Pony Pony Pony, June 2005 - Interview with Pillow Talk
It’s a lovely summer’s evening. Well, it’s a bit cold and a bit rainy but it’s summer. We’re in the beer garden of the Sir
John in Nottingham, a deeply civilised sort of beer garden with a big fish tank and some nice trees. Unfortunately the
serenity is about to be shattered with the arrival of James Tall Harmless and Gideon Retch from Pillow Talk. And their
PA Becky.
James is lead vocalist and guitar with Pillow Talk (“I definitely can’t sing at all but for pure entertainment it doesn’t really matter”) and Gideon is drummer (“I can’t really do anything else.”) James is quite tall, and has a slightly generic short dark haired look that makes you certain he’s somebody you went to school with. Gideon’s looking far more metal in a My Dying Bride t-shirt, casually waving long hair and funky beard. Becky looks lovely. James explains the absence of Dave Cheeseman, their keyboard player. “He’s coming from Wollaton on a bus. He loves the public transport thing. But he won’t contribute anything of value…He just talks about internet protocols. Don’t get him started!”
Tonight Pillow Talk are playing at Junktion 7, across the road.
“I’m a bit worried about tonight,” James confesses. “I’ve asked…people if my voice is alright because of this cold and
they’ve all said it’s awful. I might not sing. I’ve brought a recorder. But it’s hard to play a recorder on stage because
you’re used to giving it some welly and recorders don’t like being wellied. I used to be an oboist but the oboe’s not so
cool.
“I’ve been taking a drug cocktail and I feel really weird. I think it’s the nasal drops. It’s the highest I’ve ever been. A bit spaced out…” There’s a slight pause in which his mind rises and falls on an amber sea and rests upon: “when you give up caffeine your life improves. Along with Pilates. We’ve been doing it as a band and reaping the rewards. My arms are slightly longer. [pointing to Gideon] He had short hair. Two weeks of Pilates and no caffeine, you’re laughing.” Gideon looks slightly guilty. He’s drinking something and coke. “It’s caffeine free diet cola,” he lies unconvincingly. At this point Pillow Talk’s Health and Fitness Guru (“I thought I was your financial advisor,”) arrives. He may or may not have just climbed up a mountain to learn martial arts. There’s cheery greetings and talk of York uni. “I’ve batted for both sides,” Gideon confesses. But he’s talking about cricket. Back to James. “We went to a drum workshop recently with Robin Guy from Sack Trick. Do you know him? Fantastic drummer…Robin’s tips, in the voice of Ian St John from Spinal Tap he said ’well, say you’re doing a gig and you have a pint of bitter, or it might be a pint of spirits or water, and you put it down. But there’s a cable there and you spill it because it’s dark…’ we were expecting drum tips and the kids are all going ‘eh?’ Then Robin says ‘I’ve made this,’ and it’s a beer tray which he puts next to his drum kit so his beer doesn’t spill. He’s got a mobile phone holder [on his kit] a drum key on every single drum, he’s a genius! He’s the most well-prepared drummer in rock. “I’m doing a Latvian tuition tape with Chris Dale. I never get anything done so this Latvian project needs a kick up the arse. He’s going out with a Latvian girl and my Dad’s Latvian. So that’s the Latvian connection. I’ve got some genuine Latvian tuition tapes from Latvia so we’ll see how it goes. Though I’m a bit worried I’ll listen to them, fall asleep and wake up a smoker. Ugh…I need some downers to combat the nasal drops!” James thinks for a moment then offers some words of wisdom. “It’s funny how good you can get at something when you weren’t good at it when you started and you don’t really do anything. It’s true. Say, for instance, Gideon was in a band and he’s never really played drums much and the band were crap, for instance. Not that he is in a crap band. He’s in two really good bands. Well, one really good band. But he’d get really good at drums. That’s how it works.” At this point Christian Smooth, tall man extraordinaire turns up with Sack Trick’s Spiritual Advisor and their Dolphin Trainer. “Don’t ask Christian Smooth any questions,” James advises. “He’s Scandinavian and he won’t understand anything.” The conversation moves to other members of the band. “Doctor Roland Parker works at Mansfield A&E and he’s a Gyne. A gynaecologist. He’s a genuine doctor. We use A&E in our songs a lot because it’s very easy to rhyme. E. Lee. There’s a song right there! That and we’re all doctors.” At this point Christian Smooth blows his cover by speaking English. “What time are we on tonight?” “You can’t speak English,” James reminds him. “Maybe we’re all speaking in tongues. That’ll be it.”
