Thanks to Patricia Na for sending me this interview!

Host: Please welcome Vince Clarke and Andy Bell of Erasure on Modern Rock

Live. Hi guys!

A: Hello!

V: Hello.

Host: Welcome to the show.

V: Thank you.

A: Thank you, hello.

Host: What have you guys been *doing* in between this record and before.

What's kept you busy?

A: Being dropped!.

V&A: (laughter)

Host: Well, I was trying to keep it a positive thing...

A: How have we been busy Vince?

V: No, we've been writing and recording and then the usual stuff that people do.

Host: Right, right. As far as your partnership is concerned, with the new

record coming out, how do you envision Erasure for 1997 at this point? I

mean, is it a goal-type thing to say, not that we've changed but, "hey,

remember us?" or do you have something new to say to the audience?

A: We don't have goals.

V: We take each day as it comes really. We're very happy to be able to

write songs and record songs and to perform. And that's enough for us, I

think.

Host: Well a lot of people are psyched that you're back including Jason.

Hey Jason, thanks for calling Modern Rock Live. You're on with Erasure.

Jason: Hi! I just briefly wanted to say that I saw you in Chicago last

week and it was phenomenal and ask Vince when he's going to be doing more

vocal work like he did on Rapture?

V: (laughter) My rapping career is over actually, that was it. I mean that

was the end of it wasn't it, there were no offers or anything after that!

A: He's such a liar, he keeps asking me all the time, saying "Oh, can I

sing that? Can I sing that?" and I just say "No, you can't." I'm the

singer.

(laughter)

Host: So basically Vince doing that in Chicago he kinda snuck that in, huh?

A: Yeah, he snuck it in.

Host: (fake laughs) Ha ha ha! How's the tour been going, I mean you're

doing a lot of the club dates and everything? How's that been going?

V: Actually it's been very good. It's been nice too, because we've not

performed for three years. And doing these little intimate club dates has

been really an eye-opener, you know. You have the chance to see the

audience and see their faces and see people sing along to the lyrics. So

it's been very rewarding.

Host: The comment that keeps coming back about these shows is that everyone

is walking away going, "Wow, these guys are great songwriters!" You

actually get to hear the words again in a different context and I think you

get a lot more credit than probably you expected on that front is to go

"hey you guys actually write great songs" which has gotta be nice to hear.

V: It's very satisfying. We've always seen ourselves as traditional

songwriters anyway. It's like people can throw us in with all the techno

bands and everything else because we use synthesizers, but at the end of

the day I kind of see us both as songwriters more than anything else.

Host: Do you think that's the difference between Erasure and some of the

new techno bands is that, I guess, the way you get to a song and the lyrics

and how important that is to the music?

A: Well, when we write we write on guitar and piano. And, to us, the

melodies are what's really important. It makes us laugh sometimes how

blatant some of the melodies are, like on the choruses and stuff. Once we

start laughing that's it, we think "Yeah, we've got a song."

Host: Yeah you got it then, okay. (more fake laughs) Hey Andrew, you're up

next on Modern Rock Live with Vince and Andy of Erasure.

Andrew: Hey, I was wondering what your recording styles are, like do you

guys go out into a log cabin and record and do you use any sampling gear?

V: Well, we record separately usually. I mean, we write the songs together,

usually in a hotel room somewhere. And then I'll go... I have a studio in

my garden which I record in... and do the music, and Andy'll record in

London usually, for the vocals. But we don't... I mean we go away to

write, to our log cabin and then we come back into town to do the

recording.

A: I did six weeks of recording vocals in Spain. Just singing in the house,

singing outdoors at nighttime which is really brilliant because there's no

echo or anything it's all completely still. With a few crickets in the

background. Otherwise.. well we do it direct into Apple Mac anyway.

Host: Is that by design that you do it separately? Is that to get a

different feel to what Vince has put together and then Andy, kind of your

interpretation so this way there's no preconceived notions of what it

should be. Why sep...

(something censored here)

V: (continuing).... he gets really bored of me playing with all my computers.

A: I get bored shitless with him going "beep beep beep" for eight hours,

you know. And him the same.

Host: A little attention-deficit disorder between the two of you, I'm sure.

V: But we're working on it though.

Host: (that laugh!) Patrick, thanks for calling Modern Rock live, you're on

with Vince and Andy of Erasure.

Patrick: Hello Dinger.

A: Hi, hello!

P: Hello, I'm the largest fan in America.

Host: And why would you say that?

A: How big are you?

Host: "How big" he wants to know...

P: How big? I have everything you've ever laid your fingers on.

A: (gasps) I bet! And more, and more.

P: I've got one question for you guys. You guys recently signed with

Maverick Records, that's Madonna's label. I was just wondering how you guys

feel about that? Because I've kinda heard that you guys kinda not really

slam, but kinda dis the whole Madonna and the American kind of radio

culture.

A: Not me. I'm home with mama. I don't dis Madonna, not at all.

V: Nor do I.

Host: Is signing with her label giving you some of the freedom that you

needed at this point in your careers?

A: Well, I just think it's kind of taken all this time, we've been around

for ten years, and I think it's perfect, now. The timing's just right.

We're in the right place.

Host: Well Patrick, thanks for calling and congratulations on being the

*biggest* Erasure fan.

(laughter)

-------------------

(COMMERCIAL BREAK and host's description of Sony contest)

-------------------

Host: Vince Clarke and Andy Bell of Erasure are with us, their brand-new

CD's called Cowboy, on Maverick Records. We talk now to Jim. Hey Jim,

thanks for calling.

