WEBVTT 00:00:01.889 --> 00:00:04.650 This edition of the Chatterbox Redux podcast 00:00:04.650 --> 00:00:06.750 is brought to you in association with the Old 00:00:06.750 --> 00:00:09.490 Glory Iconic Music and Sports Superstore. More 00:00:09.490 --> 00:00:16.710 from them in a bit. Chatterbox. When the stars 00:00:16.710 --> 00:00:30.480 talk, they talk to Nick and Sue. Welcome back 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:32.899 to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Sue and 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:36.159 Nick and today our special guest is Andy Kiriakou 00:00:36.159 --> 00:01:12.650 of Modern Romance. This is Nick and Sue with 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:15.629 Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about 00:01:15.629 --> 00:01:37.370 musical entertainment. Oh yeah! Chatterbox! And 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:41.090 now we say hello to Andy Kiriakou, the lead singer 00:01:41.090 --> 00:01:44.750 of Modern Romance. Well, Andy, you've had a pretty 00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:47.150 long music career, really. Did you come from 00:01:47.150 --> 00:01:49.629 a musical family or how did you start getting 00:01:49.629 --> 00:01:52.790 into singing and music? You know, there's actually, 00:01:53.109 --> 00:01:56.409 other than a cousin in Cyprus, two brothers, 00:01:57.090 --> 00:01:59.569 cousins who were in a band in Cyprus, there's 00:01:59.569 --> 00:02:03.469 no actual musical connection in my genes, so 00:02:03.469 --> 00:02:05.450 to speak. I was the first one. And that just 00:02:05.450 --> 00:02:08.379 came about purely from the love of music. I love 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:12.139 music. Music became everything. I wanted to listen 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:15.919 to music and it accompanied me whenever I could 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:18.699 have it on. But I never had aspirations of being 00:02:18.699 --> 00:02:21.740 a musician at all. Although when I think back 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:24.979 to when I was a kid, we used to go to, with my 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:26.620 parents, we used to go to a lot of Greek weddings. 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:29.000 And Greek weddings always had a live band, always. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:30.800 It might be like a three -piece Rubber Kills 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.580 band. Never had a band. And I remember as a kid, 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:35.719 for some reason always going to the front of 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:38.560 the stage and sitting down and looking at the 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:41.439 drums. I just remember that. But then what happened 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:43.939 is a friend of mine at school when I was about 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:46.080 14, 15, came in one day and said, oh, I brought 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:48.909 myself a drum kit. In the old days, he used to 00:02:48.909 --> 00:02:50.490 be in the boys' brigade, playing the snare drum 00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:52.930 and stuff. The boys did the drum kit. So I was 00:02:52.930 --> 00:02:55.689 like, totally didn't think, oh really? Big deal. 00:02:56.909 --> 00:02:58.349 I'll see it when I come round. So I was round 00:02:58.349 --> 00:03:00.210 his house three or four times a week after school, 00:03:00.210 --> 00:03:02.689 I'd go round. And this kit was there, and I looked 00:03:02.689 --> 00:03:06.150 at it, and yeah, it was a drum kit. But I sat 00:03:06.150 --> 00:03:08.469 behind it at one point, and he gave me the drum 00:03:08.469 --> 00:03:09.830 kit, drum stick, so I just clapped there and 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:12.810 just went, literally flailed around like a flippin' 00:03:12.990 --> 00:03:14.669 octopus, doesn't know what he's doing. I just 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:16.129 hit the thing, I was left right and sent that. 00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:19.400 And something clicked at that second. I don't 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:21.319 know what it was, but when I walked away from 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:24.219 his house that night, I was looking round and 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:25.979 I thought, I need to bang on things. I really 00:03:25.979 --> 00:03:28.879 enjoyed that. So the next day I went to a local 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:30.879 shop and I bought some drumsticks. I thought 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:33.039 I could afford, I'm a kid at school, drumsticks. 00:03:33.240 --> 00:03:36.280 And then went home, and I don't know if any listeners 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:38.439 will remember this, but you used to be able to 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:42.120 get a little flat unit, looks like a heater. 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:43.960 What we have now on the floor is a little floor 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:46.830 heater. and you'd plug a hose into it and you'd 00:03:46.830 --> 00:03:48.430 put a hat thing on and it would dry your hair, 00:03:48.490 --> 00:03:50.590 it would air dry, I think. You sat on the side, 00:03:50.810 --> 00:03:55.550 yeah? My mum had one of those, in a box. So I 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:57.939 took the box. and that became my drum kit and 00:03:57.939 --> 00:04:00.180 I started bashing the doubt in it and of course 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:02.099 after a couple of days it was torn to shreds 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:03.580 because you're hitting it with these drumsticks 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:05.520 even though I had no idea what I was doing I'm 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:07.860 still hitting this thing so I decided well I 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:10.080 can't keep playing on boxes so I decided from 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:12.960 that point I would drum on the bed and it became 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:15.479 an obsession I would drum on the bed using the 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:18.779 bed as my kit listening to different stuff, I'd 00:04:18.779 --> 00:04:21.220 listen to things like I'm allowed to say this 00:04:21.220 --> 00:04:23.699 because it's a musical thing I'd listen to the 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:25.500 Glowy Glitter band because they had two drummers 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:28.620 I really like that. And I'd listen to status 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:34.079 quo. I was into status quo at the time. I'd just 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.079 gotten into Deep Purple, so I'd listen to those 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:37.819 sort of bands because they had serious drummers. 