“We spend as much time on image as we do on song writing!” James confesses. “That’s about ten minutes,” Gideon adds. “I’m a bit worried tonight,” James tells us. ”I’ve got a metal style wig in honour of Reuben [Gotto, shiny haired guitar bloke,] and I’m worried people are gonna say ‘why is that man in a stupid wig who can’t sing trying to play the guitar?’” He changes tack. “Now Gideon, he’s concerned with image. You go to his other bands website, Hydrous.com, and have a look at him. He’s got this dark hat on. He looks like the reaper! He’s got his hand reaching out to the camera. That’s image.” In response Gideon looks all the more endearingly sweet. “He’s trying to communicate the depth of his soul and stuff like that,” James explains. “Now in Hollywood you have to believe in something or you’re seen as a plastic show biz wannabe. Scientologists believe all manner of insane things but Tom Cruise isn’t insane, he’s a product of his environment. I tell you what though, that Katie Holmes I saw her in Batman…thing…” “Begins.” Gideon tells him. “Batman Begins and she’s jowly. She’s got my cheeks. In ten years time I’m gonna look like one of those basset hounds with the droopy cheeks. And she’s gonna look like Reginald Perrin.” “The bald head...” Gideon’s getting in to this. “Yeah, the bald head, beard, drooping shoulders. But it will be alright because Tom will have paid for plastic surgery by then.” “Or he’ll have left her for a younger model as seems to happen every two years.” Gideon you cynic!
James is keen to show that there is nothing sordid about Pillow Talk lyrics.
“Farmyard Girl is all down to your interpretation,” he explains. “It’s about a girl with a long face. Isn’t it?”
“A girl with a long face who gets shagged by a horse?” Gideon suggests.
“No! There’s nothing nasty about it. ‘I thought you liked girls clearly you like something else instead.’ Maybe she
means women. That would be less deviant.”
Unlike all the things you can find on the internet. James is surprisingly knowledgeable about fan fiction.
“That’s when you’ve got Star Wars, no it’s usually Star Trek, and it’s all sexual stuff. Kirk has sex with Spock usually,
isn’t it? It’s usually homosexual stuff so, say, Gideon Retch brushed up against Dave Cheeseman and felt a thrill go
through his body. At which point Cheeseman said ‘are you going to come back to mine for some drumming practise?’ Then
Gideon said ‘are you offering something else?’ Cheeseman said ‘well, of course!’ Then later on we find out something
else had happened. If someone else had written that I’d love it! If I was involved I don’t know if I’d like it so much.
I don’t want to get involved with any of the naughty stuff”
With impeccable timing Dave Cheeseman, keyboardist and birthday boy turns up.
“Is there cake?” he asks eagerly.
There is. He seems happy.
“You’ve missed all the sexual deviancy!” James complains. “You know all about that because you’re always on the
internet with your SLL and talking in tags.”
“I’ve been sorting stuff out across the road [at the venue,]” Cheeseman explains.
“Oh good,” James seems relieved. “So we’re not playing anymore?”
Conversation moves onto public transport (how it made Cheeseman late,) presents and the amalgam of the two in pogo sticks.
“I’ve always found pogo sticks very disappointing,” James moans. “When you were a kid, before you got one you thought
you’d be jumping over hedges and stuff. Boing! A real life Zebedee! What you get is a mechanical disaster. You have to do
the work yourself.”
“I prefer spacehoppers,” Cheeseman says thoughtfully.
“I like pogo sticks.” Gideon balks the trend.
“Ah, Gideon’s a risk taker!” Cheeseman says. “No seat belts…”
“I think we should go for half and half,” James decides. “A few of each.”
And then the conversation moves to money. Specifically sponsorship from a company selling child-killing toys.
James is most enthusiastic.
“Why not? If it came down to it, if it’s the toys or the extra pint then you’ve got to look out for number one.
If Cheeseman was into land mines we’d let him bring them to gigs. But we just say that to keep him away from internet
protocols. And Gideon. That’s disgusting Cheeseman! Not that I’m homophobic.“
“He does go gay bashing though,” Cheeseman grins. “In the Beatrix Potter sense.”
