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Nash Interview

Q1.

Who is in Dr Jolly's Salvation Circus, what kind of band is it, have you released any material, how long does the band exist, is the band a full-time enterprise or are the members involved in other jobs?

A1.

Dr Jolly's Salvation Circus consists of four people: Grant Boult - vocals and harmonies; myself - guitars and backing vocals; Reg Ab Gwyneth - bass; Paul Pridmore - drums.
The band has been going for just over a year and we hope to release some product in the first part of the year on our own label unless we can persuade a major record company to part with a lot of money. The band is full time as Grant, Reg and Paul are all unemployed, or should that read, unemployable!!!

Q2.

Before Dr Jolly's Salvation Circus and after Frankie, have you been in other bands?

A2.

I was involved with a band called Low with Grant Boult and a couple of session musicians and we recorded an album for a label called Swanyard Records.The album was called Enter The Bigger Reality. Unfortunately, the record company went bust before we could get it released. On the rare occasions that I listen to it I think it is the greatest album the world has never heard. We did release a single called Tearing My Soul Apart which failed miserably and I will be using copies of the CD to decorate the ceiling of my new studio.

Q3.

What happened to the Shuffle Brothers? I remember an ad on Music Box which featured Mark O'Toole, Peter Gill and you asking for a singer. Did the Shuffle Brothers record anything (demos, unpublished material, ?), and did you find any singers?

A3.

The Shuffle Brothers never released any material and we worked with two different singers over a period of two years. The first was Dee Harris who was formerly in a band called Fashion and he was followed by Grant Boult who I am still stuck with today!!! One of the songs we wrote at the time was a song called England In The Rain which found its way onto the Swanyard Album.

Q4.

Are there going to be reissues of Frankie material in the near future?

A4.

I am not aware of any more FGTH releases in the future but if ZTT can milk any more money from the Frankie machine then I am sure they will. I think that they should release an interactive CD-ROM called Holly Goes To Court where you could get to cross-examine everyone who was involved in the case and come up with your own verdict.

Q5.

Did any of the Frankies meet in or around 1993 to prepare the Greatest Hits album, the reissues, and the new remixes?

A5.

None of the band met up to discuss the greatest hits album as it was all ZTT's idea and nothing to do with the band apart from having the name on the sleeve. I am not sure but I think Holly was consulted about who should do the remixes. Personally, I think all the remixes I heard were awful and the only good bits were lifted from the original masters.

Q6.

Has there been contact between you and the other Frankies, e.g., Mark, Peter, Paul, during the last couple of years?

A6.

I have been in touch with Mark and Peter as we are currently being sued by our ex-manager and we have to speak a lot with regard to our case. Paul is also involved in the litigation but he is very hard to contact as he seems to spend most of his time globetrotting.

Q7.

What is your view on Holly Johnson's view on the recording of the `Liverpool' album? E.g., he's quite negative about Stephen Lipson, the way that the recording was organised, the atmosphere, etc.

A7.

I have not actually read it so I do not know what Hollys view of it was. People who have read it have told me that he does not say complimentary things about myself or anyone else for that matter. I have lots of great memories about FGTH and I would rather keep them unpolluted by what Holly thought about it all. With regard to the Liverpool album, I enjoyed recording it, I like the songs and the way the record sounds, it made money and I am sure that somewhere in the world there is someone who thinks it was the best record ever made so that must make it all worth while.

Q8.

Do you still get a lot of Frankie-related attention from fans & media?

A8.

No, not really, although the odd thing like Rock Family Trees pops up now and again.

Q9.

What do you consider the best Frankie track ever? Or if you have no favourite one, could you name a few?

A9.

My favourite FGTH track is probably a mix that I have of Rage Hard. It was a mix that was done for the Montreaux Golden Rose Awards T.V. Show. It was not as polished as the final mix but it was quite raw and had a lot of energy. The volume of the track gets louder and louder towards the end where it is distorting but when it was on T.V. it sounded like a monster climbing into your living room.

Q10.

Did you like the ZTT policy of remixing every track to the bone and releasing multiple 12"s after each single?

A10.

I think it was a good idea to do one or two different mixes of each release but I think fifteen different mixes of your first two singles was going a bit far. There are probably mixes that have been released that I have not even heard!!! I do not think it ripped off the fans as nobody was forcing them to buy another mix, but whatever mix they bought I am sure they would have been happy as long as the mix was a good version, which I think most of them were.

Q11.

In his autobiography, Holly Johnson paints a very ugly picture of the way in which ZTT, Frankie and Holly Johnson went apart. Do you agree his story (which isn't too positive as regards the role of the `other' Frankie members)?

A11.

As I stated in A7 I have not read his book so I cannot comment on it. What I will say is that all good things come to an end eventually and we were all very fortunate to have the success that we did have. The end could not have been that acrimonious as we all still send eachother Christmas cards, except Paul who cannot find a post box in the middle of Nepal!!!