Interview with John Craven, January 2002.

Last time we chatted properly with John Craven was a year ago, when he was a key figure in the reformation of Et Cetera. He's since left them to it, and now he's back with a new single. Evan Paris was sent out to converse with the demon of distortion.

EP - You've got a new single.
JC - Yeah.
EP - First single in 27 years.
JC - Sommat like that, yeah.
EP - Tell us about it.
JC - It's not a proper single. It's a 12" follow-up to my covers album: Songs To Scream At. It's all covers.
EP - Two old Pulp songs.
JC - Yeah. And a Gorkys, and a Half Man Half Biscuit... and a Kraftwerk.
EP - Any good?
JC - It's nice enough. It's just a mess-about really. I always like to knock off a few covers before I start a new project. Gets me in the mood.
EP - Who you working with?
JC - Just me. Well Dafydd [Morgan] is helping out. And Steph Jesper from Magenta Moor.
EP - Oh yeah.
JC - Just in knob twiddling and stuff.
EP - So who's drumming?
JC - A combination of machines, me, and Daf.
EP - And are these covers drastically different from their originals?
JC - So-so. Buy it and see. It's only cheap. And really value for money.
EP - 5 tracks for a fiver, innit?
JC - Probably.
EP - You say it's the sequel to Songs To Scream At. We still haven't seen a release of that on CD.
JC - We never will.
EP - Too many copyright issues?
JC - Well partly, but the tapes are a bit buggered too.
EP - Oh?
JC - Yeah. They've rotted a bit. Not sure why. Guess it was a dodgy lot or something. Seemed a bit flimsy at the time.
EP - Oh dear.
JC - They'd have to tape it off the record, and when you add the problems of copyrights - they just can't be bothered.
EP - Yeah. Oh well.
JC - It was a mixed bag that record.
EP - "Over the Rainbow" was something of a cult classic.
JC - Yeah. And I was quite keen on "Swift as the Wind" and the Tim songs.
EP - Mm. So is this record that good?
JC - Not that good. Not "Over the Rainbow" good. But it's ok.
EP - Speaking of covers and copyrights, what happened with the Et Cetera record.
JC - It got pulled. Pressure from higher forces.
EP - Were you disappointed?
JC - Not really. The tour was fun.
EP - But you've left them to it now?
JC - Only so much of Adam Lucas you can take.
EP - A-huh? You anything to do with this Et Zenda thing?
JC - No. That's... They found some old tapes, from before I joined. It's mostly that, but some new stuff too. The new stuff's just Ad and Jo though really.
EP - With Ian Matthews and Maggie Moore.
JC - Yeah. That sounds right. Interesting project but not really my scene.
EP - You and Ike were doing the Metal Headed thing last year of course.
JC - Yeah. Just like old times.
EP - You still had that White Stripes style chemistry.
JC - Yeah. What is it with them? Are they brother and sister or something. I keep hearing different things.
EP - Dunno. I thought they were divorcees.
JC - Anyway, yeah... we did some Metal Headed stuff as part of the Et Cetera tour. It was great fun.
EP - So will you being doing any more?
JC - Sure. We're both living in Sheffield now, so yeah.
EP - You been working together?
JC - Off and on. I'm planning a project with the Science Department, so yeah.
EP - What sort of project?
JC - I'm doing an album with them.
EP - Ooh.
JC - Yeah.
EP - Did you hear 20, 1?
JC - Of course. Great stuff.
EP - Yeah. So is that the future of John Craven?
JC - It's going to be a varied record. Some electric doodlings, some noise, some tape stuff, some old fashioned thrashy guitar.
EP - So when can we expect that then?
JC - Ooh. Not for a while yet. We've not started it yet.
EP - Oh, right.
JC - Maybe this time next year, if we're industrious enough.
EP - Going back to your live stuff last year, I've got to mention your performance of Souls.
JC - Yeah. That was one of the ones we all did together.
EP - The whole Et Cetera group.
JC - Yeah. It worked ok like that, didn't it?
EP - Yes. It made a spectacular climax to the main set.
JC - Good.
EP - I think a lot of people went to those concerts and came away with a more positive view of your music.
JC - Yeah?
EP - I mean, like Adam and Jo fans, or something like that. What with Souls, and the Metal Headed set-up. I mean it may be noises, but there's a sort of pure rock'n'roll thing there that can't help but appeal.
JC - Well I'm sure they'll be very distressed by this record.
EP - Typical of you really, that.
JC - For sure.
EP - But it shifted some units of Craven Images.
JC - It did that.
EP - And certainly inspired Clustcwyr to rerelease some more of your back catalogue.