“Yeah, I can’t stand people being happy. We’re miserablists really.”
“We’d better go and feed Heart2Harte (bassist),” Cheeseman decides.
“Yeah. If you don’t get some food inside him he goes mental.” James looks nostalgic. “He’s a great bassist though,
even without the wigs. He could go out in his birthday suit and people would still love him. Maybe they’d love him
more…He does go insane though. Come midnight he’ll smash the place up if we don’t give him Chinese…”
And off they go to feed their bassist.
By Karen Duncan
BBCi Nottingham, January 2004 - Interview with Daniel Cheeseboard
What's the most number of bands you've played in?
I currently play in 5…and that's about the most so far. Pillow Talk, Fat Digester, Sack Trick and Twin Zero (keyboards) and The Deltarays (drums).
How difficult is it flitting from one band to another - do you ever get your set lists mixed up?
The most difficult thing is going to all the practices. I often learn a set from a tape and then just turn up for a quick rehearsal before a gig. I rarely get set lists mixed up but sometimes you find that you've completely forgotten a song that you've known for ages. I sometimes think information gets pushed out of your head as you learn new stuff!
Can you make a decent living playing in different bands?
It depends. I used to play in a covers band who aimed at the wedding and corporate circuit. If you can get it right, this can bring in lots of money. But you have to be willing to play things like "Hi Ho Silver Lining" three nights a week, give up your social life and invest a bit of your own money on equipment, transport and publicity. Playing original music often only covers your expenses and buys a pint of beer….but then there is always the chance that you make it big…and then you 'll be on champagne and limos!
How often do you find yourself playing a gig in one venue then dashing to another?
I've only done this a couple of times. I'm more often found playing in two different bands on the same night, in the same venue. For example, I played keyboards for Pillow Talk and Fat Digester last Saturday.
Ever missed a gig because of this?
Nope….I'm far too organised for that! (haha). I reckon it's only a matter of time.
What happens if two of your bands are booked in different venues on the same date at the same time. Where are your loyalties?
That's a tricky one. The main reason I do this is to have a good time so, given a choice, I often pick the gig that will be the most fun. However, if one gig will cost lots of money in travel then I quite often will knock that on the head and stick to a local gig. You do have certain loyalties to bands as well. In Pillow Talk, I do a lot of songwriting, so I'm generally quite keen to play with them when I can.
Wouldn't you rather concentrate on making a success of one band?
In some ways, yes, but in order to do this, you need to do a lot of sitting around and waiting for other people to make decisions, learn songs, etc, etc. I'd rather be playing for other bands while they do that! You quite often find that you are in a band with a bunch of people who aren't as committed as you are, even though they are only in one band themselves. They have day jobs and families which are more important. So, I'd rather not put all my eggs in one basket when someone could turn around and say "I've got a promotion from shelf stacker to manager so I'm leaving the band".
How many multi-band members do you reckon there are in Notts? Is it like being in your own special group?
Well…Fat Digester is rammed full of them. There are also a few guys from the more successful Nottingham bands who spread themselves around. Si Hutchby (former Earthtone9 drummer), plays for three bands that I know of (Twin Zero, Splint and Tarpot). Karl Middleton (former Earthtone9 singer) now sings with The Blueprint as well as Twin Zero. You tend to find that the talented musicians get asked to do lots of gigs…and that's why they're in so many bands.
Given the multi-skilled aspect of these members, ever thought of pooling your resources and forming a super group?
This does happen (see Fat Digester again), but generally it only works when the original ideas are great. This is why you often find that the main member of a band has only one project….one which they put all of their creative talent into. The multi-band people are often there just to put the meat on the bones and play the live shows. It's just a direct reflection of what happens on the professional circuit. A lot of Sack Trick members are session musicians. Chris Dale (Sack Trick bass player), does Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) live shows and Alex Dickson (Sack Trick guitarist) has played for Bruce Dickinson, Robbie Williams, Emma Bunton and, more recently, Ronan Keating! I think that myself and other multi-band musicians are just mirroring this on a local level... a bit like underground session musicians.
Unsigned Showcase Magazine, Issue 2, November 2002 - Interview with James Tall/Harmless
website
Thought behind name?
What's the most confusing, embarrassing, lounge-jazz-smoking-jacket-beard-stroking name we could come up with? "Dream Theater" was already taken.
Length of time together?
