How's life in the re-invented Wonder Stuff? | "Having Erica Nockalls in the band has seen, for the first time, a member of The Wonder Stuff open a door for a fellow member!" | | Miles Hunt on what it means to have a girl in the band |
"Outstanding! I think it's safe to say that Malc Treece and I are joined at the hip by now, having written and played together since 1981. Our bond as friends and as a creative duo is very strong. "And unlike years gone by in the band I feel now that the other members understand that and realise that if the two of us are supported then the creative output, as a band, will be enhanced. I think a couple of the ex-members demonstrated superbly when they hi-jacked the website for a couple of months last year what a petty and destructive force they could to be. "For the first time in its existence and in every way imaginable, the atmosphere in The Wonder Stuff camp is a joy to be a part of. I say 'in every way imaginable' from my stand point, obviously the others still have to put up with me." You've got a girl on board now. Has that changed the band dynamic?
 | | Erica Nockalls (pic: Jill Furmanovsky) |
"I think we can safely assume that having Erica Nockalls in the band has seen, for the first time, a member of The Wonder Stuff open a door for a fellow member!" How does writing songs these days compare to the early years of the Stuffies? "It's been exactly the same as when we began as far as writing and recording Suspended By Stars goes, a return to a past way of working, one might say. Even to the point that Malc still records his demos on cassette!" You've still got that sharp way of looking at the world. Do you ever get weary of cynicism? "I'm exhausted! I was recently on Tom Robinson's BBC 6 Music show and someone emailed in that it was still good to hear me spitting bile. I said that I don't enjoy feeling like this, I really don't. But, of course, it's just not within my nature to keep schtum. Ho hum..." Does it annoy you when your recent songs get compared to the older tunes?
 | | The Wonder Stuff (pic: Jill Furmanovsky) |
"Not at all. If people are bringing up older toons to compare newer ones in a positive light then I'm happy that our consistency as writers is apparent. If they are slagging new toons off because they don't like them as much as older toons then that only illustrates our ability to develop from where we started off from. Either way, we win." How do you feel about playing those older songs live? "Playing the old toons is like hooking up with old friends. To have the newer toons sitting comfortably alongside them is much like introducing the newer friends in your life to your older ones and what a wonderful feeling it is to see them all getting along so well." The last thanks on the album is for Damien Dempsey. Why does he get a special mention? "Because, in our opinion, Damien Dempsey is the greatest singer-songwriter of our times. He has brought me and many of my friends nothing but inspiration. As a writer he is someone I aspire to, as a performer he is the embodiment of 'truth'. It's enlightening to see something so pure surface in such a crappy environment as the music business." | 
