-Laurie ES.
BROCK: Probably. Yeah. We just finished recording 'The Xenon Codex'. Now we're working on 'The Ledge of Darkness' which is a book. It's quite complex to go into, but it's a really good show. It should be good live.
F&B: Your last studio album was 'Chronicle of the Black Sword.' Does 'Ledge of Darkness' pick up where Chronicles left off?
BROCK: Yeah. It's a parody of us cause we've been playing for quite a few years now. We've had lots of different people in the band. Over here in England, we've had about 45 albums out. Basically it's like a piss-take of everything we've done. Maybe it'll be the last album we ever do. Who knows. 'Chronicle of the Black Sword' is a story that Michael Moorcock actually wrote. It was 6 books that we condensed down to one album.
F&B: Speaking of Michael Moorcock, will there be another book to continue 'In the Time of the Hawklords'?
BROCK: Well 'Ledge' will complete the trilogy. That's the next stage which will be based on that book. It's the destruction of the Death Generator.
F&B: What's your relationship with some of the bands that claim Hawkwind as their main influence?
BROCK: We just did a big psychedelic show before Christmas with Dr. and the Medics and a bunch of other bands. And back last summer, we did another show under a circus tent in London. At the moment, psychedelic music is being revived again. We're still into using a light show and things like that. Everything goes full circle and eventually catches up with you again.
F&B: Speaking of live shows, when are you coming here to play?
BROCK: First of all, we were gonna do a tour in May, then September, then it was November, then it was January, then it was March. Now it's supposed to be June. I was over there last year. We just drove around for about 6 weeks. It was very pleasant getting stoned and enjoying life. We'd like to get over there and play.
F&B: You've been doing some shows with the newly reformed Pink Fairies. Is there any chance of them coming over here with you?
BROCK: Apparently yes. Pink Fairies and this other band called Tubilah Dog, maybe Dr. and the Medics.
F&B: Does Hawkwind have a line to neighboring class M planets?
BROCK: No. I doubt it.
F&B: Well your songs have lots to do with the cosmos.
BROCK: Yeah, but it's all science fiction. Science fiction becomes factual. Most of the authors who write these books predict what becomes reality. A lot of things we write about are because we read a lot of Sci-Fi books. It's a form of escapism.
F&B: Besides Michael Moorcock, who are some of your favorite Sci-Fi writers?
BROCK: Phillip Jose Farmer, Alfred Bester to name a few.
F&B: How did Lemmy end up doing a guest spot on 'Night of the Hawks'?
BROCK: Lemmy and I were going to get a single together. He's in Canada at the moment. We were going to record a single. A track called 'The Right Stuff' which Bob Calvert wrote. We were gonna get a guy called Dumpy to play guitar. He's in a band called Dumpy's Rusty Nuts. He's another Hawkwind fanatic. He was gonna play lead guitar, Lemmy bass, me, our drummer and maybe I'd play keyboards as well. Maybe when Lemmy comes back, we'll do that. We still see each other. We're still in contact.
F&B: What's the Hawkwind line up now?
BROCK: Harvey Bainbridge. He's been with us now quite a few years, Huw Lloyd Langton on lead guitar, Danny Thompson on drums, Alan Davey on bass (who is Lemmy's protégé!). He's like a small version of Lemmy. And me... Dr. Hasbeen!
F&B: You guys worked with Ginger Baker for a while.
BROCK: Yes. He's living in Italy now. He's got a farm and he breeds horses. I haven't seen him for a few years now. Very good drummer.
F&B: We're doing a Hawkwind special today.
BROCK: Yeah? What albums do you have?
F&B: What albums do I have?
BROCK: Have you got a good selection there? Have you got 'In and Outtakes'? That's quite a looney one.
F&B: We have the studio album and we have the interview album.
BROCK: Wow! I don't even have a copy of that one.
F&B: Do you want a tape of it?
BROCK: I phoned Frenchy up today and he keeps saying he'll send me one down. I haven't heard that interview cause when we did it, I said "Will you make sure there's some background so it sounds nice? Not boring rambling voices." He didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to it.
F&B: I'm sorry I don't have any background music for this interview, Dave.
BROCK: I forgive you.
F&B: So what's the new live show like?
BROCK: People haven't seen our light show. The light show we have is really fantastic. I can't explain it. It's very visual. It's like going down big tunnels. It's very effective. The tour we're doing at the moment, we're using our light show and the laser light show. It's very spectacular. There's no one really doing this any more. There's probably a lot of big bands that can afford great extravaganzas. For what we're doing, it's very spectacular.
F&B: Is it like 'The Night of the Hawks' video?
BROCK: No it's completely different than that. There is a video that we've got, but it's not been released yet. It needs to be edited together. We haven't got the money to do it. What you saw was our light show from 1986-87. This year it'll be different cause we got lasers and all that. MTV did a video of us before Christmas. They filmed 'Acid Days' with the Pink Fairies and Dr. and the Medics. I don't know. Maybe it's already been shown already. I've got a copy of it right here.
F&B: Hmmm torture us some more, Dave. Thanks a lot!
BROCK: It's a bit dark. That's the only problem, but I'm sure they can make it lighter.
F&B: I think people here are more than ready to see some live Hawkwind.
BROCK: We've been looking forward to it for quite a few years now. It'd be nice to actually be there. We're willing to come over and live there. We're willing to stay there and work all over the place. I like touring in the summer in England cause we play free festivals all over the country. It'd be great to go to the States and just do that.
F&B: We don't get that kind of thing here, but I think people would like it.
BROCK: We did a couple in California in 1978. That was nice. The weather was fantastic. During the summer, we travel in vans. I've got an old van that we sleep in.
F&B: You mentioned that a Hawkwind tour lasts 2 years.
BROCK: Not all the time. When we did the 'Black Sword' tour, the idea was that the show lasted two years. So we're going to do a tour of the UK, Europe, America and maybe Australia within the span of two years. In actual fact, Michael Moorcock would work with us in America, but his publishing company didn't get that side of it together. So that all fell through and there were some contracted words. Some bad scenes between him and Douglas and Blue Oyster Cult. It's along story to go into. That's also the reason Michael Moorcock isn't doing any of his poetry on the new album. On the original tapes, he's narrating all the story lines behind it. That album will be an open up with a gatefold and words. We've got 10,000 programs to go into 'Chronicles' and they're all just sitting here because they're too bloody tight fisted to get 'em over there.
F&B: Any known tapes or records of the Pinkwind sessions?
BROCK: Yeah, Michael Moorcock was actually doing poetry with us then.
F&B: What was it? Did you jam Hawkwind songs or Pink Fairies songs?
BROCK: It was mass confusion. Probably there's a few bootlegs knockin' around. I haven't gotten any myself.
F&B: Don't you find it frustrating when you can't get your hands on your own material?
BROCK: Yeah, but it's just one of those things. It's the same thing with the Grateful Dead.
F&B: Are there any archives available from the Space Ritual era or earlier?
BROCK: Yeah there's a whole show available from when we played at the Empire Ball at Wembley. It was filmed on 8mm. That's around. I don't know where.
F&B: How can we get hold of them?
BROCK: Well Nik Turner knows where the film is and he was going to make it into a video. But I haven't seen him for two years. Maybe he's done it. Who knows! There's a lot of bootlegging going on that I don't know about!
F&B: What conspiracies do you believe in?
BROCK: I can't tell you cause my telephone is tapped. This is going out on the radio in New York, but it's also being monitored by the police in England.
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