The current cover star of Clash Magazine, you can read our interview with Courtney Love HERE.
As part of the spread we asked some other notable musicians, including Yoko Ono, Gallows and Biffy Clyro, to put their questions to Courtney, read the questions and Courtney’s answers below.
Yoko Ono
“I recently did a two-hour BBC radio show where I mixed my own choice of music. One of the tracks I chose was one of my favourites: ‘Celebrity Skin’ by Hole. This is what I said about it: “It’s a brilliant, brilliant song by Courtney Love. The song represents all mothers of the world today: desperate, angry, totally sad, and also extremely intelligent. She’s an incredibly complex woman and she has incredible vulnerability as well.” so, my question is: ‘Hey Courtney, did I catch you right?’
That’s overwhelming. I’ve never had an encounter with Ms. Ono Lennon. I did write a song about her called ‘20 Years In The Dakota’. Yes, she’s right. I don’t know what to say. Wow. I can tell you this: I’d just had Frances and Kurt came into the hospital with a Yoko Ono boxset and I threw it at his head. I was so offended by it, because of what it meant. He thought that was cool, I did not at the time. He loved Yoko Ono and he loved her work. Then I got round to listening to it and I thought she was quite brilliant. Bizarre but brilliant. She sticks with her own thing. Why was I offended? Because she got so much shit – I wrote in the song: “You don’t fuck with the fabulous four, or you spend the rest of your life picking things up off the floor”.
Air
“Why do you dislike keyboards so much?”
Aw, I don’t dislike keyboards. I like Moogs. I like Rhodes. I like pianos when they’re done appropriately. I don’t like disco music. I don’t like dance music. I’m a hick that way. I like Skynyrd.
The Big Pink
“Is it ever a good idea to just put up and shut up or should you always make yourself heard?”
Well, the British have a thing with never complain, never explain. I don’t believe in that.
This is an excerpt from an article that appears in the March issue of Clash Magazine. Pick it up in stores from February 4th. You can read the full issue online HERE and subscribe to Clash Magazine HERE.
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Bobby Gillespie
“On ‘Celebrity Skin’ you sand, “I’m all I want to be, a walking study in demonology”. Do you still feel like this?”
Yes! And I bet Bobby does too. Why? Because what you see is what you get. I tried to put on a wig yesterday, it just didn’t work. I feel like it’s a potent lyric and it’s lasted for me. Thank him for telling me where Headley Grange was – only Bobby Gillespie in the whole wide world knows where every Zeppelin song was recorded.
Laura-Mary Carter of Blood Red Shoes
“Which female musicians do you most admire?”
Peej and Patti [Smith] and Lydia Lunch too. I like Diamanda Galas. Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse? Um, I know them both. Amy could be Billie Holiday, she could be a great national export. It just depends if she gets her shit together and keeps it together. I love Florence – she handed me my ass when she opened for me in Shepherd’s Bush. I didn’t want to go onstage after her. She’s got Dusty Springfield written all over her.
Theoretical Girl
“At one point we used to share a bass player. What qualities make an ideal band member?”
A hardiness. Loyalty. Talent. Pretty much in that order. Probably a positive attitude. In order to tour and go through and withstand the slings and daggers of this thing we call rock, you really have to be well-built, physically. I looked at the backs of [Red Hot Chili Peppers’] Flea and Anthony Kiedis at Coachella two years ago and they looked the same as they did in High School. You just have to be built for it. Your liver, your lungs, your spleen, your pancreas, your brain, your feet, your hands – the whole fucking thing, they have to be built for it. It’s a very dangerous job ultimately. You can’t be dainty to do this job.
Laurent Barnard of Gallows
“When you were signed to a major in the ’90s, was there any pressure from the label to ‘tone down’ your behaviour and adopt a more clean cut female pop singer persona? Or did they do the opposite and encourage the rock and roll aspect of your personality?”
OH, I LOVE THE GALLOWS! [Interscope boss] Jimmy [Iovine] wanted to exploit me worse. “I wish you were still on Quaaludes or whatever the fuck it was!” That’s what Iovine said to me. The Gallows are the best punk band out of Britain forever.
Biffy Clyro
“Coogan or Corgan?”
Ha ha ha! The douche and the douche! Oh, Corgan. Corgan’s my friend. Coogan’s not my friend. You know what he said to me once? I was giving him a back rub and he said, “Ooh, ooh, ooh, put a little more purchase into it!” Eurgh!
