GENE LOVES JEZEBEL

RM3 14th Dec. 1985 

Here are three things you should know about Gene Loves Jezebel. 1) They are fronted by identical twins, names of Mike and J Aston. 2) They are a veteran indie band, favourites of Janice Long and have recently been described as ‘dark and Gothic’. 3) Rather a lot of strange (and smutty) things happened on their stateside tour. 

Right now they are tired, jet-lagged and cold after three months’ hacking round America in a van, and frankly I’m not surprised. 

A gallant effort, considering their only marathon tour to date had consisted of a paltry 15 dates. But, as they’re always adamant to point out, it was all worthwhile. 

Mike: “We traveled 12,000 miles, it was a killer. The gigs were great fun, though, and we got lots of media interest.” 

By virtue of your being token British weirdos? J: “No, the difference between America and Britain, in a liberal sense, is college radio which breaks a lot of new bands. There hasn’t actually been a massive amount of press pushing this weird twin image.” 

Mike: “There are a lot of popular misconceptions about America. We actually get a residual amount of teenyboppers buying our records and going wild, without ever having seen us. That helps get a bit of momentum behind us. People think ‘Where are the synthesisers?’ though.” 

“It’s good because we surprise people. They don’t know the nature of the group or what it’s about, but then they don’t know that in England, let alone anywhere else. There’s a lot of mystery to the band, which I think has helped us.” 

Helped in what respect? Mike: “It’s helped me as a human being and as a creative person. It means we can stand back and write, and not become involved in the political side.” Doesn’t the whole image make people overly wary though? 

J: “The most curious thing is that recently we’ve been lumbered with this very dark Gothic image. We were never lumped in with these Batcave bands before. The difference between us and them is that they deal with darkness and alienation, while we’ve always dealt in colour and communication.” 

Mike: We certainly haven’t helped ourselves. We haven’t talked to the press for a long time but that’s because we went to New York to record with John Cale and it didn’t work out. He picked us and it was very flattering but, at the same time, a big risk.” 

J: “If people are wary of us, that’s their problem. We still make glorious music for a lot of people. People have isolated us, rather than visa versa. We’re always willing to come out and talk to anyone. We’re very social creatures, we’ll knob anyone!” 

Mike: “We are unconventional, though. A lot of our history has occurred by accident. If we were ever a very successful band, a very solid person would have to write our biography. A few mental homes would have to be visited.” 

Working with GLJ is evidently a tortuous experience. Their original guitarist recently split the ranks to pursue the idyllic lifestyle of a basket weaver. 

Don’t be surprised if their American tour manager does the same thing. J: “He cracked up after three weeks and demanded to be flown back to New York. He’d only been doing it for 15 years.”

Marcus: “He used to head butt the steering wheel. And he’d turn round and talk and we’d nearly come off the road.” 

Mike: “It wasn’t the van that bothered him, it was the antics of the band – from clinic to courthouse. He said, ‘You guys! D’ya think you’re Led Zeppelin or something? Get that girl out of my bed!’” 

So GLJ were besieged by groupies? Mike: “We certainly were, had to turn them away. No, J was very clean. It was Marcus really. He’s got a six-month suspended sentence hanging over him.” 

Marcus: “I told the police to go away and multiply, basically. They put me in a cell with three black men and I got them all singing ‘Old Man River’. I didn’t want to go to sleep because I thought they might flick me over in the night and do something awful. Nobby had to bail me out. I think that was the final straw.” (Nobby being the unfortunate tour manager – so named because of his resemblance to ace footballer of yore, Nobby Stiles.) 

Marcus: “We used to have a hotel phone bill. Each day, Nobby would hit his briefcase, shriek, ‘You’ve just spent 180 bucks!’ and shout at the receptionist. Tom would just say, ‘You guys have blown my float.’ You’d end up going red in the face trying to wind him up.” Tom being the replacement tour manager. 

GLJ even caused a minor local news sensation. J: “Two girls of about 13 followed us for about eleven hours. Their parents reported them missing and eventually tracked them down to us. Our roadies were interviewed on TV.” 

Hmmm, just what is it about these whacko boys? After facing the ordeal of a GLJ confrontation, a poor, harassed ABC reporter took it upon himself to smash the hotel door to smithereens. Waa-hoo! 

With twins Mike and J Aston’s skills bolstered by Marcus on drums, James on guitar and Peter on bass, life goes on. Their latest single ‘Desire’ is the ‘best yet,’ according to their adverts. Well, is it? 

J: “We’ve written songs that are good – ‘Shame’, ‘Bruises’, ‘Cow’. The thing is, if you put our records together, they’re all very different.” 

Mike: “It’s a bizarre record even by our own standards. The whole thing was approached in a way it shouldn’t have been. It’s all completely back to front.” 

And if you’re unsure what a back-to-front record sounds like, pop down to your local and pocket this ‘un. 

Mike: “It’s been played four times on daytime radio, which is a bit of a shock. I don’t listen to radio 1, never have in my entire life.” 

In which case, have GLJ the capacity to be huuuge? Will they ever be more than one of the myriad Janice Long fave raves? 

Mike: “Of course. We’re good looking, we’re good singers.” And they’re still on an indie label, hoping to emulate stablemates the Cult perhaps. “What they’ve done is wonderful. Means Beggars can spend more on our next record.” 

J: “We see the indie thing as a kind of kindergarten. We’re very Peter Pan-ish characters, very childish. We didn’t want to grow up and face the big world of Madonnas and ugly Howard Joneses. They all get fat when they’re successful and we’re very much thin things.” 

Marcus: “I’m just dreaming about going shopping at Sainsbury’s.” 

Mike: “We’re definitely more capable of doing what we want now. We’re ready because there’s no aspect we can’t control now and that’s the autonomy we’ve always aspired to.” 

J: “It’s taken a long time for us to arrive at that. It was almost like going through puberty and adolescence all over again, the way you have to deal with people and earn their respect.” 

Time to peruse the state of pop. All parties are unanimous in their condemnation. 

Mike: “You used to have pop music and things that were seen as an alternative but now it’s all become so narrow and insular. It scares me a bit. It takes enthusiasm, naivety and stupidity for anything radical to happen.” 

And is anything radical ever likely to happen again? 

“It will when people stop saying you need some idea of the history of pop music. Once people stop looking back towards the Bob Dylans and Rolling Stones and embrace what they’re putting on the turntables as something new.” 

J: “The industry has absorbed the haircuts and that whole aesthetic.” 

Mike: “And once it reaches a peak of people talking about big bands and big stars, there’ll be a reaction. We’re almost there and it’s got to happen.” 

GLJ won’t be sitting round twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the Revolution. But when it happens, victory to the Thin Things. 
 

J: “We’re very much thin things.” M: “Unconventional.”

In the well established ‘debauch on’t road in’t States’ tradition we present Gene Loves Jezebel!!!!!!! Wa-hoo! 
 

 

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