Page 25 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 109

BV109 pg 22-27 The Hot Damn! Interview.qxp_BV109 pg 25 08/12/2023 19:06 Page 4

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Black Velvet: What does living mean to you? BV: If there are younger girls reading this, up. We’ll get the music on, and, ‘No, we’re not
Is there more to living than just being alive? what advice would you give them when it going to be tired and wanting to go home, we’re
Laurie: I think living is being in the present. Not comes to living their best life? going to do this,’ and I think we inspire each
worrying about tomorrow. Not worrying about Lzi: It’s not a boy’s game, you can do it too. other to get there in the end, and, nine times out
yesterday. Just now. And who you’re with and Josie: Just do it. of ten, we do, don’t we? Last time we did it we
what you’re doing. Don’t worry about society’s Lzi: And you can be more fun. And better. And had to put KISS makeup on and invaded a
pressures, and Instagram and Facebook and don’t take it so seriously. Have a laugh with it. stage with Black Spiders. We were exhausted.
social media. Worry about you. Comparison is Gill: Figure out who you are, what you want to Josie: But we soon came to life!
the thief of joy; don’t compare yourself to any- do, and just do it. Nothing should hold you back, Laurie: We did. We just had to dress up as
one – and that is living. and it shouldn’t be because you’ve got different KISS, have a lovely time, and…
Lzi: Diligence is the mother of good luck. genitals or whatever. Figure out what you want Lzi: Well, it was more like if you’d ordered KISS
Gill: Have a good time, all the time. to do and just go for it. Even if it’s a terrible idea, from Wish.
just go for it! Laurie: But we got there.
BV: Would you say being in a band is living? Laurie: And you don’t have to sell yourself either, Gill: We had five minutes, I think.
Does it make you feel alive? What moments just to improve. If you’re a musician, you don’t Josie: They normally play it last in their set. We
have you had that have really made you feel have to sell yourself. If you’re an artist… There thought, ‘Sweet, while they’re on stage we’ll get
alive? are so many women out there that feel they beautified,’ and we got word that they were put-
Josie: Playing shows. In this world we live in, have to put on a bikini to look good, feel good, ting it third. We were like ‘Oh God, we’ve got ten
you’re always connected. There’s always inter- get attention, and that’s the only way they minutes to turn ourselves into KISS.’
net and people talking to you. The only time you progress in any industry. And it’s like, well, ac- Laurie: And we had to load out in the rain and
are ever really cut off, in a way, and in your own tually, if you knuckle down, and you work hard, we were all wet.
world, and focusing on what you’re doing, is you can do it the same way the guys do it as Josie: But we did it. Mission accomplished.
when you’re actually playing – because you are well. And better. Laurie: And we felt great after. So, we inspired
just there, immersed in the moment. For the Josie: I think, just be unapologetically yourself. each other to have a great time and all we had
next hour, nothing else matters. You just give it If some people want to get their kit off, do it. If to do was dress up as KISS.
your all, and that’s quite a special feeling, I think. that’s who you are and who you want to be, fine. Josie: I think, also, everyone in this band has
In the crazy world we live in, it’s quite nice, to But don’t feel pressured if that’s not the kind of different strengths. We can all do things that
have that complete break from reality, because person you are. Just do what you want to do each other can’t do, so, when somebody does
you’ve just got one thing to focus on. and, I think, the arts are a funny thing, in that something like, Gill sends through a cool idea,
you’ve got to create it for yourself first, before or Laurie makes a pretty sounding demo, or Lzi
BV: What things do you want to accomplish you make it for anybody else. So, make some- has a mad idea, it all just kind of feeds in and
while you’re alive? thing that you love and that you’re really proud we all build on it. We all snowball off each other
Laurie: World domination. of, and that you enjoy doing. If you’re lucky, and bring our little piece of the puzzle into the
Josie: We want to play a gig on the moon. other people will like it too and buy into it, and, I equation.
Gill: Yeah?! Stop smoking crack, Josie! think, that’s where commercially successful
Lzi: I wanna improve my pout. artists come from. I think any other way of doing BV: Laugh – How important is it to laugh, a)
Gill: I think we just wanna keep going. Get big- it, trying to appeal to something or be someone in general, and b) during tough times?
ger, better, just get out of Britain. Get into Eu- you’re not, I don’t think it’s sustainable and I Laurie: So important.
rope. Conquer the world. think people see it a mile off. I think people Lzi: We laugh all the time anyway.
