SXSW Interview(s)

[In The Margins]

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase ... d%3A756211

Echo & the Bunnymen
12:30am, Emo's Main (Also: Sat., Rusty Spurs, 12mid)

"I want people to realize that I'm a real musician and not just a big mouth," says Ian McCulloch, the somewhat salty frontman of Echo & the Bunnymen, who turns 50 this year.

With three decades in the can, the Bunnymen have already outlived their chief inspiration, Jim Morrison, who, like Janis and Jimi, was in the ground at age 27. With original songwriting team McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant intact, the band staged a powerful orchestral rendition of 1984's seminal Ocean Rain last year and plans to release its new album, The Fountain, in August. Anyone who caught the free Auditorium Shores gig at SXSW 06, when McCulloch conjured Morrison's ghost on "L.A. Woman," knows the Liverpool legends revere the Doors.

"The Velvet Underground is me favorite band of all time," McCulloch explains, his accent intact and his attitude still defiant. "But, as a band, the Doors always sounded the most perfectly in-sync with each other. What they were brilliant at were the 3½-minute nuggets of pure tune and hooks. You could hear a song like 'Hello, I Love You' and 'Love Me Two Times' just once, and you'd be singing it the rest of your life. With that atmosphere, you could make out to them, too.

"If somebody else said that, it might sound twee," chuckles the singer.

The same could be said for the Bunnymen's moody, pristine brand of post-punk. McCulloch maintains that his current efforts aren't driven by nostalgia or greed.

"It's not a bad thing to be the influencers rather than the billionaires." – Dan Oko

[withahip]

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A756211

Echo & the Bunnymen
12:30am, Emo's Main (Also: Sat., Rusty Spurs, 12mid)

A. "I want people to realize that I'm a real musician and not just a big mouth," says Ian McCulloch, the somewhat salty frontman of Echo & the Bunnymen, who turns 50 this year.

B. "It's not a bad thing to be the influencers rather than the billionaires." – Dan Oko

A. Then make some music. New music.

B. Put that new music out yourself and quit waiting for a record label.

[fat cherry]

and did he really use the phrase 'make out'? eww.

[Kounelaki]

his accent intact

Why wouldn't it be?

[tonywojo]

love the doors comparison
but first time macs really shown his admiration
i wanna be taken seriously
actions and words spring to mind

[JackT]

his accent intact

Why wouldn't it be?

Yeah, that's an odd observation. He also still had his nose and legs.

[Kounelaki]

His nose might be damaged.

[fat cherry]

well some peoples accents do change if you move to a different area or if you spend alot of time talking to foreign journos perhaps - after all you dont want them misquoting or misinterpreting you do you. I'm sure some do it on purpose.

This fine chap, former England footie manager seems to have gone a bit too far, but he's as english as I am, though probably not as good a football manager


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90[/youtube]

[kook]

That's true.
Dave Gahan went all Murcan mixed with Basildon there for a while.

But the thing is that Mac has never left Liverpool. Unlike Ringo whose accent is also all over the place.

[JackT]

well some peoples accents do change if you move to a different area or if you spend alot of time talking to foreign journos perhaps -

That is true. When I go home to Long Island, I ask my mother if she always sounded like that. I remember consciously trying to modify the accent in college, and after a point it was just gone, I guess.

[withahip]

That is true. When I go home to Long Island, I ask my mother if she always sounded like that. I remember consciously trying to modify the accent in college, and after a point it was just gone, I guess.

No. Now you sound like you are from Jersey.

[Dr Cheese]

But the thing is that Mac has never left Liverpool. Unlike Ringo whose accent is also all over the place.

Ringo is a twat. Fact!

[In The Margins]

http://www.indyweekblogs.com/scan/2009/ ... -thompson/

But, 45 minutes late and with nothing in the way of an apology, Ian McCullough and his Bunnymen took the stage and goth-popped with nary a show of effort, and all of the evening’s past indiscretions were forgiven. I’m not sure why I kept describing it in my head as “not at all disappointing” instead of “totally rad,” ‘cuz it was, but you know how these things can go. Those dudes are planning a record for ‘09, but they don’t play out all that often. Any band of that vintage playing a showcase as crappy as the Vans one is generally subject to a little premature cynicism. It was unwarranted; they didn’t just play the best few songs from Crocodiles and all the hits besides, they killed ‘em.

Of course, it’s Echo and the Bunnymen, so zero cool anti-showmanship is the thing; Ian McCullough’s accent’s as thick as Mike Myers thinks Keith Richards’ is so banter’s basically a non-entity, and his idea of a cool frontman act consisted of smoking an entire cigarette while singing “The Killing Moon”. I’ve heard similar things about the Crystal Stilts, who I like, but it’s hard to justify the existence of a band like the Crystal Stilts when Echo and the Bunnymen are still around and still this good. The crowd, largely leftovers from the night’s scattershod bill with only a few true pockets of excitement for the Bunnymen, sucked, but their sheer size kept me from taking a printable picture. I assure you, though: Everyone in the band was wearing black.

[In The Margins]

Photos (for the fangirls and Jack):

http://www.nme.com/photos/744/photo-gal ... -backstage

[JackT]

Squeeee!!!!!