Newspaper Page Text
Page.12
Jktgpulr ifttgasine
October 30, 1991
Doug’s Lament
I feel for the Connells. Tied to an insane record contract
to TVT, they just can't get things rolling along strong enough
to push them over the edge. Personally, I think they’ie as
good as any pop band out there these days and deserve
to be recognized for the four finely crafted albums they've
released over the years.
/ had interviewed vocalist Doug MacMillan a few years
ago in Orlando at a Chinese restaurant. It was an experi
ence rarely repeated and a lot of fun. This time around Doug
called from his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. The
Connells will be playing the Georgia Theatre two nights,
Oct 4 and 5. Label mates, Seven Simons, will be opening.
Peele Wimberly, drummer; David Connell, bass; Mike
Connell, guitars/vocals; and George Huntley on guitars/vo
cals/keyboards make up the rest of the band
Doug MacMillan: In a nutshell we are trying to
get off TVT. Which is a necessity if you want to do this
job.
Flagpole: The last time we talked, you said that
your contract was for seven albums.
DM: Yeah, it’s a nightmare. We've finally got some
grounds for getting something done. You wouldn’t be
lieve the shit they've done. Anyone involved with them
like Nine Inch Nails are doing the exact same thing
FP: Why is that? It seems Nine Inch Nails has a good
following
DM: They are really good at generating a lot oi
exposure at dance clubs playing them, whereas we
rely a lot on our record company for resources. You’d
be supnsed at how well a band does when the
company takes care of that headache. I think the mam
problem is the head of the company is really arrogant
and he doesn’t treat people well. He has probably
alienated a lot of people in the business and it makes
it hard for any band associated with him to make it.
FP: I know that Sioux Z [publicist] left
DM: Yeah everyone's left. We decided that we aren't
going to do another album for them. It’s that bad.
Either we go someplace else or we don’t do this
anymore.
FP: I know that you went to Wales to record One
Simple Word. Did you get to play over there?
DM: We played about 3 shows in London and
recorded our album. But noone knew who we were.
FP: They must play your music over there.
DM: Well no because TVT unlike other labels did not
pursue a release because the guy is such a hardass that
anything that might cost money he won't do. I don’t mean
to rag on this so much but that’s just the way it is. But I'm
happy because now it’s to the point where we will actually
be able to get off the label. It's just ridiculous. We went out
West in January and loved it. It's like you’re walking on
stage and you feel a bit like an alien. We played pretty small
places with no one there. But the last time out ‘‘Stone Cold
Yesterday" got a lot of radio play in San Francisco and L A
so when we played a couple of places it was packed We
couldn't believe it. We went up to Vancouver and Victoria
and there were about 25 people at the show. It was fun.
FP: I remember the show in Orlando. ..[a fight broke out in
the audience and George jumped in to break it up and got
punched]
then
DM: Oh that was awful.
FP: I never thought of The Connells as a slam dance band!
DM: That was ridiculous. But that had to do with the set up
of the theatre. There were five bands that night and every
one was drunk and hot by the time we got onstage and it got
out of control. We have shows all over the country though
where people start slam dancing.
FP: It's very strange because your music isn't at all like
that.
DM: I know it's weird. Some of the songs are fast but they
are still pop.
FP: On your last tour you ended the shows with that Bon
Jovi song That was hilarious!
DM: Yeah some people didn’t get it that when we do that
song, it's a joke, and they get mad.
FP: What ever happened with the Burt Bacharach cover
song album?
DM: Another TVT thing. We were recording an album un
der the name of April Fools with the Blackgirls and releas
ing it on Mammoth. We got it recorded and all set to go
when TVT wouldn’t let George and I be on it. Can you
imagine that?
FP: Hold on to it...
DM: Well hopefully when we get out of this shit we’ll be able
to do stuff like that. What really annoys me is...think of the
other people in the April Fool’s band who have no affiliation
at all and that sucks.
FP: Maybe he was thinking of the money he wouldn't be
making
DM: Yeah but I don't think that it would have sold that much.
I mean it couldn’t.
FP: That's too bad, because I was looking forward to hear
ing it.
DM: Yeah I was too. It's really neat because it’s so basic
It’s straight forward. Piano, acoustic guitar, some electric
guitar. We wanted to get Burt Bacharach to write liner notes
on it. But he called us and said that he liked it but couldn’t
do anything on it because of his contract. That happened
because he used to get bands sending him stuff all the time
and he didn’t want to deal with it anymore, so he had this
written up. I can’t blame him. A friend of mine met him and
he told him he liked the stuff. That’s so cool to have him like
something we did.
FP: You shot the video for “Get a Gun "here in A thens... Lance
Williams, a local filmmaker, worked on the video and got a
bunch of film in payment.
DM: Yeah I know Lance. It’s funny because we were going
to shoot that in Arizona but it fell through and. Once again
TVT said, "no you are going to shoot it in Atlanta." Oh, so
much typical bullshit. The flight for the director would
have cost an extra $20 or something like that. But a
good friend of mine did it, John Schultz. He's actually
the one that got me in this band.
FP: Well. I hope everything works out for you...
DM: Yeah, I’m not worried about it or anything. The
ultimate end is to not be affiliated with them at all and
that’s all I care about. I don’t want to have that guy, I
don't like being responsible for having my name on a
contract that he owns. I think it’ll work out either way
FP: A local Athens band just signed with them. .
DM: Seven Simons We just did a bunch of shows with
them out in the Midwest. I guess their manager talked
to our manager and he said, "don’t do it, don’t sign
with them."
FP: They did anyway.
DM: It's funny, because while we were on tour they got
a copy of the video that TVT had re-edited and all this
shit, and they were like, “oh man..." Yeah, deja vu
FP: Only time will tell how they 'll fare...OnOne Simple
Word, you got Hugh Jones to produce...
DM: He worked with The Saints and some other
bands and so we had some friends in Dumptruck
who worked with him and we were all into Echo and the
Bunnymen, you know, when Echo and the Bunnymen
had their second album out...he's great, he’s cool, we
had a great time. It was great to be in Wales. The
Pogues were there while we were recording.
FP: Did you tour around any, go to the pubs?..
DM: Oh yeah. I went fishing a lot. It’s really just amazing
there
FP: I love how they still do the news shows in Welsh...
DM: Oh, it’s a weird language, there are no vowels. It’s all
a bunch of consonants thrown together. I think it’s.. .there's
a part in France or Belgium where they speak a similar dia
lect, I don’t know, I don’t know much about it, but it’s that
weird variation of that language that’s spread around.
FP: Well, at least you got overseas for a little bit..
DM: Yeah, for about a month. It was nice. We got to the
point where we got cabin fever, because we were out in the
middle of nowhere. It was fun, but after a while you start to
lose it.
FP: So what do you do for fun when you get in a situation
like that?
DM: Go out and go fishing, drinking, went swimming . went
biking Did a lot of biking. We rented biKes.
Hillary Meister
Experience Fall Colors
on the Mild & Scenic Broad River
S
Fri. - Sun. • $10 per Person
20 Miles N.E. of Athens • 795-3242
Authentic Indian and Pakistani Cuisine
Vegetarian Specialties ■ Lamb and Chicken Curries
Tandoori Delicacies from Athens' Only Clay Oven
Beer and Wine Served on the Outdoor Patio
i 11 Dn Monday thru Saturday
Lunch. 11.30 a m. - 2:30 p.m. / Dinner: 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m
Sunday: 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Take Out Available
167 East Broad Street
546-9167