Q - Cash For Questions




Q Magazine (November 2002 Issue)

Cash For Questions





You probed the baggy Jimmy Page on The Stone Roses' split and the finer points of his bank balance. In return, he let loose about mountain bike "nose-ups" and the "hardly opera" vocal abilities of Ian Brown. This is the one, John Squire…
Interview by Matt Allen

In an East London restaurant, John Squire scratches his chin thoughtfully. In front of him sits the final question from a batch provided by the Q readers for this afternoon's interview and it is, frankly, the most offensive of the lot. In short, Squire has been acused of turning in a "comedy Bowie" vocal on his album, Time Changes Everything, which is described as "appalling". Not content with stopping there, Ray Vaughn of High Wycombe has also questioned Squire's motivation, dismissing it as "purely financial". And so it is that Mr Vaughn finds himself the focus of the former Stone Roses and Seahorse guitarist's wrath.

"I really want to say something poignant," growls Squire. "People like this really need to be put in their place."

Until now, Squire has raised barely an eyebrow, let alone his voice. He makes for a quiet interviewee, his hushed Mancunian burr frequently punctuated with uncomfortable pauses.

This closing enquiry, however, provokes a somewhat stronger reaction.

"Right, that's it," he says, as he strides off to the restaurant toilets, the offending piece of paper in hand. He returns 10 minutes later with a smile spreading across his cheeks. "Sometimes," he declares, "actions speak louder than words" - leaving little to the imagination as to what fate landed - literally - on one reader's opinions.

But prior to the "trap three" shenanigans, there's the matter of a giant pile of reader enquires to deal with. "So, what do you think they want to talk about then?" he asks.

Well…



Why did you quit The Stone Roses?
Nick Moore, Tooting, London

I couldn't stand touring. I'd had enough and I wasn't enjoying being in the band. I wasn't relating to anyone else in the band, apart from Mani, and it was a very strange experience because it had always been closely knit until that point. And it began to feel like work. I think the worst part was that none of us had played in a band with anyone else. I'd been in other bands with Ian and we had all that history, so when the cracks started to appear after Reni left, all that security began to vanish and I felt I couldn't do it anymore.

Why don't you hurry up and go through the inevitable Stone Roses reunion before you've all got grey hair and yellow teeth?
Jonathon Stephens, Aberdeen

As a fan of the band I'd think a lot less of us if we got back together. It would only be for the money and it's never the same when a band does that, is it? Personally, I'd love for us all to get back together and rehearse those songs again, but I wouldn't want to ruin it. There's certainly been some silly money offered to us to re-form, it's just never appealed.

How are your relationships with the rest of the Roses, particularly Ian Brown? And is it true you sent him a box of Malteasers when he was in prison?
Mike Fielding, Whitley Bay

Yeah, I sent him a Christmas card as well. I really felt for him being in prison over Christmas, because I think he carried the can for a lot of people when he was nicked. There were a lot of other drunken incidents on aeroplanes prior to that and I think they decided to make an example of him. I've seen nothing of Reni and heard even less, but I've seen Mani a few times, but it's always been accidental. We do get on very well.

It's strange really, because it doesn't seem that any time has elapsed since the band split up. It's the same as normal. I love everyone in that band and every time I've seen them since I've had a great time. Obviously I've pissed off Ian, but I'm sure we can be mates. There's always a way, isn't there? I don't see how, but you never know. The problem is I don't know whether he'd want to. I've heard reports that he's back to his old self and if he is there's nothing standing in the way of making up as far as I'm concerned.

When I worked for the Royal Bank Of Scotland I stumbled across your bank details. You're not exactly loaded: is this the reason for the solo album?
Thomas Sharples, Cumbria

[Laughs] He's left his name and address on the letter, I'll be handing these details into the police. I have actually still got an account with the Royal Bank Of Scotland, but all I can say is that, yes, one of the reasons I've recorded this album is to make money.

What was better Spike Island or Knebworth?
Alex Jones, Hants

I hated Spike Island. We had a lot of rows with management before we went on and we were really angry at the way the show had been managed. It was supposed to be our gig, but the bouncers were taking food and drink off the fans as they walked inside, which we didn't want. They were also pushing the ticket prices up and we kept pulling it down and then we found out they'd employed loads of kids and paid them very little to clean up dirty condoms and needles after the show. It was a horrible, so I suppose Knebworth was better.

The rift with Ian Brown: how, why and when did it all start?
Alan Whelan, Dublin

I can trace it back to when we moved away. We used to work at home together and go around each other's houses, but then we got kids and stuff and we didn't have the room to work. Sometimes we'd go away to places like Scotland for a few weeks to write, but nothing ever came of those sessions, so I started to try and write songs on my own and finish off songs off before the clock started ticking away. That was the start of the end. It would have been better if he was knocking my door down and forcing me to play his tunes, but that never happened. I really enjoyed working with Ian because it wasn't work at all.

Whose idea was it to trash the FM-Revolver [the band's first label] offices in 1990?
Ben Cull, Sudbury, Middlesex

It was my idea to do it, but we didn't get very far before we got stopped. They answered the front door of the office and Reni got in first, then the rest of us and we just started chucking paint around, but they locked the door into the rest of the building and called the police. We did a lot of damage and they took us to court and that's when it hit us that we'd done a pretty bad thing. Mani was making jokes about us getting raped in prison.

