THE HOLY SPITFIRES

Your vocal talents have also been put to good Ant-use with your band ‘The Holy Spitfires’. Where did the idea for that name come from?

The name ‘The Holy Spitfires’ comes from a poem by Adrian Mitchell quoted in Jeff Nuttall’s 1968 opus ‘Bomb Culture’:

You’ve covered three early Ants tracks, namely ‘Send A Letter to Jordan’, ‘Ligotage’ and ‘Weekend Swinger’. Why did you choose to cover Ant songs, and why specifically those three?

It’s probably useful to understand that the guys who were in early line-ups of The Ants were also great fans of the band. Except Mark Ryan, that is, who thought it was all a complete bunch of toss. True punk-rock. Ha ha!

While we were on the last Monochrome Set tour in ‘85, Andy and I decided to form a covers band - based on the same ethos as ‘The B-Sides’ ["We’ll play the B-sides to songs that weren’t even hits"] - really just for fun. Thus were born ‘The Legendary Mark Antony And The Centurions’. The vogue at the time was for increasingly clipped single-word, even single-syllable band names. We thought we’d buck the trend.

Guitar solo madness. Video stills from 'The Legendary Mark Antony And The Centurions'  "Dynamite" clip. Andy Warren - Bass, Mark - St Vitus dance, John Beckett - Guitar"

"Super 8 stills from the same promo clip: That's real blood on John's guitar - no-one told him to just mime the solo"

"Video stills from the same clip: Me [I'm hocking a lugey, not blowing a kiss], Me with Andy smiling! Andy, Christine and me, Christine [who is blowing a kiss - not hocking] and John"

When we got back, I called John ‘Bivouac’ Beckett and asked him if he wanted to join Andy and myself in The ‘Centurions. He brought along Iain Stevenson who’d drummed with him in the band I’d roadied for a couple of years earlier, and we were off. In addition to John we had another guitarist whose resignation I had cause to accept after one particularly intolerable rehearsal. We played the next two rehearsals with just John on guitar, but we all really wanted another guitar there in the mix. Andy said he knew someone who would maybe like to play with us. He’d sound him out. Andy was late the next week. Half-an-hour into the session the door opened and Andy walked in with our replacement guitarist - Marco.

One of Marco’s amusements in life is showing that he can play Adam’s songs better than anybody else, but the sound that he and John created together was pretty astounding. This was for fun - there wasn’t even the merest whiff of rivalry between John and Marco. Thus, it was already in our culture to play early Ants material pretty much from day one. ‘Send A Letter To Jordan’ and ‘Weekend Swinger’ are really not particularly accomplished pieces of songwriting. They have their charm, but their strength, to my mind, lies in their relentless riffs. I was used to hearing Marco and John play together, and I really wanted to hear them play these songs.

The entire third Peel session is to me the very apogee of art-punk - if such a genre can be held to exist. I think ‘Ligotage’ is a great pop song and really just wanted to record a more instrumentally full version of a great tune. In truth, we hardly changed a note, although our version does have the more expansive sound I wanted.

You are obviously familiar with these three songs, even though only ‘Ligotage’ has been properly recorded (Peel Session). How did you know the music for the other two and the words for all three?

Well, John and Andy used to play them in the Ants. Basically, the Ants songs we covered are pretty derivative at source. ‘Ligotage’ is ‘The Passenger’ by Iggy and ‘Send A Letter...’ is ‘I’m Free’ by The Who. And Adam used to make these great little lyric books to give to band members when he wanted to introduce new songs into the set - little picture books with typewritten lyrics and stapled spines. I have some of these.

The Holy Spitfires’ line up is almost a classic Adam And The Ants reunion, with you replacing Adam on vocals, Marco Pirroni and Johnny Bivouac on guitar and Andy Warren on bass. How did the idea first come about?