Starter in 1999 as a four piece, been adding new members like the So Solid Crew ever since.
Influences?
Individually our influences vary wildly from death metal to Broadway show tunes, collectively we probably agree on Zappa, The Eurovision Song Contest, P Funk, Derek and Clive, Spinal Tap, Alan Partridge.
Demo CD?
We hear positive things from people who are inclined to like what we are doing. People who are opposed to a band having a laugh with music and regard popular music as something sacred generally keep quiet.
Internet Importance?
The Internet is a useful tool for giving people a place to comment on your gigs and read about what we're doing next. Also, as most venues have web pages now it's easy to trawl through and pick up email addresses and phone numbers for contacting promoters about possible gigs. See 12.
How often together?
Since we're all based in different parts of England it's not all that often we all get together. If we have a series of gigs coming up we'll rehearse as a band a few times beforehand. Some of us get together more frequently to share ideas and write stuff.
George Michael, musicians in politics, agree/disagree?
There was a lot written about how George Michael should keep out of politics. Pillow Talk could certainly one day become a political party but there'd be arguments about who would be at the helm. I think drummer Gideon Retch would be Leader; all the rest would be Ministers for Health and Education. We'd be a fresh air party, lots of loose fitting clothes and badminton games, guided by an Iron-Fisted Dictatorship Policy for Rule. Retch would drive the people wild with his lispy delivery and saucy military uniform.
Our Sound?
Swings between cheesey lounge jazz and cop show funk rock via everything else, often without stopping.
Happy to play without a record deal?
Most people would say it would be good to have a deal since it adds a huge slice of legitimacy and kudos to your band. However, if you can produce a CD when you want to with cash you've made from gigs you've arranged yourselves and don't mind doing your own publicity, you're more or less doing what signed bands do, albeit with 1 per cent of the exposure and possibly less pressure to work for anything apart from your own enjoyment. We're ok with the second scenario as it fits the level of commitment we can afford at the moment.
Underage Shows?
Yes, we'd play to underage audiences, though the act would have to be toned down a bit. The part where drummer Gideon Retch announces that he is "Absolutely ready to make love" and invites an audience member up onto stage for kisses and such like, that bit would probably go.
Video?
We continuously think about making videos. We have one called "Gideon Retch goes on Holiday" which is about our drummer going on holiday. In fact, the title is pretty misleading because he never leaves the house and is only in a couple of scenes. He gets genuinely surprised in the last scene when a burly man bursts in and pulls his holiday trousers down.
We have a live video on our second CD, which was a free gift from Cube Media studios in return for us playing their launch gig. In fact, we would love to make a music video. I'd watch it non stop.
Effective tool for promotion?
Without doubt, the internet and email have been incredible tools for obtaining gigs and advertising them. We sell our CDs over internet and email and have got plenty of reviews from internet sites. We'll mail a list of friends, fans and industry contacts before a series of gigs. Previously, bands would have relied on posters, postal mail and word of mouth, which incidentally are still essential tools for getting your gigs publicised and CDs heard.
We have a few songs up on sites like MP3.com and vitaminic, that's good if people want to check out what you sound like, but you should really make sure your best stuff is up on those places and keep updating, which takes some time and effort.
Advice to unsigned bands?
If you're rubbish, no one except maybe your friends will want to see you, so practice and get tight. Don't play your local venues to death, get gigs further afield and leave reasonable lengths of time between them. Put yourselves about a bit.
Whisperin' & Holerrin' Webzine, July 2005 - Review of 'Criminal Conviction'
Whether or not you consider PILLOW TALK witty and divertingly subversive or annoying and unfunny is made a more difficult decision by the virtuosity of their playing and the pleasure to be derived from their diverse song-writing. At times you wonder why they’ve decided to opt for such a jokey manner when playing with a straight bat may well leave many listeners feeling more satisfied.
No matter. All manner of genres get thrown into the PILLOW TALK repertoire. The opening track (‘Gloves’) of their latest album ‘Criminal Conviction’ comes across like a Simply Red pastiche while ‘Riding On My Bike’ sounds like Booker T mixing it up with The Faces. ‘Muddin Thuddin Bike’/’The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’ is a melange of Meddle-era Floyd, Do Me Bad Things, Focus and killer Heavy Metal riffs with about half a dozen other musical ideas: shouldn’t work but it does.
