[kj] 1983 Interview with Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke (Kindred Spirit)

[Paul]

https://kindredspiritfanzine.blogspot.com/2018/11/1983-interview-with-jaz-coleman-of.html

*1983 Interview with Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke*
By Jill Webb Thursday, 15 November 2018

[image: Killing Joke.jpg]
Killing Joke circa 1983

As Killing Joke’s 40th anniversary tour comes to a close, now seems the
ideal time to share the interview we did with singer Jaz Coleman, which was
featured in issue 3 of Kindred Spirit.

I couldn’t believe my luck when through the daughter of a friend of my
mum’s (believe it or not) we managed to secure a back stage pass to
interview Killing Joke. The interview followed a mesmerizing performance at
Tiffany’s, Leeds in December 1983, several months after the release of the
brilliant Fire Dances album.

Glitzy Tiffany’s seemed a somehow unfitting venue, but once KJ took to the
stage the surroundings suddenly became irrelevant. They had us all in the
palm of their hands from start to finish as they stomped their way through
an awesome set. With his painted face and menacing expressions, Jaz
dominated the scene; whilst guitarists Geordie and Raven swayed
effortlessly from side to side in time to drummer Paul’s pounding tribal
beats.   Wow! It’s all coming back to me…

The highlights of the set for me were Psyche, Wardance, Dominator and one
of my personal favourite KJ tracks – Change. I managed to find the full set
list at setlist.fm

Once the gig finished we waited back stage not quite knowing what to expect
or how we would be received. We were beckoned to come in after about ten
minutes, and here follows the interview that was featured in Kindred Spirit.

*******************************************
On the surface it seemed like a chance too good to miss. Face to face with
Killing Joke, showering them with ridiculous questions, making them promise
to play a gig in Hull within the next two weeks at least… The list was
endless. But as we cruised along the M62 at a cool 100 MPH I couldn’t help
thinking about all those cruel pictures the national music press have
painted of the band over the last couple of years: fascists? Raving
lunatics? People who ought to be locked away? It doesn’t exactly inspire
confidence, and when you see the power mad almost evil expression on lead
singer Jaz Coleman’s painted visage as he leaps around the stage to the
pounding tribal beat (he totally refused to admit to consciously having any
sort of control over the audience but I’m still not convinced!) you can’t
help wondering if there might just be a grain of truth in all the nasty
rumours.

Having said all that however, by the end of the gig I’d somehow managed to
convince myself that this most definitely *was* a chance too good to miss.
One shouldn’t be fooled by everything one reads after all, should one?

Once backstage it soon became apparent that we hadn’t chosen the best of
nights to hold any sort of level headed conversation with the band. It was
lead guitarist Geordie’s birthday and celebrations were well and truly
underway by the time we were permitted to join the post-gig pandemonium.

[image: Fire Dances.jpg]

The birthday boy himself remained almost silent, apart from scrounging the
odd cigarette and agreeing with Jaz when necessary. Bassist Raven (a fan of
the Red Guitars incidentally) was for 99% of the time nowhere to be seen
and Paul the drummer appeared to be deep in discussion somewhere on the
other side of the room.

The only member of the band who was in fact prepared to make a few comments
was Jaz.

Sat silently in the corner regaining his breath and having removed all
traces of war paint, he didn’t look anywhere near as forbidding. After
making the expected general enquiries about who we were, flicking through
the fanzine and handing us drinks, party hats etc Jaz seemed quite content
to be bombarded with questions.

We all agreed that glittering Tiffany’s, complete with Christmas
decorations, bow-tied bouncers et al wasn’t exactly the ideal venue for a
Killing Joke gathering and Jaz seemed somewhat disappointed about the
manner in which the audience had reacted to their performance.

