Hiya Jhon! I see your Pickled Dick has gone somewhat flaccid. But you’ve had a bit of a re-jig and have come up with a new name, inspired by a character in Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Why this name?
Hey! Well, the main objective was to lose the whole dick thing from our name! It was hard to choose a name that we all agreed with and Mike TV was the main one that stuck. I was in the Pickled Cunt camp but apparently that’s worse. We all agreed that Mike TV was a catchy and poppy name with plenty of happy and positive connotations! It’s like a fresh start…new name, new guitarist and a new album.
So clearly an important factor in the name change is to be able to get heard by a broader audience – without being tutted at by disapproving mothers. Does this mean we will be seeing bigger and better things from you in the near future?
Well, we’d like to think so! The main aim of the name change is to try and get our music out to more people but without them getting stuck on the dick thing. The rest is up to whether people like our new album! Hopefully someone might play us on the radio now, so Domb can get the PRS money and buy some jam.
You’ve acquired a new guitarist. Tell us something interesting about him.
Ok, his name is Rich. Don’t call him Ricky. He’s 23, 27% gay and likes to paint his toenails. He is also in another band called Mr.Kamikaze ( www.myspace.com/mrkamikazemusic ) who are very good indeed. He lives in Hammer Vale and Alexa Chung was in his class at school.
Tell us all about the new album, due to be released this summer. Will it still have that Pickled Dick feel to it, or are you going off in a whole new direction?
It will still have the Pickled Dick feel to it! We have played some of the songs of it live as Pickled Dick and it is still the same band essentially. We’d like to think that the songs are better written and more developed but that’s up to you to decide! There are gonna be 13 new songs, it will probably be self titled and is full of guest appearances from the cream of the U.K scene! I have tried to make the guys let me do a rap on the album but to no avail.
Keep working on them, that’s something I’d like to hear. You scuttled off to Devon to record with Pete Miles. How did you enjoy the rain? And was he hospitable?
Peter Miles is a gentleman and a scholar. He knows exactly how to get the best out of bands whilst still being a massive shitbag (I jest). I advise everyone to record with him as he is also very hospitable and can make you a great vegan curry. It was pretty intense spending five weeks in Ashburton though, there is fuck all to do other than listen to the same songs over and over and the occasional burst of internet activity. Maybe we were just boring? There is a river at the bottom of the garden and we were surrounded by some great scenery so we should have embraced nature a bit more.
Sonic Boom Six came along for a bit of a sing song. Can we take this to assume they appear on the album?
They sure do! They came and did a whole bunch of group vocals whilst they were on tour with Reel Big Fish. Barney is so small we had to get him a stepladder to sing into the mic.
Good stuff. You’re off on tour with Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer in May. Excited?
We sure are! I was actually listening to them when we found out we got the tour support! It’s gonna be our first tour as Mike TV so come down and witness the dawn of a new era…or maybe just watch a couple of bands and have a few drinks. Unless you don’t drink, in that case come and watch a couple of bands and have something to eat.
You and Noel Edmonds – what’s the beef? My granddad plays cards with Mother Edmonds, don’t you know.
Noel Edmonds! That’s a blast from the past. Can you get your granddad to have a word? Advise him on his smarminess and cunt levels. It’s basically to do with me! I used to work with a chap that owned some theme parks with Noel Edmonds in the 90’s and to cut a long story short the parks went out of business and this chap lost lots of money due to Noel being a massive shitbag… there was a court case, TV documentary etc and I thought I would make some shirts basically calling him a cunt…definitely not clever but needs must.
Thanks for your time Jhon, and I look forward to Mike TV’s inevitable antics! Final words please…be creative.
A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heroes, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal – Panama.
Check out our new my space at www.myspace.com/miketv and new website at www.miketvmusic.com
New album out in June/July! Check it out!
Lucy W