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Reigniting The Revolution With WENDY JAMES From TRANSVISION VAMP · HEAVY Music Interviews

0:00
Speaker 1: Hi everyone, It's Wendy James here and finally I'm on
0:03
Speaker 1: my way back to Australia for some Transvision Vamp dates
0:08
Speaker 1: in February of twenty twenty six. Get your tickets quickly
0:12
Speaker 1: because I know everyone says it, but two of them
0:15
Speaker 1: really are sold out already, so it's going well and
0:20
Speaker 1: I can't wait to be there. And that follows on
0:22
Speaker 1: from our UK tour which begins in October.
0:26
Speaker 2: Fantastic Wenes, thanks for joining us. It's a pleasure to
0:29
Speaker 2: have you back speaking about something so good.
0:31
Speaker 1: I know, I didn't expect that we would be talking
0:34
Speaker 1: so quickly after the last one, but here we are.
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Speaker 2: Nice to hear it. Ours you say, Transmission return to
0:39
Speaker 2: Australia for a headline runner for the first time twenty
0:42
Speaker 2: seven tex February for a run starting in Brisbane on
0:46
Speaker 2: the twelfth, then you hit Sunshine Coach Castle in Golbourne
0:49
Speaker 2: and Adelaide and finish Birth on February twenty first. So, firstly,
0:52
Speaker 2: how does it feel to be finally coming back in
0:55
Speaker 2: a while?
0:56
Speaker 1: I'm so I can't even tell you how excited I am, because,
0:59
Speaker 1: of course, some of my favorite memories of the Transmission
1:03
Speaker 1: Vamp years are the Australian tours because you guys just
1:07
Speaker 1: weren't so crazy for us, And a lot of the
1:10
Speaker 1: footage that you see this year, I've released some singles. Well,
1:14
Speaker 1: actually at the end of last year onwards, I released
1:16
Speaker 1: some singles from my tenth album, and the footage that
1:18
Speaker 1: I've chosen to accompany the new singles from my new
1:23
Speaker 1: album is a compilation of all the worldwide touring that
1:28
Speaker 1: we did. And you'll see some of the crowds going
1:32
Speaker 1: nuts and at a record signing, and that's in Melbourne
1:38
Speaker 1: for sure, because I remember the girl that's in there
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Speaker 1: screaming at the camera and pointing at the camera, and
1:44
Speaker 1: she actually made your ten o'clock news by screaming that
1:48
Speaker 1: we were bigger than the Beatles. She's out there somewhere.
1:54
Speaker 1: So if she's listening, or if any of our friends
1:56
Speaker 1: are listening, if she's still in Melbourne or wherever she
2:00
Speaker 1: is in Australia, now tell her to get a ticket
2:03
Speaker 1: and come to the show. It'll be hilarious. That's cool.
2:07
Speaker 2: So your music was obviously very popular here in Australia,
2:10
Speaker 2: like I Want Your Love and Baby I Don't Care
2:12
Speaker 2: featured high on the Australian. So why do you think
2:15
Speaker 2: fans over connected so well with the band? And I mean,
2:18
Speaker 2: I don't really have British fans that much.
2:22
Speaker 1: Right I think, Well, I think I think it's because
2:25
Speaker 1: we were a raunchy rock and roll pop band, right,
2:29
Speaker 1: so we had the tunes, but we also had a
2:32
Speaker 1: quite upfront attitude and as far as I can tell
2:36
Speaker 1: from the audiences in Australia, that's what they really Obviously
2:41
Speaker 1: everyone loves the scream of Baby I Don't Care and
2:43
Speaker 1: the melodies and everything, but I think they also really
2:46
Speaker 1: loved the attitude that we came with because at that time,
2:50
Speaker 1: you know, we were playing people who are now in
2:53
Speaker 1: their middle ages. They were then seventeen eighteen years old,
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Speaker 1: and just the same way that for me, my backdrop
3:00
Speaker 1: was the class. I think for a whole generation of people,
3:05
Speaker 1: especially in Australia, their their backdrop, their their their soundtrack
3:11
Speaker 1: was Transmision Vamp and for girls and guys, I just
3:15
Speaker 1: think that what my wildness, which I still have everyone.
