Illinois Entertainer May 2023 | Page 20

Love and Rockets

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By Tom Lanham photo by Jolene Siana
ot that a random Google quest can sum up the alpha / omega significance of any particular subject . But when you punch in ‘ Love and Rockets , band ’ on the search engine , one of the keys Frequently Asked Questions it churns up is a deceptively simple “ Is Love and Rockets Goth ?” It ’ s a conundrum that still confounds bandleader Daniel Ash himself , and therein hangs the spectral tale . Even though the English-born , psychedelic-splashy trio ( which also features bassist / vocalist David J and his percussionist brother Kevin Haskins ) hasn ’ t recorded a new album since Lift , its seventh and final set back in 1998 , it will forever be associated with its catacomb-creepy predecessor , the Peter Murphy-fronted Bauhaus a quartet that practically defined the term Goth rock . “ Because we are Goth , a little ,” the vocalist / guitarist allows , on the eve of Love and Rockets ’ surprise spring reunion tour and a corresponding Beggars Banquet remastering / reissuing campaign of all seven albums on colored vinyl . “ But that ’ s just because of the band that we were in before , so it ’ s weird how when you add or subtract one member of a band , the sound becomes completely different .” For further evidence , he adds , look no further than Tones on Tail , his single-album spinoff with Bauhaus percussionist Kevin Haskins . Its single album Pop ! ( in 1984 ), he says , “ Was just a case where there was no pressure from the record company to do anything other than exactly what we wanted to do , which was very liberating . But with all the bands we ’ ve been with on Beggars Banquet , we ’ ve had a clause in the contract saying that we have full artistic control , and that ’ s been really good for us over the years . There hasn ’ t been any situation where we ’ ve had to have some big-shot producer in to do this , that , or the other .”
A Bauhaus reunion tour last year was aborted when an ailing Murphy , nicknamed the Godfather of Goth , entered rehab . And while Love and
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Reissues & Reunion
Rockets foresee no concert cancellations looming ahead , they have – in the words of one of their most popular singles , “ No New Tale To Tell ,” either ; currently , have no plans to write or record new material , as each member is otherwise engaged with ongoing outside projects . And whereas Bauhaus ’ most significant dirge was “ Bela Lugosi ’ s Dead ,” the L & R anthems are conversely thoughtful and downright uplifting , from “ The Light ,” “ Yin and Yang ,” “ It Could Be Sunshine ,” and “ Haunted When the Minutes Drag ” to more celebratory entries like “ Kundalini Express ” and a rollicking cover of “ Ball of Confusion .” Songs that – with a great degree of existential irony – sound almost tailor-made for our grim new post-pandemic era . A perfect panacea for folks desperately in search of just such a mood-altering prescription . Ash and Haskins checked in to discuss their unexpected return , all spurred by a booking to play Pasadena ’ s Cruel World festival earlier this year …
IE : How was the lockdown for you guys ? And where were you all ? DANIEL ASH : Well , lockdown for me ? I loved it . I ride motorcycles , and there was nobody on the street , so it was a great time . So it was weird – everybody was freaking out about it , but it worked to my advantage that nobody was around . And I was riding the bike through cities and stuff without any traffic , and it was fascinating – it was like something out of a science fiction film . I just get on the bike , and I don ’ t make any plans – I just sort of go and see what happens , and I ’ ve done that my whole life . And I ended up once in a desert area somewhere , but I couldn ’ t actually tell you where it was . I remember I had to fill up with gas at a gas station , and there was some guy there that was like 197 years old and his dog , and I think that ’ s actually where I caught Covid , the bad one when it first happened , and that knocked me out for about 15 days . It wasn ’ t so much fun , but I just sort of thought of it as , “ I ’ m just getting it out of the way .” And I sort of had wanted to just get it out of the way . But it was pretty heavy . That was right at the beginning ( of the lockdown ) – everybody was staying indoors , but I was the opposite . I was out every day , on the bike , and it was fantastic , it was fascinating . There was nobody around , and it was wonderful . It was like one of those Apocalyptic films where somebody wakes up in New York , and there ’ s nobody around – that ’ s my dream come true . I ’ m not the most sociable of people – I have to be honest . And I ’ ve got 22 bikes now – every time I do a tour , I buy another bike . And that ’ s my thing – I ride them all , I don ’ t just collect them .
IE : When they told me to stay indoors and avoid contact with other people , I thought , “ Great ! Done !” I was already headed in that misanthropic direction anyway . DA : Yeah , right ? Like , “ No problem !” That was hilarious ! And that ’ s where people that know me were saying , “ You must be having a great time because you can ’ t see anybody !” And I said , “ Yeah , it ’ s great ! Nobody ’ s coming ‘ round , the phone ’ s not ringing – this is fantastic !” But I had to get hotels , though .
IE : You ’ re all in L . A . But how often did you see each other ? DA : No , no , no – nobody saw anybody . We were in lockdown , and that was what was so great about it . So we weren ’ t in contact as such , and we weren ’ t working together at that point . I had a new band , Ashes and Diamonds , but I ’ d started that in 2019 , and we were about halfway through ( an album ), and then COVID hit , and then we were working long distance . The drummer lives in New York , I ’ m out here , and Paul lives in England . So it was okay , but not as good as when the three of you got into a room together . And we ’ ve since put the finishing touches on the whole thing , and to be honest , we ’ re 99 % there , of being done with the album , so that ’ s exciting , and we should be doing something with that in November , December of this year .
IE : Did you get busy painting in all that downtime , as well ? DA : No . To be honest , I did a bunch of that earlier , just went nuts , and did 50 or 60 paintings all in one year , just went nuts in 2013 , I think . But when COVID hit , apart from the time when I was sick , I was out on the bike all the time . And I ended up buying a couple of bikes just because there was nothing else to do . So I didn ’ t do any work – I was having a great time on the bike , on my own , just out in the middle of nowhere . For me , it was just business as usual . Ha ! But the only thing is , when you do travel on the bike out into the middle of nowhere , you have to make sure that you have a full tank of gas , and I ’ ve been caught short on that a few times . And it ’ s extremely stressful , is all I can tell you . I remember I broke down once in Death Valley , which was not fun at all . But it took me a week to get home . I got a bit of the old “ You boys ain ’ t from around these parts , is ya ?” There were a couple of those situations going on – I ’ m not kidding ! It was very similar to the film Deliverance , and I ’ m not joking . There were a couple of real hairy moments there on these bike trips .
IE : Luckily , you brought your banjo … DA : Ha ! No , quite the opposite – that ’ s the last thing I ’ d do . This time around , I ’ ve learned my lesson on that . So I always make sure I ’ ve got a full tank of gas before I wander into the middle of nowhere . And Kevin , it ’ s your turn now .
IE : And Kevin , your daughter Diva is now in- continues on page 22