David : Myself and Steve started about 7 or 8 years ago. We recorded our first album at home and it was a lot more electronic and a lot slower. When we began to play live we morphed into something different. At that point Grunder and Matthew Avery joined the group but the live shows had no connection to the album as it was so different. About 2 years ago those two left and Matthew Hainsby joined on bass. Steve had known Matt (Hainsby) from college and I met Steve playing five a side football. I subsequently met Matt through Steve I think.

LP6 : What was the general atmosphere like during the making of”Transparent Things?”

David : It was quite fragmented as we started it with the previous members of the group and we went through lots of umming and ahing before we knew what we were doing. We also were and are still working day jobs for the majority of the recording, so we wrote and recorded when we could. It also meant that some songs are very old. Collarbone and Cylinders are about 4 or 5 years old. We are looking forward to recording the next one as we will be able to hopefully do a lot of it back to back which should make it more cohesive.

LP6 : The track “Ankle Injuries” just makes me want to drive and drive really fast. What kind of imagery does the song “Ankle Injuries” give to you?

David : Well for me it’s just my walk to school as a child then riding in the back of my mothers car in the summer and staring out the window. I see the song as a map, if that doesn’t sound too mental. The music for me, complements what the song is about. I can see how it would be good driving music. The synths toward the end get a bit autobahn-ish.

LP6 : The title track “Transparent Things” has such a sweet groove, could you tell us a litte bit about how that song came about?

David : It began with Matt coming round my house and between us we came up with the guitar and bass parts. From that I put the words on top then played it to Steve and he made up the drums and keyboard parts. The groove reminds me of the slower songs on Can’s Ege Bamyasi. The words are basically a list of things that piss me off, like litterbugs and multiple choice questionaires. The chorus is saying those things don’t matter when i look through transparent things, i.e. the book by valdimir nabokov. It should really have been pale fire or pnin but that doesn’t scan as well.

LP6 : Your label’s webpage says “Sucker Punch” is about “…being sucker punched by a girl.” Could you tell us a little about why this happened?

David : Well, you know, when you like a girl and she likes you, then she goes all mental and you feel like you’ve been punched in the face.

LP6 : Were you guys surprised with the amount of positive reaction Transparent Things received or did you expect it?

David : Didn’t expect it at all. I’m really proud of it and think it’s good but that doesn’t mean I thought anybody else would like it. I’m sure we’ll all turn into dicks and expect good reviews soon but at the moment it’s all pretty much a novelty.

LP6 : While listening to Transparent Things you can easily pick out such influences such as Can, Neu, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, even the Happy Mondays. Yet, Transparent Things has a sound that is difficult to pinpoint a “timeframe” on when it was made and for that that matter, the record never sounds dated (and I’ve played it a lot!). What would you attribute these aspects to?

David : I’m really glad you think that. I was worried as we don’t try and hide our influences and to a certain extent we are indebted to our record collections. However, you can make a song sound however you want it too when you produce it. Sometimes if you use the latest technology that can date it just as much as recording a guitar through the same amp Mississippi John Hurt used, if indeed he used an amp, but you know what i mean.

LP6 : What were you guys doing prior to being in Fujiya & Miyagi?

David: I think I was on the dole or maybe working at the post office. We’ve all worked pretty much solidly through out the group’s history. Matt used to be a painter and decorator and Steve used to work in an office and now he works teaching music to people with learning difficulties.

LP6 : I haven’t had a chance yet to listen to your first album “Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style.” How would you compare that album with “Transparent Things”?

David : We weren’t interested in songs in the traditional sense. The merest hint of a chorus used to make Steve cringe and call it cheesy. but theres something about it I really like. It was recorded at home over a long period of time. We were just finding our feet i suppose. I think we might have been listening to too much electronica and not enough Bowie. It sounds a lot more cohesive than transparent things but lacks the dynamic and tunes.

LP6 : Are there any new bands that you are particularly impressed with?

