| AN
INCLEMENT DAY in central London. Pete
Murphy, Mick Karn and myself are
clustered around one of those upright
ashtray-on-a-stand affairs in a poky but
cosy recording studio. The interview
unfolds in an amiable but subdued manner.
As becomes apparent (and I had been led
to expect worse) neither are hostile but
clearly don't relish the task. This
is the first time I've met either. I kept
expecting Pete Murphy's hair and tie (had
he been wearing one) to suddenly fly
backwards as in the Maxell ad. Mick Karn
has a surprising and, shall we say common
voice, rather like the clichéd brogue of
a south London blagger, at least when
he's not using long words. He still has
the pretty visage of a thousand and one
Japan photos although the searching
lights of today's picture taker discover
a facial mole. Mick: "Moles are
cancers, y'know."
The Dali's Car project was
evolved over the last year. Previously
unacquainted, a Japanese journalist had
suggested a collaboration on finding Karn
needing lyrics for his music and Murphy
vice versa.
Had you been aware of each
other's work?
Pete: "I was aware of
Japan's stuff and I really liked Mick's
solo album."
Mick: "I wasn't
really aware of Bauhaus that much but I
was aware of Pete's vocals. That's what I
would home in on if I happened to hear a
Bauhaus track on the radio."
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