3:20
Speaker 1: So it's still going to be crazy when we dig
3:23
Speaker 1: in February, but in fact it would be awesome if
3:27
Speaker 1: the riots could be even bigger this time. But I
3:30
Speaker 1: just think the attitude connected as well as the pop music.
3:34
Speaker 2: Is this actually a proper battery union for Transmission Vamp
3:37
Speaker 2: or is it just a run of shows and that's it?
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Speaker 1: What do you mean? What from now on I will
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Speaker 1: be Transmision Vamp.
3:43
Speaker 2: Well if they actually getting back together, or there'll be
3:46
Speaker 2: more albums or.
3:48
Speaker 1: I was wondering that the other day because I am
3:50
Speaker 1: going to write an eleventh album and I was actually
3:53
Speaker 1: wondering is it now? Is it now a Transvision Vamp
3:57
Speaker 1: album or is it a Wendy James album. I haven't
4:00
Speaker 1: crossed that bridge yet. I haven't let me get to
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Speaker 1: Australia do Transvision Vamp and see how it's you know,
4:10
Speaker 1: I feel like it could be something that's ongoing.
4:12
Speaker 2: Yes, nice, You mentioned before that you've still got that
4:16
Speaker 2: same attitude and that same spark as you head back then.
4:19
Speaker 2: But the logic of it is, it's like thirty years later,
4:22
Speaker 2: we're all not all as agile as we used to be.
4:25
Speaker 2: So what can we expect from your life show this
4:28
Speaker 2: time around? Is it's going to be as as far.
4:31
Speaker 1: I actually, well, obviously we're going to play all from
4:34
Speaker 1: Bad Valentine right through to the Only One and tell
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Speaker 1: that girl's shut up. All those songs will be in
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Speaker 1: the set. But also I have written in this period
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Speaker 1: of time some really hardcore, great rock and roll pop
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Speaker 1: songs as well, So and the band are dynamite musicians,
4:57
Speaker 1: So I actually think I think there's a high probability
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Speaker 1: that it will end up being one of the best
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Speaker 1: shows people have seen and heard, irrespective of their treasured
5:12
Speaker 1: memories of the first time with Transvision Vamp. I'm bringing
5:15
Speaker 1: the goods with me, are you know, fully locked and loaded?
5:21
Speaker 1: Real hardcore And when I say hardcore, I don't mean
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Speaker 1: hardcore music as in hardcore, but real incredible musicians, not
5:31
Speaker 1: just people that can hold down a four to four
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Speaker 1: beat and you know, play three chords. These are the
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Speaker 1: They're monsters, their killers. So I expect that we should
5:42
Speaker 1: be able to walk on stage and by the time
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Speaker 1: you leave you'll be hot, sweaty, exhausted and jubilant.
5:52
Speaker 2: Pop Out was probably one of the year, or what
5:53
Speaker 2: was definitely your biggest album. So is it Steles going
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Speaker 2: to be dominated by songs for better or is it
5:58
Speaker 2: going to be equal from overall? Three?
6:02
Speaker 1: Well, I can pull up my pull up the songs
6:04
Speaker 1: I've got put by so far because we start we're
6:07
Speaker 1: actually doing preliminary rehearsals in in September. So so far,
6:14
Speaker 1: I've got tell that girl to shut up, I want
6:17
Speaker 1: your love, Baby, I don't care, down on you bad Valentine,
6:20
Speaker 1: if looks to kill, trash City, the only one, Sister Moon,
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Speaker 1: a landslide of love and revolution baby, So it is
6:33
Speaker 1: nearly every oh and I just want to be with you.
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Speaker 1: So I don't know how many that is, how many
6:38
Speaker 1: that's like, that's a normal set list for most people.
6:41
Speaker 1: We are rehearsing up two and a half hours. Wow,
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Speaker 1: So not everyone's going to get the same show in
6:48
Speaker 1: each city. So you have to buy an air ticket
6:52
Speaker 1: and come to all of them because we're not doing
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Speaker 1: it when we won't be doing a two and a
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Speaker 1: half hour set, But all of those songs at some
7:05
Speaker 1: point rather will be in rotation and played live, and
7:09
Speaker 1: and they'll be my they'll be my typical favorites per night.