‘Dr Roland Parker vs. The Defibrillator – Part 2’ would make 10CC proud while ‘She’s My Wife’ sounds like a reggae/dub inflected The Bees. By the time ‘Dr.Allbran’ (a comical revision of Dr. Albarn’s ‘It’s My Life’ with a touch of Five) comes around you may as well give up guessing what treats are left in store. For the record last track ‘Song For Peace’ is a sea-shanty in the vein of Neil Innes. There’s a hidden track but you can decide for yourselves who it is they’re riffing on that one.
Unremittingly shite or inspiringly daft, depending on your mood: a visit to their website (sample quote regarding the marriage of the band’s drummer: “It was an emotional event, even the cake was in tiers”) or a play around with the interactive CD-ROM may help you make up your mind. (7/10 stars)
RoomThirteen Webzine, June 2005 - Review of 'Criminal Conviction'
Described as 'jazz pop rockers' this is Pillow Talk's third album and the follow up to 2002's 'Painful Love'.
I'm really not sure what to make of this album, in places the musicianship is very impressive, particularly on
'The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea', which blends heavier distorted guitars with mellow falsetto vocals and quirky
SOAD moments. In other places it's all a bit stupid! Opening track 'Gloves' is unsurprisingly a song about
er ... gloves! It's mildly amusing and clearly tongue in cheek but therein lies the problem. The vast majority
of this record is intended to be humorous and whilst there are some good song structures ('Muddin' Thuddin' Bike'
for one) the lyrics aren't funny, just amusing at best. This all makes it very hard to work out exactly where
Criminal Conviction are coming from and virtually impossible to work out where they want to go.
Musically it ranges from jazz to prog rock to indie and reggae. Although you could argue the case for variety,
by the end it all gets a bit boring. 'Song For Peace' as the last official track is an acoustic acid folk affair
that has potential but the lyrics are awful and I'm losing interest. There is the bonus of a secret track (if you
get that far) which sounds like it was lifted straight from Tenacious D.
A real mish mash affair with some competent musicianship and occasional very good song, but overall it just doesn't
work as a package and has little interest beyond limited comedy value (6/13).
By Andrew Latham
Sandman Magazine, May 2005 - Review of 'Criminal Conviction'
They have described themselves as sounding like 'cheesy lounge jazz and cop show funk rock via everything else,
often without stopping' which is probably a good start. Throw in the likes of Funkadelic, Galliano, trippy sixties
strangeness, ragamuffin, country torch songs, a bit of prog, Frank Zappa and Dr Alban (yes, that Dr Alban,
now rechristened Dr Allbran) and you have a pretty good idea of what this lot sound like. Or maybe not. I'm
sure you're confused, but trust me, I think that's the idea. Any band which throw in a snippet of the Doctor
Who theme into a very cheesy tongue in cheek cover of Dr Alban have to be saluted. This is the sound of a talented
bunch of musicians having a ball. They're clearly happy to pilfer any musical genre if it suits their needs - quite
what their needs are I haven't as yet figured out, but I'm sure there's a logic here somewhere. This is music that
raises a smile but manages to rise above the cheap laughs. Although a reggae song about the name Steve and the
description of a time machine made out of cardboard boxes and gaffa tape made me laugh, my ear was just as much
on the great vocalising in the background. This album is awash with sumptuous harmonies and incredibly tight playing.
It's such a cliché but this album is a blast of fresh air. It's not pretentious, it's not full of self-importance,
it's just a damn good time. It's a bit like being at a party with Frank Zappa jamming away in the corner - you don't
know what's coming next but you know it's going to be bizarre, slightly askew and oddly enjoyable. Splendid.
By Paul Binnion
Drowned In Sound E-zine, April 2003 - Review of 'Painful Love'
Mud slide for a joyride, drop my pants before I look around / drop rocks on my sunblock...tough search for a good rhyme".
If only Lee, Duncan and the other two had met Pillow Talk twelve months ago then 'Fly By' might have been one of the most intentionally comical moments in pop history instead of three and a half minutes of hollow indigenous So Solid roleplaying.
If Neil Innes had got together with the members of Half Man Half Biscuit some twenty five years ago and decided to compose ditties in a jazzy lounge-cum-disco style rather than write ironic monologues about urban spacemen, you may just start to get an idea of what Pillow Talk are about, except that a song like 'Party Round And Round Brackets (Party Upside Down)' would probably have had more to do with John Travolta and gold medallions in 1978 than the obvious S Club's 'Don't Stop Movin'' parody that it’s intended to be today.
