But, the show didn't start on the stage of the club, it started at the door to the Fleshtones' dressing room. This is where the boys get the energy flowing, beating the living daylights out of trash cans and other various percussive instruments. They started banging, marching and 'hey-ho-ing' to get the evil spirits out of the building long before the show started. Once they built up a good head of steam and all the evil spirits had left, they marched down the stairs, all the while banging on various instruments and 'hey-ho-ing' away. Anyone else within earshot of the band immediately joined the parade, escorting the band to the stage. Then, the Fleshtones held the audience captive for just over an hour's worth of sweaty rock and roll. A pure rock and roll experience of unearthly delights.

We got a chance to talk with Marek and a very drunk Bill after the show and they let us in on what the band has been up to lately. They rest of the band were doing what Fleshtones are suppose to do: drinking, partying and having a good time. Bill and Marek were really talkative, and when we run out of questions, Bill was kind of disappointed because he wanted to answer question all night - oh well, maybe we'll have more questions next time. Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the interview.

What Wave: What did you think of the new album sound wise?

Bill: Well before we recorded the album, they sort of put us through the rigmarole of doing a lot of... we had to play a lot prior to recording the album. And you can hear it... we sorta blew our voices out. But that doesn't matter too much actually. I think we all like the one that we released better than the import. Speed Connection II - I think it's better. It's from a different night, a different mix.

Marek: Different songs. Completely different record. Different cover art, everything.

WW: Peter Buck's not on the first one is he?

Bill: No he's not.

Marek: Peter Buck's not on shit, we just put his name on it to sell.

WW: How did the album sell?

Bill: I don't know. And you know why? I don't care. I think that it's time that us, as a band started out on a whole new thing. It doesn't matter. The people that like us got the album, and the people that don't like us, didn't, and those that don't know about us didn't. This live album wasn't going to make us world renowned. We really did this basically just for the people who like us already. Cause, we said that if we were ever gonna do a live album we wanted to do it under special circumstances. And for a long time we postponed it and then this opportunity came up to do this thing in Paris and to do it such that it would come out in France 2 or 3 days after we recorded it and we were still playing in the same club where it was recorded. It was a nice little event for us and the people who like us, that was the purpose of the album. So, I don't care if Laura Branigan fans bought it or not.

WW: Is your visit here part of a tour?

Marek: It's just like a week long, 7 shows, 7 nights, a northern blast.

WW: Are you rehearsing stuff for a new album?

Marek: Oh no. It's just fun and it's our way of life. This is all we do. We just don't get everywhere that often. We were down south for most of February. Toured down to Mardi Gras, and into Florida.

WW: What was Mardi Gras like?

Marek: It was pretty crazy. I think we went on like 5 in the morning. And the crowd immediately tried to tear the place down. But, it goes 24 hours a day at the Mardi Gras so that isn't so unusual.

WW: Last time we talked to you, you mentioned a festival in Brazil, did you get there?

Bill: No we didn't. There was a rock festival in Brazil, but we didn't make it. I guess instead we went to Martinique, which was a total surprise. In January of 1985 there was a rock festival in Martinique and we were down for the week and we played there. And we may go down there again in June or July of this year.

WW: Did you play anywhere else while you were down south of the States?

Bill: We haven't yet.

Marek: We almost had a gig in Mexico at El Bagda Delmulcho, or something like that, but it got cancelled because they had so much trouble, so many fights with cops at this club. So, they finally closed it down the week before we were scheduled to play there. So we went down there to the dog tracks to bet on the dogs.

WW: Are there anymore European tours in sight?

Bill: Yes, but it's all, like might's. Might this, might that. Possibly Spain in June.

WW: What about the rest of Europe like West Germany?

Marek: No, not so far, none of the eastern block countries either.

Bill: Well, we've been over there to Berlin, all around there and behind the Iron Curtain. We crashed right through but not this time.

WW: What is your next tour after this Northern Arctic one?

