Madness has been making music for over thirty years and have come a long way from gigging in a local pub in Camden Town, London.
But thirty years of hits brings with a greatest hits album so I caught up with Suggs to talk about the new record, the band's longevity and what lies ahead.
- A best of album was released on Monday so why did you decide that now was a good time to release a greatest hits?
Because every ten years or so, we have been going thirty years, we realised that a new generation needs to be educated in the ways of Madness.
- You have had thirty years of single so how did you choose what to include, thirty years of singles that's quite a back catalogue?
It is funnily enough people have asked me this question, and I'm not being rude or anything, but it's true what do we leave off? We have got thirty three singles so we just sat around and discussed which ones we thought were the best and tried to pick the best of what we would like people to appreciate us by.
- Do you have any personal favourites and were there any songs that you were disappointed had to be left off?
No no not really no. We are a democracy in Madness and we decided amongst ourselves so if the majority decide one thing then we all agree on it and that's the way that it is.
- And how surprised are you that your career has lasted so long?
I'm really surprised. The person that you were talking to earlier was Lee Thompson our saxophone player, he's an idiot, when we first started in a pub in Camden Town on a Friday night and we got a residency he was going 'yeah this is it we have made it'.
Just to be able to play on a Friday night and increase our income by fifty quid a week from our normal job and a few girls comes to see us was enough. Every single record we made was a privilege, and it still is a privilege, it's still a privilege to be here after thirty years.
- How have your dreams and aspirations changed over the years? What do you hope to achieve in music now that's possibly different from thirty years ago.
The same things ironically. I'm sat here with two of the band and to be friends, we started as friends, and the whole process of what we did was an adjunct to our friendship, and that will always be the case.
The more it goes on the closer we get and the more the music is a product of our friendship if that makes any sense? If you look at those early videos we did and those records and hearing pure joy, we never did anything for money or a career we did it because we liked each other and we liked each others company.
And I hope that is the answer to the rest of our career, when I was in a social club I saw this band who were in their eighties and they are still really potent and doing something great that isn't just crap like most bands.
- And how has the music industry changed in the time that you have been around?
The computer was invented, the mobile phone and a lot of arse holes talking about crap.
- What do you think of the bands that are around at the moment are you into any?
Yeah some of them, I like Dizzee Rascal. My daughters are in a band called Scarlet and Viva and they are fucking brilliant. There is a lot of great live music, I can appreciate Lily Allen talking about the demise of record sales but I don't see a way around that I think technology is too beyond that now to stop it, but live music, I was at the Camden Crawl this year, and I have never seen so many great live bands. The vibrancy of music, certainly in London, but in this country is an extraordinary thing.
- You played at Glastonbury this year so how was that?
It was terrible; it was horrible all those bloody smelly hippies. No it was brilliant really great and was a great culmination of along years work and it was very nice of the Eavis family to invite us.
We had the most tremendous fun and it was the highlight of my year, playing at the Camden Crawl to 500 people and then playing to 180,000 people at Glastonbury are the two ends of all the things that I like about being in Madness.
- Did you stick around at the festival and watch any of the other bands?
Yes I did, I arrived on the Wednesday and I stuck around a bit too long. I believe Lee Thompson our sax player broke two ribs when he was trying to form a human pyramid when Dizzee Rascal was on and fell off. But it's a tremendous thing Glastonbury.
- You played on Regent Street last weekend so how did you get involved with that?
The Regent Street shop owners and Absolute Radio have got a festival going on and it's the first time that a band has ever blocked off Regent Street, we played in Piccadilly Circus, so what an end to a great year. It's amazing playing Piccadilly Circus in our home town.
- You are also going on tour this Christmas so how excited are you about getting back on the road?
We are always excited about that, we are very excitable people, and, like I tried to explain earlier (laughs), we are friends and our music is like our friendship it’s really great, it’s really hard to explain. Life has its ups and downs, and believe me my life has had some ups and downs, but being in Madness is a relief from the rest of the crap that goes on in your life.