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.860 Try and do what they were doing. Of course, no 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:44.519 idea what I was doing myself. They're just trying 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:47.120 to replicate, trying to do what I think they're 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:49.500 doing to get that sound. Bear in mind, I'm playing 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:52.660 on the bed, so I have no pedals. So this is all 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:55.819 fine until eventually you get a truncate, your 00:04:55.819 --> 00:04:58.139 first truncate, and look down and go, oh, yeah, 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:00.339 never took those into consideration. Now I've 00:05:00.339 --> 00:05:03.060 got to relearn how to play using those. Yeah, 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:06.019 that was my musical background, really. That 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:08.259 was it. There was no influence from anyone else. 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.600 I mean, the guys in Cyprus, I never met them 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:12.639 till I was my first. I mean, it might be coincidence. 00:05:12.810 --> 00:05:15.269 My first trip to Cyprus was when I was 14. Right, 00:05:15.310 --> 00:05:17.129 I can't remember. They were in a band and I saw 00:05:17.129 --> 00:05:19.490 them and I was like, oh wow, you know, and came 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:21.230 back and shortly after that is when my friend 00:05:21.230 --> 00:05:22.790 bought his drum kit. I don't know if there was 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:25.449 any correlation between the two, but that drum 00:05:25.449 --> 00:05:28.189 kit was like, I describe it many times. Playing 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:30.750 that kit that day, it was like my first kiss 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:32.610 there. It's like bang, something happened. He's 00:05:32.610 --> 00:05:34.449 like, wow, wow, you know, and that was it. I 00:05:34.449 --> 00:05:35.889 was in school. I guess I'm going to say we're 00:05:35.889 --> 00:05:37.970 looking mid -70s, is that about right, time -wise? 00:05:38.129 --> 00:05:49.930 Yeah, yeah. Did you ever think when when you're 00:05:49.930 --> 00:05:51.490 watching those people that you would actually 00:05:51.490 --> 00:05:56.870 be there one day or did you just want to be there? 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:08.220 And I would be either imagining an audience watching 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.199 this play, and I'd be like, oh, it would be good 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:11.660 to be on Top of the Pops, but that's never going 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:14.000 to happen. And I was just imagining audiences 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:16.399 and stuff. And the funny thing is, Top of the 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:19.540 Pops, I remember only a couple of months before 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:21.600 we were on Top of the Pops. When I first met 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.079 Modern Romance, a month into them, it was only 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:26.319 two months later, two months after joining them, 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:28.740 that we were on Top of the Pops. But in that 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:30.800 interim period, and even just before I met them, 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:33.139 I obviously watched Top of the Pops avidly. It 00:06:33.139 --> 00:06:36.189 was the show to watch. and I've seen friends 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:38.490 appear on there. I've seen my friends that I 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:41.250 was in a band with appear in a band called Lynx. 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:43.029 The bass player from Sketch, I was in a band 00:06:43.029 --> 00:06:45.209 with him, and he appeared on there with Lynx. 00:06:45.370 --> 00:06:47.750 Then the other guys that weren't made with Sketch 00:06:47.750 --> 00:06:49.790 and went off and formed a different band, they 00:06:49.790 --> 00:06:51.750 were Central Line. They also were on Top of the 00:06:51.750 --> 00:06:53.730 Box. OK, got him. Yeah, I'm watching this band 00:06:53.730 --> 00:06:55.610 thinking, God, Father Spade is either one of 00:06:55.610 --> 00:06:58.410 those. Father Spade in the original band, which 00:06:58.410 --> 00:07:00.769 split it. I might have gone to that one or that 00:07:00.769 --> 00:07:02.769 one and then a couple of months later, I'm on 00:07:02.769 --> 00:07:06.230 top of a rock. Very strange. Yeah. Brilliant, 00:07:06.350 --> 00:07:09.769 mate. I love them. Modern romance were already 00:07:09.769 --> 00:07:13.850 formed just when you joined them. I believe the 00:07:13.850 --> 00:07:16.629 history you've told me is they came from a group 00:07:16.629 --> 00:07:18.610 called the Leighton Buzzards. Is that right? 00:07:19.189 --> 00:07:21.790 But by the time you met them, it was modern romance. 00:07:21.850 --> 00:07:23.870 And I think they had one record that was a flop. 00:07:23.970 --> 00:07:27.149 But how did you... Get to meet them and was it 00:07:27.149 --> 00:07:29.449 a gig or how did you actually end up being the 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:49.319 drummer there? It was the club in London where 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.019 Steve Strange was running it. Oh, I know, yeah, 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:53.339 yeah, yeah. I know who you mean now. The band 00:07:53.339 --> 00:07:56.720 always would go there and Boy George and everyone 00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.699 was there, you know, mixing and all strange clothes 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:03.959 and strange hair, you know. Whereas now we've 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.680 got no hair, but there he goes. Anyway, so I 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:08.819 decided to pop in there one night, because I 00:08:08.819 --> 00:08:12.279 was always clubbing. That was my thing. I didn't 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:14.540 smoke, I didn't drink, I didn't do drugs. I was 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:17.300 interested in going to clubs, dancing, and meeting 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:20.180 people. That was my thing. One night, it just 00:08:20.180 --> 00:08:21.899 turned out that I said to a friend of mine, which 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:24.319 we go to now, let's go to the Blitz. And I often 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:26.360 think, I don't know if you ever saw that film, 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.240 Sliding Doors, where it's got... different scenarios, 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:30.639 if you'd have done this or if you'd have done 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.200 that. And I can think, had I not gone out that 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.320 night... How different my life would have been 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:37.620 because that's the night I went out and the band 00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:40.480 had just finished. I missed them. There was a 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.340 band called Modern Romance. And I thought, oh, 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:44.620 and I chatted to somebody in the audience. I 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:45.960 said, were they any good? And they said, yeah, 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:47.580 they weren't bad. So I thought, I'll go and chat 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:50.019 to them. I spoke to the then drummer and I said, 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:51.820 listen, I'm a drummer as well. If you know anybody 00:08:51.820 --> 00:08:54.179 who's looking for a drummer, I'm in between gigs 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:56.179 at the minute. And he said, give me your numbers 00:08:56.179 --> 00:08:58.980 and I'll see what I can do. And a few days later, 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.220 I got a call saying, would you like to come and 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:04.090 play percussion for us? congas timbales or whatever 00:09:04.090 --> 00:09:06.190 and i thought well it's not quite it's not quite 00:09:06.190 --> 00:09:08.429 being a drummer but having said that it's it's 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:10.750 the next best thing and i thought i stand to 00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:12.190 reason i think let's just go and i said yeah 00:09:12.190 --> 00:09:14.950 okay it'll be fine so and then before that actually 00:09:14.950 --> 00:09:16.929 all happened and i went to see them and you know 00:09:16.929 --> 00:09:19.370 to have a chat and do these percussion gigs i've 00:09:19.370 --> 00:09:21.470 got a second phone call saying scrap the first 00:09:21.470 --> 00:09:24.159 phone call would you like to be a drummer Okay. 