Jon Whitney: Hello, Edward, are you there?

Edward Ka-Spel: Yeah, I'm there.

JW: Oh, excellent. We finally got some juice here.

EKS: Oh, that's good.

JW: This is Jon Whitney speaking with Edward Ka-Spel on the phone here at WZBC. Howare you doing tonight?

EKS: I'm . . . just getting ready to, um, thrill old London, Ontario, with our particular talents.

JW: So this is the second night of this tour . . .

EKS: Uh huh.

JW: How was the first night -- how was your opening show?

EKS: Well, it was . . . It was hard, because it's a new set that we're playing and sothere's a lot of things to iron out. And we had quite a tense time in the days before itin that we arrived in Ontario but our equipment didn't and, um, it finally turned up justa little while before the show. So it was an enormous relief for everybody, but I thinkthe tension worked its way into all of us. So, yeah, we did it. The crowd liked it but,you know, we were quite critical of ourselves. You know, we usually know it can be a lotbetter.

JW: I heard a lot of positive things about your performance as well as Mark Spybey andDead Voices on Air.

EKS: Oh, that's excellent. Yeah, I thought Dead Voices were superb, actually.

JW: Yeah? How long has each of your sets been?

EKS: Well, um, the actual Pink Dots set tends to be around an hour at the moment - itmay extend. But the encores are long, because we've resurrected the "9 Shades to theCircle," and "Premonition 13," yeah.

JW: Excellent. Yeah, the last time I saw you do those two was in 1995, on thattour.

EKS: Yeah, I mean, we missed it a lot. And then Martijn rejoined the band it was hightime to bring it back. There are certain differences in the Pink Dots -- to start, Martiis playing the violin here or there as well, so it's -- you know -- he's not the virtuosothat Patrick was, but he's actually really very good. There's a lot of odd little twistsand turns this time, but we're still working on live versions of the new songs from APerfect Mystery.

JW: Yeah, how many tracks are you playing from the brand new album?

EKS: What was it . . . I think it's 4 or 5, um, it's 5 with a possibility of another 2that we're still busy with, but they're in their very embryonic stage. So, potentially,you could play a lot, but, um, some things have to pass a certain quality area before wemake some public.

JW: So how about A Perfect Mystery? What are we to expect from the brand newalbum?

EKS: Uh . . (chuckles) . . to be honest I think it's the best album we've ever made.And I don't say that lightly. You know, I really feel strange after 27 albums and makingsuch a clichéd comment (mockingly), "and, yeah, but this one's the best!"But, you know, I honestly believe it this time. I've listened to it quite relentlesslysince we finished it, which is rare. You know, normally I have to stay away for a month-- but this one, not -- there's a certain spring in its step. There's a joy in thisalbum.

JW: Right. Now is, uh, Raymond -- was he working on this album?

EKS: No, Frank.

JW: Oh, Frank -- Frank was producing this album again. OK. We have somebody else herein the studio who has a few questions -- Danny? Say hi, Danny.

EKS: Hullo, Danny.

Daniel McKernan: Hello, Edward. Can you hear me?

EKS: Uh huh.

DM: OK, just making sure. Uh, yeah, I just wanted to ask you about some of your newtechniques that you were using on this album -- just, like, you've evolved a lot over thepast 27 albums, and just what we should look forward to in the sound in this one?

EKS: Now, well, there's a lot of live playing on this album. And a lot of processing-- almost three-way processing. In terms of producing, a very live sound in the studiowhere musicians are playing together and simply committing it straight to tape. You know,you'd have Phil working on sounds that I was making or he was making, and then you'd haveRyan processing the totality of the sound and what you get is a lot of things that never,in fact, could be repeated. And maybe that's why I like it so much: it feels veryspontaneous. And, basically, that's what it was. You know, I'd say at least 75-80% of thealbum has this spontaneous feeling about it. the band wrote it together -- every song,fully, playing a big part in it. And what we have is, actually, I think, quite adifferent sort of album.

DM: How long did it take you to record it, overall?

EKS: Ummm, I think it was two months. It always takes longer than you think it's goingto take. But, umm, it was about two months.

DM: Did Mark Spybey work with you at all on this or what he just, uh, doing his ownthing?

EKS: Oh, yeah, he was busy with his own music during this album. We wanted to, but itjust never worked out. Our schedules, you know. In spirit, it would have been perfect,but it just couldn't work out.

DM: Is he going to be doing anything with you, on stage, with the Pink Dots' set?

EKS: Ummm, we're talking about that. I don't know that it'll be as early as Bostonbecause we're still working things out ourselves at the moment. When, I think, the setbecomes settled and we know exactly what we want to play, because it always changes overthe early part of a tour. And there is an idea, indeed, to maybe bring Mark into it aswell, you know, for a song or something like that because it would be just a bit of aperfect marriage I think.

