Britrock invades America

The two shivering, wet souls stuck out in Times Square the look a bit like Tim Wheeler and Charlotte Hatherley from Ash. Right now, they also look a bit like Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in “singing in the Rain”, that we wouldn’t be asking them to do a photo shoot in force 10 conditions, so it’s probably Ash after all. Still, check this for Britrock spirit… “Is it raining?” trills Tim, nonchalantly. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Hurrah! He’s either Andie MacDowell from *Four Wedding and a Funeral” or he’s exactly the kinda chap we need to help us win this war. Come on, Tim! Over the top and Tally-ho!

“God”, he drips, miserably, “I’ve gotta get out of these clothes!”

Wuss. Still, Charlotte’s brimming with excitement at being in New York. “I so love it here” she squeals. “Luckily, we’ve been here quite a lot, especially recently, when Tim and I did some modelling for Calvin Klein. And well, I’ve got a boyfriend in New York so…”

You’ve been shagging! “Ahem,” she coughs demurely. “I’ve been living it large on the sofa bed! But playing over here’s pretty special for me, because I only joined Ash after they’d already slogged around America”. The guys toured extensively, especially one where they went out with Weezer for a long time. Did it drive them mental? Yeah, it’s what “Jesus Says” is about: “one million lightyears from home/Throwing up and feeling small”. It’s Tim’s big rant about touring America and feeling fucked-up.

That’s no way to go about breaking America, is it? Snivelling like wretches!

“Well,” she laughs, “after a while, there’s noting to do but whine on tour. But on the other hand, being over here really pumps you up too. You tend to pick up that big, sleazy, laid-back cool attitude over here, walking around with an extra swing in your stride”. Will our bands ever make it over here in America, Charlotte?

“Is anyone really bothered?” she wonders. “It’s probably just a matter of investing time, living over here like U2 did, and I don’t know if English bands want to do that. One of the benefits of being in Ash is that Americans have this big thing about Irish bands: ‘I’m a quarter Irish’, Like fuck you are! But even with that, we’re still relatively unknown over here, which is totally cool”.

Still if the yanks don’t understand us, that’s nothing compared to how badly we must misunderstand them sometimes. Charlotte smirks, remembering a story her friend, the producer and composer David Arnold, told her recently. “He’s working on the music for some film staring Robert De Niro”, she sniggers. “So De Niro rings up his studio and says to the guy at reception: Can you tell David Arnold it’s Bobby De Niro?. And this guy says to David: It’s Bobby Davro on the phone for you!. Isn’t that brilliant?”

By Robin Bresnark