Interview with Jacqui Vixen & Johnny Navarro

Interviewed by Gordon Taylor of Infectious Unease Radio

I first came across Devilish Presley when I was reading about them in Meltdown Magazine. Naturally I wanted to know more about them. I came across an ad for one of their gigs and my curiosity heightened. So I wrote them, and a few weeks later I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of their album ‘Disgraceland’ in my hands. I slipped ‘Disgraceland’ into the car cd player, turned up the volume and drove out into the country side late at night. My ears were pleasured with their lyrics becoming familiar to my lips as I listened to the album a second time in the car. Their music made my fingers tap on the steering wheel. I wondered to myself how wonderful it could be to meet and see this band live. Well one problem, they are in the UK and I am in Australia. I was blown away by the energy and excitement in their lyrics and sound. The lyrics tell stories of place and time. The music is raw power, a combination of strong guitar, bass guitar. This is something wonderful coming from two very strong minded people who are here to stay and explode onto the world with their music.

BAND MEMBERS: DEVILISH PRESLEY.
All songs written by Devilish Presley.

Jacqui Vixen: Age: 27 Bass and Vocals

Johnny Navarro: Age: 4th Century AD Guitar and Vocals

BANDS DISCOGRAPHY:
Albums:
Rust Garden (November Tenth) 001 Released January 2003
Disgraceland (November Tenth) 002 Released January 2004
Singles:
Black Leather Jesus/Levi’s Dog (November Tenth) 00a1 December 2002
She’s Not America/Memento Mori/(November Tenth) 00b2 January 2004
“Pandemonium” EP
She’s Not America/Black Leather Jesus/Saturday Night Satellite/
Memento Mori(November Tenth) May 2004

BANDS WEB PAGE:
www.devilishpresley.com

BANDS EMAIL ADDRESS jacquivixen at devilishpresley.fsnet.co.uk

BANDS SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS: C/O Stagger Lee @
November Tenth Records
1 Sandy’s Row
London E1 7HW

INTERVIEWER: GORDON TAYLOR OF INFECTIOUS UNEASE RADIO

INTERVIEWEES: Jacqui Vixen & Johnny Navarro:

DATE: 9th May 2004

What countries are you both from? At what age did you both take up music? How did you meet? And when did Devilish Presley first begin?

Jacqui Vixen:
I was born in Australia in 1977 in a small town called Hay. I moved to Melbourne where I grew up and later attended University. I took up the piano
aged 6 but moved to flute, on which I trained classically. I gave music up in a futile attempt to reach the Australian Olympic show jumping team, but I had to retire due to serious injury. I moved to London in 1996 and I met Johnny in 2000 when I joined his band Theda on keyboards. We got on so well and both wanted to Rock n roll so we went off and formed Devilish Presley in 2002.

Johnny Navarro:
I was born in the Victorian era. I worked as a mudlark on the shores of Thames where I was discovered by Jacqui being held as a slave in a dodgy synth band. We both sold our souls to Robert Johnson and formed DP.

What previous bands have you been involved in? What styles of music did you play in these bands?

Jacqui Vixen: I was in Golgotha (not the famous U.S band) with my then boyfriend. We split up due to “differences”. He wanted to empty my bank account and I objected. We were goth rock.

Johnny Navarro: I was in goth rockers Touch Of Evil in the ‘80’s and we released 2 singles The best of which was a 12” single “Blue Blue Gods” which is now as rare as hens teeth. I was then in Theda who influenced many bands but made no money.


What instruments and equipment do you use when producing and performing your music?

Jacqui Vixen: A Marennello bass, it’s Italian and I need them to sponsor me!!
A Laney 150 watt amp and cabinet and that’s all. I use a dirty sound ?