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:27.100 And I thought, hang on a second, you don't know 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:29.799 me, you don't know if I can play, what about 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:31.919 your... So I said, look, Preston, I said, you've 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:34.179 got a drummer. I spoke to him. Yeah. Because 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:35.639 to be honest, we were going to get rid of him 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:37.460 anyway, he just doesn't know. And I start asking 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:39.860 someone to marry you via letter when you've never 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:41.960 even met them. So I said, hello, my name's Preston, 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:43.799 would you like to marry me? Yeah. I said, you 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:45.240 don't know if I can play, you don't know anything 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:46.700 about me. And they said, well no, apparently 00:09:46.700 --> 00:09:48.899 you used to play in this band, a band I used 00:09:48.899 --> 00:09:51.879 to play called Rocker G, who became quite a cult. 00:09:51.950 --> 00:09:53.570 sort of band, they had a cult follow -in and 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:55.850 were very, quite well known on the London scene. 00:09:56.590 --> 00:09:58.710 And they said, if you were the drummer of Rocker 00:09:58.710 --> 00:10:00.929 G, what kind of guy from the band saw that band 00:10:00.929 --> 00:10:03.730 performing at Mung Bridge in London? And I said, 00:10:03.830 --> 00:10:05.230 I was the drummer. And they said, well, in that 00:10:05.230 --> 00:10:06.929 case, we know all the band can play, because 00:10:06.929 --> 00:10:08.669 you said they're great at band work, so if you 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:10.490 were that drummer, you can play, you're in. And 00:10:10.490 --> 00:10:12.029 I said, well, what about the other guy? And they 00:10:12.029 --> 00:10:13.629 went, well, listen, if you don't take the gig, 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:14.929 we're going to find someone else who does, but 00:10:14.929 --> 00:10:16.429 we don't actually want him in the band anymore. 00:10:16.570 --> 00:10:18.830 I mean, I'm not usually one to step on people's 00:10:18.830 --> 00:10:20.440 toes, but I thought. If they're going to give 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:23.440 it to someone else anyway, I really should take 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.620 this. So I had no choice but to. I said, OK, 00:10:26.139 --> 00:10:28.279 I'm taking it. And that was that. In the glorious, 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:30.940 glorious surroundings of a rehearsal studio, 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:33.019 underneath a railway arch is in Leighton. But 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:34.659 I came here not knowing they had a record deal. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:36.360 So the fact that they've got one, there's neither 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:39.279 here nor there. I didn't know they had two flop 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:41.440 singles. So whatever, let's just get on with 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:44.679 it. So we began rehearsals and things. And then 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:46.240 they said, right, this is going to be our next 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:47.820 song. And they said, it goes like this, blah, 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.379 blah. and it turned out it was everybody sells 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:53.740 that. I remember thinking at the time, bear in 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:57.000 mind, the bands I played in before, and the Rocker 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:58.559 G and the bands before that, some of them were 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:00.899 jazz -funged bands, and they were very music 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:03.559 -based in that there was not very much singing. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.200 There was with Rocker G, but it was very different 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:08.500 singing. Rocker G was got across between ABC, 00:11:08.700 --> 00:11:10.879 Gary Newman, and loads of other stuff that was 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:13.379 going on before they actually came out. That's 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:15.200 why it's quite an innovative band, just turned 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:17.000 out that way. So all of a sudden I'm in this 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:19.230 band, and then... there'd been these chants like 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:21.490 everybody else and I'm thinking, that's a bit 00:11:21.490 --> 00:11:24.210 poppy, you know? I'm used to playing like jazz 00:11:24.210 --> 00:11:26.529 fusion and stuff and serious funk, you know? 00:11:26.710 --> 00:11:28.289 Average right band and whatever, what's going 00:11:28.289 --> 00:11:32.149 on? But I thought, okay, well, this is what I 00:11:32.149 --> 00:11:34.169 think is a single, that's right, I'm the newest 00:11:34.169 --> 00:11:36.929 person in town and I'm there to play gums. So 00:11:36.929 --> 00:11:39.289 what happened, the funny thing is, it's really 00:11:39.289 --> 00:11:41.929 funny how things turn out because I've just joined 00:11:41.929 --> 00:11:44.490 this band, you know, literally just joined, doing 00:11:44.490 --> 00:11:47.600 rehearsals, and because I was such a... I was 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.480 a heavy, that's the word I suppose, a heavy club 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.820 -goer. I was constantly out clubbing. I've become 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:55.899 friends with quite a few of the DJs. And remember, 00:11:55.980 --> 00:12:00.139 1980, 81, PAs were not really happening. There 00:12:00.139 --> 00:12:01.759 was someone to do a PA in a club, come and do 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:03.919 a personal appearance and send to their record 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:06.039 and all that stuff. So I went to this club in 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:08.200 London, in Welshwick, with Ombres, where a friend 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:10.120 of mine was a DJ. And I told him I'd just joined 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:13.059 this band, blah, blah, blah. And I gave him a 00:12:13.059 --> 00:12:15.299 copy of the track and he went, this has got bad. 