JW: Now let me ask about another project. You have a new Tear Garden album coming outlater this year? Now how was that, recording that again?

EKS: That was a very long distance recording, really, I mean -- there was a lot ofjetting back and forth from L.A. to Holland. When it was first finished . . . I wasn'tcompletely sure, but now, I've heard it more, and, actually, it's a bit like Angel Blind.It took a while, but when it got there I actually think it's a nice album, yeah.

JW: OK. And there are still rumors about that Tear Garden tour . . .

EKS: Yeah, it should happen. Yeah, November is the plan.

DM: Will that be throughout the US and other European dates?

EKS: There's just a handful of European shows planned. The first two are actuallyabout 90% there, in Yena(?), Germany, and Raymond(?), Germany. That's at the beginning ofSeptember. And, yeah, the US months is for November. About November the 4th, onwards.

JW: We also have the brand new solo album from you, Red Letters, which has beengetting some great reviews as well, too. How do you decide what songs become EdwardKa-Spel solo songs and what songs become Legendary Pink Dots?

EKS: Well, Red Letters was a bit of an exception to all the others in that it wasrecorded over a very short space of time. In the middle of last year -- I was home aloneand just plowed in to making a new album, beginning to end. Because normally I'm takingbits and pieces from everywhere over a space of a couple of years and some things wind upas Pink Dots songs and others solo pieces, and there isn't really a . . . hard and fastway of deciding. It depends on how the rest of the band maybe reacts to a piece of mine.But all of these pieces were conceived as solo pieces and executed as solo pieces. And Ithink the whole thing took maybe three weeks to a month. And it's a very very focusedrecording -- and album I had to make, really. It very much summed up my feelings duringthat period.

JW: It's a different album from a lot of your other things. A lot of new electronicthings on there that I'd never heard you use before on your solo project.

EKS: Uh huh, yeah, there's actually quite a lot of synths in now as well. And I'm busyon another solo album which goes quite far in an experimental direction.

JW: Is this that ultra-limited LP only thing that's coming out later this year?

EKS: There is, um, elements of that in that album, but the actual focus is on a new CD-- possibly even a double CD.

JW: Oh, wow. Well, I don't want to keep you very much longer because I know you havesound check to do. I understand that you guys have a lot, a whole ton, of merchandisethis time around. You've got a lot of CD's and a lot of special things with you?

EKS: Yeah, if it all gets delivered in time, yeah. I mean, is A Perfect Mystery in thestores there yet, by any chance?

JW: I haven't seen it, no.

EKS: It wasn't in Toronto last night, and, well, we had forty of them (laughs). Theyall went.

JW: How about the Farewell, Milky Way?

EKS: That should be in Boston. That should be the first show where it's available, ifeverything goes to plan. You can never quite tell, but if it goes to plan, that will bethere.

DM: I heard that you weren't doing very many old things from your albums. What's theoldest that you go back on this tour?

EKS: Oh . . . .I think "Evolution" might be the oldest song that we're playing thistour. Um, or "Disturbance" as well.

DM: Is it more because you're doing more of the live thing now with all the fivemembers?

EKS: There's a lot of improvisation. We tend to call upon songs that can develop andchange, uh, because that keeps it fresh and alive. To play at song like "The More ItChanges," which is a fine song in itself, but play it forty times, and really, you windup going through the motions or something like that and that's not really what it'sabout. Just leave it to the CD and enjoy it for what it is there, you know.

JW: I like the way you sometimes revisit old things and make them new and make themmodern in part of the new band. I really like that.

EKS: Yeah, me too. And we have been working on an arrangement of "Poppy Day," withviolin, which I don't know if it will be ready for Boston. We've only tried it once. Butit sounded very pleasing when we did it. And so, like, that's something that's wading inthe winds -- there are a lot of songs that are wading in the winds at the moment.Hopefully we'll get a chance to pull them together in sound checks. It was unfortunatelast night since we were under such pressure that we didn't really get that chance to,you know, stretch ourselves before the show itself, with the equipment turning up late.And the next few nights maybe we do . . . stuff that will happen in the sound checks.

DM: Also I heard that there's a book coming out, Love and Loud Colors, that's going tobe a lot of your prose and poetry. Do you have a lot involved with that or are you mainlyjust handing things over? And are you writing new material for it or is it going to be alot of older . . . ?

EKS: Oh, well, Kirsten, who is making the book -- we're in touch a lot. But I verymuch leave it in her hands, how she presents it, because I've seen her work and it'sreally very tasteful, and very good. And I just know it's in good hands.

JW: So speaking of things in hands and stuff like that, I have a question about the --it might be a tender subject, if you don't want to talk about it that's OK -- the oldPlay It Again Sam catalog. Is it coming out soon? Is it going to be released throughSoleilmoon or is there anything holding it back?