'Painful Love' is actually Pillow Talk's second album, following on from 2001's 'Purely Platonic', and boasts a surreal collection of sarcastic rants that would give Chris TT a run for his money such as the aforementioned Blue and S Club send-ups as well as the humorous if slightly tasteless 'British', which likens the Mason society to the BNP!
Interspersed with spoken word couplets like 'Eurovision', where a bloke with a badly put on Irish accent declares that it’s the first time he's ever seen Germany give Great Britain 10 points, or 'King Of The One Liners', which features a Roy "Chubby" Brown soundalike telling some of the worst 'jokes' ever known to man (Sample: "I was at the pub the other day, where I met this bird / I asked her, 'Are you game?' She said 'Aye', so I shot her!"), means that ultimately 'Painful Love' may not be to everyone's liking.
Nevertheless, before you reach for the sick bag, let's examine the wider picture. Pillow Talk may harbour some deeply hidden Stan Boardman fascination, but at the same time their freestyle approach is a breath of fresh air in what is set to become another summer of pomposity thanks to the unlistenable dross messrs Yorke and Albarn are about to unleash on our already overstrained eardrums.
3 out of 5 stars
by Dom Gourlay
I fuggin love this band. They rock so much I can’t think of anything to say. Teachers should play this stuff to the kids, no matter what they teach. With a smooth voice that Huey from Fun Lovin Criminals would envy given the chance this CD is full of great sounding funky music, and shot funny lyrics. This has quickly become my fave CD in months and now takes pride of place in the player when I’m getting ready to go out. It’s that sort of music that just makes you feel great, even as you fail to replicate the vocal skills in the shower.
Whenever this CD is on I can’t help the smile spreading across my face, it’s just so great. Track 1 Painful Love is just so smooth you have to slide around the front room, and the surprise that waits for you in the middle of the song is basically genius. Dr Parker vs. the defibrillator is also great, with more of an impact on the volume than Painful Love, and a lot more rocky. Actually I’m not going to go on about the songs, it would take to long. Let me just say that Farmyard Girl is a funy tale about being in love with a 7 foot farmyard girl, an My Car is sublime. Sounding like Hotel California My Car is the tale of one mans love for his white escort. Brilliant. In the biog. I received from this band they call themselves a comedy band, despite laughing with them I thought they were much more than this. YOU MUST CHECK THIS BAND OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!by Dhan Whitelock
HERE: Magazine, May 2002 - Review of 'Painful Love'
The bizarre lounge-core comedy of Pillow Talk has arrived once again, with more of the same nonsense and belly laughs. From title track Painful Love (‘love comes in many different flavours…’) through the multiple key-changes of Eurovision piss-take ‘Teach The Kids To Love’ and Rocky Horror-esque ‘Dr Roland Parker Vs. The Defibrillator’ the music is superbly tight, the surreal comedy constant. As with their debut album ‘Purely Platonic’, the tracks are interspersed with an array of spoken comedy characters and skits, and the CD’s highlight is without doubt the hilarious Weird Al Yankovic meets S-Club 7 disco-pop hit ‘Party Round and Round Brackets (Party Upside Down)’. Catchy to the point of madness, you’ll be singing it for weeks. AND there’s a live video on the CD too.
BBCi North Yorkshire, May 2002 - Review of 'Purely Platonic'
Pillow Talk have been around in York for a couple of years. Originally formed to provide jazzy accompaniments to beat poets in York, they prove you just can't keep a good band down Pillow Talk are somehow different to most other bands in the area. In fact I don't think I've ever heard anyone else quite like them.
The bands sound isn't really original, but their style certainly is. It's not very often you hear the Eurythmics "Sweet dreams" played with a cool jazz swing complete with guitar melodies from "Summer holiday". Their original material is tremendously entertaining with some lyrics so bizarre that you're left wondering how they get away with it.
There's no doubting that they do get away with it. They pull it off brilliantly and you're left smiling just thinking about the sheer lunacy of it all. There's a school of thought that says, if you're going to play a cover, change it from the original.