David : The aliens are good. A few of them used to be in the beta band who myself and steve were really into when we first started Fujiya & Miyagi. The album that’s interested me the most from the past few years is Joanna Newsoms ys. It reminds me of Robert Wyatt’s rock bottom which is one of my favourite records ever. i mainly listen to old stuff, like French 60’s music. Madeleine Chartrand’s Ani Kuni is the greatest song ever written at this point in time in my head.

LP6 : You guys will be coming over to the U.S. in March to play a handful dates. Have any special plans for places you want to see or things you want to do?

David : I’ve always wanted to go to New York but there’s nothing specific I want to see. I just want to have a look. I don’t know what to expect so I’m just going to see what happens.

LP6 : Does your live sound differ from the studio recordings and if so in what ways?

David : The slower songs tend not to work as well live so we just play the fast ones. Sound wise it’s pretty similiar unless someone fucks up. We want to entertain people. If people pay money, they deserve it.

LP6 : Has your band come across any hostile audiences while performing live?

David : Some git with shiny shoes shouted out ‘you’re shit’ and indeed he may have been correct, but it’s still not very nice. We are not made of stone. I don’t go round to his place of work and tell him he’s shit.

LP6 : Whats a favorite activity of yours, to kill some time, while on riding on the tour bus?

David : We all like to ridicule each others appearances and personalities. Other than that I’ve been reading David Niven autobiographies on a few planes recently.

LP6 : I’ve read that Transparent Things will be released in Japan later this year. Do you expect some confusion over your band’s name and the origin of your band?

David : I think it will go one of two ways, either they’ll really like it or there’ll be just confusion. Maybe a Japanese band will call themselves David and Steve and Matt as a tribute. How good would that be?

LP6 : Although Transparent Things has just been released in the U.S., the record has been out since May of 2006 in Europe. Have you guys made any plans for the next record yet and if so what can fans expect from that one?

David : It only came out in the UK last year, It’s being released in Europe in March. We are working on the next album at the moment. It was going to be called Lightbulbs but I think we’ll call it Ventriloquizing. I think the songs so far are stronger and more varied than the previous record. We got one called uh, one called pussyfooting, another called pteradactyls and another one called je nas comprend pas. So, title wise, it’s looking pretty good.

LP6 : Are there any artists you would like to do a future collaboration with?

David : mf doom!

LP6 : Whats your computing platform of choice…Windows / OS X / Linux?

David : I’m not very good with computers, I leave that to Steve. Windows I suppose. Thats the only one i recognise out of the three choices.

Steve : I use Windows, mainly because I use software that cannot be used on Macs.

LP6 : Did you guys make any New Year’s resolutions this year and if so what are they?

David : I didn’t drink for most of January. Obviously i drank water otherwise i’d be dehydrated and maybe dead.

Steve : Not original, but essential for my future well being, I gave up smoking.

LP6 : Any departing words you have have for lp6 readers?

David : Buy these records if you haven’t got them: Serge Gainsbourg – L’histoire de melody nelson, MF Doom – Operation Doomsday and Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden. The last one’s good for doing sit ups to.

Etc. |

Comments

3 Comments so far

3 Gianluca Licciardi Says: April 21, 2008
Schlock! vs. Fujiya & Miyagi

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GVYNOAgQXGg

Music: Schlock! vs. Fujiya & Miyagi. Bring Me Back the Pills contains interpolations from “Ankle Injuries” by Fujiya & Miyagi. The video was written, produced and directed by Graham Dunn (courtesy of himself, info: http://www.archive.org/details/Eidolon). The track is from the forthcoming “Schlock!: Greatest Shit” (STAR WHORES®)
2 CharlesV Says: February 21, 2007
Hey, that’s me! Thanks for the link! You can see more of me dancing at glitterparade.com
1 Kevin Says: February 13, 2007
I REALLY like this video – gives me hope that if he can dance like that I can too. I got a little bit more pudge than the dude in the vid, but I can probably shake it better too. Fujyia and Miyagi rocks.