Media Mania - Irish Independent, 6th September 1994
| Title: | Media Mania |
| Publication: | Irish Independent |
| Date: | Tuesday 6th September 1994 |
| Writer: | George Byrne |
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N THE current promo pics he may be wearing a shirt bearing the slo-gan 'Poser-Liar-Fake-Phoney% but in per-son James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preach-ers is the very model of sincerity and affa-bility. perched over a Jameson and red. sur-rounded by the nou-veau famine chic in the snug of Kiely's of Donnybrook. In Dublin to promote the band's third album —The Holy Bihk (•pic) —Soma reflects on the Mon-ies upfront relationship with the media: an in-ya-facc exercise in neinipulm tion and shock tactics which has witnessed such letwndary antics m rhythm guitarist Richielanws cart-ing Ike phrase '4 Real' into his forearm with a roam blade when on ;VASE ;puma Questioned his commitment to his an. ROCK "I don't think we knew just how far Richie was pushing himself. how close he was getting to the edge." says James. "Right from the early days. Richie was : the chief architect of the idea and philosophy of the band — in fact the original intention was that he'd act as sort of a Minister for Propaganda. more or less the same role Professor Grill fulfills in Public Enemy. "Re couldn't realty ploy at all ut the start. but looked got on stage. to it made sense to hate him there ... but this is a hit too much past tease: he's rejoining the band as soon as he's better." At the moment. Mettle James is in the Rime Lon-don clinic as Simiad O'Connor. having reached a stale or near-anoresia. coupled with sewn: Mayans exhaustion and a two•bot-tles-uf-vodka-a-day habit. rieaQ:'Stte.41.Nra0 114?-1.4/V2;6 •- -0,4gf.« • tbco,' t Ars g.fttntqc. ... The Manic Street Panthers — combustible, eempul5ies new album The CAlltaleS Or his IMAM lour and personal problems were starkly retcalcd in an NAM on-the-road piece in Thailand two months apts. and Richies lyrics on the new album reflect a trou-bled soul. This parlous mental state is most (pronounced on -4s1. 71b.'. a harrowing tsar, of an anorexic which still contains beautiful lines like "I want so walk in the snow.And not leave a foot-print I want to walk in Ow snowiAnd not soil its purity." "Looking at that lyric now I can see what 1w was g ' g through." admits James. "and yet this alhum is. I feel. our most positive musical statenwm. When me recorded Getteration Term-Inv. we didn't really know where we wanted the sound to go. and with Gad elmathai the Sind we nett a bit mu much far the (halal ItOeh reStUre . • • la laVh was mostly my fault. I bate to admit." indeed, with The no& DIM,' the Manic Street Preachers hate honed their always-pointed lyrics and razor-sharp melodies into a combustible. compulsive whole. They eau sun rock like demons and theorise like nobody's business. A perfect modern musical enntradienun ... and you can each them in the Tit eli on October 22. |