JC - Yeah. That was nice.
EP - So we've got your first three albums on CD at long last.
JC - Great innit.
EP - And, for those that missed it, the West Coast Resort CD has some live stuff on it.
JC - Yeah. From the original Metal Headed era. Why didn't I get an interview for all that?
EP - For what?
JC - The reissues.
EP - We did a feature. I was on holiday though.
JC - Oh, right.
EP - Is it selling?
JC - So so. As well as anything ever does. Like you say, the Et Cetera thing certainly helped improve my popularity.
EP - What's it like being popular again.
JC - Feels all tingly.
EP - You're living in Sheffield now, like you said. You given the boat up now?
JC - No. I'm still on the boat. I float about the place, but I'm never further than a bus-ride away from Shef these days.
EP - How's electricity work on a boat? How do you power your toys?
JC - Batteries. Car batteries. Wonderful things. And diesel.
EP - I get this image of you making a really loud noise in a marina, and getting on everyone's nerves.
JC - I make a lot of noise before 9 o'clock, but I have headphones. Clever things, headphones. Thing is, marinas are hardly tranquil anyway. All those diesel engines. Smell lovely though.
EP - I've been on your boat, of course. Weird place.
JC - Why's it weird?
EP - It still amazes me how you power all the stuff in there. All the electronics.
JC - Will you shut up... I don't want getting broke in to.
EP - Sorry. They can't be the most secure things, boats.
JC - Yeah, they're not. Anyway, I've moved a lot of stuff into Earwax now.
EP - The Science Department place?
JC - Yeah.
EP - Hear it's quite hi-tech.
JC - Hah! No. I mean compared to Clustcwyr, sure. But no.
EP - So is that it then? Is that the end of you and Wales?
JC - Nah. I mean, I'm based in Shef, but most of my audience is in Wales, so I can't just abandon them, can I?
EP - It's a strange set up at the moment. There's a definite wind of change here at Planet Clustcwyr.
JC - The thing is there's a scene in Sheffield. There's the whole electronic thing. Wales had a spell in the limelight the other year, but it's running out of steam a bit. I don't mean that nastily. It's the fickle music press picking up on a trend or two.
EP - Clustcwyr, as a label, seems to be going down that folk-pop road really.
JC - Yeah. That post Gorkys thing. I think that's fine. I think it's fair enough, but it's hardly surprising therefore that groups like me and Mosfet end up working at Earwax instead.
EP - It's a strange divide geographially though really.
JC - Yeah. Mosfet are based in Sheffield and yet they're released on Clustcwyr. But I think they're switching to Earwax soon. I mean it's all the same thing in the end. They're both owned by AVW. It's just kind of odd. Especcially the way Cluscwyr's changing.
EP - And I mean, that's internal. That's not a command from above. It's a conscious effort to persue that sort of folky rock sound.
JC - Well they're suffering from the rise of the PC, I guess. You know, once upon a time, a band wanted to record a record they needed a studio, but now they can do it in their bedroom. And at much the same sort of spec as Clustcwyr. If not better.
EP - That's got to be the main problem regards Clustcwyr for sure. That's why they aren't getting any kids anymore.
JC - You couldn't cut an LP in the 70s or 80s. You might have a four track mixer or something if you were a bit rich, but you still ended up with it on a tape. Now you can burn it onto a CD, and flog it on the net to an audience not much different to what Clustcwyr could offer. To be honest I think they done bloody well to stay alive over these last few years.
EP - And I think that's got a lot to do with the way they've shfted their focus.
JC - Yeah. Course, there's still Diwydianfa there though, isn't there.
EP - Well yeah, they're hardly likely to drop anyone.
JC - I think they'll get through. The reissues help if nothing else. And the flat gets some use.
EP - From you certainly.
JC - Ey, I had to book this in advance. There's more than me to-ing and fro-ing these days.
EP - You're quite right.
JC - Nah. It's a nice place here. I couldn't just abandon it.
EP - Any gigs planned in the future then?
JC - Um. No. Recording fist. Gigs later. We'll be doing some gigs eventually. Here and there. But no. We just did a bloody tour for god's sake.
EP - Fair enough.
JC - We going down the pub today then?
EP - Yeah, alright then.
JC - Right.

"Ditties To Die To" is out on January 21st.