I was trying my hand at doing interviews 7 years ago for my friends fanzine and got in contact with one of my favourite bands. Here it is with Christopher Richards who did guitar, vocals and synth in the band.
http://www.myspace.com/qandnotu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_and_Not_U
T: Could you please explain where the name ‘Q AND NOT U’ comes from and what the band means to you?
CR: The letters q and u always appear side by side in the English language, so perhaps our name suggests the idea of dissolving rules. It also sounds like a childish taunt and a logic equation. Harris thought of the name nearly five years ago. Since then, this band has been so tightly woven into the fabric of my life, it's probably impossible to explain what it means to me without blithering and blathering for a long while.
T: Your on one of the most recognisable labels in Punk rock circles, how does it feel to have the Minor Threat/Fugazi front man producing your work?
CR:Well, it's not like he wears a copy of resume taped to his chest. Ian is a wonderful person and his enthusiasm for music is like no one I've ever met.
T: Since your bassist Matt left, do you find people compare the differences between ‘No Kill No Beep Beep’ and ‘Different Damage’ ? or do they just accept the progression?
CR: Almost every review of "Different Damage" has compared it to "No Kill No Beep Beep," - most reviews are favorable, but there have been a few stinkers. It's so refreshing to read a review where the writer is hearing us for the first time - those are my favorite. People are always judging the present against the past, but that approach only seems to lend itself to a lifetime of disappointment.
T: In your local scene, do you go to many smaller shows and check out ‘up and coming’ bands?
CR: I'm always trying to see live music. The annual Fort Reno concert series is underway in D.C. this summer. Bands play for free in the park every Monday and Thursday and it's always a delight. Black Eyes just played an incredible show there last night. Check out their website www.fortreno.com.
T: This interview is for a fanzine, have you ever had any input towards similar things?
CR: I did a fanzine in the late 90s called Torpedo Dialogues that lasted about three issues. John had a zine in the mid 90s called Slanted and then another zine in the late 90s/early 00s called Held Like Sound. He and I were recently bemoaning what seems to be the death of the fanzine, so cheers to you working in print! I really thought the world of webzines would be flourishing right now, but it seems like Pitchfork has the stranglehold on the indie/punk internet. They go totally unchallenged, which is drag when they're off the mark. My favorite print-zine right now is Sound Collector. Their voice is so caring and informed. They're not flaunting the audio-bibliography to impress you or to position themselves as impressive "rock critics," rather, they're doing it because they want to share music. That often seems to be the last priority of the music-media.
T: Who is one of your main inspirations/idols?
CR: In the past, I always admired bands (Black Flag, Bad Brains, Queen, etc), but recently I've obsessed over singular musicans like Caetano Veloso, Fela Kuti, Prince, Leadbelly, John Fahey, Gal Costa, etc. I don't think this phase will last long, however. All the magic happens in a group.
T: Is there any band you wished you’d seen before they broke up?
CR: The Beatles, This Heat, Nation of Ulysses, Led Zeppelin, Os Mutantes, Jimi Hendrix and Band of Gypsies, Stetsasonic, Germs, Fela Kuti and Africa 70, Trouble Funk, N.W.A., Queen, Nirvana, Huggy Bear, the Who, the VSS, John and Alice Coltrane, I could do this all day. More specifically, I really regret missing particular shows by Bikini Kill and Trenchmouth that took place in D.C. in the mid-90s.
T: Who was the last band to give you the ‘chilling/haunting’ feeling when you saw them live? Compared to on record?
CR: El Guapo is the most goosebump-inducing band I've ever encountered. They've been giving me chills consistently since 1997. Check out their new album "Fake French" to see what happens to you.
T: Are you going into another new direction for the new album? Or is it going to be similar to ‘Different Damage’?
CR: I have no idea. We just write what's natural to us, with no interest in repeating ourselves or conciously echoing our past.
T: Have you started recording it yet or done any pre-production?
CR: We just recorded two new songs that will appear on a single this autumn. The songs are called "X-Polynation" and "Book of Flags," and it's likely that they'll reappear on an album that we hope to record this winter.
T: What’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
CR: Hmmm. I can't seem to remember. Most interviews are extremely tame and monotonous. People often ask the same questions over and over. I did just read an interview that Harris and I had done where our final answers were: "Harris's decapitated head" and "Chris' severed genitals."
T: Any final words for the South Coast of England?
CR: Let your body be free!
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