Former Transvision Vamp singer Wendy James recently released a double A-side single consisting of a cover of Sonic's Rendezvous Band's "You're So Great" along with a cover of Bob Dylan's "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)." Joining her on the tracks are The Stooges' James Williamson and The Bad Seeds' Jim Sclavunos. Today, we're spending Can you ever see yourself getting Transvision Vamp or Racine back together?
I speak now and then with Nick Sayer. At the moment he is very excited about James (Williamson) and I working together; James is his favorite guitarist. Nick, I am happy to say, is very proud of me. We came kind of close to doing something in the middle of last year, getting in the studio together, but it didn't happen. We both kind of didn't show up! We dance around the idea sometimes. We get offered a lot of money to reform for live shows and I will not say never, especially as we never officially put out a press release to say we'd split up! So, maybe we've just been away for twenty years! But it would require, I think, a whole brand new album and then a tour to support that, rather than just a reformation tour for the money.
As for Racine, that was always my solo thing. I just didn't call it Wendy James. I grew up in the culture of bands, of gangs, rather than solo players. I like the force of a band of brothers you know. But! My name is known and in the end, just be what you are, right? So... I am Wendy James, this is my band, and this is my music. The musicians I worked with on the Racine albums and I Came Here To Blow Minds are on repeat in my life, especially the two guitarists Henric Strahl and Jeremie Orsel. They both are truly gifted musicians and we speak the same musical language and I trust them implicitly with my music. So... everything is fluid. Whoever feels right, gets the gig.
What was the first album, tape, or CD you purchased with your own money?
Wow. I really am not sure! It could have been Eat To The Beat, Blondie. It could have been Never Mind The Bollocks, The Pistols. It could have been Supertramp, Breakfast In America!
I know the first 7" I had when I was two years old was Mary Hopkins, "Those Were The Days," on the Beatles Apple label. My parents put a little record player in my bedroom really, really young and they bought that 7" for me. I was fascinated with it as it had an Apple for the label and I'd watch it go round and round and gurgle, dance, and giggle to it I suppose!
You're in charge of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
Ha! The Wrecking Crew and Brian Wilson, Terry Reid at Glastonbury Fayre, James Lavelle/UNKLE doing "Money And Run," The Ikettes! Definitely the Ikettes! The Band and Bob Dylan and George Harrison and all of the Last Waltz! The Velvets of course, The Stones... Jay-Z doing "99 Problems." Too many, too many. An impossible question!
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today!
You're so welcome! Single out on iTunes now! Buy it!
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