Jo: We’ve got Tim and Mark. Hello, welcome along.
Both: Hello
Jo: What happened on Richard and Judy This Morning, would like to give us your interpretation of events?
Tim: There’s two stories. The first and best story is that, it was a mime right. We got Mark to sing it even though, I was meant to…
Jo: Right, so Mark singing.
Tim: Yeah, but then what happens is then we smash the studio up and everything goes wrong. Unfortunately that’s not true.
Jo: So that’s not true. Damn.
Tim: Some people have the impression that’s what happened. Actually what happened is erm, they try and make it seem that it’s going out live, but it’s actually recorded at nine in the morning, well just our performance. Somehow they started playing it halfway from through, they made a real mess up of the tape cueing.
Jo: So it just went to you and you were just about to finish the song?
Tim: Yeah with Mark singing still, so then they were left with two minutes to kill and Richard and Judy were off. They had already taken their microphones off and they had to rush back.
Jo: That must have been very surreal being on Richard and Judy?
Tim: Apparently it has got one of the biggest viewership, there’s loads of students and people who watch it.
Jo: The album then is called 1977, so can you just give us a full explanation on why it is 1977.
Tim: It is the year we were born and Star Wars was out that year, and Elvis Presley died and loads of good things seemed to happen. Not that Elvis Presley dying was a good thing.
Jo: You realise that you are making an awful lot of people feel very old?
Tim: That’s part of the charm of that title as well. But that will just look embarrassing in fifteen years time for us but it’s quite cool right now.
Jo: And the Star Wars theme then, cos you are sci-fi freaks right?
Tim: Well, Mark is a Star Wars maniac.
Jo: Mark, is your house littered with Star Wars memorabilia?
Mark: Yeah, there’s lots.
Tim: You’ve got almost all the entire collection. He’s missing one man. What is it?
Mark: Blue Snaggle Tooth.
Tim: And he’s a Blue Snaggle Tooth.
Mark: You only get them in America?
Jo: Can you describe the album cover to us, because it is really effective?
Tim: We were trying to come up with a cover and we had a week to go or something. So we rang our designers, Bryan Cannon, round at his place and we were trying to think of something. We stayed up all night for two nights trying to come up with something and eventually we find this picture of a street, which was taken in Amsterdam or something, in 1950s. It is actually turned on its side and a copy of it turned on its side again and joined together in the middle. It looks really bizarre, it has got all these, it has got a mad perspective thing going on.
Jo: It looks very 1977 actually it has managed to capture the time.
Tim: Yeah.
Jo: For someone that was there obviously at the time.
Tim: We didn’t actually think of that at the time we came up with the album title later on. A trashed street scene.
Jo: What was it like when you were recording the album, was it a mad time?
Tim: It was pretty bizarre three months for the end of it going it was crazy. Did about two months in Rockfield Studios in Wales.
Jo: Who was there when you recorded it?
Tim: Sixty Foot Dolls were there. Carl managed to urinate all over their managers new bathroom whenever they came for a party.
Jo: Yeah, I’m not surprised.
Tim: He’s an animal. The Boo Radleys were at the same time, actually Martin Carr wrote the words to one of our songs, for a B side.
Jo: We’ll play a track off the album now. Which one do you want to choose?
Tim: Go for “Lose Control” that’s the song that start a record. It’s really severe live.
Jo: Okay this is “Lose Control”.
Jo: That was “Lose Control” from 1977 , the new Ash album. Hot seat change over now, we’re are joined by Rick. Hello, welcome.
Rick: Hi
Jo: Thanks for joining us. You’re too kind. You’ve done an awful lot of growing up in public in the past, how long is it, Eighteen months two years?
Tim: Two years and two months or something since
Jo: You seem very different to, because I interviewed you probably sometime round then.
Tim: It’s not exactly been normal, although you sort of treat it as normal cos it’s your life. But if you look back it is pretty mad.
Jo: How much control do you have over things?
Tim: Loads of control. Lots.
Jo: Maximum?
Tim: Everything really. Yeah, more control than most people.
Jo: What’s one of the highlights so far? Is this album the culmination of it all?
Tim: I think so yeah. I think that whenever it goes to number 1 on Sunday.
Jo: Oh, not very confident
Tim: If it does go to number one that will be a pretty big moment.
Jo: When does it strike you the most that you are actually really big, and that you are being very successful. Is it when you are playing live?
Tim: No live always seems more of a normal thing. I suppose whenever you see how many records you sell.
Jo: Does it scare you the prospect of having to carry on after this, after this album?
Rick: Because we just finished about a month ago and put everything into it, the question is now is going out on tour and then when we come to the end of that we will think about the next record.
Tim: Yeah it is too difficult, we got so wrapped up in it, that we were just dying to get it finished and get it out.
Jo: And when was the last time that you listened to the album?
Tim: About a week ago or two weeks, or something.
Jo: Do you enjoy listening back to it?
Tim: I do. I sort go through phases and start having the insecurities and go is this actually as good as we thought it was. Then you listen to it and you go, yeah actually it is really good.
Jo: How do you feel about the album Rick?
Rick: Well we are sort of finishing and there’s the album done and then you have a break from it and then you listen back to it and you think actually think that’s quite good actually.
Jo: Would you go out and spend money on it?
Rick: I would spend thousands on it.
Jo: You have.
Tim: We believe that it is really special, we have always wanted to be something different. We feel if I was buying this record I would be pleased with it and that is what I had in my head all the time. No one can really get their angle on it some people, like I read today, Time Out called it a punk record. Then I’ve have read it’s a pure pop record, you know, then some people have said that’s a rock record.
Jo: Has anyone said it’s a trip hop record?
Tim: Not yet.
Jo: But I am sure they probably will. Can you just tell us what “Lose Control” all about?
Tim: This isn’t actually a true story.
Jo: You liar.
Tim: It actually isn’t. It is about sleeping with somebody else’s girlfriend.
Jo: Oh right mm. You hasten to add that this is not a true story. That’s “Lose Control” for you then. Would you like to choose another track now?
Tim: I think we’ll go for Lead… We are just very pleased with it.
Jo: We have Rick and Tim from the band Ash with us at this moment in time. Finally, do you give advice to each other about image change and fashion statements and stuff like that, I mean the big shirts, for a start Tim that you have been wearing on stage?
Tim: Yeah well some people tell me to get my hair cut and some people tell me stop wearing such disgusting clothes.
Rick: I think Tim’s shirts are cool I like them. He’s the only person that could get away with it as well.
Jo: What’s it done to the relationship between all of you in the band. How are you getting on?
Tim: It’s very strange. Whenever we were starting out we used to argue all the time. Ever since we started getting records out and all you know we always seem to agree.
Jo: Have there ever been any really dark times when you have felt really desperate about things?
Tim: Last summer coming off tour at the end of it I was really depressed but that was having left school.
Jo: Was that strange for you?
Tim: And getting famous and stuff. It did your head in for a bit and cos it is quite a mad and lonely life.
Jo: What affect did that have on you. Did you turn to each other more?
Tim: I started trying to see my friends more. Now I would actually quite like a normal life.
Jo: And do you think that is in sight for some time?
Tim: No. It’s going to be insane all year. It’s good fun though.
Jo: Okay thanks very much for coming and talking to us.