Although the press emphasis is already shifting a few miles south to Sheffield thanks to those ever-present Arctic Monkeys, Leeds remains cooler than cool in the ‘hip’ press just now, and names like The Cribs and Kaiser Chiefs have already become essential names for us deplorable journo types to drop as and when required. Or so we’re told, anyway.
But regardless of the fleeting limelight, Leeds is one of those places seemingly capable of keeping excellent, original music percolating at all times and even when the press attention recedes for a while (which, as surely as there’s death and taxes it will for a while), Leeds will simply shrug and say “OK, it’s your loss.”
Because there’s a hugely rich alternative history to immerse yourself here at any time you like and this reviewer for one remembers how important Leeds also was in those crazed indie-centric days leading up to the Madchester explosion in the late 1980s. In fact, if you cast your mind back to the heady days of 1987-1989 much of the running was being made by a bunch of whelps called The Wedding Present who delighted student unions up and down the land with their ace albums “George Best” and “Bizarro.”
If you’d turned up to a Weddoes gig around this time, chances are you’d have run into their driver, JOHN PARKES: a man whose talents actually run far deeper than ensuring a band’s van leaves the motorway at the correct intersection. Indeed, dig a little more and you’ll discover an intriguing past with as many twists and turns as Mr.Gedge’s himself.
Over the years, John has been the lynchpin of many shoulda-been Leeds combos such as The Sinister Cleaners, Greenhouse and Fuzzbird. Brilliantly, he’s still making good records with Whole Sky Monitor and even better solo ones, not least his debut solo album “Faithlessnessless” (just out on AAZ).
John, thanks for talking to us. You bring a colourful history with you, and – inevitably – the man who championed all the bands you featured in was the late John Peel. Did you ever get to meet the great man himself during those sessions down at Maida Vale?
“Well, yeah, I did get to meet him,” replies the affable John. “He was unbelievably good to us, really. I mean, The Sinister Cleaners did a 7” and three 12”s, Greenhouse did two LPS, Fuzzbird did two albums and we were on the 1 in 12 Club compilation album…John played all of those at a time when no-one else would have touched them in a similar position. Looking back on it, who else would have dared? You never saw him at the Maida Vale studios when you recorded the sessions, but I did meet him at Radio One itself and he came up to Leeds for Sound City in 1996 and I remember sitting in the Duchess of York (legendary Leeds indie venue – Ed) with John on one side of me and Marc Riley on the other. That was surreal, but brilliant.”
We’ll not see the likes of John Peel again will we?
“No, we won’t,” John agrees quietly. “It’s strange, actually, because some of the time I didn’t really enjoy all that much of what he played, yet you have so much respect for him and if he got into something and got behind it on the radio then somehow it was like it validated the music you were making. No, he was certainly special and there’s nothing quite like him now. Having said that, there are good regional shows out there, like Raw Talent in Hull for example, that’s always well worth checking out.”
Nice one. Hope you’re reading, you guys from Raw Talent. But John, I want to clear one more thing up before we get stuck into the present: your role with the Wedding Present. I know you were their driver for a while, but the rumour persists you were their guitarist for a while. Is that true? I don’t remember it myself…
“Well, I wasn’t in the band per se,” John explains. “But on the ‘Bizarro’ tour, at the end of the set – instead of a regular encore which they never played – David (Gedge) would do a version of Penetration’s song “Don’t Dictate” and I would come onstage to join him on guitar for that and it became almost a nightly thing. But I was never a full-time guitarist for them, though I played a few twiddles on those immortal Peel Sessions. It’s probably still a trade secret, but you got paid per person when you recorded the Peel sessions and the band used to sneak me in so the Beeb would pay me that day and they wouldn’t have to! (laughs)”
That’s the way to do it. But let’s leapfrog into the present and (hopefully) future. I’m aware of your work with Whole Sky Monitor, but in this case I’m right in assuming the band is still a going concern? Is there a second album planned?
“Yes, it is,” John confirms. “With WSM, it’s a bit different to the previous bands I’ve done in that previously I was always THE principal songwriter, but with WSM it’s much more group-orientated and based around riffs and jamming together. We’re doing the second album in Doncaster with a bloke who was in a hip-hop band called Hunky, so yeah, it’s still very much an on-going thing.”
Excellent, but how did the idea of John Parkes: solo artist come about? Were the songs on “Faithlessnessless” written specifically with an acoustic singer/ songwriter album in mind?
“No, not at all actually,” replies John.
“It dates back to Keith Gregory (Weddoes bassist) at some point saying “John, all your bands have been based around your songs, you should think about doing ‘em under your own steam” or some such thing and that got me thinking. Then, about 2-3 years back, I was going through boxes of tapes with songs that had never been done for whatever reason, and those provided me with some finished songs and the impetus to write some more new ones…which became yet more new ones. Of the songs on the album, one was written for The Sinister Cleaners, one for Fuzzbird and the rest are actually new.”
One of the things that strikes me about your album is how well it hangs together and engages, bearing in mind the instrumentation (mostly just John singing with a well-struck acoustic guitar) is so sparse. Although it’s stylistically poles apart, I can enjoy it the way I can Billy Bragg or Steve Earle’s “Train A-Comin’” or similar intimate records. How do you feel about such disparate comparisons?
