Q & A header

This section is still under construction.

Answers to questions taken from:

band-1984-acc-100.jpg, 19kB   From "A Certain Chemistry" (page 3)
 
Q - What does Big Country mean?
 
Stuart: "I think group names are always about six months after the fact. Somebody will have a great explanation for why the group's called this or that. At the time I think it just implied a sense of vastness, open spaces. A sense of new discovery. A sense of ambition."
 
Tony: "The band means more to me than the name. The band is something I've been looking for all my musical career. I believe in the right combination and this is the right combination."
 
Bruce: "Big Country? It doesna mean anything. You canna describe it which is quite good. It's not as if it's something like Eddie and the Hot Rods It's not a flash-type name. I suppose it could be taken any way."
 
Mark: "Big Country's my life at the moment. My drums are my life and they work for Big Country...I know it's a completely amazing band and this band should definately see it through to the final conclusion."
 
"A Certain Chemistry - The Official Portrait By John May"
was published by Ominbus Press but is now out of print. The ISBN number is: 0-7119-0634-3 and the order number is OP 43280.

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band-1984-10-100.jpg, 23kB   From Issue 8&9 (page 27) of the Country Club Fanzine:
 
  Q - Where did Stuart get his red boots? A - In Oxford but I don't remmeber which shop!
  Q - What does Porrohman mean, or what is one? A - A voodoo witch doctor.
  Q - What is a "wee chookter"? A - [Bruce] "A highlander."
  Q - Have any members of Big Country met Bob Dylan? A - Yes, they all have.
  Q - What is the religious background of Big Country? A - Two Catholic, two Protestant.
  Q - Does Stuart have a nickname? A - Yes - Loretta (!!)
  Q - Do any of the band members read music? A - Yes - Tony and Bruce.
  Q - Where is Angle Park? A - It's a big house near where Stuart lives.
  Q - Where is Wonderland? A - [Stuart] "It's wherever your imagination tells you."
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band-1990-spr-100.jpg, 28kB   From Issue 18 (pages 10 & 11) of the Country Club Fanzine:
 
Q - If you were an animal what would you be and why?
  • Stuart - A dog, for those groovy eyes.
  • Bruce - A dolphin, so that I could swim with other dolphins.
  • Tony - A tropical fish: you get to swim around in nice warm water in someone's nice front room.
  • Pat - A dolphin - I like seafood and swimming.
Q - Are you afraid of anything? If so, what?
  • Stuart - Being locked up for something I didn't do.
  • Bruce - Being found out.
  • Tony - Fanaticism, especially the religious kind.
  • Pat - Unstable people in positions of power.
Q - What is your idea of perfect hapiness?
  • Stuart - Time with people I love.
  • Bruce - Haven't had that one yet, probably a rich unicycling nymphomaniac with a passion for the heavy metal life-style.
  • Tony - Eternal rest.
  • Pat - Living out the reality of my dreams.
Q - What is your greatest regret?
  • Stuart - Hurting people I love.
  • Bruce - None.
  • Tony - Not learning how to play golf at an earlier age.
  • Pat - Regrets, I've ahad a few but, then agani, too few to mention.
Q - What or who is the greatest love of your life?
  • Stuart - My wife and family.
  • Bruce - Wife, sons, 1952 Les Paul Standard, 160 fender Stratocaster, 1948 Sputnik 5 speed, Unicycles.
  • Tony - Jackie, Joey, Alex and Jake.
  • Pat - My daughter, Lucy.
Q - What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
  • Stuart - Procrastination.
  • Bruce - Resentment.
  • Tony - My inability to be reasonable.
  • Pat - Paranoia.
Q - What is the trait you most deplore in others?
  • Stuart - Intolerance.
  • Bruce - They think I'm mad.
  • Tony - Their ability to be unreasonable.
  • Pat - Violence.
Q - What objects do you always carry with you?
  • Stuart - Nothing.
  • Bruce - Cigarettes and an unicycle repair kit.
  • Tony - Raybans.
  • Pat - French/English dictionary.
Q - What makes you the most depressed?
  • Stuart - Injustice.
  • Bruce - Reading about child abuse in the papers and tax bills.
  • Tony - Arms dealers and child abusers.
  • Pat - Cruelty.
Q - What do you most dislike about your appearance?
  • Stuart - Spots.
  • Bruce - Nose and penis - both completely out of proportion with the rest of my body.
  • Tony - Nothing, I like the way I look.
  • Pat - The occasional spot.
Q - Who are your favourite musicians/composers?
  • Stuart - Leonard Cohen, Kate Bush, Bill Nelson.
  • Bruce - Neil Young, Lou Reed, Howling Wolf, The Allman Brothers, George Harrison.
  • Tony - Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, John Lennon, Bob Marley.
  • Pat - 10CC.
Q - What is your favourite building?
  • Stuart - East End Park, Dunfermline.
  • Bruce - St. Pancras Station and St. James Club, Hollywood.
  • Tony - The huge cathedral in Milan.
  • Pat - The Willy Wonker Chocolate Factory.
Q - What is your favourite journey?
  • Stuart - Along the Great Glen.
  • Bruce - Nowhere to anywhere.
  • Tony - The journey home after a tour.
  • Pat - The shortest.
Q - On what occasions do you lie?
  • Stuart - When the truth would harm others.
  • Bruce - Press and Promotion, Radio, T.V., Questionnaires.
  • Tony - When I have to talk about politics, i.e. "No, I didn't vote at the last election."
  • Pat - When it's easier.
Q - Which words or phrases do you most over-use?
  • Stuart - I swear far too often.
  • Bruce - 'Honest guv it went off in my hand' and 'Sorry, missus, I didn't know it was loaded.'
  • Tony - Have a nice day.
  • Pat - Nice.
Q - What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
  • Stuart - An honest Government.
  • Bruce - An exact full scale replica of the Flying Scotsman made out of solid gold.
  • Tony - A decent living wage.
  • Pat - A faster double bass drum technique.
Q - Which talen would you most like to have?
  • Stuart - Kevin Schwantz's motorcycling skill.
  • Bruce - I would like to learn how to ride a unicycle.
  • Tony - Horse riding.
  • Pat - Skateboarding.
Q - What your motto be?
  • Stuart - Onwards.
  • Bruce - Here today, gone to-day.
  • Tony - I was born to love.
  • Pat - Always finish what you...
Q - How would you like to be remembered?
  • Stuart - As someone who knew his own truth.
  • Bruce - As the man who unicycled his way to the top of the charts with hits such as 'Saddle Up And Ride Your Unicycle', 'Dark Side Of The Unicycle' and 'Tales of Topographic Unicycles'.
  • Tony - For the colour of my character.
  • Pat - With my name spelt correctly.
Q - What keeps you awake at night?
  • Stuart - Everything.
  • Bruce - I don't sleep - sleep is for wimps.
  • Tony - My wife... if she phones.
  • Pat - Nothing.
Q - What is your present state of mind?
  • Stuart - At peace with my myself.
  • Bruce - Confused.
  • Tony - Ask my analyst.
  • Pat - Stable.
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band-1990-10-100.jpg, 30kB   From Issue 19 (page 5) of the Country Club Fanzine
 