Jim: Hey (something unintelligible) I love your guys' music. I've a quick

question. As children, what were your idols/heroes and has that had any

effect on your music writing career?

Host: Who wants to go first?

A: I'll go first. When I was little I used to listen to all my parents'

records, and they had lots of Elvis, Slim Whitman, Charlie Pride, country

and western artists and I used to sing along to those and to the Beatles

and stuff. And then when I started buying my own records it was kind of

like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Blondie and Lene Lovich. So quite a

mixture, really.

V: When I was younger it was Genesis, 'cause I'm so old.

A: He *thinks* he's old.

Host: Yeah, you're not old. Christian, you're next on Modern Rock Live.

You're on with Erasure.

Christian: It's been five years since your last tour in the U.S. What can

we expect for this?

V: Well the next tour we're going to do in May is gonna be a Cowboy

extravaganza, so we're going to have a... it's actually going to be a

spaghetti western but post-nuclear.

(laughter)

A: Spaghetti glows.

V: We're going to make me a cactus suit. Andy's going to be wearing a

cowboy hat made of steel, I think?

Host: Wow.

V: Saloon bars, you know, saloon girls, lots of drinking. It should be

quite good.

Host: Oh good, okay.

A: Campfire songs, we're doing.

V: Lots of camp.

A: Yeah, lots of camp.

Host: It's been five years since you've toured the States are you looking

forward to it? Is this going to be a nice welcoming-back-to-America

concert for you guys?

A: Well, we're doing a little "tour-ette" at the moment and our last date's

tomorrow in San Fran. It's been a kind of like knocking on the door "Hello,

we're still here. How do you do? Come back next month." kind of a tour.

(laughter)

Host: Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure are with us on Modern Rock Live

and they're set up to do a live song for us. What are we going to hear?

A: This song is called Spiralling and it's from the Circus album.

Host: All right it's Erasure, exclusively on Modern Rock Live.

V: Can we go? Should we start I mean?

Host: Yeah, go do it! ( quieter ) ..don't shout, don't shout!

-----Spiralling: The Flubby Version (2:27)

I try hard to put you out of my mind

Every night alone I'm thinking 'bout you

How can I avoid the pain

I won't cry, I won't be sorry no more

Maybe this is something I'll get over

Maybe I can learn to love another

It's just a matter of time

A matter of time

I won't cry, I won't be sorry no more

Every night alone I'm thinking 'bout you

How can I avoid the pain

Whoa...

Maybe this is something I'll get over

Maybe I'll avoid the pain

It's just a matter of time

A matter of time

It's just a matter of time

A matter of time

Just a matter of time

Matter of time

Host: Oh, that sounded great. Erasure exclusively on Modern Rock Live. Good

job guys. How do you keep your relationship going as a band together for so

long? Do you guys have fisticuffs or arguments or anything?

A: Don't have sex.

Host: Don't have sex, okay.

A: What do we do, Vince?

V: We haven't argued in eleven years. We've never argued. Nothing's that

important really, it's only music, after all.

A: After all. We just go out, have drinks, get slaughtered, and go home.

Host: Hey Adam, how'd you think of that performance, huh?

Adam: It was... pretty good, I really liked it. I liked it a lot. I've got

a quick question here. When you're not, like, playing music and writing

songs and stuff like that, like, what do you do to relax and get away from

it all?

A: Go to the beach, go swimming.

(V&A laugh)

V: Go to the beach? You don't go to the beach at all!

A: Yes I do, I go to Spain.

V: He's making it up as he goes along!

A: I go to Spain and I do lots of cooking.

Host: What do you like to cook?

A: Hmm, what do I cook... I cook garlic and lamb.

Host: You cook garlic and lamb?

A: And Rosemary, it's a good mixture. And chili peppers, hot chili peppers.

Good mixture. And I watch lots of TV as well.

Host: When you come to America what are your favorite TV shows to watch?

A: I can't watch TV in America, it's too fast. And there's nothing on.

V: And there's too many commercials, it drives you crazy, doesn't it?

Host: Any good shows in England that you can turn us on to that will

eventually get here in the States?

A: Good shows... well I do like the Simpsons, that's an American one,

anyway, isn't it?

Host: Yeah.

A: Rugrats I like as well.

Host: Oh the Rugrats are great!

A: But English shows.. there aren't too many at the moment. You've seen

Absolutely Fabulous haven't you?

Host: Yeah, that's a good show.

A: That's it really.

Host: Have you guys been on any TV shows, besides performing? As far as any

acting or anything have you guys ever done that?

A: A few little things. We did one program that was called Camp Christmas.

It was supposed to be kind of a family Christmas show with all gay people

on it. Caused a bit of an outcry. And the Bishop of Peterborough, which is

where I come from, in the true spirit of Christmas said "Pull the

advertisers! Pull the advertisers!"

Host: (laugh) And Merry Christmas! To everyone but them!

V: And Andy was also involved in a porno film last year.

A: Vince! How dare you!

Host: What was the name of the movie?

V: It's called Good Vibrations. It's about a dildo factory in California.

So I did the music and Andy was...

A: All modeled on myself of course!

V: Andy was a porno director in it, he was quite good.

Host: And how can we get that on video?

V: Available in the summer. Check it out.

Host: Okay, so maybe Andy will sell them on the beach when he's out there.

A: I'll sign them.

 Host: Hey, we'll be back with more of Erasure, their music, and their

movies on America's number one alternative music show, Modern Rock Live.

-------------------

The host returned, mentioned all the sponsors, thanked Matthew Sweet and

Erasure and beat the "welcome back" theme into the ground.