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:16.809 He said, would you... You see they're doing a 00:12:16.809 --> 00:12:20.870 PA at the club. What's a PA? It's a meeting of 00:12:20.870 --> 00:12:23.990 style, a personal appearance. You play the track, 00:12:25.610 --> 00:12:27.610 you sing along to it, and then you just meet 00:12:27.610 --> 00:12:29.289 the audience and give out a few singles. It's 00:12:29.289 --> 00:12:31.509 just a way of promoting yourselves quickly to, 00:12:31.509 --> 00:12:33.210 you know, two, three hundred people having an 00:12:33.210 --> 00:12:35.309 earring here. The world gets about, and who knows? 00:12:35.629 --> 00:12:38.149 Okay, fine. So I told the guys, they all agreed 00:12:38.149 --> 00:12:40.269 to it, and we did it, and it was a fantastic 00:12:40.269 --> 00:12:43.190 evening. Gave out some singles, whatever, and... 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.960 supporting the show means supporting the brands 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:49.019 that keep the lights on and today I'm thrilled 00:12:49.019 --> 00:12:51.259 to talk about a personal favorite of mine Old 00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:54.720 Glory Old Glory is the ultimate destination for 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.700 music sports and pop culture fans they are a 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:01.019 family -owned business founded back in 1969 now 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:03.759 Old Glory and I actually share a birth year and 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:05.659 while I'll be the first to admit their vintage 00:13:05.659 --> 00:13:08.120 tees have aged a little more gracefully than 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:11.600 I have that's exactly why I love them With over 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.960 300 ,000 officially licensed items, we aren't 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:17.440 just talking about generic prints. 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Use code CBUKRDUX at OldGlory .com 00:13:56.840 --> 00:14:00.039 for 15 % off your entire order. The link is also 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:02.320 waiting for you in the show notes of this podcast. 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:48.820 Don't forget CBUKRDUX. SHUT A BOX! cycle thing, 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.840 you know? People come and say you're famous. 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:52.740 If you're famous, the local company will pay 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:55.179 for it. Why don't we sort of go in the middle 00:14:55.179 --> 00:14:58.600 ground and do a tour, a tour of PAs, where you 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:00.899 just go from one club to the other doing PAs. 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:04.340 So what we ended up doing was we got a bus, first 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:07.059 order to go, and arranged accommodation, obviously. 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:09.620 And we would drive, for example, to Wolverhampton. 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:12.600 We would do a PA in a club. It could be 1 ,000 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:15.379 people. It could be 500. It could be 200. But 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:17.960 we'd do a PA in a club in Wolverhampton. to say 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:21.539 10 .30. Yeah. We've got on stage at 10 .30. Out 00:15:21.539 --> 00:15:24.139 of there by 11 .15, because we've done the performance, 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:25.759 which is only a three minute thing. Then you 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:27.820 spend half an hour meeting and greeting, signing 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:31.600 stuff. Gotcha. And then by 11 o 'clock, 11 .30, 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:34.990 you're at another club in Birmingham. or another 00:15:34.990 --> 00:15:37.210 one in Wolverhampton, whatever's in the range, 00:15:37.370 --> 00:15:39.149 and do a PA there, and then stay the night, and 00:15:39.149 --> 00:15:40.889 then the next day maybe go to Birmingham, do 00:15:40.889 --> 00:15:42.570 a couple there, the next day go to Leicester, 00:15:42.710 --> 00:15:45.409 and then go up and down, and we did that, and 00:15:45.409 --> 00:15:49.070 what happened, the by -product of this was that 00:15:49.070 --> 00:15:51.789 all the DJs at these clubs obviously had jobs 00:15:51.789 --> 00:15:54.529 as a radio DJ, many of them had radio DJ jobs 00:15:54.529 --> 00:15:56.909 during the day, on a provincial little station 00:15:56.909 --> 00:15:59.309 somewhere, Birmingham Radio, it could be a small 00:15:59.309 --> 00:16:01.529 radio station in Birmingham. But they would all 00:16:01.529 --> 00:16:03.169 go on their show and speak to their producers 00:16:03.169 --> 00:16:04.730 and say, they had this guy who was in a club 00:16:04.730 --> 00:16:06.429 last night playing this true, this great record. 00:16:06.590 --> 00:16:08.110 Yeah, yeah, yeah, we play. We put it on the playlist. 00:16:08.409 --> 00:16:10.389 And he would go on the playlist. And gradually, 00:16:10.669 --> 00:16:13.070 he got on all the playlists of all these little 00:16:13.070 --> 00:16:15.080 provincial... things and the only people not 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:16.700 playing it are the big two at the time, Capital 00:16:16.700 --> 00:16:19.480 Radio and Radio One. And they're the ones that 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:23.240 really garnered all the listeners overall in 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:28.139 the UK. So it came to the point where they had 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:30.419 no option, the big ones, but to say, well no, 00:16:30.539 --> 00:16:31.919 this record's getting a lot of play in all these 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:34.500 provincial stations. People are asking for us 00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:36.799 to play it, let's start playing it. Well of course 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.019 as soon as they started to play it and the rest 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:41.529 of the... The UK heard about it, not just people 00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:43.690 in towns that you visited. Then you start to 00:16:43.690 --> 00:16:46.190 climb up the charts and eventually it hit the 00:16:46.190 --> 00:16:49.070 top 40. And once that happened, we got our invitation 00:16:49.070 --> 00:16:51.570 to go on top of the pot. That's when you could 00:16:51.570 --> 00:16:53.110 have blown me down with a feather at that time. 00:16:53.870 --> 00:16:56.110 And that was within two months. Wow, that's quick 00:16:56.110 --> 00:16:59.190 moving. That is quick moving. Absolutely fantastic. 00:16:59.429 --> 00:17:01.870 Yes, the first hit there for Modern Romance. 00:17:02.309 --> 00:17:04.410 And that was, of course, Everybody Tells Her. 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.779 Why do they choose the name Modern Romance? Lack 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:12.740 of imagination. I'll tell you why. I'll tell 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:14.960 you why. That's a great name. We know the story. 