7:12
Speaker 1: I'll always do tell that girl to shut up. I
7:14
Speaker 1: love playing that. You know, they'll always There'll always be Baby,
7:17
Speaker 1: I don't care, There'll always be I want your love
7:20
Speaker 1: and Darren on you works so well, And that's from
7:24
Speaker 1: Little Magnets right, So uh yeah, there's a selection from
7:28
Speaker 1: each of the albums.
7:31
Speaker 2: Transfis for vans born in London back in So what
7:35
Speaker 2: was a physical climate like back then that gave birth
7:37
Speaker 2: to the band And where did you get in?
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Speaker 1: And our scene? Our scene was the there was It
7:42
Speaker 1: was a kind of scene of lesser bands that you
7:46
Speaker 1: won't have heard of. But of the big bands you
7:48
Speaker 1: will have heard of, asked Big Audio Dynamite, zig Ziggs.
7:52
Speaker 1: But Nick, there was a band called West World did
7:56
Speaker 1: you ever hear of them? So? But it mainly the
8:01
Speaker 1: two big ones were Us and Big Audio Dynamite.
8:05
Speaker 2: Something's better to say like that at the time there,
8:08
Speaker 2: how are the band doing well? Looking the same as
8:11
Speaker 2: what you guys were? So where did you look at
8:13
Speaker 2: the sound come from? Like?
8:14
Speaker 1: Was it modeled on something? Well, so many things because
8:19
Speaker 1: we're found. You know, I love the Velvet Underground, you
8:22
Speaker 1: know I love the Stooges. But I guess the two
8:27
Speaker 1: pinpoints in the few in the in our horizon were
8:33
Speaker 1: Blondie and t Rex to mix that those perfect melodic
8:37
Speaker 1: pop tunes and beautiful blonde attitude with great, big, chunky
8:45
Speaker 1: glam rock rifts. Yeah, but within that is the clash.
8:50
Speaker 1: Is the Pistols, is the Stooges, is the velvets, you know,
8:55
Speaker 1: within that are all our favorites, but the the two pinnacles,
8:59
Speaker 1: I guess two guiding lights were t Rex and Blondie.
9:06
Speaker 2: And also read something red that you and Nick walked
9:08
Speaker 2: into EMI Records and demanded to see Dave Ambrose at
9:11
Speaker 2: one stage.
9:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's how we got signed. I mean we just
9:19
Speaker 1: we knew that he was the legend who would sign
9:21
Speaker 1: the Pistols to em I, obviously giving birth to that
9:25
Speaker 1: record EI Unlimited Supply. I think they only stayed signed
9:29
Speaker 1: for two weeks or something before they were kicked off
9:32
Speaker 1: the label. But by that time they've done their big
9:35
Speaker 1: financial heist on EM. But Dave was the guy that
9:38
Speaker 1: signed them, so he wanted to be signed by the
9:41
Speaker 1: same guy that signed the pistols. And so with all
9:44
Speaker 1: of our glad rags on and all of our teenage
9:48
Speaker 1: you know, attitude and uniform, big hair, leather jackets, you know,
9:53
Speaker 1: the whole thing, we walked into Manchester Square, which is
9:57
Speaker 1: central London, just behind selfiges of Boxford Street, and demanded
10:03
Speaker 1: to see Dave Ambrose. And I guess we were so unequivocal,
10:08
Speaker 1: so certain as you are when you're seventeen years old,
10:13
Speaker 1: that the secretary uttered us upstairs to meet Dave and
10:18
Speaker 1: we played him our little four track port studio demo
10:21
Speaker 1: tape and he said, well, I'd like to hear a
10:24
Speaker 1: couple of these tunes fleshed out a bit more. I'm
10:27
Speaker 1: going to put you in the basement in the demo
10:29
Speaker 1: studio of EMI and see if you can just bulk
10:34
Speaker 1: up a couple of your ideas. And you know, here's
10:37
Speaker 1: seven days in the in the demo studio, see you
10:40
Speaker 1: in a week's time, show me what you got kind
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Speaker 1: of thing. And so we did that that those demos,
10:46
Speaker 1: which include oh that's another one we're doing is trash City.