Johnny Navarro: A Dusenburg Starplayer. It’s German and based on the guitar played by Eddie Cochran in the film “The Girl Can’t Help It” who happens to be a distant relative of mine, for real! I also use a Black Epiphone Les Paul copy ‘cos I need sponsorship by Gibson!! I can’t afford an original. I use a Marshall 100 watt combo which I put through a cabinet now we are playing bigger venues. I have a zoom fx pedal but I only use the tremelo effect now, the rest is just amp and guitar. Oh and my magical pouting panache of course.

You have released the album" Disgraceland.” I really enjoyed the lyrics and vocals they told a story, expressed emotion, or captured place a time or particular character. With the combination of very powerful music what was the inspiration behind the music and lyrics? What creative process’s do you go through to produce the music and lyrics.

Jacqui Vixen: Thanks for the kind comments Gordon. Well we ALWAYS write the lyrics first and they are all based on stuff that resonates with us. We have to do it that way because we put so much energy into our live performance that we have to “mean it man”. The first album “Rust Garden” was very much a blueprint for the Devilish Presley format. We write simple but catchy songs about London and the weird and scary people we meet here. “Disgraceland” is London re-imagined in our fevered minds. A huge old sprawling place that has a modern American layer over centuries of spooky weird shit. Hence all the Americana references. Johnny’s family were all Teddy Boys in the ‘50s and he has loads of old rare rock n Roll records. It’s in his blood literally being a distant relative of Eddie Cochran.

Johnny Navarro:
We usually start with a title. Like the next album will be called “Memphisto” and from that one word the entire album, all the titles lyrics and artwork ideas are coming together. We did the same thing with “Disgraceland” which could be seen as political and about the U.K with songs like “She’s Not America” It helped having Terry Chimes ex-Clash drummer as a consultant producer ‘cos they were THE band from London apart from Marc Bolan of course! On another level that track might be about an ex-partner.

How has the response been for "Disgraceland”?

Jacqui Vixen: Brilliant. We have had some great reviews and we must mention Uncle Nemesis on www.starvox.com who has reviewed us live as well and really encouraged us. We got a fantastic review in the U.K magazine Meltdown and we have been encouraged by fanzines, webzines and stations all over the world including the wonderful Infectious Unease ?

Johnny Navarro:
We are selling the CD steadily at gigs and via Resurrection Records in Camden. We now have distribution in Europe via Strobelight but we are still looking for distribution in Australia.

Who produced the artwork for your web page? I also Understand Danny Matulic from Melbourne Australia produced the art work for “Disgraceland” could you tell me what was the process on deciding what artwork was going to be used. As I thought the artwork for “Disgracland” was very striking and fantastic

Jacqui Vixen: Thanks. Yeah Melbourne boy Danny does all our artworks and the website design has grown out of the artwork for the first album “Rust Garden” He comes up with all the ideas we just give him a rough mix of the songs and a few hints and he does the rest. He is my adopted brother and a genius.

Johnny Navarro:
Yeah Danny has designed all the logo’s etc. he did the one for “Pity For Monsters” our fanzine and gig promotions company we run in London.

Your music has a very powerful sound. To people who may not of heard of devilish Presley how would of you describe your sound to them?

Jacqui Vixen:
Johnny does the spiel on this one.

Johnny Navarro:
We are the 3 chord trickery of Robert Johnson put through the glam-rock amps of T-Rex. We pump it out like the Clash meets the White Stripes live and we try to capture that in the studio. We are the Voodoo Childe Of The Revolution, and we never use minor chords.

When you get the time what music, do you enjoy listening to?

Jacqui Vixen:
Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, The White Stripes, T-Rex, Placebo.
Lately I have been into The Deep Eynde since we met them and spent some time with them “She Likes Skulls” is a great track. Oh and Bella Morte nice guys!

Johnny Navarro:
I only listen to old blues and Rock n Roll. Blind Lemon Jefferson as I write this.

Apart from playing music what other things do you and enjoy in life.

Jacqui Vixen: Red Wine , films, theatre and reading lots!

Johnny Navarro:
Walking my Staffordshire bull terrier dog “Withnail” and spending time with him.

