Interview Conducted by Miki Tayama
‘Nosferatu’ is a collaborative work between Hugh Cornwell and some eccentric American musicians, including Robert Williams, as well as members of Devo and the Frank Zappa Band. It was made in 1978-79 in between the Stranglers’ schedules.
The motif is the 1922 German Expressionist film ‘Nosferatu’ and there are many songs with a scary theme, giving it a strong horror mood. You can get a sense of the overall atmosphere by watching the music video for the single ‘White Room’. The avant-garde arrangement and heavy use of synths are products of the time, but they are effective.
Watch the Original White Room Video on YouTube
In 1978, The Stranglers went beyond the framework of early punk and made rapid musical progress, beginning with the original album ‘Black and White’ and resulting finally in ‘Nosferatu’ by Hugh Cornwell and Robert Williams.
Jumping over genres and stepping into experimental territory, the conversation expanded to the ‘horror collection’ album ‘Nosferatu’, a result of the early post-punk era, when miracles were frequent. It included interactions with Devo and thoughts about Japan. This is an interview with Hugh Cornwell conducted just before the release of the live album ‘All the Fun of the Fair’ in 2024.
Q: This album was made with Robert William, the drummer of the Captain Beefheart Magic Band. Would you have planned to make a solo work at this time even if you hadn’t met him?
A: Probably. My meeting Robert happened when I was considering making a solo record and as we got on very well and became friends it made sense to ask Robert to help me make it. I had to have tea with Beefheart, in order to get his blessing, after we started recording. He was very supportive of the project.
Q: You yourself were a Beefheart fan, so did that have any influence on this album?
A: Of course. Beefheart gave me the courage to experiment. At first he was very wary of me, but when he realised I was a big fan of his work, he decided to trust me.
Q: I was fascinated by the mysterious atmosphere of this album, but I couldn’t grasp the overall theme, so I thought about it a lot. The conclusion I came to was that this album is probably an album that expresses the various fears that humans have through music.
A: That is very perceptive of you. One of the reasons why the mood of the album is like that is because it was mostly recorded at night. I asked Robert to book the studios in Los Angeles, but since I had to make arrangements at short notice, most of the time slots I could get were at night.
Q: This album uses motifs such as Leon Trotsky’s train, the famous monster Mothra from a Japanese special effects movie, and the silent horror movie ‘Nosferatu’ after which the album is titled. Leon Trotsky was one of the leaders of the Second Russian Revolution. He was known for being strict with military discipline and for being ruthless with those who violated the orders of his superiors.
A: The motifs you mention were things that I was fascinated by at the time. Trotsky was a hero of mine and his train was a fearful beast. So was Mothra, but a good beast. Hanya is a very scary mask from Japanese Noh theatre, and is supposed to represent the face of a jealous woman. The original ‘Nosferatu’ film is a masterpiece of cinema.
Q: Two members of Devo appear on one of the songs. How did you meet them?
A: Robert and I were both big fans of Devo. I first met them at the A&M label, the Stranglers’ US distributor, in LA when I went to the US for the first time. So we became friends. At one stage Robert almost became their drummer, until he tried to steal Mark’s girlfriend.
Q: It seems like you really liked Devo.
A: Yes. When I listened to the demo tapes they presented to A&M, all the songs were really interesting. However, their famous version of ‘Satisfaction’ (a cover of the Rolling Stones) wasn’t on the tapes.
Q: Did Devo’s cynicism and sarcastic sense of humor have any influence on you?
A: Yes, I liked their creative attitude. Also, both Devo and the Stranglers used keyboards a lot, so something we had in common. Synthesisers were very new instruments then and so using them was a voyage into the unknown. I loved the way Mark used the Prophet in Devo, it was very unusual. I think the Prophet was my favourite synthesiser, and I pressured Dave to get one for the Stranglers.
Q: Now let me ask you about each song. First, the title track.
‘Nosferatu’
The fast-beat rhythm and the majestic synth sounds are very powerful, but how did you come up with this unique arrangement?
A: This song was written by Robert, the only one he wrote completely. When we were near the end of the sessions he suggested we needed a song called ‘Nosferatu’, if that was going to be the name of the album. I agreed and suggested he write it while I was back in the UK. I dubbed guitar onto it later.
Q: ‘Losers In The Lost Land’
When I listen to this song, I feel like I’ve wandered into a spooky place shrouded in deep fog, but what does the “Loser” in the title refer to?
A: Originally the song was about Los Angeles and the people who live there. It was the first place I visited in America and I was disgusted by it, but at the same time fascinated. You must remember that the only reason for it’s existence is the movie business, which specialises in creating dreams.
