Fuzzbox is a band from Birmingham, England. They have a great
album called We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It. They
sound like all the other bands from Birmingham--Duran Duran, Led
Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, UB40, etc.--except that all of their
songs have a fuzzbox on them. It's a stolen fuzzbox that is probably
as old as the drummer, and it's rumored to be the same one used
on the Seeds' hit "You're Pushin' Too Hard" in 1966.
The other big difference is that Fuzzbox sounds like a bunch of
girls, which it is.
"Led Zeppelin, that's the one we're closest to," says
Jo, the bassist with the jet black hair and the broken leg in
a cast, who dwarfs Emmanuel Lewis.
Actually Fuzzbox doesn't sound like any of the other rock bands
from Birmingham. They remind me a little bit of the Slits, and
sometimes they harmonize like the B-52 girls, Kate and Cindy,
but mostly Fuzzbox sounds self-invented, cool, amusing, and artistic.
They sound like the tribal orchestra of a bunch of Druid Amazons
living in the Rain Forest of the Hollywood Hills.
From the album-sleeve photos I thought they were between the ages
of eleven and fourteen (they actually show their "CHILD"
railroad passes from 1985), but in fact the women of Fuzzbox are
between eighteen and twenty-two--legal adults more or less, old
enough to marry, have kids, drive a car, join the army, and in
some states to have cocktails and vote. They look like young ladies,
not children. Especially without hair extensions and colored hair
spray.
I sure wasn't interested in meeting Fuzzbox because they were
cute girls. Naturally I wanted to hear them talk. I thought they
might be oracular children. The fact that they turned out to be
really cute girls, real ladies, and accomplished wise guys was
a total plus.
Maybe they're not "accomplished musicians," but maybe
they're performance artists, see. They make great sounds and great
images. In my opinion their version of "Spirit in the Sky"
is the best version ever recorded, and that takes into account
some pretty hip work by Norman Greenbaum and Nina Hagen. Their
whole album is cool. And on their video, "Love Is the Slug,"
the drummer drops her sticks in the middle of her solo, which
continues, magically.
On stage the Fuzzboxes exchange instruments between songs. It's
a lot like changing wigs between songs when you think about it.
Anyway, they make me think and laugh and I had tea with them.
SPIN: What had you heard about New York?
Fuzzbox: There's drug pushers and muggers on every streetcorner,
loads of stabbings, strip joints. The sidewalks aren't safe. The
subways aren't safe.
SPIN: Is there anything you'd like to see here before you leave?
Fuzzbox: A real mugger. We've heard so much about them we'd like
to meet one.
SPIN: Can I ask how old you are?
Magz: Don't you know it's very rude to ask a lady how old you
are?
SPIN: That's why I said 'Can I ask . . .'
Magz: You may..
SPIN: How old are you?
Magz: I'm 22.
Jo: But she'll soon be 23. In fact when we're playing in Detroit.
Vix: 21.
Tina: We're 18.
Jo: In America we're 21. In England we're 18.
According to the mini-legend, the girls--school chums--originally
got together for a one-shot gig, opening for a friend's band at
a small club. They had never played together. They had barely
played separately. They rehearsed three songs for two hours. Vix
says, 'We were playing so badly we needed something to cover up
the mistakes. I blurted out, "We've got a fuzzbox and we're
going to use it.' " Despite the mistakes, they were a hit
and got an encore and the offer of a record deal. It sounded too
good to be true.
SPIN: How did the band start up?
Fuzzbox Y: Well, we were all down at the methadone clinic one
day and we decided, right, we're going to kick drugs, we're going
to kick this heroin habit and all . . .
Fuzzbox A: I thought we were in the Royal Philharmonic ....
Fuzzbox Y: oh, you're right. We were, weren't we.
Fuzzbox X: We were in the methadone clinic because of the pressures
of being in the Royal Philharmonic....
Fuzzbox B: Anyway we kicked the habit and....
Fuzzbox A: There you go, we did this to get off drugs.
SPIN: So where did the fuzzbox come from?
Fuzzbox: We borrowed it from Maggie's boyfriend along with all
the other instruments and we've gotten away with it now. We bought
them a replacement.
SPIN: Do they still make them?
Fuzzbox: They still make them, but ours is an antique.
SPIN: Before you hit on the name Fuzzbox did you consider any
other names?
Fuzzbox X: Bogie Babies.
Fuzzbox Y: Cherry Head and the Guffs.
SPIN: Do you have any nicknames?
Fuzzbox A: Vicky is often known as Pig or Miss Piggly.
Miss Piggly: It was because of my nose, but it's dropped down
since then.
SPIN: Without surgery it just dropped down?
Miss Piggly: Yes, it only looked that way because my sister used
to tape my nose up to make me look like a pug dog.
Fuzzbox B: Tina is known as Runty.
Runty: or carrot face. or Pixie. Porky. Bottom.
Fuzzbox X: Jo is known as Grumpy.
Grumpy: or Potato, Hamster Face, Cripple.
Fuzzbox Y: Maggie is known as Witch.
Witch: Hyena, Mouse, Strawberry Face.
Grumpy: And Meryl Streak because of her great acting ability.
SPIN: Do you have any hobbies?
Magz: Sewing, crochet....
Jo: Knitting, cookery....
Vix: Pressing....
SPIN: It sounds like you have husbands.
Jo: No, we're preparing for the day when we do have one.
SPIN: So what are you looking for in a man?
Magz: A nice clean-shaven lad.
Jo: With clean fingernails....
Vix: Someone who looks like Elvis Presley but a bit prettier really.
Tina: I don't think it matters much really. As long as they're
fairly decent looking.
Magz: I do!
Vix: I've come to terms with it. I realize that none of them will
be as fashionable as my other accessories, like my handbag.
Magz: We all like pretty blokes.
SPIN: Where do you find pretty blokes?
Tina: You don't. They're all gay.
SPIN: Do you have any pets?
Tina: I've got a gray and white cat who is fat like me called
Clancy, and I've also got two little baby brown and white rats
but my boyfriend looks after them because if I had them my cat
would probably eat them and also my mum would probably die.
SPIN: Do they have names?
Tina: Bam Bam and Pebbles.
Jo: I have a great-looking dog called Paddy.
Fuzzbox: He is cool.
Magz: I used to have two cats, but my ex-boyfriend has the cats.
I have a kitten called Thomas.
Vicky: I have a big fat massive longhaired Alsatian called Jamie
and he's really cool. He barks at anything. A black cat called
Robbie. A hamster called Crop Gobbler. A budgie called Ricky.
And I've got a chrysalis all ready to hatch out into a butterfly.