Josie: Have a nice time. Give other people nice should just be reassured, you know, most bands Gill: I think we all changed our M.O’s personally.
times. or artists that have made it have kind of cut a My other band, we were very serious. Pouty se-
Gill: Infect people with our joy. niche for themselves that other people haven’t rious. And I think you guys were as well. You
Laurie: Oh, that’s a good one! done before. You say AC/DC, you know exactly were quite serious. You guys were quite seri-
Josie: Infectious joy. what they’re about. You say Madonna, you ous… We’ve been in bands before, we were all
Lzi: Do we work for a marketing company? know exactly what she’s about. You say The stage black, leather jackets, no one’s smiling,
Who, you know what they’re about. People can, so, I think, now, I don’t think it goes five minutes
BV: Do you think life has gotten hard over kind of, just make something that you love and without us laughing at each other.
the years, with things like the cost of living? that you’re proud of, and that’s your thing, and Laurie: I think we’re past caring now.
Laurie: Definitely. I think you’ll be a good answer if other people like it, great. If they don’t, if you’re Lzi: And it is ‘at’, not ‘with’. I think it’d be rubbish
for this (turning to Josie). having a great time, who cares? without that though.
Josie: I think, as you get older, as you’ve been Josie: Last night, Gill and I were playing a game,
doing it for longer… when you first start out, BV: Who has most inspired you in life? at two in the morning, at the Travelodge, which
you’re just kind of a kid at school, having fun Lzi: Pamela Anderson, because she’s the most was called, ‘Is this weird little beatle thing in my
with your mates, and, I think, as you progress beautiful woman in the world. bed a bed bug?’ And we were Googling what
and carry on doing it, in your 20s, one by one, Gill: Even without makeup. bed bugs look like, and turning it over, and
your mates tend to drop out of music and get Lzi: Even without makeup. She triumphed over zooming in on it.
real jobs and buy a house and settle down. And, adversity. Gill: I think I killed it, I was trying to turn it over.
I think, it does definitely get harder and harder Josie: To me, it’s not like a famous person, re- Josie: We were counting how many legs it had.
when you’re still kind of pushing something like ally, it’s actually people you know and people Lzi: What was the outcome?
this, to kind of balance that with being a human you meet. Even these guys, knowing people Josie: We didn’t think it was. It had too many
being. who want to do this, and, kind of, are on the legs.
Lzi (whispering): I feel personally attacked. same page. That’s what makes you carry on Lzi: Oh, so it was a tick?
Josie: Three out of four. Three out of four of us wanting to do it, you know. It’s all well and good Josie: Ohhh, it could have been (Gill looks hor-
are kind of living the mad life. Lzi’s got a real job. looking up to somebody, but you can’t do this on rified).
And manages to still do this, somehow. your own. You need people who wanna do it Josie: It was a very squashed tick. Some peo-
Laurie: Apparently my job’s not real, then. with you and are of the same mindset. So, I ple, or maybe years ago, we would have
Josie: You got a job for the first time, about ten think, for me, I feel most inspired by when we freaked out, and been like, ‘We can’t sleep in
minutes ago, in how many years? I forget you’re do have conversations and make plans. It’s like these conditions! We need to stay in Hiltons!’
employed. 'OK, cool, this is happening. There are four peo- We just now think it’s hilarious and amazing.
Laurie: I was trying to be a full-time musician be- ple in this who are kind of gung-ho about doing Lzi: If you can’t laugh, what can you do?
fore this and had to go to the real world be- this', and, I think, that, to me, motivates me more
cause, you know, cost of living, which is back to than anything, more than reading someone’s BV: On the subject of bed bugs, did you
the question! autobiography. You can read about how they did watch the programme about them the other
Josie: You’ve got a cool job though… which is it; everybody’s story’s completely different. week?
relevant for this job. What do you do for a living, Everyone says no.
Laurie? BV: Who in the band is inspiring? Josie: I think my mum did. My mum keeps tex-
Laurie: Erm… I’m an undertaker. Laurie: I think we inspire each other, as you ting me saying, ‘Don’t bring any bed bugs
Josie: So, she’s really good at loading big, said, every day. I guess, when we’re not always home.' Every day I get a message, ‘So you’d
heavy amps. vibing the night, we always rely on each other, better not be catching bed bugs.’ I’m like, ‘I’m
Laurie: Yes. In the shape of coffins. especially before a show, we’ll prep each other trying not to, but I can’t make any promises.’
THE HOT DAMN!