It was really just an extension of the various incarnations of our ‘fun’ bands, starting with ‘The...Centurions’, through ‘Atom’, ‘Wig Wam Blam’ and others...we hadn’t done anything together for years, and I realised we hadn’t made the album we perhaps should have made - in fact any album - in all the years we’d tooled around together. This was a sin. We’d probably got two albums worth of original material, but it would all need seriously refurbishing and rewriting - a bit more work than was practical to arrange, and probably more than any of us could realistically be arsed to do. So we reverted to the ideas we’d originally gone with when we started playing together - an album of covers, knocked out in our spare time. Three months, start to finish. Well, that was the plan. I called everyone up and arranged a meeting at Marco’s. Everyone turned up. Quite a reunion. This is central London, and all through the evening there are military jets flying low overhead. None of us had ever seen anything like it. I took it as an favourable omen. How very wrong I was [it turned out, by the way, that this was an RAF rehearsal for the Queen Mother’s forthcoming birthday celebrations].

Who played drums on these recordings?

The very amazing Dave Ruffy, who as I’m sure you know drummed with The Ants on the 1996 ‘Wonderful’ tour, as well as with Sinead and Marco on the staggering 1990 ‘I Do Not Want...’ tour, and on everything of quality The Ruts ever did. Plus.

What other tracks did you record?

I almost told you then - but I’ve decided against it. A large part of the impact of the album is derived from people realising what we’ve recorded. I don’t want fuck with that, really. I can tell you that the final album runs to eleven tracks - we recorded twelve, but one of them just wouldn’t sequence-in, and as the album wasn’t weakened by it’s loss, I kicked it out. Suffice to say it’s all pretty hilly you know? - Swoony.

What are your future plans for the band?

To get ‘Daddy Weirdo [Heavy Pop Classics Volume 1]’ out. Marco and I have been rather busy with other things just recently...the next project was slated to be The Holy Spitfires ‘Get God’ - an E.P. of religious songs. But with Marco busy with The Wolfmen, the Ants demo box set to be completed, the Ants DVD needing just a lick, and with everyone who survived the SonyBMG purge [sorry, ‘merger’] paralysed with fear...who knows when we’ll get around to it?

If you could record three more early Ant songs, what would they be? And why?

I don’t really want to record any more Ants numbers, but if my life depended on it, ‘London Sound’ would be interesting to do - great lyrics and it could have a completely monster riff. The ‘Centurions’ did ‘Lambretta Love’ live - not sure if I’d bother to go over it again now, though - and I suppose maybe ‘9:30 Heartbreak’. Because I’ve always liked it.

When can we expect this material to be released?

‘Daddy Weirdo’ is a concept album. Really. Although the tracks all stand up on their own, the record really should be played from start to finish in in a linear fashion in order to convey the story I intended. This kind of cuts down it’s suitability for on-line distribution, and I certainly wouldn’t want to go exclusively down that route. It takes someone clued-up and well, older really, to ‘get-it’. As many people in A+R at record companies now are a) too young to remember the songs in their original context - essential to understanding the true genius of the project ha, ha - and b) afraid for their jobs like they’ve never been before - I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.

Will it be on Marco’s ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ label?

No. If that were remotely practical, it would have been out on OLLA by now. The Holy Spitfires won’t be playing this album live, so whoever picks the album up will need to consider marketing the project by less obvious means, although to sell it on the back of the interest we’ve created with the Remasters and forthcoming DVD and demo collection would make a lot of sense. Any takers out there . . . ?

Mark's "SEX" compilation cover on Marco's OLLA label

An early dummy pack for the "SEX" CD

You already had work released through OLLA on the form of the sleeve for the SEX compilation CD in 2003. Was the photo of Jordan outside the front of the shop really in that condition, or was made to look like that by you?

The actual Sheila Rock photograph has been very subtly tweaked to conform to what we wanted to convey, but the torn photographic paper element was courtesy of Andrew Wade [of ‘only-anarchists’], which is why he’s credited with ‘additional design’ in the booklet.

Mark's "Biba" compilation cover on Marco's OLLA label

Did you also design the other OLLA album sleeves (Biba and Granny Takes A Trip)?

