Femme un-Fatale Brian Richie Interview DARREN HAWKES

Rip It Up, Issue 204, 1 August 1994, Page 24

Femme un-Fatale Brian Richie Interview

DARREN HAWKES

throwing up on the side of the road, ‘Blister || In the Sun’ blares from a nearby car. U Underage at a pub, singing along to “Why can’t I get just one ..." and joyously and somewhat rebelliously yelling the last word of the lyric. These are, my cherished teenage memories. It’s a A '■'Tar -j-,■■ proven scientific fact that everybody who has been a teenager, in the last twelve years owns a Violent Femmes album. ■.

The Femmes first slipped into the psyche of the world’s teenage population way back in 1982 when they released their incredibly successful debut album.

“I’m not surprised about the reaction that it got,” says Brian Ritchie, the bass player, calling from Milwaukee, "because that’s the album that has the least variety. I think that people like to digest one idea rather than a number of different ideas. When we made that album we knew we were making a prettycommercial album. Teenagers buy records, we made that record when we were teenagers so it’s kind of natural that it was the one that would be most in synch with their minds.”

But even now a lot of the lyrics are still concerned with teenage angst.

“Whiny self-indulgence is just a staple of twentieth century art in general so obviously there’s going to be an element of that in our work just as there is in almost everybody’s work. None of us consider the lyrics to be any guide for living. We don’t have any kind of manifesto nor do we try to brainwash anyone with our music. Songs need lyrics and I think Gordon writes some fantastic ones.”

The Violent Femmes have just released their seventh studio album. Called New Times it’s described in their press biography as a new direction.

“They said the wrong thing in the bio — it’s not meant to say ‘new direction’ it’s supposed to say ‘new erection’. It’s very masculine. It incorporates a lot of different ideas — some of the songs are very stripped down, just a guitar and a voice, while others have full production.

“We all have the freedom to play what we want — there’s not any kind of dictatorship going on. There’s a lot of improvisation where the music can go in any direction. That’s something that any member can take charge of. Sometimes we play the same thing at the same time even though it’s an improvisation.” ‘Machine’ on the new album is a King Missile type song that uses keyboards and drum machines and is really different from anything Violent Femmes have done before. But don’t hang out for more of the same. Brian says about ambient and techno: “The kids can listen to whatever they want. We would rather just hit ourselves over the head with a hammer. We’ve been experimenting with some new ideas. There is always writing going on. Who knows what’s gonna happen on the next record. I think it’s gonna be the record that probably irritates a lot of people. They won’t understand it, they never do anyway. That’s just part of our job.”

Guy Hoffman, ex-Bodeans and longtime friend recently replaced the original drummer Victor DeLorenzo. Why did DeLorenzo leave the band, Brian?

(WARNING: The next paragraph contains gratuitous vileness. Reader discretion is advised). “Well one day Victor looked out on the sidewalk and he saw that his dick was squirming around like a worm and he got down on his hands and knees and he ate it and after that he vomited and quit the band.”

Huh? Is that some kind of sophisticated metaphor that I have to decipher? “No. It’s true.”

Oh, OK, you’re not going to tell me. Next question then. You haven’t done so well since your debut.. .

“That’s not true, every one of our albums has sold over 200 million copies ... in New Zealand." Brian Ritchie loves New Zealand and the Violent Femmes are going to return again early next year. “I always take a holiday there. I usually go to Fordland or Milford Sound. I think it’s a beautiful country. For its size it’s got the most to offer of any country I’ve ever been to. We recorded ‘Dance Mother Fucker’ for, I think Warners, when we were in New Zealand in 86. They requested that we do a single so of course we thought ‘Dance Mother Fucker’ would be really commercial and get a lot of airplay. So we recorded that and it was never released {in fact it turned up on last year’s Add It Up compilation}. I’d like to come down there and produce some New Zealand bands too — do you know anybody?"

All interested bands send demos to Brian, Milwaukee.

I’m convinced that all rock stars lead the good life. I ask Ritchie if he is rich and sated.

“Money doesn’t mean you’re gonna have a good life. I mean, look at Kurt Cobain. He had a lot of money and now his brain is all over the universe. Maybe it was the best thing for him. It’s just unfortunate because now we’re not going to get any more music out of him."

It’s unlikely that Brian is about to put a gun to his head, his philosophy reads: “Take life one day at a time — and then every once in a while when you get pissed off punch someone in the face and you feel a whole lot better.”