10:49
Speaker 1: Oh nice, I'm even thinking of opening with trash City.
10:56
Speaker 1: I don't know, I haven't rehearsed it yet, but it's
10:58
Speaker 1: such a good song. But anyway, so we fleshed out
11:02
Speaker 1: trash City and a couple of others I can't remember which,
11:06
Speaker 1: probably Revolution Baby or something, and Dave signed us. And
11:11
Speaker 1: then the twist in that was that Dave got moved
11:14
Speaker 1: from was always offered a job to leave a EMI
11:17
Speaker 1: as head of A and R, which stands for artists
11:19
Speaker 1: and repertoire. He's the guy that signs you to be
11:23
Speaker 1: managing director of Universal. So that's how come we actually
11:27
Speaker 1: ended up on MCA Universal instead. Yeah, well, don't ask,
11:34
Speaker 1: don't get right.
11:36
Speaker 2: That's my attitude exactly. The first album, Pop Add was
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Speaker 2: a massive bit worldwide as a band, were you ready
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Speaker 2: for or expecting that kind of response?
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Speaker 1: I can't remember it really being a big shift in
11:50
Speaker 1: my life. I mean, I knew we went we started
11:52
Speaker 1: to do Top of the Pops and I knew we
11:54
Speaker 1: were on the radio all the time. I knew I
11:57
Speaker 1: was on the front cover of all the pop magazines.
12:00
Speaker 1: But you don't suddenly become a millionaire and walk around
12:03
Speaker 1: with bodyguards. You know. Our lives were the same. We
12:06
Speaker 1: were very busy, but our local pub was the same,
12:10
Speaker 1: our friends were the same, and you know, for example,
12:14
Speaker 1: if we were doing a taping of the Top of
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Speaker 1: the popsy it was a pre taped show and it
12:20
Speaker 1: would get recorded at four pm on a Thursday and
12:27
Speaker 1: go out across the UK at seven pm in the evening.
12:31
Speaker 1: So by the time we'd done the Top of the
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Speaker 1: Pops we were literally back in our pub by seven
12:38
Speaker 1: o'clock and I would be standing at the bar. I
12:40
Speaker 1: remember distinctly the first time we did Top the Pops.
12:44
Speaker 1: I was standing at the bar with Joe's drummer because
12:47
Speaker 1: it was his pub as well, and Joe brought me
12:50
Speaker 1: my first triple whiskey, and I remember him slamming, well
12:56
Speaker 1: not not slamming in an aggressive way, but slamming the bar
13:00
Speaker 1: and saying, barkeep get this girl at whiskey. Make it
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Speaker 1: a triple. And so that's how I saw my first
13:09
Speaker 1: Top of the Pops. I wasn't even at home watching it.
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Speaker 1: I was at the bar with Joe so and so.
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Speaker 1: To a large degree, you know, the tabloids hadn't really
13:19
Speaker 1: started hunting me yet. To a large degree, it was
13:22
Speaker 1: just really super busy, really exciting, and everything I ever wanted.
13:30
Speaker 2: Beautiful, aside transmission bas for music was great. But another
13:34
Speaker 2: big part of your success was this, of course, was
13:36
Speaker 2: you and then the way you came across. Is that
13:39
Speaker 2: all natural or was it a plan to use that
13:42
Speaker 2: appeal as part of the marketing. No.
13:45
Speaker 1: I always say to journalists that ask about that, what
13:49
Speaker 1: you can't believe that a seventeen year old would look
13:52
Speaker 1: like that? I mean because all of my friends look
13:56
Speaker 1: like that. You know, we've been influenced directly by Madonna
13:59
Speaker 1: and des be Seeking Susan just a few years before.
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Speaker 1: So of course we're walking around with tons of tons
14:06
Speaker 1: of attitudes, tons of attitude, you know, crazy, crazy makeup,
14:12
Speaker 1: big hair, pink chwotoos and boots and leather jackets and
14:20
Speaker 1: you know, whatever you could find in thrift stores. Really,
14:24
Speaker 1: you know, we were the progeny of Debbie Harry and Madonna.
