ALIEN SEX FIEND interview from GODSEND issue #16 (1991)
Some 8 years ago in a sleazy London club called the Batcave, a most-shocking yet fun band called, of all things, ALIEN SEX FIEND, unveiled their mutated mix of monster movies, music, and experimental noisemaking. A dance band using feedback-drenched guitars? A doomrock band that's not afraid to (and damned well determined TO) smile? A rock and roll act that features synthesizers sometimes sounding akin to 'cats being crushed under steamrollers'? The Fiends are well-beyond categorization, and they have managed to be successful and stay entirely independent (no corporate backing or control). All art, records, and propaganda (zines, etc.) are done by the band themselves--dedicated Fiends they are! After eleven full LPs and seventeen (!!) singles, ALIEN SEX FIEND continue on with a new LP called 'Curse' recently released. Live they are 100% entertaining and they are even open and friendly beings to boot! Interview with Nik and Mrs. Fiend by Todd Zachritz conducted in November, 1990. Thanx for US Xena for setting up the interview.
1-FIRST, HOW/ WHEN/ WHERE DID THE BAND FORM?
The summer of 1982 was the beginning in North London.
2-ANY BANDS BEFORE YOU FORMED ASF?
Yaxi and Johnny HaHa had been seen in a couple of groups but nothing past the rehearsal sort of stage.
(MRS. FIEND): I'd never had the dubious experience of being in any other bands before ASF--it never crossed my mind as something I COULD do! (NIK): Music has always been my hobby. I've always played with someone in something. I did do a couple of records before ASF, but only a small number of pressings were made. Things only really took off with the Fiends. But the early stuff was good primary training for me, as I met all sorts of different people and got all sorts of influences but my ultimate goal is what I'm doing now.3-WHO'S IDEA WAS IT TO CALL THE BAND 'ALIEN SEX FIEND'?
The drummer then--Johnny HaHa came up with it. No one really liked the name at first, then we thought about it and we realised that it was not obvious from that name what the music would sound like (other than DIFFERENT) unlike 'Heavy Cloven Hoof Thunder War Lizard'--obviously metal, right? Or boring like 'The Shirts' plus it looked great written down and would certainly get the reaction 'what??' when you said it. So we went for it.
4-HOW WAS ASF CHANGED FROM THE EARLY DAYS TO NOW?
Well Yaxi and Johnny HaHa have both left so that's one change. John didn't really seem to like touring & he left in 85. With Yaxi we carried on as a three-piece until early 88 but we were moving apart idea-wise & called it a day before rows and fists came into it which would really have been silly as we'd been through a lot together! Nik and I decided to 'do our own thang' (as they say) for a while and through recording 'Another Planet' worked more closely with Doktor Milton and Rat Fink Jr. (both we already knew). It seemed they were on a similar wavelength and we could do interesting stuff with them so now they're nearly permanent band members. Musically we're still trying to shift some barriers so that's not changed and I still think we're hard to categorise--just as someone reckons we're dancefloor, we'll go and come up with a thrash metal number like 'Burger Bar Baby' off the new LP 'Curse' and then we'll go a bit classical like 'Katch 22' so that attitude is the same. We still like experimenting and don't go for the 'safe route'. That's what ALIEN SEX FIEND is about--opening up the brain a bit and that's still true now and that's why we're still doing it--so there! Other differences--we're not on the dole, we've got more money now but not Rolls Royces (haha!) and we play to bigger audiences, we sell more records...
5-WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ASF RECORDS?
The new one! 'Curse' the LP and the new single 'Now I'm Feeling Zombiefied'. If we didn't think they were the best so far, there would be no point in releasing either of them as records AND there would be no point in continuing with ALIEN SEX FIEND!
6- WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE OTHER RECORDS/ARTISTS?
Loads of stuff--everyone in the group has different faves. Nik tends to change from day to day on what he's listening to--one minute it's house (LFO, DEE-LITE's single or something) and then it's DREAD ZEPPELIN then GEORGE GERSHWIN so...
7-WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE OTHER EARLY GOTHIC BANDS LIKE SOUTHERN DEATH CULT AND BAUHAUS?
Most of the 'originals' don't exist now. TEST DEPARTMENT were an 'original' Batcave band--bet you didn't know that!! BAUHAUS (a great band) are no more and we haven't heard much LOVE & ROCKETS stuff to be able to comment but good luck to them anyway--they did some brilliant stuff that really didn't get the huge success they deserved way back. SOUTHERN DEATH CULT have completely changed musically, personnel-wise and the way they look--so do you look the same way you did 8 years ago?? Do you wear the same clothes, have the same haircut?? Like the same music?? Everyone changes and this is a good thing or we'd all get bored to death!! Good luck to 'em all--if you've stuck around for even 5 years, you deserve a medal 'cos it's not as cozy, easy, and glamourous as everyone thinks it is in music. You have to WANT to do it--it's like a bloody disease really!!
8-ARE ASF BIG FANS OF HORROR FILMS? ANY SPECIFIC ONES YOU THINK DESERVE MORE ATTENTION?
A chorus of 'oh yes!!' resounds round the room!! Recent ones have got to be 'Bad Taste', which is our favorite so far this year. We're currently in touch with someone who can get hold of UK versions of stuff like 'Blood Feast' (we've only seen trailers) & 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer', which we've heard lots about but not seen. (MRS. FIEND): I must mention every single DIVINE/JOHN WATERS film ever made!!
