L.A. Press Conference

Q. Your records have been on the charts even before they hit the records stores, what does that do for the creative process?
(Simon) Well, we don’t actually write songs anymore; we just put out titles and tell them that we’re gonna release a certain song and it hits the charts and we don’t have to do any work!

Q. How do you feel about the censorship of the first Girls On Film Video?
(Everyone) Loved it! Great publicity.
(Andy) Best publicity we had.
(Nick) I think that it needed censorship on television, obviously. It wasn’t shown on any station where kids could watch it and that was good it was mainly made for the clubs, it was a 12 video for the 12’ screens in clubs.
(Simon) C’mon, we made it for our own private viewing.
(Nick) It was for Simon’s private viewing.

Q. Why did you choose France to record your latest record?
(Simon) We didn’t.

Q. Yes, You did.
(Simon) Get your facts right! We shot the video in France actually.

Q. But didn’t you record it in their studios?
(Simon) We went to Montserrat to record the album in their studios.

Q. There were rumors that you were so bored with the recording of the last album that you sent away for guitar kits.
(Andy) We did send away for guitar kits.
(John) We got some peachy red and white striped, Eddie Van Halen specials – you never got around to making it.
(Andy) No, I didn’t. I was so bored I couldn’t be bothered to make it!
(Simon) We’d sent off for it about six months before we started recording the album. It arrived when we were recording.

Q. What about the idea that you guys are really a teeny-bopper band and your music doesn't have any staying power?
(Simon) Who's he? Get him out of here!
(Nick) I think if people listen to the albums and come to the shows and see them they should make up their own mind.
(Roger) I think time will tell that, We'll be around for a long time, you can't be around for long if your just based on image, I think the music is the most important thing, obviously.

Q. You guys have been quoted as saying that you're not just a bunch of pretty faces, that your music has something to say - what do you think we oughtta gather from all this, what does your music say?
(Simon) Hi, Hello.
(Andy) It says, "My name is Rover."
(Nick) Well, personally, I think we have a very positive thought of our own that we believe that you should do some thinking for yourself and move forward instead of simply being tightened by all the rules and everything else - we're just saying we're about entertainment, and we're about sort of private enterprise and doing something for yourself instead of being pulled down by everybody else.

Q. John, I understand that you have somewhat of a James Bond obsession, has success helped you...
(John) No, it hasn't!!!

Q. Has it helped you, are you a collector, do you go hunting for James Bond memorabilia?
(John) No, I don't have to hunt anymore. I'm just putting these rumors about me and people send me Astin Martins and things like that through the post. I've now got 22 Astin Martins and one of them has got a little man that springs out through the roof.

Q. Nick, are you going to be doing any more producing?
(Nick) Maybe sometime in the future. I'm not gonna be doing any more work with Kajagoogoo, it was strickly a one time project which I did because I had some spare time and I thought it was interesting. There is another English band which I think is gonna be successful, but I might not have time to produce them. They're called Days at Sea.

Q. Simon, Did you sing in a church choir?
(Simon) Yeah, I did, It was a bit different, actually. Tell you what, the audience didn't make half as much noise.

Q. Is it true you're filming your next video in the Himalayas?
(Andy) Someone's trying to convince us to go there.
(Nick) It's a vicious rumor.
(John) Not if me and Nick have something to do with it.

Q. How does each one of you feel about long term commitment?
(All) Committed. We're totally committed.
(Andy) Slam your fist down if your commited.
(John) My God, we're committed.

Q. Why didn't radio play your music when you first came to America?
(Nick) No, I mean, the thing was when we came here, we'd broken a lot of other countries in the world, but we hadn't broken in America and the reason was that nobody even knew who we were, we couldn't get through to anybody. The radio stations had very strict programming with REO Speedwagon and the Doors and Led Zeppelin, I believe. And the television shows didn't wanna show us either. With the advent of MTV, they had a more open mind and they wanted to show new bands and when they did the radio stations picked up on us, a lot of people heard us and we, like, broke right through.
(John) I think MTV had to play people like us, because when they started they couldn't addopt the same music as FM radio, because videos didn't exist for "Stairway To Heaven" and so they had to have new music.
(Andy) Well they do now.