00:17:16.700 --> 00:17:20.380 I think it is a great name. But I say they chose 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:22.880 that name because what happened is two members 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:25.640 transitioned from Lay & Buzz and left from a 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:28.140 band called Modern Romance and decided to change 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:33.029 the whole direction of the band going in. was 00:17:33.029 --> 00:17:35.130 a punk and they decided that's called Modern 00:17:35.130 --> 00:17:37.589 Romance and have more of that romantic, the new 00:17:37.589 --> 00:17:40.009 romantic sound to make it more electronic. So 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:42.710 the first song was called Modern Romance and 00:17:42.710 --> 00:17:44.849 they'd written this song and said, right, they 00:17:44.849 --> 00:17:46.670 gave it to a record company and the record company 00:17:46.670 --> 00:17:48.990 said, yeah, that's fine, we love that. What's 00:17:48.990 --> 00:17:50.829 the name of the band? And they kind of looked 00:17:50.829 --> 00:17:53.990 at each other and went, uh, Modern Romance. So 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:57.390 it was Modern Romance by Modern Romance. They 00:17:57.390 --> 00:17:58.910 hadn't thought that far ahead because they didn't 00:17:58.910 --> 00:18:01.319 think. anything would happen that quickly and 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:04.259 there you go as i said lack of foresight but 00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:06.140 it turned out to be a good name i i love them 00:18:06.140 --> 00:18:08.559 though it's absolutely brilliant and looking 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.599 at some of your chart positions you know in the 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:14.599 80s was quite incredible but we do come up with 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.059 a a certain song and see wants to ask you about 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:22.839 that one what is i i i moosey about yeah I would 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:24.980 say that it's nothing really meaningful about 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:27.859 the starving children of the world. It's nothing 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:30.400 meaningful as assholes, right? There's no meaning 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:32.980 up there. The meaning behind it is actually quite... 00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:35.900 It's funny, right, basically, one of the guys 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:39.720 in the band had a cousin who was a black cab 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:43.079 driver. He drove a black cab, a black taxi in 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:46.279 London, you know, the black cabs. And he said 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:50.200 to... The guy's name was Michael. We used to 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:52.559 call him Mickey. And his surname was Moss. That 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.920 was Mickey Mouse. And he became Mickey Mouse. 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:59.140 And then it got changed to Mickey Moose. And 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:01.539 then it got changed to Moosey. That was it. And 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:04.779 so he became known as Moosey for years. And then 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:07.259 one day, this guy said to him, the guy in the 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:10.000 band said to him, I'll bet you I can put your 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.559 name in our next song. Because we've just had 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:13.920 a hit with Everybody's House. And he said to 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:15.839 him, I'll bet our next song I can put your name 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:17.359 in it. And he was going to be a hit. And he goes, 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:19.319 I do need to put my name in it. He said, oh, 00:19:19.339 --> 00:19:21.410 I could have your name Moosey in there. And he 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:23.529 said, um, you're talking rubbish, mate. I can't 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:25.670 put my name in it. Where does Moosey fit into 00:19:25.670 --> 00:19:27.869 the brown skin with things? Anyway, so he wrote 00:19:27.869 --> 00:19:31.470 this song, and it was I, I, I, Moosey. Um, and 00:19:31.470 --> 00:19:34.150 that's a bit, basically, it's a kind of a nod, 00:19:34.150 --> 00:19:37.269 if you like, a tip of the hat to Moosey used 00:19:37.269 --> 00:19:39.490 to be a black cab driver, pants and so, you know, 00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:41.009 millions of our kids, we used to see him all 00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:44.029 the time, great bloke. Um, and it's a little 00:19:44.029 --> 00:19:46.710 nod to him, and to show that you can sneak in 00:19:46.710 --> 00:19:48.710 a name in a pop song, and it'll still get there. 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:52.299 Wow, brilliant. Now Andy, I must say the modern 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:56.460 romance sound with you involved, we're still 00:19:56.460 --> 00:19:58.900 talking about when you were the drummer, now 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:01.440 it's got a unique sound. There isn't anyone else 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:03.940 in the 80s that sounds like that. It was a unique 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:07.940 sound and a very good sound. Now... It isn't 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:12.519 just basically the UK where you were massive. 00:20:13.460 --> 00:20:15.759 I'm now going to Asia. Now, I can't remember 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:18.420 which country it was. You were massive in an 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:20.220 Asian country. Which one was it, mate? Well, 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:23.000 actually, we were actually massive in quite a 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.359 few Asian countries that we were unaware of. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:29.019 This is the thing. We didn't know. For example, 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:35.579 we were asked to do a commercial. Bear in mind, 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:38.599 I don't drink. And I'm Greek. We're asked to 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:41.099 do a commercial for Japanese whiskey. I thought, 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:44.299 what? Excuse me? OK. It sounds like a Del Boy 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:47.799 moment. Go on. Yeah, it's a Del Boy scene, isn't 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:50.559 it? There. That's a number. A commercial for 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:52.799 Japanese whiskey. Hang on. And where are we filming 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:55.559 this commercial for Japanese whiskey? In LA. 00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:59.240 How the tour related is beyond me. But anyway. 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:04.420 Having done this commercial, we decided that... 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:06.400 The song we used for the commercial, we then 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:08.339 wrote it as a single for the Japanese market. 00:21:08.900 --> 00:21:10.980 We'd originally written it as a single in itself. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:12.880 Changed the lyrics for the commercial, obviously, 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:14.880 but it was released in Japan and we thought, 00:21:14.900 --> 00:21:17.799 OK, nothing's going to happen, whatever. And 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:21.279 then we set up, well, the record company set 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:25.799 up a Far East tour. OK. So we thought, OK, we'll 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:28.240 go to the Far East, let them know what we can 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.339 do, introduce our sound to them, see what they're... 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:33.599 Say, this is what romance, how do you like it, 00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:36.240 you know, sort of thing. And we turn up at the 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.660 airport, the very first street we go to, I think 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:43.500 it was, we landed in Thailand first. So we landed 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:47.380 in Thailand, landed in Bangkok, and obviously, 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:49.559 because I failed to speak, I didn't know we were, 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:51.640 you know, anyone who knew who the hell we were, 00:21:51.819 --> 00:21:54.299 but we had security come and collect us and take 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:56.460 us through the VIP area, so we don't have to 00:21:56.460 --> 00:22:02.470 get checked and everything. And... And I said, 00:22:02.470 --> 00:22:04.089 well, she's all very nice, you know, arranging 00:22:04.089 --> 00:22:06.150 all these things. King of Thailand, yeah. Very 00:22:06.150 --> 00:22:08.210 good. Yeah, how lovely. And then we walked out 00:22:08.210 --> 00:22:11.210 to the main concourse, and it was just jam -packed 00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:14.369 with people. And I said, home, what's going on? 00:22:14.430 --> 00:22:15.549 I said, there's something important happening 00:22:15.549 --> 00:22:17.349 here, you know, why are all these people here? 00:22:17.789 --> 00:22:21.609 And I said, no, they're here for you. They're 00:22:21.609 --> 00:22:24.329 here for us. They said, no, they're here to see 00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:25.950 you. No, you're coming, they're here for you. 00:22:26.509 --> 00:22:30.910 And I said, why? I really, we all assumed it. 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:32.680 No one knew who the hell he was. He said, oh, 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:34.299 didn't you notice it? You're number one at the 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:38.160 moment. Wow. Your single's number one. Oh, OK. 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.299 And it started there. So that was in Thailand. 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:44.859 And Japan was the same thing. Japan, huge, huge 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:48.220 as well. Nick and Sue. If you're looking for 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:50.599 the perfect gift, either for yourself or for 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:53.339 a fellow fan, you need to check out the Old Glory 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:56.369 Iconic Music and Sports Store. They've been the 00:22:56.369 --> 00:22:59.829 gold standard for fan merch since 1969. They 00:22:59.829 --> 00:23:03.410 carry over 300 ,000 items ranging from Grateful 00:23:03.410 --> 00:23:05.950 Dead hoodies to official sports team hats and 00:23:05.950 --> 00:23:08.390 other merch. And look, I know what it's like 00:23:08.390 --> 00:23:11.369 to buy a band shirt only for it to shrink or 00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:14.190 fade instantly. Old Glory is different. Their 00:23:14.190 --> 00:23:17.089 graphic tees are high quality, officially licensed 00:23:17.089 --> 00:23:20.049 and built to last. When you shop at Old Glory 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:23.009 using our link, you're also joining the Chatterbox 00:23:23.009 --> 00:23:25.779 community's commitment to the environment. 1 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:29.019 % of all commissions are donated to the Stripe 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:32.539 Climate Program and help remove CO2 from the 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:35.359 atmosphere. Head to oldglory .com or click the 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:38.490 link in the description. Use my exclusive listener 00:23:38.490 --> 00:23:43.150 code of C -B -U -K -R -D -U -X and you save 15 00:23:43.150 --> 00:23:46.450 % on the best merch in the game. That's C -B 00:23:46.450 --> 00:23:50.569 -U -K -R -D -U -X. Look good, do some good to 00:23:50.569 --> 00:24:06.529 the planet and show your true colours. Modern 00:24:06.529 --> 00:24:10.109 Romance, obviously, they have their run of quite 00:24:10.109 --> 00:24:13.910 large number of hits and they split up, of course. 00:24:14.410 --> 00:24:18.990 Now, at some point, you've legally got the Modern 00:24:18.990 --> 00:24:21.049 Romance name. I mean, how did you get Modern 00:24:21.049 --> 00:24:23.130 Romance back together? And you obviously are 00:24:23.130 --> 00:24:25.869 the lead singer now. I mean, that's a big step. 00:24:26.210 --> 00:24:28.769 So, tell us about, we know about the split. Tell 00:24:28.769 --> 00:24:30.170 us about how you got back together, which is 00:24:30.170 --> 00:24:31.589 much more interesting because you're still together. 00:24:32.630 --> 00:24:36.809 Well, basically, I saw... In the early 2000s, 00:24:36.809 --> 00:24:39.349 I could see that there were a few gigs happening 00:24:39.349 --> 00:24:42.470 where people would put together, for example, 00:24:42.890 --> 00:24:45.289 Shalimar, Odyssey and Rolls Royce. They were 00:24:45.289 --> 00:24:50.930 an 80s soul thing. And I thought, these 80s things 00:24:50.930 --> 00:24:52.509 are really starting to take off. And I thought, 00:24:53.089 --> 00:24:55.549 we should really become part of this. So I contacted 00:24:55.549 --> 00:24:58.049 David James, who was the... founder member of 00:24:58.049 --> 00:25:00.849 the band and the person when I left carried it 00:25:00.849 --> 00:25:02.349 on obviously because it was his name, his band, 00:25:02.450 --> 00:25:04.509 he carried it on for a real while but it didn't 00:25:04.509 --> 00:25:06.470 do very well so they just kind of went up and 00:25:06.470 --> 00:25:08.329 fell by the wayside and he got into management 00:25:08.329 --> 00:25:11.210 and was more interested in that so he developed 00:25:11.210 --> 00:25:13.990 that side of things so I contacted him this is 00:25:13.990 --> 00:25:15.690 after quite a few years not seeing each other 00:25:15.690 --> 00:25:18.589 and we got together and it was uh and I've just 00:25:18.589 --> 00:25:21.109 suggested it and I said look this is what's happening 00:25:21.109 --> 00:25:22.730 on the music scene at the moment there's a kind 00:25:22.730 --> 00:25:25.430 of a retro thing happening where everyone's um 00:25:25.430 --> 00:25:28.299 you know to listen to what they listen to in 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:30.119 their youth. You know, all the people that are 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.640 45, 50, what they listen to, what they listen 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:35.400 to when they're between 15 and 20, you know, 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:38.220 when they were growing up. And I said, we could 00:25:38.220 --> 00:25:41.240 be part of that. But he was, because he was into 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:43.940 the management thing, he said to me, I really, 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:46.440 you know, I can't see myself going on stage again. 