I designed the ‘Biba : Champagne & Novocaine’ package, yes - but ‘Granny...’ is being designed by Nigel Waymouth who, in addition to founding the boutique, was partner to illustrator Michael English with whom he formed psychedelic design partnership Hapshash And The Coloured Coat. It’s more authentic for him to do this one.

Mark's 2003 book front for 2020 Casting

You’ve also been busy elsewhere, namely working for 2020 Casting. The most striking is the ‘blue lady’. What inspired you when designing that?

Ha ha - that’s funny, why on earth would you want to know about this? My work for 2020 has been essentially brand development - not just the layout and covers of the annual books, but all elements from logo to stationery to signage within their premises - the lot. The book you’re referring to was the 2003 annual - we always refer to it as ‘Bluebird’. I always attempted to do something unexpected if I could - the assistant directors who use the annuals have to look at these great tomes everyday, all year round - so I’d try to create something that reflected what was going on within the industry, however obliquely, while also being endurable - if not pleasant to look at for a whole year. There was an upsurge in interest in Indian/Asian culture and imagery around that time, and this offered an opportunity to emphasise the pan-ethnic nature of 2020’s artistes, and clientele. But rather than go all predictable and ‘Bollywood’ about the whole thing - I went for something a little more...highbrow. The version ultimately used on the published book wasn’t my favourite - altogether too dark and well - blue, for my liking, but occasionally you’re obliged to give the client what they want, rather than what you know is best. Ha, ha. What was the inspiration behind this image? Well, I’ve always enjoyed Indian religious art - and I love the vibrant colours used in Asian costume and decoration. Also, there was this fantastic black, black, black Indian girl I had lined up as the model for this commission. I’d sold my client on the idea and was already in pre-production when she flaked out on me and didn’t turn up. Luckily, my ex-partner was available at a moment’s notice and, being quite exotic herself, saved the day by sitting in for me at the last moment. The colours are those used to signify Hindu deity, and the symbols around the font are stylised ancient signs denoting life, continuity and good fortune.

How did you come to get involved in designing books for this company?

2020 lacked a unified visual style. I was introduced as someone who could create this for them, and - after much talking to establish we were seeing eye-to-eye in key areas, I was commissioned.

Who else have you worked for in a design capacity?

I’ve been working professionally as a designer for over twenty years. I haven’t a hope of listing everyone I’ve worked with or for, and it would be both insane and boring for me - and your readers - to try. Check out www.tinpanalleystudio.com though if you want to see some of my web work - this based on one of Marco’s jukeboxes...

How much of your daily routine, is dedicated to designing?

That depends on exactly what project is at hand. And at what stage the project is at. Suffice to say that 90% of any project takes place in the mind. Only once the work is done there do I even begin to start the practical process of realising a design in any tangible way. There is always something on the back boiler, waiting to be resolved - usually for the next project, rather than the one I’m working on in the present. In that context, I design from the moment I wake up until I conk-out in the evening.

Which do you use? A PC or a Mac?

Both.

What other hardware do you use?

Bog-standard studio kit: graphics tablet, decent flatbed scanner - I always use drum-scans particularly for high-end production sourced from transparencies - accept no substitute - a large-format digital camera, and a halfway decent proofing printer. That’s it.

Which software would you recommend for those who wish to get into designing as a hobby?

I’d imagine that you would want to get as professional-looking results as possible, anyway? Of course a solid bitmap editor is your number one requisite. Adobe do a stripped down version of Photoshop called ‘Elements’ - that’s probably worth investing in. Then you’ll need a vector graphic package. Adobe illustrator is the industry standard product, but there are different options depending on which platform you work - and how much you want to spend. If ‘Illustrator’ is available in a stripped-down version, you could do worse than to get hold of that. These two programs can be the basis of any design work you wish to do - and of course you can then branch out into web design [for non-programmers like myself I’d recommend Macromedia Dreamweaver], 3D design and animation [Discreet 3DSMax is a great all-rounder] 2D animation [Macromedia Flash] - I could go on but I’m boring myself here...