I never imagined that the Eastenders theme tune could be entertaining. Not to mention the theme from Star Wars and Blind Date. They're all musically confident enough to mess around with songs and have a great time.Described by :here magazine as "York's funniest band" they don't fail to entertain. Well worth seeing live, Pillow Talk should be at a venue near you soon.
:HERE Magazine, November 2001 - Review of 'Purely Platonic'
Recorded using their winnings from York University Battle of the Bands, "Purely Platonic" shows Pillow Talk in all their piss taking glory. These boys don't seem to be able to take anything seriously, least of all themselves. Imagine Derek and Clive with fantastic cabaret cheese-band capabilities and you're getting close. A wurlitzer organ bastardisation of Star Wars, a song about a Ford Escort, and the Eastenders theme tune sit alongside Weird-Al-Yankovic versions of Sweet Dreams (seemingly the East European Jazz-Lounge Swing Remix), Come as You Are, and a superbly irreverent live recording of the inventively titled "Blind Date". This is not an album that you'd put on to impress your mates with your impeccable musical tastes. It IS however, a VERY funny listen, and instantly puts a smile on your face. Pillow Talk are a bunch of rather talented musicians who take an extremely different approach to making music. They recently rocked York University's "Access All Areas" event, and sold out of the CDs they had on sale within five minutes of finishing their set. Worth every penny of the £4 price tag, and available from their website: www.pillowtalkweb.co.uk.
It would perhaps be going too far to describe tonight's headliners Pillowtalk as "a joke band", although any collection of musicians from such diverse backgrounds as easy listening, electronic engineering and death metal (are these mutually exclusive?) it is occasionally difficult to see how this band can exist in the current climate of nu-metal seriousness and experimental pretension.
Still, if there is a joke, Pillow Talk are damned well going to make sure it's a funny one, packing the stage with no fewer than three drummers (most of whom swap with various "planted" audience members throughout the night), singing songs about Ford Escorts, death metal drummers and life support equipment. The level of musical competency on display is also impressive, since- despite the apparent mayhem on the overcrowded stage - every song is note and beat perfect, even such clearly (hopefully?) improvised madness as "Blind Date" (with its withering refrain, "Blind date, blind date, Blind date, BLIND DATE…").
Veering from their so-called "easy listening" roots into grunge, jazz, rap and full-on metal madness, Pillow Talk remain a bit of an enigma, consummate entertainers playing a brand of music which, despite its laid-back, dulcit tones, is bizarrely far more rebellious than any of the latest configurations of wailing guitars and screaming vocals.
York's music scene remains something of a beacon at the moment, displaying a variety of original and highly competent local acts with serious potential. Let's hope that the array of Nottingham's finest musicians who showed up to watch this gig were taking notes.
Mark Freestone
This was my first show at Junktion 7, and one that I had been waiting for months now, due totally to the undeniable talent of PillowTalk.
Before you read any further ask yourself what you want from a band that does covers. If it's a musically perfect rendition of your favourite songs then don't go and watch PillowTalk. If, however, like me you enjoy both laughing and music you need to check them out. Nirvana's "comes as you are", Craig David's (originally dreadful) "7 Days", the Eurhythmics "Sweet Dreams" and even MC Hammer's "You can't touch this" all got the PillowTalk magic, sounding less like they were intended and more like the Fun Lovin' Criminals playing to a relaxed room at the old people's home. I've never laughed so much at a gig WITH the band.
PillowTalk's own songs were equally as good as those they re-worked, Painful Love, Dr Roland Parker and Mouth music stuck out as the best. Considering how complex the music is the timing was perfect, even when the bass player hugged the guitarist and played the guitar, while the guitarist hugged the bass player and played the bass (you really have to see it to appreciate it). Please put this mag. in your pocket right now and go and find PillowTalk. Get you hands on any recordings you can and find out when they are playing next.
Dhan Whitelock
Anybody in an unsigned band will tell you: performing is a hard task offering distant, unlikely rewards. Being judged a 'funny' comedian, too, depends on the collective point of view of everyone you're standing in front of. Neither discipline is rocket science; they're both more difficult than that. So why some people attempt to combine the two and form a comedy rock band is on one hand a testament to humanity's endeavours in the face of impossible odds and on another a sign of ludicrous insanity.