EKS: Oh, there's nothing holding it back. The plan is to begin reissuing in the Statesafter the tour. You know, because there is so much around at the moment -- like the newalbum, and the Farewell, Milky Way album -- and this takes a lot of preparation and a lotof work. And Charles at Soleilmoon likes to take time with each project. A lot of themjust rush something out. Which, [taking time] I believe is the right way. Otherwise itbecomes a bit of an overload. I mean, it's also all coming out on SPD Poland as well withdifferent covers, and hopefully Polish translations of the lyrics as well. But it allshould become available, again. I mean, it needs to be because there are certain albumsthat are just completely unavailable now for some time. Like The Tower, and . . . .

JW: And Crushed Velvet Apocalypse, I know people are searching long and hard forthat.

EKS: Yeah, The Golden Age as well -- The Lovers -- I mean, they've all disappeared. Soit's, yeah, the will come out again. I'm sure.

JW: So it's been twenty years since you've started.

EKS: Almost, yeah.

JW: Yeah, I mean, what does that feel like -- do you feel as fresh? I mean, it's justan amazing thing to think about. Twenty years, I mean, that's incredible.

EKS: Oh, it feels great. I mean, I still absolutely love it and enjoy it. And I'mstill discovering things, and as long as I'm discovering things, that's what counts, Ithink. If it was a case of everything intending to sound the same, or if I was repeatingmyself a little too much without -- I mean, sometimes I repeat myself but it's quite adeliberate ploy. But if I found that I was doing it accidentally, that would really bethe time to ask questions. It feels good. The band feels very good at the moment. I'menjoying this line-up.

JW: Right. Are there any more future plans for any more Edward Ka-Spel solo sets, orSilverman solo sets, or even Twilight Circus solo sets in the upcoming future?

EKS: Ummm, I'm leaving that a little bit to, uh, the moment, really. There's apossibility in that last show on San Mon Island that there'll be a Silverman set.Possibly an Edward and Silverman improvisation of special things. That's something I'dlike, but then it would be an improvisation. It wouldn't be a solo set of solo songs. Itwould be, let's see where this takes us -- let's set up and play and find out where we gobecause that's actually the most glorious feeling of all.

JW: Alright, well it sounds like people are starting to play the drums behind you.

EKS: Oh, they've been doing it quite some time.

DM: What are some of your favorite cities to show up in? To do shows in?

EKS: Ooooo, ummm . . .

JW: Remember you're on the radio with Boston right now.

EKS: (Laughing) Oh, Boston, absolutely, yeah . . .

DM: (Laughing) And I'm from New Orleans.

EKS: Oh, and New Orleans, yeah. Actually I do like New Orleans, wonderful. Actually Ido; I am fond of that place. Umm, Austin. I always like playing in Austin. Umm, I thinkDenver, Seattle . . .

DM: Do you find that the crowd is a little bit different here than in Europe?

EKS: Yeah, well, you can't really say Europe, really, because within Europe eachcountry is so remarkably different from another. I mean, I love playing in a country likePoland, in Europe -- it's just, the thrill . . . The people are great.

JW: Yeah, you guys are pop stars in Poland.

EKS: Oh, we aren't pop stars but we have a very dedicated following that seems tounderstand us very very well there. We just connect somehow with Poland.

JW: Do you think that any of your international success over the last few years hasbeen in part due to all the people connecting on the various mailing lists and thenewsgroups and the websites and all those things?

EKS: Absolutely. Beyond any measure of a doubt. You know, we've noticed our popularitygo up in places like England. Quite markedly. And it's not to do with any type ofpublicity in England, it's to do with basically more and more people getting onlinethere. In fact our London shows last year were the best shows of the year.

JW: That's pretty strange because you haven't played London in a long time. A verytough crowd.

EKS: They were marvelous. It was so emotional. We could have played forever in frontof these people. It was just so . . uh . . I almost cried, especially at that firstLondon show. It was like . . . coming home.

JW: Are there other places that have been traditionally very difficult to play thatyou've found to be absolutely amazing now or maybe were great before and just have sortof changed or something -- any big changes in places?

EKS: Paris isn't what it was. I mean, still a big crowd comes along but it's just notwhat it was. Brussels is excellent. The odd little Dutch show that we played, which, Imean, even playing once or twice in Holland, I used to really dislike it because we'dhave this rather bored audience that just wouldn't even notice you. They'd just betalking about, uh, what they bought in the supermarket during the week. That's changednow, to, actually, a very supportive audience. Uh, some places just always are great:Prague, that's another city that -- I don't know, we mean something there. A lot ofpeople turn out and they get so much behind it.

JW: Well it's a great experience, I mean you're very personal . . . .

[CLICK -- Here’s where Edward's calling card runs out.]

JW: I think we lost him. Did we loose him? OK, well it looks like we've lost contact.Umm, the phone is cut dead. His calling card probably ran out. We'll see if we can gethim back on, if not, well, then I guess that would be it for the interview.

[THE END.]