Andy Anderson
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Andy Anderson interviewed by Chinaski and CureCrow to HispaCure ! On the occasion of Hispacure´s 10th anniversary and 30 years after the release of the album “The Top”- equally praised and criticized - we have the opportunity of speaking with Andy Anderson, the band´s drummer at the time. Though his membership of the band was relatively brief, his way of playing the drums didn´t leave the fans disappointed. Some of us had the chance to see Andy at The Royal Albert Hall in London a couple of months ago. One very emotional moment was Robert Smith´s dedication to Andy Anderson at the beginning of Shake dog Shake. Enjoy! ! ! 1. Hi Andy, how are you? All is well for brother Winston, played stand-up me in 2014 so far, I´m working on my piano, and of course me on an old own Project (Front and Centre) as well suitcase and cardboard boxes, my as working on other musical projects. father was a professional boxer and on ! his days off would play jazz drums at 2. What became of Andy since he left Ronnie Scotts Jazz club in London, and The Cure... what are you doing now? After leaving The Cure I have worked on many other projects Recording and p l a y i n g L i v e , i n c l u d i n g J i m m y Somerville, Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69 and also on The Iggy Pop world Tour, back in 1987, and still writing, remixing and Recording on my own Project !( Front & Centre). 3. Why did you become a drummer? And how was your first drums? As a young boy my family always had music playing in the house, my mother used to sing in a early girl group in the 50s, my two brothers and I used to jam in our hallway, the eldest brother Colin played T-Chest bass, made from an old plywood Tea chest, a broom handle and some twine, and my middle he inspired me to play drums and Peppers, Pierre Moerlen from Gong percussion. My first drum kit was and the Steve Hillage Band, there are m a d e u p o f d i f f e r e n t d r u m so many brilliant and outstanding manufacturers and were either given to drummers out there in the world it will me or I found them myself and put take all this interview for me to write them together to make a full drum kit them all down, and I love every one of and use that for quite some time before them, so this is just a few. I actually started playing properly in ! bands, and owning my own. 5. How did it come about that you ! became a member of The Cure? ! I was working in a band called 4 Which drummers have inspired you “Brilliant” with Martin Glover from the and who are your favorites? And band “Killing Joke” at Trident Studios what singles them out from the London and Chris Parry and Robert rest? Smith came along with a cassette tape My favourite drummers are, of which and asked me to listen to the tape, they there are a lot, Daniel Woodgate from had heard my drumming on previous the British Pop band Maddness, albums such as the Steve Hillage band, Lawrence Tolhurst from The Cure, Dave Sham 69’s Jimmy Percy’s solo albums Grohl from Nirvana, Mitch Mitchell from and on Brilliant’s recordings, and ask the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Buddy me if I'll go for an audition for them, I Miles from the Band of Gypsies, went, and got the position of playing Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chilli drums for the Cure that day, and the fantastic, I didn't get a chance to see rest is history. much countryside, because as like with ! all drummers you have to lay the 6. You joined The Cure at a very backing tracks down first, this involves volatile time, particularly for setting the kit up, tuning the kit, and Robert. What do you remember from then running through the song or that time? Did it ever occur to you songs, also it was a very hot summer that the group might not have any and like always I'm stuck in the studio, future? lol, but I love it. You never know if a Back in the 80s when I asked to join song, film or album would be successful the band, after an audition, it was a once it has been made, and it relies on great honour for me, because these the people who like it or buy it i.e. fans guys had already been making etc. So the reasons for the albums records and were having them released longevity is due to the fans of which are too, which is every musicians dream, all appreciated for their loyalty. I've and being just a Session Musician, at listened back to the album recently, the time, and being part of that was just a n d t h e re are some tracks on great to be involved with them, and there that still stand-up to this play the songs we loved playing, not day, and I'm very pleased about !knowing where it could lead. that. ! 7. How was it to live with 9. Your drumming Robert during the disco sounds like no recording period? o t h e r At the time in the 70s and 80s d r u m m i n g there was all different types of music o n a C u re including disco but everybody including track, from bands and singers etc. I believe were any album. Did inspired by disco etc. and came up you create all the drum lines with their own ideas a n d yourself? How much of your interpretations of that genre at percussion work for the Cure was that period of time, and that is the 100% Andy, and how much would same these days also, w h a t e v e r you say was a collaborative product? the genre maybe. ! The reason why my drums or drumming 8. The Top is an album that was very sounds like no other drummer, is criticized by many people and yet it because every, has their own style or was an album that made people say individuality, and for the tracks that I've that the band was alive. How did you played on I introduced my own experience the creation of this album interpretation of those songs, the drum and what is your view on it today? parts are mine to work within which Firstly being at Genetic Studios ever track we playing, then I always Berkshire in the countryside was just offer to the musicians weathered the drum track works with the track or not and colour, A few of them ran off when then a decision is made, once we've Lol, Phil and myself dressed up as cats, agreed on that then it's full steam which was very amusing, if I remember ahead, but more times than not, drum rightly I was dressed as parts get changed, or you find a better Sylvester the cat playing the way of playing it, and this also works on trumpet on the video, but for when y o u ' r e the kitten sitting on playing live, with slight Roberts lap gets i m p ro v i s a t i o n ’s . T h e me every time, I percussion on all Cure laugh every time tracks are hundred I see the clip. percent me, unless a ! drum machine is used, 12. How was it to play in and then the same Tokyo in 1984? elimination process is used P l a y i n g i n To k y o o n h o w m u c h and Osaka, Japan percussion should with The Cure was just be on the track or not in fantastic the audiences some cases. were really wonderful and ! very appreciative of our 10. Could you tell music and s o u n d , I u s a b o u t y o u r have also been back experiences from there on occasion with Iggy and feelings about The Glove? Pop on his World Tour too. On the glove album, Robert Smith and Suchan amazing country and fall of Steve Severin, had recorded the tracks history as well as Technology of which I prior to me doing my drum and am a big fan of and love. percussion overdubs and as always it ! was a great atmosphere Recording the 13. Which song that you never tracks and performing them for Video played with the band, would you and TV etc. You never stop learning have like to play? w h e n p l a y i n g m u s i c a n d t h a t Well where do I start, firstly the John experience, was a great learning curve Lennon track : Love and the Jimi for me, working with Roberts and Steve. Hendrix track : Purple Haze, I am a total ! fan of these two artists and would love 11. How many real cats took part in to play that with Robert and the lads, the Lovecats video? there are many great songs that the called Animal Actors UK, and the cure have done since I played with company is still going strong, they had them and it would be good to play supplied animals for Raiders of the Lost those too, but the John Lennon and Ark and the Mummy movies as well as Jimi Hendrix tracks stand out for me at Stage and TV.