the shoulder-pads. He’s a
little older than Danny. ( But is not known as The Wise One.) He and Danny then
have a fight about how old Danny is - Paul’s guess is six years out. Which
prompts me to ask how much time they spend together, how well they really know
each other.
Paul- “My
girlfriend came last night - she couldn’t get a word in edgeways.”
Danny - “But she
dun’t know you like I know you.”
Paul - “It’s not
just me and ‘im, the four of us get on really well. We love each other.”
Danny - “We bicker
a lot - we don’t argue, we bicker.”
Paul - “A lot of
bands I know - I don’t want to name them - they HATE each other.”
Three-pieces,
mostly. Apparently.
Danny - “It’s a
genius bit of marketing...”
Being seen to be
bosom friends.
But My Life Story
really are.
Paul - “We are
close, we get on well. We all want the same thing, and we will work hard at it
- there’s no slacking between the four of us. And there’s no reason for us to
get pissed off with each other as we all do our bit.”
And they all share in healthy bonding activities. Alla time. They all go
the gym. Compare running machine mile-age. And other rock ‘n’ roll activities.
They just don’t burn off enough calories onstage.
Danny - “Not the
amount we drink.”
Paul - “We might
lose a couple of bottles.”
And that’s about
it.
Danny - “Luckily this
week we’ve been quite ill, the four of us, so we’ve been off the booze.”
me - “Luckily ?”
Well, no.
Danny - “We had to
cancel the gig on Monday because we were all ill. That’s the first gig we’ve
ever cancelled.”
Paul - “But if your
singer can’t sing a note...”
Fair-dos.
In the pause, I
thank them for the Welsh-station title**
of ‘If You Can’t Live Without Me Then Why Aren’t You Dead Yet ?’. Danny
realises I’m not Welsh. My parents are from Birmingham, not that you can tell.
My normal speaking voice just isn’t normal, that’s all. I do my Afrikaner
accent. Paul finds himself reminiscing about the pubs of London.
And then we haul
the conversation around to a point. Because it is a good title.
Paul - “When it’s
written out in abbreviations on our set-list it does look like a Welsh town.”
Danny - “And it’s
true. ‘I can’t live without you !’ The amount of times we’ve heard that. It’s
bull-shit.”
There’s a pause.
The subject is shifted. I tell them how Claire had thought I was asking her to
see My Love Story this evening, and ask for their most fantastic mis-hearing or
spelling... Like Mick’s Lively Stoats. Or something.
Paul - “Our driver,
on this tour - he’s just been on tour with Aerosmith. Steven Tyler was just in
our bus on his own. And he thought we were a tribute band for something else,
but he didn’t know what.”
And from talk of
large rock hair...
Danny - “The great
thing about this tour that the keyboard player in the Younger Younger 28’s used
to be in The Little Angels, when he was fifteen. They’ve toured with Bon Jovi !
I wanna fuckin’ be IN Bon Jovi.”
Oooh, you don’t. Not really. Think of the hair... Think of the shoulder
pads... Think of the Dynasty-fuelled image. And then say AAARGH. That’s not
entirely what being in a band ( particularly My Life Story ? ) is / should be
about. Some things, however, are integral. So then. Band. Do My Life Story
abuse their rider requests ? Ooooh, yes. Do they miss home-cooking while on
tour ? Ooooh, yes. Do they wish they were served a wider variety of foods, particularly
for vegetarians ? Ooooh very much yes.
Danny - “The majority of times we turn up at a venue, and get pizza and
chips. Do you eat pizza and chips every night of your life ? I can’t eat the
fuckin’ stuff - I don’t like it. I don’t see the point of pizza. Or chips. I
want fuckin’ vegetables. And fish. Things that are good for you.”
me - “Potatoes are
good for you. Just not covered in oil.”
Paul ( musingly ) -
“I like potatoes. ( pause ) I think the thing is, when you’re in England on
tour you’ll eat any variation of the potato. I reckon you get through every
possible one.”
Danny - “I’m sorry
I’m just ranting now. It’s nice to talk to someone else.”
And Paul agrees on
that. Even though they’re nearing the end of a month-long tour, with at least
one interview to do on every day, they’re still happy to chatter, and to answer
the same kinds of questions over and over and over...
Paul - “I would
talk to a mad drunken tramp on the street about the new album, if he asked me.
Because I believe in it.”
They’re more’n just
jackdaws for the bright ’n’ shiny pop tunes, ya know...
Last revised: 26/07/01