14:28
Speaker 1: So just I know, I got famous, but my girlfriends
14:32
Speaker 1: looked exactly the same. You know, we would go out
14:35
Speaker 1: clubbing looking like that.
14:38
Speaker 2: It wasn't like that in.
14:42
Speaker 1: But I bet it was after I came.
14:44
Speaker 2: It was. I've even seen posts by people on Facebook
14:47
Speaker 2: saying that they do the Pink Dresses Company a show.
14:50
Speaker 1: And that's right, Well tell them, so am I.
14:56
Speaker 2: We spoke about this a little bit before. But you've
14:58
Speaker 2: also got a solo career. I've transferred TETs. Solo album,
15:02
Speaker 2: The Shape of History, came out last October. So how
15:05
Speaker 2: was that received?
15:06
Speaker 1: Well, it went to number sixteen in the Indie charts
15:09
Speaker 1: and number thirty seven in I got back into the
15:12
Speaker 1: top forty. How about that? So and it got very
15:17
Speaker 1: good reviews. And of course I've really, really, I've really
15:22
Speaker 1: evolved since those early days when I was a teenager
15:25
Speaker 1: full of attitude and raw talent. Now I've become a
15:29
Speaker 1: producer and a songwriter very much in my own right.
15:33
Speaker 1: And again, the musicians I work with give me great
15:38
Speaker 1: They delivered me great, great playing, and I've really enjoyed
15:43
Speaker 1: my musical life since Transmision VAMP and up until now.
15:47
Speaker 1: So I guess everything's merging. It seems it's so unthought out,
15:53
Speaker 1: it's just kind of happening.
15:56
Speaker 2: Actually raised a good question the you back then, My
16:00
Speaker 2: transmission pampers around the hour are polar officers in a
16:04
Speaker 2: lot of ways. That is it going to be easy
16:06
Speaker 2: if you just tap back into that seventy eight year
16:09
Speaker 2: old full of attitude again.
16:11
Speaker 1: But I'm worse than I mean, worse as in good,
16:13
Speaker 1: as bad as in good. I'm more than I was then,
16:18
Speaker 1: because of course, once you've been around the block a
16:20
Speaker 1: couple of times, you really don't give a cross. And
16:25
Speaker 1: so you I come now with more skills, more experience,
16:32
Speaker 1: more attitude, and undiminished fearlessness. So life has not extinguished
16:41
Speaker 1: my my natural self.
16:45
Speaker 2: Good do you hear good? Do you hear well? Australian
16:47
Speaker 2: audiences can judge for themselves. Next February when you do
16:50
Speaker 2: a massive store tickets available through destroyer lines. Once shows
16:54
Speaker 2: sold out, another one's close to someone, ounce that don't
16:56
Speaker 2: leave to the last minute.
16:58
Speaker 1: And also you can vip. I'm setting up VIP which
17:02
Speaker 1: you do through my website, the Wendy James dot Com
17:05
Speaker 1: forward Slash Store, and you can come and vip, which
17:09
Speaker 1: means you'll get entrance to the sound check, get your
17:12
Speaker 1: stuff signed, have first DIBs at the merch table, do photographs,
17:17
Speaker 1: hang out for a little while before and that before
17:19
Speaker 1: you know, you go away and come back. You have
17:21
Speaker 1: to buy a venue ticket as well, that's mandatory, but
17:24
Speaker 1: you can come VIP with me as well, and that
17:28
Speaker 1: I think stay tuned because there'll be even more news
17:30
Speaker 1: about extra shows possibly. Let's see how it goes. I
17:36
Speaker 1: know that Adelaide needs to up its game, and I
17:39
Speaker 1: know that Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast need to catch
17:44
Speaker 1: up with Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
17:48
Speaker 2: Well, the good thing is Sunshine Coast is only an
17:50
Speaker 2: hour from Brisbane and Brisbane, so anybody missed out on Brisbane.
17:55
Speaker 1: Yes, everyone come to all of them, no worries.
18:00
Speaker 2: Mandy Will has been absolute pleasure speaking with you again.
18:03
Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to catching up when you come over
18:05
Speaker 2: in February.
18:06
Speaker 1: Thank you and so Australia. I'll see you in February.