| Q1. |
After
Frankie ended, you and Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash went on for a while as the
"Shuffle Brothers". Was the underlying idea of this band to continue the
Frankie/Liverpool rock style? Were the Shuffle Brothers originally a ZTT act or was ZTT
already out of the picture then? |
| A1. |
The Shuffle Brothers was just a joke name we
used for booking into recording studios (after FGTH split). There never was an official
name for the band and there were no plans to continue the Liverpool style. |
| Q2. |
We
learned from Brian Nash that he continued after the Shuffle Brothers with singer Grant
Boult with the act "Low", and that some Shuffle Brothers material was reused in
Low's never-published first CD. Were you involved in Low at some time, e.g., in the
production process? |
| A2. |
Nasher and Grant did carry on. I was not
involved in Low. |
| Q3. |
You
are now involved in the act Lovestation. What is your role in this band? Could you
describe what the band is like, who is in it, ... |
| A3. |
Lovestation are signed to Fresh Records. They are a pop dance act.
The members are Peter Gill, Dave Morgan, Viki Aspinall, Lisa Hunt. My role in this act is
drum programming and doing the underground club mixes. |
| Q4. |
Besides
Lovestation, what are you into these days? You've indicated that you're working on
producing techno material, and you're also involved in the Fresh Records label, for which
you have done some web communication -- sounds you are pretty active at the moment. |
| A4. |
I am currently involved in Lovestation
(fresh, pop dance), Eden (fresh, dance) Slapback (freskanova, underground house), Ltd
Noise (Eye-Q, experimental), and Web Design (Inner Space design) [check out this page - AB] |
| Q5. |
Are
you still in contact with the other ex-Frankies? |
| A5. |
Everyone except Paul (he never stays in one
place). |
| Q6. |
Does
your Frankie past still rears its head now and then? e.g., interviews, media attention,
fans, ..., and how do look upon this attention - I mean, does it flatter you in some way,
or is it ancient history? |
| A6. |
Yes it still rears its head. Yes it does
flatter me. |
| Q7. |
What
is your opinion on the reissue of Frankie material (mainly in the form of remixes) in 1993
and 1994? Did you like the remixes, were you in some way involved in the 10-year
anniversary activities at ZTT concerning the FGTH reissues? |
| A7. |
I thought it was a good thing to re-release
new mixes but most of them were very bad (lack of original ideas). The Jam and Spoon and
Olly J mixes were the only ones I liked. I was not involved in any of the 10-year
anniversary activities (what activities). |
| Q8. |
The
inevitable question (which you may pass of course) is what you think of Holly Johnson's
autobiography "A bone in my flute". Although I do not recall much negativity
directed towards you in the book, Holly Johnson is not very positive about his last years
with Frankie. If you have read the book, what's your general opinion? |
| A8. |
I have not read it. |
| Q9. |
Yet
another inevitable question: what do you consider the best Frankie track ever? Or if you
have no favourite one, could you name a few? |
| A9. |
Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (album
version). |
| Q10. |
Being
a producer yourself, how do you look back on the production machine behind FGTH? What is
your opinion on the distinct producing style of Trevor Horn, or that of Stephen Lipson? To
what extent do you think these two guys have determined the sound of FGTH? |
| A10. |
I loved the way all the new expensive
technology was being used. Trevor and Steve did some great things, but we already had a
sound - it just had some rough edges. |
LIFESIGNS : PETER GILL INTERVIEW 1997
