Pop Will Eat Itself

by James Bonisteel


Yet another cold evening, looking around trying to find something to do, but tonight there's something a little strange going on, two bands that kind of grew up together are here in the same place at the same time. According to them, something that has never happened before. The two bands are Pop Will Eat Itself and Pigface. Right now I am on Pop Will Eat Itself's tour bus with Clint, one of the singers in the band.



RAD
So who contributes to writing most of the music in the Band?
PWEI
It is done between me and Graham, mostly. We sort of work individually, you know, but once we get the ideas up and running everybody puts stuff forward.
RAD
A lot of times people look at your records and they see that the songs are written by one person in particular now. Who is that?
PWEI
Well that's Vestan Pance but uh....
RAD
Now I gotta tell you that I looked at that on your records for a number of years and I kept thinking, "so who is this guy?" And then one day I looked at your record and I said out loud, "Vestan Pance, Vestan Pard and I said out loud, "Vestan Pance, Vestan Pance I don't see anybody in the band called that!" Then I figured out you were just tricking us, that it's just kind of a name for the whole band.
PWEI
Yea basically it was something we came up with years ago, and basically we have to stick with it now because of the publicity situation, but yea it was just one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time.
RAD
I know this has probably been asked many times from people, but where does the name "Pop Will Eat Itself" originate from?
PWEI
Just some guy was theorizing on the state of modern music--it always steals from the past and generally feeds on itself. If he really took it to it's logical conclusion, he would end up with one perfect song, then "Pop would Eat Itself," and that was it.
RAD
So who would you consider to be your inspiration when it came to writing music?
PWEI
Probably Suicide, Jane's Addiction, Public Enemy, Four Tops.
RAD
I see you put a little soul in there.
PWEI
Yea well we got a lot of Soul, and just stuff like that.
RAD
Where do you usually get your song titles from?
PWEI
With titles we get sort of bored with things like "baby I love you" or like a band call "baby I love you" or like a band called Stone Temple Pilots got a track called "Plush" I mean I do really like the track and I do like the Stone Temple Pilots but it doesn't say anything to me, I just like to play with words.
RAD
One thing I kind of noticed with your titles it seems like something from the 21st century, futuristic and kind of destructive all in one.
PWEI
We like to play with words and conjure up images and try to make good titles.
RAD
If you could say anything to your fans out there at all what would you say to them?
PWEI
We just do what we do, if the people are into it and if they want to get into it then here we are.

Pop Will Eat Itself--well what can I say except Excellent!! If you have the chance to ever see this band don't miss it.
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