"The Mechanics Speak Out" - Interview with Mike And The Mechanics, BBC Radio One, February 15, 1995.

Here's another escapee from the TWR archive, this time Mike And The Mechanics - enjoy!

INT: As you are the "Mike" and the guys are "The Mechanics" do you sort of call the shots and say "well, I'm not doing anything..."

MR: Everyone is doing things, both Pauls have other things and doing Genesis takes two years out every now and then.. out of the schedule. Every time you do an album, you have to do a tour and that's a two-year span. I've been alternating between Genesis and The Mechanics for the last ten or so years now and we've done four albums and it has worked very well.

INT: So, in the interim; Paul Carrack, I know you were in Squeeze and you were in playing some songs for them and when Eternal were in you were playing for them! (laughter) so what do you do in the interim just hang out with other bands and make a nuisance of yourself?

PC: Yeah, I keep pretty busy. I did quite a lot of stuff with Squeeze last year, I played on their last album and went out on the road with them but... I've got a studio at home and I'm always writing in there, trying on new hats and so on.

INT: I love the image of a "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" who is doing what...?

MR: It's basically about how everyone is chasing goals and things and it is saying that maybe if you look around you or maybe inside you; maybe it's already there. The album cover is a beggar on a beach of millions of gold coins.

INT: Now I would think that this would make a fantastic video... you could be going for a top beach somewhere...?

MR: Every single video director we have discussed it with has said "it's got to be on location... the Caribbean and it will probably end up being in a cold warehouse in Salford on a cold winter's day!

INT: That (Beggar...) sounds like a single guys, could that possibly be...?

MR: We hope so, we would like it to be, yeah.

INT: What about going on tour lads?

PY: Yeah, June, July and August that's the plan.

INT: And is it going to be a Genesis-style big production or a stripped down kind of three piece?

PY: Our band motto is: "Have backline will travel" if it fits in a transit we'll do it.

INT: Ok, so are you going to be doing clubs...?

MR: Clubs and theatres and maybe some festivals in Europe on a sort of multi bill but about as far away from Genesis as you can get in terms of lighting and so on...

INT: Do you see this as maybe an antidote to all the big stuff and it's quite nice to do the little stuff again?

MR: It's the variety that makes it different. The last thing you want is a call in the middle of the afternoon saying "the lights won't fit in the venue" (laughter) it's not like that we can play anywhere, anytime, anyhow...

PY: We can even play with no lighting! (laughter).

INT: Is there another Genesis project waiting in the wings?

MR: I should think so. We're planning to. We ended on an intention of doing another album last time and we kind of don't really think about it until much nearer the time and that is probably next year. This year is The Mechanics' year, Phil's still on tour and Tony's doing a solo album and so until that has run its course... we try to avoid having dates hanging over our heads but I should think sometime next year we shall kick off...