We were charged £3600 each and the judge could have given us a custodial sentense but he said in his summing up that the only reason that he didn't give us a custodial sentense was because it could have enhanced our career, so we got off lightly there.

I played you in the film 24 Hour Party People, but the scene was cut out. During one scene the Bez character introduces the Roses to their first Es and much "I'm your best mate" bonding ensues. Did this really happen?
Jamie Bowman, Liverpool

No, I don't remember doing drugs with Happy Mondays and we didn't really hang about with them at all. People think the two bands were joined at the hip for some reason, but I only met Bez at the Hacienda and then we met the rest of the group on Top Of The Pops one time and that was about it really. And I haven't seen the film either, but they sent me a release form so I could authorise my scenes, but I didn't bother. Which is probably why we didn't appear in it at all.

What was the beard all about?
Peter Newton, Manchester

My girlfriend asked me to grow it and I found I could walk through the supermarket in double quick time because I wasn't getting hassled for autographs. When I shaved it off I kept it and I've still got it in a jar at home. I'm glad I don't have it anymore - I don't get breadcrumbs stuck on my face.

I once read that you overcame your addiction to cocaine by taking up cycling everywhere. Is this true?
Laura Carmichael, Hull

I was never addicted to cocaine, but I was into it for a while. I did notice that riding a bike was hard work. [Laughs]Especially after a nose-up. I did take it quite seriously and I cycled like an idiot every day until I came off my bike and busted my shoulder. I can't remember what happened, but I think I hit a tree root, did a 360 and I ended up upside down. The pain was so bad I had to cancel the Japanese tour and Glastonbury, which we were all really gutted about.

I was never allowed to do any extreme sports after that and I know the band were pissed off with me, although nobody ever said anything. Mani was the only person to visit me in hospital.

Did you ever get a response from Brian Wilson about the surfboard you designed for The Beach Boys?
David Eardley, via e-mail

It wasn't for Brian Wilson, it was for the War Child charity and they asked me to contribute some artwork. Brian Eno got in touch and asked me to provide something for an auction and so I painted the surfboard as homage to one musician from another.

I hear you were once in a band that later beacame The Shining. What did they sound like and were they any good?
Andy Best, via e-mail

Yeah, I really enjoyed working with Simon Tong [former Verve guitarist and now member of The Shining]. We got involved and we made some great music. I just introduced all those guys and got it going. I haven't heard any of the new tracks. It fell apart really because Simon got fed up with travelling up from London to see me in Macclesfield, so he decided to pack it in. We were all set to play some gigs but it didn't happen

Is it true when Bonehead left Oasis, they asked you to join?
Michael Cafferky, Middlesex

No, but there were rumours flying around at the time in the press, but they were completely unfounded. It was never an option. I did really enjoy playing with them at those Knebworth gigs, though. I was asked to play after the Manchester United v Liverpool FA Cup Final in 1996: I went round Liam's house after the game and he just asked me if I'd like to play a couple of songs with them and I was really up for it. But we had a rehearsal before the gig and it was really, really crap because I didn't know any of the songs. But I've since heard a recording of the gigs and it doesn't sound bad.

Who was the hardest to draw when you worked at Cosgrove Hall [the animation company famous for children's programmes in the late '80s and early 90's]. Dangermouse or Penfold?
Mark Thompson, Lancashire

I didn't draw any charactors, actually. I was involved in making things for Wind In The Willows and even then I was only making props like miniature plates and chairs. That was the first job I ever had, apart from Tesco.

Were you worried that Ian Brown's not exactly opera-quality voice would be a thorn in the band's side?
Matthew Kelly, Wellington, New Zealand

We never had a problem with Ian's singing, I really like it. We were from the school of thought that anyone could play music regardless of training. It was pretty punk rock, so the fact Ian hadn't had classical training didn't bother us.

What was it like to work with Liam Gallagher on [Seahorses song] Love Me And Leave Me? Any fights?
Bjorn Terje Pedersen, Kristiansund, Norway

No. I don't remember it really. We both got drunk and we were having a jam. I had a few chords and an idea for a chorus, but I didn't tape anything, I just remembered some of the vocal ideas he had come up with. It was a very loose arrangement. I wrote the lyrics but he came up with the melody.

Is it true you tried to make some Public Enemy-style hip hop in between the making of The Stone Roses and Second Coming?
Shaun Lowie, Tyne and Wear

In a way, yeah. After getting into Fear Of A Black Planet I went out and bought all the gear - computer, keyboards and stuff - and started sampling records. It didn't come to much and I found it very stifling because you had to absorb a load of manuals. All I want to do was expand on the ideas of Fools Gold. That was all my idea. I got a breakbeat record called Warrior when we first got the deal, and there was a track on it with that beat on it and so I looped and wrote a guitar riff over it, then Reni drummed over it. But the funny thing was I got Warrior Breakbeats Five a few years ago and they had re-sampled Fools Gold.

If you were on your death bed and could say one thing to Ian, Mani and Reni, what would it be?
John Terry, Berkshire

[Shouting, allbeit softly] Aaaaaaaaagh!







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