Mercury Rev, who are to headline the NME Premier Awards at London WC2 Astoria on December 21, have confessed to NME they ceased to exist for a year and ‘didn’t give a fuck about making a record’.
The band who announced details of a British and Irish tour today (see below) as well as a new single from their acclaimed album ‘Deserter’s Songs’, talk to Keith Cameron in this week’s NME about the forces that almost tore the band apart following the release of ‘See You On The Other Side’ in 1995.
“Things went awry on the tours,” says singer/guitarist Jonathan Donahue. “The record was wonderful but then we went on tour and there was heavy abuse. Heavy substance abuseWe were freaking out we were in so much debtWe made a good record but we never got any support. It was crushing. And so we turned to the things that try to deaden the pain. Which was a mistake.”
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CD: Deserter’s Songs
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Click for the NME gig guide
Jonathan admitted he attempted to wean himself off hard narcotics by “drinking myself into a stupor”. Meanwhile guitarist, Grasshopper, infamously, checked into a monastery for six months.
“The best thing out of this whole thing is that he and I (Grasshopper) are friends,” said Jonathan. “I didn’t give a fuck about making a record, but we wanted to save our friendship. That was so much more important than the record. The record was a by-product of saving our friendship. The record didn’t bring us together, it was getting together that made the record.”
‘Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp’ is released in late January and includes a six minute CHEMICAL BROTHERS remix. The other songs have yet to be decided.
The dates are at Cork Sir Henry’s (January 8), Dublin Red Box (9), Wolverhampton Wulfren Hall (11), Leeds Cockpit (12), Newcastle Riverside (13), Glasgow G2 (14), Manchester Hop & Grape (16), Cambridge Junction (17), Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms (19), Bristol Fleece & Firkin (20) and London WC2 Astoria (21).
Watch NME.COM in the coming week for details of Mercury Rev‘s European dates.