Pillbox
Here is a interview with Susan Hyatt singer, writer, guitar player, producer, founder of Pillbox. Susan left the US to come over to the UK and formed a band with it's own mix of rock, punk emotion. They have already released an album on NYC records (also formed by Susan) and recent single Sterilise Me.
Website: www.pillbox.co.uk
What
are your influences music or otherwise?
Love, Politics,
The Social Climate, Stupidity, Passion, Sex. Musically- Punk, new wave,
goth, glam, grunge.
What
is your band philosophy/motto?
Nothing is impossible, never take no for answer, always convey an opinion, always prove you are right!
Why
did you move over to the UK, has it given you more inspiration with
he contrasts and similarities between here and the USA?
I moved to the UK because I wanted Pillbox to be an international band
with world appeal. British punk rock & new wave led me to London,
& the old days of Camden Palace & the Batcave were too glamorous
& innovative for me not to try and implement in my band. I think
the Britishness of Pillbox is what separates us and all the bland Wheatus
geek-rock bands & nu-metal bands coming out in the States. I am
of Persian origin myself, so no one in my family is American or white
trash. I never had a family member who lived the American cliche of
wearing wife beater t-shirts, driving pick-up trucks carrying a 6 pack
of beer in one hand and a signed picture of the President in another.
I always wanted the sophistication of Echo & The Bunnymen with the
angst of the Pistols.
Do
you find it annoying when you are compared endlessly to certain female
rock/pop stars that shall not be named.
Yeah. At least they
are women I really like musically. It is frustrating because I am so
much my own person and I not a junior Courtney Love or Chrissie Hynde.
I personally have so little in common with them. I would never marry
for status and I have no soft spot for the Kinks. Neither one of these
women ever sang about real political issues like I do on the Pillbox
EP. Courtney was obsessed by being pretty and getting surgery, and Chrissie
sounded like she just wanted to get fucked.
Do
you feel that the Riot Grrrl movement never actually died out? Is it
now time for it to re-emerge with sexism and misogyny now seeming to
be ok with the current crop of nu-metal bands.
The Riot Grrl movement
is still going strong especially with Sleater-Kinney in Olympia. They
are worshipped like goddesses in Seattle and there are many other girl
bands that emulate the same message on the Kill Rockstars label. The
press just got bored of covering it but the scene is still there. I
can't say I'm a part of that scene, as my musically snobbery leaves
me right out of it. These bands have a great message but their music
needs a lot of work. The sexism & misogny has always been there
and who better to lead the movement of idiots but nu-metal juvenille
delinquents. What kills me is the girls who go to these gigs in their
baggy trousers and sing along. Hello? At least in the 80's with bands
like Poison,Whitesnake, WASP & Motley Crue (who I actually like)
the girls were smart enough to know that their only role in this male-dominated
genre of music was to be every inch the bimbo.
What
affect do you think your music has?
I hope it disturbs
some people and makes them think. I really want girls to wake up and
stop dreaming of being models, housewives, mothers, presenters. There
is so much to achieve and women have been intellectually ignored for
years.
Your
lyrics are extremely vivid especially in your new single Sterilise Me.
How important are they to you?
Lyrics are everything
to me. If you don't have anything to say you should shut up. There is
nothing worse than hearing an illiterate butcher our beautiful words.
What
are you future plans gigs and record wise?
We are recording our second album now which should be due for release early next year. The plan is to do another UK Tour starting in October. We might fit in some festival dates in the UK if are not called back to the US.
What
is your number 1 must have?
Information. I want
to know everything.
What
do you hate most about the world?
The Complacent Attitude of giving your life away 40 hours per week to some capitalist who gets rich off of you and all you get is a few lousy weeks of vacation a year, and you breed more kids to follow in your same blind footsteps. Basically contributing nothing to this world and never asking why.
Here are a few who's better questions..........
Cats
or Dogs?
Dogs.
Quincy
or Columbo?
Columbo.
Bruce
Lee or Jackie Chan?
Bruce Lee.
Long
Summer Nights or Cool Spring Mornings?
Long Summer Nights.
Birmingham
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