“That’s great,” enthuses John. “And I’m glad you feel it works as it is, because I’ve never really understood the idea of the guy making ‘the solo record’ with all sorts of little bits and pieces and sonic trickery added on, it doesn’t work for me at all. Plus, if it was good enough for Dylan in 1964! (laughs)”
Talking of comparisons, your press releases makes reference to (respected folk singer/ songwriter and Dad of Rufus and Martha) Loudon Wainwright III. Is he someone you feel a particular kinship with?
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“Well, yeah, in the sense that he’s one of the few singer/ songwriters out there who I feel can mix not only the serious and the comedic in the space of one song, but actually often in the space of one line,” John responds.
“Ive tried to do that with my song “Cigarette” where I have that line about her becoming “more smelly” which is an obvious comedy line in an otherwise wry, but serious song about a relationship and the addiction to it…it’s quite obvious I know, but I like the little comedy twist and Loudon does that kind of thing brilliantly. Yet it’s amazing…none of the reviews I’ve had seem to have picked up on that aspect at all.”
We’ve both briefly mentioned Billy Bragg in conversation (John, like this reviewer, believes Bragg’s “Tank Park Salute” is one of the greatest songs ever written), but some of your songs – like “To Go Around” and (surprise!) “Politics” – have a distinctly socially-aware slant. These days, that’s quite unusual, and refreshing. Would you consider yourself to be politically-motivated?
“Hmm…well, I would say I’m ‘socially aware’, yes,” John considers.
“That’s true enough, but these days the idea of calling yourself a ‘socialist’ makes you sound a bit weird. I mean, I’m old enough to remember when people were angry about the things surrounding them and their situation.”
“I think it’s more the fact I object to the total victory of Thatcher and everything it’s since brought with it,” he continues. “It’s a case these days of young people servicing the economy and not caring about politics at all. I mean, broadly I’d say yes, politics should still be important to everyone, but then who is there to align yourself with these days? New Labour has proved itself to be a joke after all. Still, it does provide fuel for my next project…”
Really? Tell us more.
“I want to record what I call ‘Illegal Songs’…which are pro-freedom of speech songs. For example, who out there is writing songs about the incitement of religious hatred? That should be done, I feel.”
That should put the cat among the pigeons in this ‘parental advisory’ world. Can’t wait to hear that. But back to the new album, another one I really enjoy is “The Gail Porters”, which I assume is about the vacuousness of celebrity. How did that one come about?
“Well, I think I chose Gail Porter because she was one of the early ones of those ‘women you see in underwear in Lads’ mags’ and you dunno who they are, except they present a TV show,” says John.
“I mean, Gail Porter was something of a trailblazer: a woman making a career out of being a young woman in her underwear and that’s about it. Then, of course, she had something of a comeback because she tried to commit suicide. That might sound harsh, and I’ve no problem with Gail Porter personally at all, it’s the way the media latch onto it and make someone, almost anyone famous for doing nothing except getting their kit off. I should also say that I could have used any number of names for the song: I mean, there’s plenty of possibles if you see front covers or watch even a modicum of rubbish telly. It’s impossible to avoid, really.”
“Hippy Father” is really funny too. I like the role-reversal in the lyrics. These days, the ideals of the ‘60s seem like ancient history, don’t they?
“Yeah, it’s actually very true, that song,” says John, “especially as it’s terrible not being as young as you once were.”
Yeah. Mea Culpa too!
“Right, right,” laughs John. “But like, these days young people at University actually work hard. What’s all that about? Young people are so conservative, and now they’re the ones whose Dads were into The Who and The Jam. Their Dads will be listening to those great bands while Junior’s into ‘Pop Idol’ and Will Young (lengthy groan). I mean, what the hell happened? Young people should be shagging, taking drugs and listening to amazing bands, not aspiring to work in banks or whatever.”
Absolutely. But John, before we have to go, tell us a little more about arguably this writer’s favourite song on the album, “You’ve Never Heard Of Me”, which is surely The Obscure Artist’s anthem of all time. At seven minutes long it’s also something of a sprawling epic, but genuinely really witty and quite touching all at once.
“Yeah, it’s funny, because that was the last song written before the studio session,” John recalls.
“I never expected anyone to like it, because it’s very self-indulgent. But people have really picked up on it. I think the thing about it is it’s honest and it’s a song for all the people on the unpaid acoustic gig circuit. Open mic nights are such a strange thing…in one night you can get the would-be soul diva followed by the bloke knocking out Simon & Garfunkel songs…and then me! (laughs)”
And then they get a right shock when you start singing songs about politics, paedophiles and those illegal songs you mentioned, right?
“Yeah, I’m the guy thinking ‘fuck it, say what you like and sod the consequences!’,” he laughs. “If anyone’s gonna write an anthem for the unpaid circuit, it may as well be me!”
Indeed. But I’m hearing few songwriters out there who could write such a song with the grace, feeling and wit of John Parkes. And, ultimately, that’s why we’ll still be listening to John when the Pop Idols and Will Youngs have all crumbled into the sea.
(“Faithlessnessless” is out now on AAZ Records.)
(www.johnparkes.com)
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