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:49.240 He said, I think I'm just not that way inclined 00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:51.940 anymore. I'm into management. So he said, I'm 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:54.319 not really into doing it. And he said, look, 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:57.190 you're... as much a part of the band as anyone 00:25:57.190 --> 00:26:01.069 else has ever been he said um if you want to 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:04.009 do it you've got my permission to actually take 00:26:04.009 --> 00:26:06.349 over the range and do it yourself get who you 00:26:06.349 --> 00:26:08.289 want to be in the band get whichever band members 00:26:08.289 --> 00:26:10.789 you still want to be in with you or rent it with 00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:13.069 other people whatever you want to do but and 00:26:13.069 --> 00:26:16.650 we signed we had a contract drawn up which we 00:26:16.650 --> 00:26:18.349 both signed and he said there you go we have 00:26:18.349 --> 00:26:21.269 the name off you go And if you ever need any 00:26:21.269 --> 00:26:23.289 help, I'll be here for you. And do you know what? 00:26:23.549 --> 00:26:24.910 It's funny, because I never saw him for years. 00:26:25.170 --> 00:26:27.609 And since that meeting, and with him saying to 00:26:27.609 --> 00:26:29.829 me, if you ever need anything, he has helped 00:26:29.829 --> 00:26:32.410 me a few times with a couple of bits. But we 00:26:32.410 --> 00:26:35.690 meet three times a year, and have a meal together, 00:26:35.690 --> 00:26:37.470 and a chat, and we're on the phone, and email 00:26:37.470 --> 00:26:40.349 each other. But we make a point of meeting three 00:26:40.349 --> 00:26:42.130 times a year. And the only reason we haven't 00:26:42.130 --> 00:26:45.250 met now, to start beginning years, obviously, 00:26:45.329 --> 00:26:46.670 is because of the pandemic. But we've already 00:26:46.670 --> 00:26:49.019 spoken and said. as soon as this is over we'll 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:50.440 get together and have a meal and have a chat 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:53.180 and yeah you know but yes uh it's fantastic for 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:55.000 me it was a fantastic gesture from him because 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:56.799 he didn't have to do it well that's amazing and 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:59.480 of course uh you've re -recorded the uh modern 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:01.460 romance classics i mean we all knew you were 00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:03.460 on there as a drummer but we've uh you've re 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:06.079 -recorded them all which i played on some stations 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:10.599 already and um yep uh you as lead singer yeah 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:37.400 i used to do backing vocals in the band Got you. 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:44.140 Sing that, no problem, be on the clear, I'm climbing 00:27:44.140 --> 00:27:47.500 singing, no problem. Ironically, pulling me out 00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:49.200 of the front and saying, sing me a romance song 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:51.640 that comes second nature to you, you've known 00:27:51.640 --> 00:27:54.339 them all your life. Here's a mic, singing in 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:57.019 front of these people without a donkey around 00:27:57.019 --> 00:27:59.180 you. Oh my god, this love singing without your 00:27:59.180 --> 00:28:01.759 clothes on. You're pretty damn good at it, I 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:05.019 must say. Oh, thank you. Andy, please could you 00:28:05.019 --> 00:28:07.460 tell us about your book? Yes, my book, oh the 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:09.480 book. The book at the moment is keeping me awake 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:13.500 because I'm... Basically, it's a book based on 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:15.980 my diaries I kept in the 80s. I'm describing 00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:19.119 now, just to give you an idea of one thing, straight 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:22.500 away. The entry I did the other night was funny 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:24.579 enough when we were in LA for that. Funny enough 00:28:24.579 --> 00:28:27.140 for that, um, Japanese commercial. Once we had 00:28:27.140 --> 00:28:28.980 all finished, I had a friend in LA who came to 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:30.660 meet me and we went off and left the band for 00:28:30.660 --> 00:28:32.180 two, three days and we went off doing our own 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:33.980 thing. But what the hotel we were staying in, 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:36.059 which was a hotel called the Sunset Marquis, 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:38.799 is very famous for musicians, always has been. 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:40.680 Everyone who's everyone has stayed there at some 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:43.019 point. And while we were there, I was told that 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:44.940 Adamant and his crew were in town. Remember this 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:47.900 is 1981, Adamant's Prime. This is 82, this is 00:28:47.900 --> 00:28:50.960 22. So it's still Adamant, still being the Adamant 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:53.410 that we all know. And he's in America doing stuff. 00:28:53.589 --> 00:28:56.089 And I knew that one of the crew or somebody from 00:28:56.089 --> 00:28:58.569 his entourage was in the room next door. So I 00:28:58.569 --> 00:29:00.130 thought I'd go and knock and say hello and introduce 00:29:00.130 --> 00:29:02.369 myself. You know, who knows, might be a fan member. 00:29:02.569 --> 00:29:05.349 Turns out it was the manager. So I said, hello, 00:29:05.349 --> 00:29:06.829 I'm Andy from Modern Road, man. So I was like, 00:29:07.069 --> 00:29:08.650 hi, how you been? Come in, have a coffee, whatever. 00:29:09.309 --> 00:29:10.930 So we had a chat. And then I said, look, I'd 00:29:10.930 --> 00:29:13.109 love to come and see the show. So straight away, 00:29:13.170 --> 00:29:15.170 I was on the guest list to go and see Adamant 00:29:15.170 --> 00:29:18.890 in LA. in a couple of days' time. So, at the 00:29:18.890 --> 00:29:21.549 moment, I am, I'll tell you what I am, I am 15th 00:29:21.549 --> 00:29:25.809 of July, 1983. I'm driving 81, but I've still 00:29:25.809 --> 00:29:29.549 got a golden way to the end of 85. So I've got 00:29:29.549 --> 00:29:32.480 my work out for me, but I still have... publisher 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:36.279 who wants it in New York, expanding on the entries 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:39.539 in the diary. Brilliant. Sue's got, well what 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:43.119 it is, you told us in an email that we feel free 00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:46.559 to ask anything. I will gladly discuss my fetish 00:29:46.559 --> 00:29:49.500 for girls dressed as tomatoes. Tell us about 00:29:49.500 --> 00:29:54.700 that. Sue's got one for you. What's your one 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:58.180 Sue? Something about plastic tablecloth designs. 