After 26 years only one original member of the Wonder Stuff
remains, lead singer Miles Hunt has stayed a constant throughout the bands
varied history that includes a break-up in 1994, a reunion in 2000 and the
death of two members. Prior to the release of their seventh album and short
tour we spoke to Miles Hunt about the bands line-up history, how he performed
whilst being miserable and not owning a TV.
You are going on tour
with Pop Will Eat Itself and Jesus Jones, what do you like about those two
bands?
I think there is a spirit shared between the three bands
that we don’t muck about, there is very little in the way of subtleties within
the three bands. It’s obvious what we are trying to do and that’s put a rocking
tune over in a pretty forceful way.
As a band you have
had lots line-up problems for 25 years, how have the changes affected the band?
It’s not been problems really, it’s been getting rid of some
spare fat and each time the line up changes have occurred the band gets a kick
up the arse and a bit of new life into it so for me it’s great. We’ve not been
the only ones, there have been a lot of bands that I have been influenced by
over the years that have had constantly changing line-ups, the Cure, the
Waterboys, the Cult, there are loads of them. Not everyone’s cut out for the
long haul, it’s been my baby since ‘86 and I’ve yet to think of anything I
would prefer spending my life putting my efforts into. As each member has left
it’s either been because they don’t feel it anymore or they have found
something else they want to do with their life and each time somebody new has
come in its given it a new energy and certainly the line-up that we have now is
the best we have ever had.
Do you think the band
has an independent existence or is it dependant on you?
Well I’m the thread really that’s been there since the
beginning, I’ve always been the principle songwriter. Pretty soon into it we
were doing regular interviews with the press in the late 80’s and it was always
me that got pushed forward by our pr’s and so I suppose mine has been the
constant face of the band.
