Rockerillo 24 March 1980
Thanks to Rinaldo for providing this article.
PINK MILITARY
An interview with Jayne Casey
Jayne Casey, the eccentric soul of Pink Military, is a symbol of a modernist and psychedelic style veiled with existential cabaret form moving from Marlene Dietrich trough Edith Piaf and Lou Reed toward an actual conception made of rock-art, expressionism and oddness.
Pink Military is the manifested prosecution of an anarcho-musical action developed by Big in Japan, the most considerable Liverpool’ band originated by the punk-new wave deflagration in 1976.
Jayne has moved here all of her emotional charge, the emphasis of a provoking, distinctive and transfiguring singer, the attractive suggestion of a "on stage" charismatic leader, arised from an acid nature, sad and aggressive, always pervaded of post-punk nuances and love for the alternative and the avant-garde.
Two are the E.P. come out: "Buddha waking, Disney sleeping", spontaneous and precocious work with tough and pure sonorities, and "Blood and lipstick" more refined and mature, adorned with intellectual frequentation, both licensed by Eric’s label; and then an album is on store, temporarly named " Do animals believe in God ?", provided for the end of April.
So, who are Pink Military ?
This is explained by Jayne herself in this exclusive interview to our magazine:
Rockerilla: Pink Military, who are they and how did they formed ?
Jayne : P.M. had formed one years ago. Big in Japan was just loosen and I met Nicky, a friend of mine who had never seen for a longer time.
Throughout the months after our immediate artistic union, a strange group of guys joined su; so it has formed the first ensamble about the name Pink Military Stand Alone, the same who has played our first E.P. live recorded.
At the beginnning all was a joke, a game to play; Roger Eagle, the manager of Eric’s label, said: " Let us come out a live EP at once, it will be grotesque indeed!". We thought that the idea was fine and we made the record. We recorded a live concert at Liverpool’ Eric’s and when we’d listened it for the first time, we thought it was so immediate and rough to be really great! It was that recording to fill in the first E.P.
Immediately later everyone took his road, and me and Nicky remained alone one more time. So, we restarted again and we wrote some new songs, borrowing other bands’ musicians…
In this untidy situation, but with a cultural research, our last record "Blood and Lipstick" was born.
R: Which are your intentions now ?
J: Lately we’ve made progress experimenting different musical formulas. This is one of the great joy rising from to be joined with a little label inside which doesn’t exist any pressure.
Yes, it’s really amusing at Eric’s Records. These things that now I’m telling to you lead our activity up on the present, on ours days.
R: And now Pink Military has the intention to play concerts outside Liverpool, and to record a LP and with which line-up will do it?
J: O.K., me and Nickyhave just gathered our own and real band: Martin Dempsey (ex Yachts) plays bass guitar; Brian Dodson as drummer; Charlie Griffiths and Nicky play synths and of course Jayne lead singer.
R: Which are your immediate and future ambitions?
J: I’ve just received the cover of New Musical Express and, with my band, I’m starting to record our first long playing.
The most attractive thing is that half of English records companies are showing their interest in us, but we have all the equipment to remain indipendent.
R: Why Big in Japan broke up?
J: The melt of Big in Japan mainly is caused for the matter that records companies gave to the band only "shit".
Big in Japan was formed in the same manners as Pink Military, absolutely for fun, but since the beginning some records manager had tried to buy us and in a very quick time the matter turns from the joke into a big business project. Then, all was fallen down and we understood that the melt of the band would be the only way to get out.
So I took the initiative and Big in Japan is loosen.
All this was very sad, but if we should go on we should become another record industry product and we should lost everything for which had reason to be.
R: Which attitude do you mantain towards the records companies?
J: I think they exist to be used for an aim. One day Pink Military would sign an important agreement, but only if we should leave to mantain a wide band of independence.
R: Women and rock, how do you see yourself?
J: I’m proud to be a woman, I’m proud to be a woman inside the rock. I can give myself the rules playing at the game in the way I decide, going ahead by myself.
R: Are you feminist?
J: I don’t like the word "feminist", I’m a woman.
R: What do you think about revivals, mod’s come back, for example?
J: Boring, boring……
R: Which are your influences, your musical roots?
J: The musical roots of everyone, conscious or not, are inside the music of black people, inside the rythmic expressions of the oppressed coloured man.
R: Which project do you have for the future?
J: The future doesn’t exist, there is only "today".
R: Do you have any particular politics interests?
J: I believe in freedom without any distinction of race, only freedom for every individual person.
R: What do you think about Italy and about its youth culture?
J: I love Italy and its culture very much and I wish to make one tour in your country.
Ciao Jayne and thanks for the interview.
Goodbye at the album coming out.
Beppe Badino for Rockerilla (about february 1980)
Translation by Rinaldo.