Q - What is your favourite word?
  • Pat - YES!
  • Bruce - Nebulous.
  • Stuart - YES.
  • Tony - A-L-R-I-G-H-T, said in a West Coast American accent.
Q - Which living person do you most admire?
  • Pat - Too many. Anyone devoting their life to environmental issues.
  • Bruce - Les Paul, Leo Fender, Jim marshall, Pierre de Legge (winner of the 1972 Tour de Saigon unicycle race).
  • Stuart - Istvan Kozma.
  • Tony - Nelson Mandela.
Q - What is your greatest extravagence?
  • Pat - Expensive belts.
  • Bruce - A chrome framed, white wall tyred customized chopper unicycle with extended forks and a rhineston and diamond encrusted leather King and Queen saddle with back rest.
  • Stuart - Too many guitars.
  • Tony - Golf.
Q - Who are your favourite writers?
  • Pat - Jack Vance, Garry Niven.
  • Bruce - Darrel's Chickens, Edgar Alan Poe, known to his close friends as "Eddie watcha Missus that was a good 'un the Poe".
  • Stuart - George Orwell, G.H. Lawrence, Albert Camus, Luke Rheinhardt, Stephen King, Morrisey.
  • Tony - Tom Sharpe, Jilly Cooper.
Q - What are you reading at the moment?
  • Pat - "The Day Before Midnight" by Steven Hunter.
  • Bruce - "A Day In The Life Of A Petrol Pump Attendant" by Ivan Moskovitch. "Dirty Clog Dancing II" by Viscount Ralph Smedley. "The History And Development Of The Greatest American Prat" by Homer Washington III.
  • Stuart - "The Great Shark Hunt" by Hunter S. Thompson.
  • Tony - "The Flashman Series" by Ian McDonald Fraser.
Q - Who are your favourite painters?
  • Pat - Cezanne and Monet.
  • Bruce - Man Ray and Magritte.
  • Stuart - Renoir, Van Gogh and Monet.
  • Tony - Not really into art, man.
Q - Which living person do you most despise?
  • Pat - Gaddafi.
  • Bruce - Phil Collins' ghastly portayal of 'Buster' in the film of the same name. Oh, and the bastard who stole my unicycle wheel.
  • Stuart - Pik Botha.
  • Tony - Anyone who presumes they have a right to kill by a religious mandate.
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band-1991-02-100.jpg, 27kB   From Issue 20 (page 4) of the Country Club Fanzine
 
Q - What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
  • Bruce - Sincerity.
  • Stuart - All virtues are underrated.
  • Tony - Sincerity.
  • Pat - Honesty.
Q - With which historical figure do you most identify?
  • Bruce - Vlad the Impaler, Dustin the Unicyclist.
  • Stuart - Robert The Bruce.
  • Tony - Harry Flashman.
  • Pat - Bruce's Spider.
Q - When and where were you happiest?
  • Bruce - When I was fifteen and had just left school.
  • Stuart - Here and now.
  • Tony - Maternity Ward, August 29th 1983.
  • Pat - When behind the drums.
Q - How would you like to die?
  • Bruce - Quickly.
  • Stuart - Understanding what was happening.
  • Tony - With no prior knowledge and no consequential pain.
  • Pat - Live on T.V.
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© 1996 - Oliver Hunter