In the late 70’s nobody walked on the streets of LA. The police cars would stop you if they saw you walking, as you were suspicious. It was like walking through a city with no residents except perhaps zombies. The only way of exorcising my disgust was to write about it, in ‘Dead Los Angeles’ & in this song.
Q: ‘White Room’
I was surprised by the bold cover of Cream’s ‘White Room’. I think there is something about this arrangement that makes you feel like you’re dissecting the song. What do you think about that?
A: ‘White Room’ was always one of my favourite Cream songs. It’s a masterpiece with a mysterious and captivating lyricism. I stripped it down and we gave it a Devo drum beat, in the same way they covered ‘Satisfaction’.
Q: The music video for ‘White Room’ is in black and white, and the direction is like a German Expressionist film from the silent era. Also, the guitar solo is very angular.
A: The way our version turned out suggested to me this style for the video. The guitar solo is pure improvisation.
Q: ‘Irate Caterpillar’.
It has an avant-garde flavor and an impressive structure, but what is the song about?
A: This song lyric was a description of a performance I saw of Henry Cow playing a concert in London. They play songs with quite complicated structures, and in the middle of one song guitarist Fred Frith suddenly raised his hand. He stopped playing and asked, “Can we start again from the beginning? I can’t remember where I am in the song right now.”
Q: So does the “string noise box” in the lyrics refer to a guitar?
A: Yes, exactly right..
Q: ‘Rhythmic Itch’.
Mark Mothersbaugh is on vocals in this song, so it sounds like Devo.
A: We prepared the music and then gave it to Devo to write lyrics and add some guitar. They of course converted it into a Devo song.
Q: Wired’
It’s a pop song typical of the New Wave era, but did you ever think about making it a single?
A: ‘White Room’ was a single but it didn’t gain chart success, so the record company decided not to release any more singles.
Q: ‘Big Bug’.
The lyrics that convey the image of uncontrollable fear match well with the unconventional rhythm arrangement.
A: ‘Big Bug’ is one of my favourite songs from the album. Recently I have developed an arrangement to play it live and it works very, very well. It will be on my new live album ‘All The Fun of The Fair’ released in October 2024, but will only be available with the digital download. The live album has a fairground feel to it, something for the whole family, hence the title.
Q: ‘Mothra’.
I think ‘Mothra’ is the most Captain Beefheart-like arrangement on the album.
A: I have been playing ‘Mothra’ live for many years and it is very enjoyable to play. Almost like a musical exercise.
Q: Wrong Way Round’.
Ian Dury’s enthusiastic performance is amazing. How did you invite him?
A: I always admired Ian and when the song developed a fairground atmosphere he immediately sprang into my mind as someone who could be the ‘barker’. It was the only time I met him.
Q: ‘Puppets’.
It’s the most punk-like song on the album, and the lyrics and your singing style are rebellious. Is there a specific model for the “puppet” that is the theme of the lyrics?
A: Puppets were another motif I was fascinated by, via the ball-jointed dolls of Hans Bellmer. When we were mixing the record at Air Studios in London The Clash were recording upstairs, so we asked them to sing backing vocals. This was funny to us as we regarded the Clash as being manipulated by their record label. I think Joe and Mick sang for us.
Q: You first came to Japan as The Stranglers in 1979. Did you have any particular image of Japan in mind?
A: Japan has always held mystery for me. The isolationist policy, the reluctance to accept foreign languages and therefore, cultural influence. But the UK and Japan have great similarities. Both are a group of islands next to a big land mass. Both have extreme weather patterns. Both have idiosyncratic traditional cultures that they are very proud of.
Q: How do you perceive Japanese culture?
A: I found, and still find, Japanese culture perplexing and very alien.
Q: According to a Japanese music magazine from your first visit to Japan in February 1979, you said to the silent fans at your live performance, “Are you guys sleeping?” Do you remember?
A: I remember we played a concert in Tokyo and after the first song (Something Better Change) the audience remained silent and did not move. I told the band to play the song again. The audience remained silent and still. We played the same song about 6 times and still no reaction. So I asked the audience why they were like this and they exploded in reaction.
Q: Is there any Japanese culture that you’re interested in now?
A: I am very interested in Japanese cinema. I am a big fan of Yasujiro Ozu and was surprised to discover so many great directors, aside from Akira Kurosawa.
Q: What about contemporary directors?
A: I think Hirokazu Koreeda’s works are wonderful. I’ve seen ‘Nobody Knows’ and ‘Shoplifters’, and they were both really interesting.
Q: Finally, looking back at the heyday of the New Wave from 1978 to 1979, how do you feel as one of the originators of punk rock?
A: Nobody involved in that music scene ever imagined it would still be such a cultural phenomenon 50 years later. The Sex Pistols have become culturally bigger than the Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined. The cultural significance of that time is bigger now than the Swinging Sixties were.