*“They were a bit tame tonight. I thought they were getting a bit tired of
us by the end. We’ve played here before, I don’t think we’ll be playing
here again somehow.”*

*Do you think your change of style has attracted a slightly different type
of crowd?*

*“No. They’re all the same. One or two still spit and they all wear leather
jackets and dance crazy. I’m glad they are still hardcore thought – I’d
rather they were.”*

*Do you class yourself as a “hardcore” band?*

*“No. We make savage music that has got feeling and feeling is nothing to
do with uniform. We’re more of an ‘80s band than a ‘70s band.”*

*Were you influenced in any way by any of the ‘70s punk bands?*

*“I liked the Pistols, “Neat Neat Neat” by the Damned and bits and pieces
of the early Ants, but I only liked a certain amount from that period, it
lacked imagination or musicianship. I liked the guitar, the wall of noise
and letting yourself go. That’s part of our roots isn’t it? Part of our
entire heritage because I’ll tell you now there’s a lot of heritage and a
lot of tradition in Killing Joke. We’ve got four years behind us now, a
long tradition and we celebrate that. That’s what a lot of these young
bands don’t have. That’s why they go down so badly in Europe. Sex Gang
Children, Death Cult… they just don’t work abroad. The same goes for Kirk
Brandon’s boys too. We’ll clean up over there, we’re the first band after
punk to establish a new style. We’ve got good rhythm and a lot of
tradition”*

As a total contrast you may have already heard about the symphony which Jaz
has written. Hopefully it shouldn’t be too long before we’re given the
opportunity to see it performed.

*“The only thing that’s holding me up is the publishing deal. Once I’ve got
that I’ve had acceptances from two orchestras. I’d like to invite quite a
lot of fanzines to that to see what they make of it.”*

*What inspired you to write it?*

*“I got my inspiration from making a drastic change to my life by going to
Iceland. I started writing it the day I got there. I wanted to evoke my
visions of the future, describe landscape and capture more romance in the
music as well. I don’t mean like silly love songs, I mean more romance,
like love of the land.”*

*Would you like to live in the outdoor for a while, in a hut or a cave
perhaps?*

*“Yes but I’d like to make it more than that. I have done already thought.
I love camping for example and I lived in the desert for two months. I
behaved like an animal – rubbed dirt all over myself – it was great.”*

[image: Jaz Coleman.jpg]
Jaz Coleman 1983


*Why did you do it?  *

*“Because I like that sort of thing. Sometimes I like walking for miles in
the middle of nowhere… think… hear music in my head… feel breeze on my
face… do a bit of writing… maybe it’s a real hot day, blue sky and sunshine
and I get so hot I’m sweating all over so I stand under a mountain stream…
feel elements… feel shivers down my back. Maybe I’m with a girl that I
love… feel how good it is to be human. We forget these things y’know.”*

*Do you believe in God?*

*“Not as a separate entity. I love to see the divine in ourselves. That is,
if I see someone who is talented, like a good cook or a good gardener I see
the divine in them. Therefore by seeing the divine in our individual
selves, we can realise our full potential. Then we can move into a world of
myth and legends where we all become a living legend, all become gods. I
see God in man. It’s more colour, more richness, more fun.”*

And talking of fun it was time for yet more helpings of Killing Joke’s
favourite poison – sake. Nice stuff if you can afford it.

*“Oh I’ve no objections to a high standard of living let me tell you, none
whatsoever! I’ll take all I can get, won’t you? I think a high standard of
living is very credible itself.”*

*Is that why you’ve moved away from England to live in Switzerland?*

*“No, I hate England. I like the tea, the individuals and the sense of
humour, that’s all I like about England. I hate the ominous feeling of
cruise missiles, Margaret Thatcher and the whole depressing outlook of the
country. I hate the escalation of patriotism, I hate seeing miles and miles
of industrial wasteland when I’m up north. I can’t tolerate it, it
depresses me and I have the choice right! I don’t want to live here, so I
live over there.*

