Kate St. Claire dishes lollies on ‘man-quest’

Ideal women’s songs might be a byte-size description of The Lollies debut album, ‘Taste’. Some might see it as a girlie-pop with its Bridget Jones’s-like man-fixation of all sizes and shapes (but mainly rats), more like Voice Of The Beehive, the fun-per-se combo, at first earful rather than Jayne County without dubious lyrics… Peel The Lollies’ wrapper and discover acute observations pressed into service as pop-punky vignettes about today’s ‘princes of sloth’ that buzz with openness, directness and honesty.

The Lollies believe that half the population should listen how despicable they and their behaviour are and learn. Hailing from North America, two Canadians and one Brit-child who grew up in New York City (so as good as a Yank, traitor!), an interview turns into a Jerry Springer hour about male groupies, double-dating, duelling-hormones, relationship tragedies… I have to talk to our lawyer in case of a libel or half-dozen; actually, let me come clean, I wish it were more salacious…

Anyway, after several attempts to meet with the girls of the band, guitarist/singer Kate St. Claire and bassist/singer Jane Mountain – we weren’t avoiding drummer Matthew Lazowski, the girls never mentioned him – that failed for variety of obstacles life knows to erect along one’s path to the ‘United States Of Whatever’, we finally hook up with groupie-liberated St. Claire and it was one of the most enjoyable non-tactile hours of one’s life. (Apart from Nico, which was a mojo-painful experience.)

“We all came to London because the British music scene seemed so much better than back home. Of course, as soon as I leave (four years ago), it all starts taking off again (over there) but we are all going to change that (over here)… If record industry came up with good music most of the time people wouldn’t need to go and buy rubbish.”

Let’s hope so because there are too many downers, like Coldplay…

“That’s the kind of music we are going against, as well as Badly Drawn Boy, the Woody Allen of music! We get a lot of criticism that our music is too happy, or too frivolous, or too fun… Yes, it is bubble-gum but we are celebrating joy (of life) and not wallowing in misery, which is a great British tradition. Great British artists, like The Kinks and The Smiths, took that misery and turn it into sarcastic, funny, great pop songs. That’s the tradition we would like to continue. If I have to make a choice between listening to Coldplay and Britney Spears, I’d rather listen to Britney because she appears to enjoy it!”

An argument that Britters might be better at play-acting is self-negating as her role in ‘Crossroads’ demonstrated. In any case, we’re all for ‘uplifting misery’ The Lollies dig so much and know to handle.

Caustic disinfectants

Kate St. Claire is a great conversationalist who really tells it as it is. It is divinely refreshing to hear someone expressing thoughts frankly and not being diplomatic for the sake of ‘public image’ or social hypocrisy called ‘white lies’. She met Mrs Mountain at a London party and, after discovering shared love for the ‘60s girl groups, they formed the band on the spot, left the do and went to write and record a song that night. Soon afterwards Lazowski joined them and The Lollies were ready to sweeten the world’s musical output full of fashion parade of people like Sophie Ellis-Bextor who looks like having being spawned by an alien and Frankenstein! (And emotional depth to match!)

“We are not an indie-band, we don’t have indie- pretences, we are honest… People think that our ‘Flavah Of The Week’ is taking the piss but it is not, it is our game-plan. ‘Pop Idol’ has demystified the formula and we want to do the same for indie-pop. We are not here to save indie-pop, as people keep on asking us, we are here to destroy indie-pop, we want to be missing link between Britney Spears and My Bloody Valentine… Their differences are not irreconcilable…”

The Lollies are thinkin’-himbos’ pop.

“Our first single, which was heard by very few people, ‘Quite Frankly I Think I Can Do A Better Job Of Being Famous’, it was a jokey song but at the same time we were saying that we could be better at being pop stars and it had been written three years before the ‘Pop Idol’ explosion. I feel we almost predicted it and are scared… You know, whenever there is a huge surge of really manufactured bubble-gum pop, a year or two later there is a huge explosion of punk rock… But, NME also manufactures its little ‘underground’ scene… We come from the tradition of The Ramones and Shangri-Las. Still, I love Kylie!”

Taste of kismet

St. Claire, the ‘Brit-American’ of the band, is a strong-willed woman which could be the crux of her relationship problems; she is opinionated, passionate and, probably, stubborn. When I innocuously ask about her Christmas, there is a verbal avalanche of how she doesn’t believe in it, how it is all commercialised (Satan’s enterprise?) and all the presents count for nothing but being with people you love (or can’t stand, it’s the same duty). Pardon me for mentioning Christianity!

Alongside the release of your debut album, what was the other highlight of the year?

“This month’s Vogue had a list of happening things and at Number Two are – The Lollies! This is the Vogue and it’s impressed my mother! I’d tell her we were in the NME or Q and she’d go, ‘What’s that?’ When I told her about the Vogue she said, ‘Oh, my God, you are a pop star now!’ Not really but working on it!”

And the downer over the same period?

“One nasty review that said I was like a miserable puppy that should be put down! I was like, ‘You are calling for my death because you don’t like my album!?’ You really have to stand back and take a reality-check.”

What’s your favourite album of 2002?

“Fonda 500, I simply love that band. I think they are the best band in England at the moment. They are incredible, a combination of The Beach Boys, Kraftwerk, The Monkees and The Banana Splits. They are the best live band I’ve ever seen!”

If you were to have a choice of an act to welcome you at the gates of Hell, who’d get the honour?

“Hell? Not Heaven?”

You play ‘devil’s music’, you are a sinner, baby!

“But, I don’t believe in afterlife!”

Pray suspend your disbelief.

“OK, when I go to Hell, The Strokes can play!”

‘Nuff said. Happy New Year!

The Lollies’ music can certainly take you several levels away from the epicentre of (festive and any other) Hell… Ready to chuck in mime-pop and blinkers?

Don’t leave to live another day!