Bill: We are doing so many tours, we don't even know if we call them tours anymore. You know some bands go out Friday night and come back Sunday morning and they call it their Summer Tour '86. We do these two week things, and sometimes three week things, and we call them jaunts. Little junkets, businessmen junkets. Basically we're peddling our ass internationally now, we're peddling our rear ends all around trying to put bread on the table.

WW: Is Pat always your road manager?

Bill: He has been lately. Pat is from the Smithereens, so he's kinda moonlighting here. When he's not out peddling his butt on 42nd Street, he joins up with the Fleshtones.

Marek: In fact, we saved him from that, from the streets.

Bill: Pat recently won an award, did you know that? The New York Music Awards, he won best new male vocalist. It is true, it is true!

WW: Are you recording?

Bill: Ya, basically what we want to. Even though we don't have a record label, we are still recording. We are one of the bands around that records even though we don't have a record label. Because we are such sleazeballs, we're sleazing these little deals left and right. One was a super low budget movie called 'I was a Teenage Zombie'. We already did the title track for that, in fact we played it tonight. And I'm pretty sure you saw half the club clear out. (laughter)

Marek: In fear only of course.

Bill: Anyway, we recorded that and the 688 Club in Atlanta, Georgia is having a compilation of bands they love the most, since we're the band they love the most we're gonna be doing a few songs real soon for them. I think in about 2 or 3 weeks we're gonna go down to Atlanta.

WW: Are you gonna do new or old stuff?

Bill: It'll be new stuff. We have many new songs. It'll be 'One More Time', we never really recorded 'Leather King'. What are these new songs we're gonna do?

Marek: I don't know!

Bill: We have a demo tape of 12 new songs that's about a year and a half old. I haven't heard it in a long time.

Marek: Actually, 'Return to a Haunted House' (Speed Connection II) is from that demo. It's not live on the record, it's one cut that's not from the show, and we snuck it in as a fake live cut. An interview exclusive. (laughter)

Bill: But, we say that rather proudly too, in a way that the Kingsmen do. Like the Kingsmen Live on Campus. All there is between songs is a funny applause track. If you turn it up, if you listen closely to the Kingsmen album, you can clearly hear that it's German's applauding, so you know that they're not on Campus, they've got a cheap German movie soundtrack or something.

- at this point a member of a local Toronto band approaches Bill with some demos.

Bill: Maybe we can play together sometime. It would be good, a very good omen for you if you were to open for us because pretty much anyone who opens for us goes on to be like major stars. If there was enough room on this interview tape, I would list them all, but unfortunately it's only a 120 minute tape. But, back to vinyl, there's just the Teenage Zombie thing I told you about and that compilation for now.

WW: What about your individual projects, any vinyl coming out of those?

Bill: Individual projects are yielding a wealth of records. There's a Full Time Men record (Keith and Peter Buck of REM), there's a new Mad Violets record. Keith is the drummer for that. Peter and Keith's Love Delegation, all this stuff overlaps so much. My side project is the Fleshtones. My main effort is going to Coney Island and getting shit-faced on the Cyclone.

Marek: And I have a side project. The Tall Lonesome Pines. We hope to have some vinyl out soon.

WW: You do have a fan club that people can join?

Bill: Oh absolutely, the Vindicators, it's officially sanctioned. Lindsay Hutton in Scotland is heading up our fan club, a legion of friends and fans. It is international, it's not big, like say the Jefferson Airplane's - but it is very international. Actually we wanted our fan club centred there, over across the sea. Because people who like us are more fanatical over there. Our official publication is 'Watch This', Lindsay writes it up. And, it is the Vindicators, that's where it's at. I write Lindsay whenever something comes up. Lindsay wants to know the high school stuff, you know, about our girlfriends, whose pregnant, stuff like that. and we occasionally send musical items too, but god-damn it, we try to avoid it as often as possible.

WW: Have you got anything you'd like to add?