My Favourite Records mit Fat White Family

Die Fat White Family sind eine der besten Livebands überhaupt, aber auch ein fragiles, instabiles Gebilde, bei dem man nie genau weiß, wer denn nun eigentlich noch in der Band ist, sich in Rehab befindet oder wegen eines zu argen Herointrips gerade rausgeflogen ist (nicht dass die in der Band verbliebenen Mitglieder in dieser Hinsicht zurückhaltend wären).

Sänger und Texter Lias Saoudi ist die zentrale Figur, um die sich die Fat White Family schart. Zuletzt veröffentlichte er ein bemerkenswert gutes Buch über dieses Leben im Chaos:

“Always a drug band with a rock problem, it appeared that the promise and potential invested in them was about to materialise into some twisted form of ‘success’ after all. For once, Lias was optimistic about the future. The impossible had been achieved: a semblance of stability. The band’s hidden strengths had only ever been truly glimpsed at their legendary live shows – part exorcism, part violent bacchanalian assault on the senses. No two nights were ever the same. But harnessing that energy in the studio or getting the band contained in one space to record had reached Fitzcarraldo-like levels of endurance. Would the boat ever be pushed over the mountain?”

Nach fünf Jahren Pause veröffentlicht die Fat White Family nun “Forgiveness Is Yours”, das auf die beste Platte ihrer Bandgeschichte folgt. Die (nun endgültige?) Abwesenheit von Gitarrist Saul Adamczewski merkt man “Forgiveness Is Yours” deutlich an, ist doch einiges von der neuentdeckten Melodieseligkeit des Vorgängeralbums “Serfs Up” wieder verloren gegangen.
All die düstere Grooviness der neuen Songs erreicht aber in Verbindung mit Lias’ Lyrics zuweilen eine Leonard Cohen’sche Tiefe, die an dessen Blick in eine dunkle Zukunft in “The Future” erinnert:

A stiff, a crutch, it′s the end of a prime
The end of a stump, it′s a waste of your time
It’s anaemic to taste, it is stale, it is done
It is blight, it is clear that you′re here to be shunned
They cattle, they stoop, in madness they rush
I froth at the mouth but I’m no longer touched
I′m whiter than milk, a prat, a weed
A bum, a flash, the source of all need
It’s your dead town spice, it′s the size of your mum
It’s a break in the keel, it’s awake, it is numb
Still my brother insists that we stay on the march
Through his vision of pain to the end of my heart

(Fat White Family: Visions Of Pain)

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* Your three favourite Punk singles/songs?

** The Raincoats / Lola

** Xray Spex / Germ Free adolescent

** The Normal / Warm Leatherette

* A record that will make you dance?

Any of the Paranoid London albums

* Your favourite song lyrics?

“I loved you for your beauty, that doesn’t make a fool of me, you were in it for your beauty too”

Leonard Cohen, Closing Time

* Your favourite song about rebellion/revolution?

The Dubliners – The Auld Triangle

* Your favourite song this year so far?

Pregoblin – Nobody Likes Me

* Your favourite movie about music – and why?

Spinal Tap – As my life in a band has progressed, I’ve had the pleasure of watching this film go from pure comedy to hard hitting, too close for comfort drama. A kind of magic only available to those that fully embrace rock and roll cliche.

* Fontaines D.C., Idles or Sleaford Mods – which one do you prefer and why?

Sleaford Mods – Even though they’re kind of one trick pony’s, they have a believable front man, and occasionally quite brilliant lyrics “the smell of piss is so strong it smells like decent bacon” being one of my all time favourites. The other two bands don’t interest me in the slightest.

* The best “new” artist / band right now?

Pregoblin from South London. They won’t ever ‘make it’ because they’re too messed up, but their perennial outsider status only adds to the allure. They don’t play safe as houses post post post post punk like every other hip pretender out there. They mash up all kinds of genres. They never take them selves too seriously, but at the same time its no joke, there’s blood on these tracks. Check out ‘Combustion’ and see for yourself.

* Your opinion on Morrissey?

It’s almost worth getting your heart smashed to pieces just so you can fully appreciate Morrissey. Morrissey is a god. I don’t care about Morrissey’s politics. I don’t go to pop star’s for politics. I go to them with heartbreak. Who has done more for the broken hearted than Morrissey?

* The best song you’ve ever written / recorded?

The best song I’ve ever recorded is probably Roberto’s Tumescence by Decius. For that I’ll be remembered. I’m certain of it.

* Your favourite german song/record?

Marlene Dietrich ‘Falling In Love Again’

* Your favourite record of all time?

My favourite record of all time is “Forgiveness is Yours” by Fat White Family. Nothing has brought me greater relief in life than finishing this record. In that sense, it is my favourite album of all time.

Das neue Album der Fat White Family ist gerade erschienen.