9- HOW DOES AN ASF SONG COME ABOUT? WHAT INSPIRES THE SONG/SOUND CREATION?
Generally thru 'mucking about'. It's like playing with toys. A song could start off with an idea for a drum beat or a guitar riff or something on a keyboard & usually Nik will say 'ooh I like that' so other bits get stuck on from there. Just getting together in a studio (whether all 4 of the band or just Nik and Mrs. F) is enough to get inspired!
So we just start something going (drumbeat, keyboard pulse, or whatever) & improvise over the top. The only thing we use as a basis is whether WE think it sounds good and we just go from there & have fun doing it!!10-AN ASF GIG IS A CAPTIVATING EXPERIENCE..DESCRIBE YOUR LIVE SHOW TO SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER SEEN YOUR LIVE GIG...
Oh blimey--it's certainly an event! And not something you'll see elsewhere. I suppose it's like a complete visual and audio experience. We try to take the audience on a journey or a trip if you like!! Without having to take drugs!! Nik sort of acts out or mimes to the songs - some of it is kinda scary and some of it is really funny. He can get himself into various scrapes - like when he got himself completely wrapped up in the stage webbing just like a mummy. One big problem he can't move his arms and he's he's supposed to be singing--he's got his mouth wrapped up as well. So Mrs. F has to frantically wave at the road crew guys. They armed themselves with whatever they can & rush onstage to cut all the webbing off him--meanwhile the band played on...that's whay we don't do strict rehearsals like 1-2-3-4 twang 1234 words 1234 drum roll sort of stuff. It would never work. Nik would be upside down under the drum riser or Mrs. F's keyboard would decide to have a heart attack on us. Things always go wrong in gigs--we just turn them into part of the whole show! So it's not a predictable, choreographed-type show. So even describing it as sort of rock theatre would not be hitting the nail on the head (ouch!)
11-IS ALIEN SEX FIEND SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH FINANCIALLY FOR YOU TO SURVIVE ON?
It has to be. Nik and Mrs. F don't do anything else--just ALIEN SEX FIEND 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, etc. etc. There's lots of different stuff to do as well as gigs, recording, and the music side. There's artwork on the covers as well as our very own magazine nattily entitled a 'Fiendzine', plus we manage ourselves so there's some business to do as well. The Doctor moonlights sound engineering at times.
12- HOW IS NIK'S BLOSSOMING ART CAREER GOING?
Jolly good, Ta. He's had solo exhibitions now in both Boston and London. The London one was filmed by a couple of TV companies. Plus there will be mini-exhibitions in New York and Boston on the next tour in October thru to December this year. So it's taking off bit by bit.
13- HAS ANYONE IN THE BAND DONE OR PLAN TO DO SIDE PROJECTS?
Nik did an offshoot called 'The Dynamic Duo' with a DJ & they recorded a sort of dance version of the Batman theme. This was in December 87 way before the film & hte resurgence of interest in Batman. See we're ahead of our time!! Other than that, there hasn't been anything else as the whole Fiend thing takes up all our time. Mrs. Fiend would like to have a go at film soundtracks. Any offers?
14- COULD YOU GIVE A RUNDOWN ON AVAILABLE ASF RECORDINGS?
(see the ASF webpage at: http://www.asf-13thmoon.demon.co.uk/
15-ANY CHANCE OF NORTH AMERICA SEEING ANY ASF CDS/LPS AS DOMESTIC ISSUES IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
Ah yes, well one record deal fell through which has caused a bit of a hold-up but those wonderful people at Mechanic are out the new single 'Now I'm Feeling Zombiefied' and the new LP 'Curse' in America. So you should be able to buy them no problem. Hopefully they might put out some of the back catalogue as well at some point as we know it's very hard to get some of the earlier records in the USA. We shall see.
16- AFTER HAVING TOURED INTERNATIONALLY, WHAT COUNTRY WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MOST 'ALIEN SEX FIEND-CRAZY'?
They're all pretty crazy but in different ways. In the UK, some people travel 100s of miles to see us play and follow us round on a whole tour. We had actual riots in Japan--y'know, 'stop the show' sort of stuff till they could calm down! And in Germany on the last tour, they kept calling for encores so much that a few times we ended up playing for three hours!
17- WHAT IS UPCOMING FOR ASF (RECORDS/TOURS)? DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TOUR AMERICA MORE OFTEN NOW? DID THE 'TOO MUCH ACID' TOUR GO WELL IN AMERICA?
Hopefully with Mechanic releasing the records now, if that continues then obviously we'll be able to tour the USA more often simply because it is very hard to do so without a record company to back you up although we did it with the 'Too Much Acid?' tour, it was a bit tough & did rely on lots of people helping out for no money which is just not fair. We'll be pretty busy now for a while, there'll be a second single to think about, UK and USA dates, then in February 91 more UK shows plus Germany, Italy, and maybe other bits of Europe like Yugoslavia and France so that'll do for now!
18- ANY CLOSING COMMENTS OR WORDS OF WISDOM FOR GODSEND READERS?
AAAH ME HANDS DROPPED OFF!!!!