So I’m very very fortunate to be amongst my friends and making music and this tour is going to be and so this tour is going to be the most extraordinary thing anyone has ever clapped eyes on.
- What makes you want to carry on, thirty years is a long time to be with the same bunch of people?
Yes it is. Friendship and a moral compass, you have got to be decent to people and they will be decent to you. The show business bit is a load of old crap what we have always done is said what we feel and acted responsibly, really we try.
- Finally what’s next for you?
I’m going to blow up in great big puff of euphoria
Total Madness is out now.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Madness has been making music for over thirty years and have come a long way from gigging in a local pub in Camden Town, London.
But thirty years of hits brings with a greatest hits album so I caught up with Suggs to talk about the new record, the band's longevity and what lies ahead.
- A best of album was released on Monday so why did you decide that now was a good time to release a greatest hits?
Because every ten years or so, we have been going thirty years, we realised that a new generation needs to be educated in the ways of Madness.
- You have had thirty years of single so how did you choose what to include, thirty years of singles that's quite a back catalogue?
It is funnily enough people have asked me this question, and I'm not being rude or anything, but it's true what do we leave off? We have got thirty three singles so we just sat around and discussed which ones we thought were the best and tried to pick the best of what we would like people to appreciate us by.
- Do you have any personal favourites and were there any songs that you were disappointed had to be left off?
No no not really no. We are a democracy in Madness and we decided amongst ourselves so if the majority decide one thing then we all agree on it and that's the way that it is.
- And how surprised are you that your career has lasted so long?
I'm really surprised. The person that you were talking to earlier was Lee Thompson our saxophone player, he's an idiot, when we first started in a pub in Camden Town on a Friday night and we got a residency he was going 'yeah this is it we have made it'.
Just to be able to play on a Friday night and increase our income by fifty quid a week from our normal job and a few girls comes to see us was enough. Every single record we made was a privilege, and it still is a privilege, it's still a privilege to be here after thirty years.
- How have your dreams and aspirations changed over the years? What do you hope to achieve in music now that's possibly different from thirty years ago.
The same things ironically. I'm sat here with two of the band and to be friends, we started as friends, and the whole process of what we did was an adjunct to our friendship, and that will always be the case.
The more it goes on the closer we get and the more the music is a product of our friendship if that makes any sense? If you look at those early videos we did and those records and hearing pure joy, we never did anything for money or a career we did it because we liked each other and we liked each others company.
And I hope that is the answer to the rest of our career, when I was in a social club I saw this band who were in their eighties and they are still really potent and doing something great that isn't just crap like most bands.
- And how has the music industry changed in the time that you have been around?
The computer was invented, the mobile phone and a lot of arse holes talking about crap.
- What do you think of the bands that are around at the moment are you into any?
Yeah some of them, I like Dizzee Rascal. My daughters are in a band called Scarlet and Viva and they are fucking brilliant. There is a lot of great live music, I can appreciate Lily Allen talking about the demise of record sales but I don't see a way around that I think technology is too beyond that now to stop it, but live music, I was at the Camden Crawl this year, and I have never seen so many great live bands. The vibrancy of music, certainly in London, but in this country is an extraordinary thing.
- You played at Glastonbury this year so how was that?
It was terrible; it was horrible all those bloody smelly hippies. No it was brilliant really great and was a great culmination of along years work and it was very nice of the Eavis family to invite us.
We had the most tremendous fun and it was the highlight of my year, playing at the Camden Crawl to 500 people and then playing to 180,000 people at Glastonbury are the two ends of all the things that I like about being in Madness.
- Did you stick around at the festival and watch any of the other bands?
Yes I did, I arrived on the Wednesday and I stuck around a bit too long. I believe Lee Thompson our sax player broke two ribs when he was trying to form a human pyramid when Dizzee Rascal was on and fell off. But it's a tremendous thing Glastonbury.