Shampoo
is a tough duo of punk rock Barbie dolls who started in
the recording industry when they were barely out of their
teens. Hailing from Plumstead, England, Jacqui Blake and
Carrie Askew both handle vocals in a highly energetic
and barely intelligible fashion, and both have enough
attitude and downright sass to make critics on both sides
of the Atlantic go ga-ga over their primitive punk and
sly innuendoes. Even though their talent is barely discernible
(their singing often sounding like punk rock karoake)
Shampoo never lacks wit and are always loads of fun.
We
Are Shampoo, their full-length debut, features all of
the jaw-dropping singles released in Britain including
their anthem, "Trouble," which was featured
on the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers soundtrack. Girl
Power followed in 1996. In the past few years they have
become very successful in Japan. Now they have released
a new album, Absolute Shampoo, which has all of their
fans excited.
New
songs like "Inspector Gadget" and "Take
A Break" are some of their best recordings to date.
To their benefit, they have reunited with Saint Etienne
on part of this record yet again. I talked to them recently
about their new CD which they have marketed themselves
over the internet.
AL:
I have a bunch of questions for you. First, did you try
to make the album Absolute Shampoo more accessible and
mainstream?
Shampoo:
We didn't try and make it more "anything" it
just came out the way we wanted it to!
AL:
That's funny. A few of the songs on the new album sound
like they are funkier than previous stuff. How do you
feel about that?
Shampoo:
Lots of people have different opinions about our latest
album, some say it's the same and some say it's totally
different... which is bizarre.
AL:
What is your favorite food now?
Shampoo:
Sweets, curry and chips... all on the same plate.
AL:
What is your favorite color?
Shampoo:
Silver and pink
AL:
Has living in South London been an influence on you? Plumstead
is very famous now.
Shampoo:
It made us want to get out of the place as soon as we
could!
AL:
Did the fact that the Mercury Prize has been denied to
you for several years affect the way you approached music
in the past two years?
Shampoo:
We've never been fussed about what people think of us,
so awards like that don't matter to us
AL:
What are your diaries like?
Shampoo:
Pink and full of swear words
AL:
I always wondered. How much does nature have to do with
your music?
Shampoo:
Erm.....we like cats (???)
AL:
Does the perception of Brit-pop or Girl Power mean anything
anymore?
Shampoo:
Nah, Girl Power is a load of rubbish, who the hell thought
that one up anyway?
AL:
You did, of course. How did you approach writing the new
tracks?
Shampoo:
We just hang out together, have a laugh then it tends
to come naturally (with the help of alcohol! )
AL:
Sounds good. What was your experience of Japan like? You
are bigger than The Beatles there.
Shampoo:
It was the best experience to have, it was nice to go
home and be normal though!
AL:
What was it like to work with Saint Etienne?
Shampoo:
They're our mates anyway, so it was a good laugh to work
with each other again after all these years.
AL:
Are films ever an influence, and would you like to make
a soundtrack for a feature film?
Shampoo:
We wrote the title track for Barb Wire after reading the
script, but it turned out to be a pile of crap (the film
not our song!). We'd love to write the entire soundtrack
for a Chinese action film though!
AL:
What is your favorite TV show?
Shampoo:
Crimewatch UK.
AL:
Have you ever been a fan of house music, which is still
very popular in America?
Shampoo:
No!!!
AL:
What are your favorite cities?
Shampoo:
London, Tokyo and New York
AL:
There's a lot of "Yeah's" on the new album.
Are you more positive about life and music than in the
past?
Shampoo:
Nah, we just like saying "yeah" a lot
AL:
Do you read what is said about you and your music on the
Internet?
Shampoo:
Yep, we're great fans of the internet
AL:
Any advice for people and fans of yours who would like
to make records?
Shampoo:
Just do it, you will never know until you try!.... Well
we managed didn't we?
AL:
How are you doing today?
Shampoo:
Alright, we've had our fix of sweets now!
check
out: www.shampoo.org.uk
-ALEXANDER
LAURENCE
