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Interview
by SaschaS
15-5-2002
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| Charlie and Craig Proclaimers |
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Halo of sunshine
The Proclaimers’ ‘The Best Of’ is a compilation to enrich every collection
What is marketed as popular music today – demon-pop mainly – was a bit better 15 years ago. We had Rick Astley, Sinita and Status Quo but one appearance at the legendary ‘The Tube’ prog by The Proclaimers was a bolt of enlightenment. The Reid twins, Charlie and Craig, glasses wearing, not really pin-ups and singing a pop-folk-politico ‘Letter From America’ in broadest of Scottish accents, delivered something phenomenal! Y’know, when you feel you were liberated of some bull that was clogging your life? That was the way of The Proclaimers…
Forward to few days before ‘The Best Of The Proclaimers’ gets on the shelves of competition with ‘stars-de-moment’ and you’ll find us discuss the state of music.
“I assume, if you like conspiracy theories,” Charlie answers quickly, “that it is record and TV companies getting together to create pop stars without actually spending any money. Public gets involved, stars are created and no need for advertising budget… Just ripping the rewards, for however short period of time, while their credibility is taking the knock on…”
As if they cared…
“What gets me about it,” Craig continues his bro’s thought as usual, “is the vast number of people voting for it and then moaning. Well, if you moan about then you now it is shit, so why do you watch it, why do you care?”
Work proud
During the 15 years since that TV debut on The Tube, a period chiseled on four albums, there was huge gap of seven years of inactivity. Last year’s comeback album, ‘Persevere’, was a surprise/relief as everybody thought that the band had been long consigned to history. Well, due to family issues (deaths, births, rearing 7 children – Craig four, Charlie three), the fourth album took its time… When they were ready to restart their original record company had its reservations and The Proclaimers had to form own indie-label to release the opus.
“No, we have no real excuses” (but life itself?), Charlie jumps in, “except the pride in our work. We didn’t really want to release some non-quality songs just for the sake of… whatever. When we approached the company for the fourth album, they were more interested in ‘The Best Of’ as our ‘comeback’ shot. We disagreed and went independent.”
But here it is now, reuniting them with the same corporation; what has changed in meantime?
“We were never against ‘The Best Of’ album,” Craig explains, “but not at that time. We wanted to have a fourth album before we release the compilation, to have a greater choice of material. The time feels right for us now and we’ve always been quite stubborn people who will not do things that don’t feel right.”
5000 Miles (from Hollywood)
Only 30 days were needed, from the TV debut, for Chrysalis Records (later swallowed by EMI) to ink the deal and - nine days later ‘This Is The Story’ was finished and within six weeks stormed the shops. ‘Letter From America’ hit No.3, album went Gold, and people “identified with these two characters: straight and nerdy (jeans, jumpers, glasses) but individual (traditionalism meets radicalism) with songs that blitz-krieg’d your ears and exploded in your passion. The Housemartins (one of Norman Cook’s pre-Fatboy Slim outfits), then topping the UK charts, heard a demo and offered the unsigned band the support slot on their UK tour live on Radio 1.
When asked about the highlights of their career, ‘The Tube’ show gets mentioned, “the success of our debut single”, few shows and open-air concerts… There is also an upcoming episode of The Simpsons, with Homer singing his own version of ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’.
“The only thing to better it,” Charlie laughs, “in my kids’ eyes, would be if we got played in WWF wrestling!”
There are three new songs on the compilation – “to offer more to fans who already own our albums and because you can’t get a chart position if there is no new material on it” (Craig) – but one is a cover of Frankie Miller’s ‘The Doodle Song’.
“We recorded it for a tribute album,” Craig quickly adds, “coming out later this year, but we had it ready and decided to include it on the album.”
The song will be culled for a single and The Proclaimers’ video is honouring Robert Palmer’s ‘models-clip’ but their babes are dressed in jeans’n’shirts although they are genuine Cheerleaders.
You can’t bag these boys…
SaschaS
15-5-2002
The Best Of The Proclaimers’ is released 13 May on Chrysalis/EMI
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