*I’ll tell you what I do like, I like waking up in a morning – it’s a nice
big house, we all have our own rooms – then I like coming down and a nice
big breakfast to be waiting for us all, put on a bit of Beethoven, nice
morning, mountains outside, have some coffee and maybe a bit of peace and
quiet. Paul reads a book, Geordie plays his guitar, then when we feel like
it we go down to the studio and do some rehearsing. Then we get drunk, go
down to a club and ponce drinks off everybody.”*

*But there are a great many people who can’t do that. Don’t you ever think
about them?*

*“That’s bollocks! We couldn’t do that once. We pushed for it. I came from
a little village; they came from Milton Keynes and Newcastle. We didn’t
have it all; we had to kick hard in the balls for it. No-one gives us
anything, you’ve got to push! If you don’t people will walk on you. That’s
why we like inspiring the savage in people. There’s a lot of push and
struggle in the music, a lot of conflict. That is what it’s all about!”*

*What other main themes are there running through your music?*

*“Fire and drums. It’s extrovert music, it’s offensive music, it’s music
about willpower. I think we’re moving towards a time now when the willpower
is more important than the intellect. You see, I’ve experienced that
intellect within its analysis (?) goes nowhere, but a person who has
willpower sets everything into motion. No matter how naïve they are they’ll
achieve far more than the intellect.*

*I think there’s a fair amount of intellectual capacity with Killing Joke
but we enjoy the simple things in life. I come from the countryside and I
want basically to be able to offer a future to others. The lifestyle we
have, I want to be able to offer to others.*

*Do you think there is anyone else moving along the same lines?*

*“You tell me.” (Pause for thought) “Boy George!”*

*Really? What do you think of Boy George?*

*He irritates me. His music is the sort I detest. I’d rather listen to
Beethoven’s 5th or Wagner than Boy George. It’s music which is there for
making money and adding a bit of glamour and glitter to people’s dull,
mediocre lives. I’ve no time for it.”*

*But isn’t he doing what you do – taking all he can get?*

*“Oh as an individual I can respect what he’s doing… I don’t like it
though! From the financial side I can see his point of view perfectly.*

*Are you planning on making any more videos?*

*“Yes, a few videos. We made one to Fire Dances but it didn’t get shown
very much at all over here. They said it was too violent. It was shown in
all the clubs in America. I mean we had a very small budget to do it on but
it was great. We’ll be doing a few more of them, more live stuff I think.
People like Killing Joke live because it’s rougher. People like a bit of
dirt.”*

*Do you think Killing Joke will ever be played on a regular basis on
daytime radio?*

*“I don’t think so. Our music’s too savage. It stops you from doing what
you’re doing and demands your full attention. Most of the stuff played on
the radio is to perpetuate the mediocrity and slavery that goes on half the
time. Our music is hardly commercial, but I think situations will make it
so next year. I think we’ll go quite big next year because we’re selling
well in Europe and America now, better than England.”*

*So supposing you become megastars ’84?*

*“I couldn’t give a fuck! It wouldn’t change my life. I’d still be with the
people that I like and we’d still make savage music, in fact it would
become more savage. It would just meant that I’d get more sake!”*

[image: Killing Joke 2.jpg]

Between making sure that his glass didn’t run dry and singing happy
birthday to Geordie, Jaz talked non stop on a wide range of subjects:
drugs, mythology, the music press, his family… all fascinating stuff. Had
we printed every word the entire fanzine would probably have been filled
with Coleman statements only.

Before calling it a day however, we did just ask whether or not the band
had any plans to return to Hull to give us all another taste of Killing
Joke power. Here is what Jaz told us:

*“Of course we’ll be playing in Hull again. How could we not play Hull
again? We love it up there, love all the people. It’s not the prettiest of
towns but the people are some of the warmest I’ve ever met. There’s a
strong sense of community. It’s as if a cup of tea has got a secret
significance in Hull that it hasn’t got anywhere else isn’t it? We will
definitely be playing in Hull again – definitely.”*
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