That said, Pillow Talk take to the task like ducks to orange sauce. Dressed suitably for comedy (singer James Tall [/Harmless] seems to wear his old school uniform and drummer Gideon Retch wears a wig that makes him look like a Beastie Boy), they nail their colours to the mast with their opening number; a Jimmy Hendrix-style rendition of the national anthem that seques into the cool lounge jazz that makes up the majority of their set. This sound lends itself easily to comedy as their Corduroy-esque take on Nirvana's 'Come as you are' proves, meaning they're never having to try too hard to get the laughs.
It's difficult to see Lynyrd Skynyrd as anything but funny, too - take 'Bad Moon Rising', add lyrics about white Ford Escorts and you've got yourself a gag. It's this realisation that certain songs already contain a degree of piss to be extracted that means percussionist Christian Smooth [I think they mean Rodney Plotter who appeared at this gig!! - PTWeb ed] can perform a cowbell solo as if it was the most natural thing for the song to contain.
The highlight of the set comes with the arrival of a sixth member clad in surgical mask and overalls. Acting as the perfect clown to Tall[/Harmless]'s deadpan straightman, he steals the show in a song borrowing heavily from camp sci-fi Queen theme 'Flash'. There's also a homage to the daddies of all comedy rockers with a rendition of Spinal Tap's 'GSM'.
If you don't like comedy bands, Tap are as good a band to blame as any. But you'd be missing out on some good entertainment. I can't think of any occasion that would not be livened up by Pillow Talk - the proverbial weddings, parties, bar mitzvahs, and certainly balls.
Greenbank Music Club, 28th October 2001The evening kicked off with Char and Andy (vocals and guitar) playing Tori Amos’ “Winter”, before the irrepressible ‘Pillow Talk’ took over for the rest of the first half. James Tall/Harmless (an ex-student of Doog’s) front the York University graduate band with amusing banter between (& sometimes during) songs for which he provides guitar & vocals. Daniel Cheeseboard (yes, they’re wonderful names, aren’t they?!) plays Keys and sings, Jonathan Heart-2-Harte is on bass and backing vocals & Gideon Retch drums with panache & adds even more backing vocals (at times a veritable barber shop 4 part harmony)!
The band played some songs from their “Purely Platonic” CD, starting with “Star Wars”, a song given a typical Pillow Talk treatment, - musically tight with clever & often funny lyrics.
The harmonies shone in “The World of Gideon Retch" (I think they mean “Mouth Music” here – PTweb editor), the drummer himself wearing a LOUD shirt and strange wig (the beard and moustache were his own apparently, & the words were updated to include a reference to “Doog Moody’s homebrew”.
“My Car” extrolled the virtues (real or imagined) of a white ford escort car complete with falsetto and catchy chorus, while Daniel Cheeseboard’s “Crazy Days & Lazy Nites” features a zany time change almost into a 2-step. The words of Spinal Tap’s “Gimmie Some Money” included some topical references e.g. I’m Michael Barrymore, welcome to my swimming pool, while “Painful Love” was funky with a Zappa-esque singing style and an interesting rap by Daniel Cheeseboard.
The last 2 songs, “I’d Like To Teach The Children To Love” and a swing time version of the Eurithmics’ “Sweet Dreams” were dubiously funny and showed off the quintessential Pillow Talk musical dexterity & lyrical-adapting irreverence that makes them such a wonderful band.
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Headliners are Pillow Talk, one of the most successful bands to recently originate from BoB fame, selling their 300th Purely Platonic CD at this gig. The band need no introduction, amusing a crowd who seem to know their set surprisingly well with shouts of “Stone Henge!” occurring mid-song. Pillow Talk are accomplished entertainers and manage to amuse almost wherever they play. Tonight they too introduce two relatively new songs to their repertoire: Painful Love and Doctor Roland Parker vs The Defibrillator, incorporating the rapping skills of “Daniel Cheeseboard” and guitar acrobatics from “James Tall/Harmless” and “ Dr Roland Parker” himself, to great mirth. Meanwhile the vocal talents of a certain bass-playing “skin care specialist” elicit a repeated whooping and squealing from the female portion of the audience. Whilst this group have their critics, it is rare for a band to hold so many people’s attention and simultaneously make so many people leave with odd smiles on their faces, but Pillow Talk succeed in doing so repeatedly. With a new EP planned for the summer we can look forward to a new round of hilarity, dry wit and attention grabbing drumming from Europe’s finest easy-listening beat combo (alleged!).
Laura Cooper