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:04.680 Andy, you got this new album, well album came 00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:06.819 out just before Christmas sort of thing, end 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:09.740 of last year. Tell us about that and what's your 00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:12.759 favourite track on that? Right, well the album 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:15.559 is basically all the original Modern Romance 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:17.599 hits have been re -recorded, you know, using 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:20.240 obviously new sounds, new methods, being more 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:23.440 modern. And there are also six new songs on there. 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:26.039 So six new Modern Romance compositions all in 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:28.980 the same vein. There's one ballad... and the 00:30:28.980 --> 00:30:31.480 other five are very Latin -y, but even the ballad's 00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:33.259 got a lot of flamenco guitar going through, so 00:30:33.259 --> 00:30:36.000 it's still tied in with, you know, very Spanishy 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:37.960 guitar going on. It's still tied in with all 00:30:37.960 --> 00:30:40.960 the Latin feel. It's called The Greatest Hits, 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:43.259 because it does feature Our Greatest Hit, but 00:30:43.259 --> 00:30:46.180 also we've got six new tracks as well. And I've 00:30:46.180 --> 00:30:48.900 got musicians on there ranging from, I've got, 00:30:48.900 --> 00:30:51.180 on two tracks, I've got Mikey Craig from Culture 00:30:51.180 --> 00:30:54.059 Club playing bass, I've got a trumpet player 00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:55.819 that played with Jamiroquai playing some of the 00:30:55.819 --> 00:31:07.250 trumpets on there. If you could pick any song 00:31:07.250 --> 00:31:10.470 out of that latest we call it modern romance 00:31:10.470 --> 00:31:12.609 album if you could pick any song out of it which 00:31:12.609 --> 00:31:19.910 one would it be? I'd love to hear that with a 00:31:19.910 --> 00:31:21.950 bit of a trumpet going. Does it come with the 00:31:21.950 --> 00:31:29.539 dance moves? everything that I'm about and that 00:31:29.539 --> 00:31:32.099 my romance are about I would say probably rhythm 00:31:32.099 --> 00:31:36.980 is my lover because rhythm is ostensibly what 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:39.019 started it all this thing, playing drums and 00:31:39.019 --> 00:31:43.619 everything and it is music, I love it and this 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:46.160 song actually says that music is everything and 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:48.539 yes for me it probably is, apart from my kids, 00:31:48.779 --> 00:31:53.450 music is everything And indeed, that is one amazing 00:31:53.450 --> 00:31:58.529 song anyway. Andy, please tell us about any websites. 00:31:58.650 --> 00:32:01.390 You've got a website. Tell us about that. Facebook 00:32:01.390 --> 00:32:04.150 pages, everything. Well, I went on a good one. 00:32:04.329 --> 00:32:11.250 Oh, you mean my one. Sorry. Our website is www 00:32:11.250 --> 00:32:15.690 .modernhydrenromance .com. Just have a new website 00:32:15.690 --> 00:32:18.140 built for it, so if you type that in... and then 00:32:18.140 --> 00:32:20.259 click and the link to it takes you straight to 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:22.839 the new one until we cross them over properly. 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:25.460 Sure. First you go to there and it will say click 00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:26.819 here for the new website, you're going to the 00:32:26.819 --> 00:32:31.579 new one. Feel free, anyone who's listening, contact 00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:34.019 me on Facebook, come and say hello. I love people 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:36.599 just writing in and saying come and say hello. 00:32:37.259 --> 00:32:39.539 whatever just kind of say hi and introduce yourself 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:41.940 and tell me who you are you know and i can actually 00:32:41.940 --> 00:32:45.119 confirm that you are very uh very approachable 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:49.480 uh and uh if someone finds andy kiriaku on facebook 00:32:49.480 --> 00:32:52.259 that is really you that's answering so uh you 00:32:52.259 --> 00:32:55.400 know hats off to you mate well done um andy we 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:57.599 are going to play out with uh the song you selected 00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:00.240 and uh thank you very much mate and that your 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:03.660 album is available from uh all the usual places 00:33:03.660 --> 00:33:11.259 for download Okay, brilliant mate. Keep me updated 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:14.140 Andy and you are welcome to come back and update 00:33:14.140 --> 00:33:16.279 us anytime you like and I mean it, just drop 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:18.259 me an email mate, yeah? Thank you very much for 00:33:18.259 --> 00:33:41.880 coming on Chatterbox, thank you mate. You have 00:33:41.880 --> 00:33:44.339 been listening to the Chatterbox Redux podcast 00:33:44.339 --> 00:33:47.200 with Sue and Nick and our special guest today 00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:51.160 was Andy Kiriakou of Modern Romance. If you're 00:33:51.160 --> 00:33:53.640 interested in becoming a future guest on the 00:33:53.640 --> 00:33:56.740 Chatterbox Redux podcast or the radio show Chatterbox 00:33:56.740 --> 00:33:59.700 UK, you're welcome to submit songs, books or 00:33:59.700 --> 00:34:03.420 whatever it is you do and send us a CV, synopsis 00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:06.210 or press release. However, we receive several 00:34:06.210 --> 00:34:09.110 thousand such press releases every week and it's 00:34:09.110 --> 00:34:12.090 impossible to reply to each one individually. 00:34:12.369 --> 00:34:14.869 Why not email us or leave a comment because we'd 00:34:14.869 --> 00:34:17.170 love to know what you think of the podcast. Our 00:34:17.170 --> 00:34:22.130 email address is nickelbum at myyahoo .com. Alternatively, 00:34:22.230 --> 00:34:26.179 you could write to us. at P .O. Box 26, The Old 00:34:26.179 --> 00:34:29.500 Observer Building, Telford Road, St. Leonard's 00:34:29.500 --> 00:34:35.500 -on -Sea, East Sussex, England, TN 38, 9LZ. And 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:38.219 wherever it is you choose to listen to the Chatterbox 00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:41.340 Redux podcast, don't forget to give us a like, 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:44.559 a follow, a favorite, or whatever it is on that 00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:47.739 platform, just so you don't miss a future episode. 00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:51.719 Sue, myself, Nick, and Twinkle the Tuxedo Cat. 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:54.539 Thank you very much for your company and we look 00:34:54.539 --> 00:34:56.539 forward to welcoming you again next time for 00:34:56.539 --> 00:34:59.860 another Chatterbox Redux podcast. In the meantime, 00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:02.900 take care, thank you for your company and we'll 00:35:02.900 --> 00:35:37.460 catch you then. Bye bye. This is Nick and Sue 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:40.380 with Chatterbox giving you all you need to know 00:35:40.380 --> 00:35:48.019 about musical entertainment. Oh yeah! Chatterbox!