What gigs did you enjoy the most and what was the audience response?

Jacqui Vixen:
We did 2 gigs at the start of the year at The Water Rats theatre in London’s Kings Cross to over 200 people on both nights, We had a stage invasion as well!!

Johnny Navarro:
Yeah they were special gigs. To be on the stage where Bob Dylan made his London debut in 1962 was cool!

Is there anything special incorporated within your performances?

Jacqui Vixen: Live essence

Johnny Navarro: Live essence.

When you have a performance what goes through your mind when you are on that stage. What is it that you feel? What sort of emotions do you go through when the eyes of the audience are on you?

Jacqui Vixen:
Mmmm? It used to be blind panic but now I am more relaxed and I enjoy it more. We have done a LOT of gigs now. I usually hype myself up by thinking about all the people who SHOULD be there and aren’t. Record companies, journalists and the media, all wasting time on bands who are rubbish a lot of the time.

Johnny Navarro:
I guess like the old blues guys there is usually “something” pissing me off on the day of a gig and I use that as a focus to get “Motivated”

Which bands have you performed gigs with?

Jacqui Vixen: Bella Morte, Last Days Of Jesus, The Last Dance, Global Noise Attack, Zombina and The Skeletones Earth Loop Recall. Swarf, loads of others.

Johnny Navarro:
The spirits of rock n roll are always up there with us.

What memorable experiences have you had when playing live?

Jacqui Vixen: Well just the other night in Maidenhead (town near London) I broke a bass string just before the last song and Johnny led the audience through a guitar and vocal only “Black Leather Jesus” which was mad but funny.

Johnny Navarro:
I think being flashed at by a mad French girl from the side of the stage at the Underworld was one I will always remember and treasure.

Have you got any up and coming tours if so where will these take place?

Jacqui Vixen: The “Disgraceland” tour is underway and will continue to the end of 2004. We will then take a break to record the next album which will be followed by more dates.

Johnny Navarro: We intend to travel as far and wide as possible in 2005 if we can. We have been offered a gig by Thomas at Melbournes “Cabaret Nocturne” so if we can get there at the end of 2005 we will!!

Do you have any funny or interesting experiences you would like to talk about?

Jacqui Vixen:
Imagine the scene. We are in Scotland on tour with The Last Days Of Jesus from Slovakia. The “Hotel” we were promised turns out to be a squat in a deserted old folks home (formerly a school) and is very COLD. After the gig in this candle-lit old mansion 20 odd rock n rollers are getting trashed. MaryO singer with Last Days is blasting out Cd’s in the main hall whilst the keyboard player is vamping out Slovakian folk songs on a broken down piano. Someone else is playing black metal riffs on a guitar and into this scene comes their half naked drummer banging a snare and shouting “welcome to the circus of insanity” It was like a Fellini film or something.

Johnny Navarro:
Yeah and I slept through all this, only to be woken up by the snoring of Jon our sound engineer ?

You received press, electronic press, radio airplay, and DJ airplay. What countries, radio stations, and DJ have been positive about your work?

Jacqui Vixen: Well in London Cavey Nik of Dead and Buried and DJane Darlin grave of the Wake and Dead and Buried. DJ De’ath from Beyond The Veil In Leeds, DJ’s Martin and Jamie at Insanitorium in Colchester. On the net Sam Sam on Slaghuis and of course Infectious Unease. Also Natasha on Total Rock Radio on her Batcave show. We have to thank Starvox, Meltdown and all the Fanzines like Bubblegum Slut as well as our friends in Germany, Slovakia (Last Days Of Jesus), Poland, Italy and ANYONE we have forgotten.

Johnny Navarro:
A special No thanks at all to the NME and the useless A&R departments in the U.K. who have tried to ignore us to death.

What is the music subculture like in Europe and the UK?

Jacqui Vixen:
Well we are only interested in guitar bands and rock n roll so this is from that perspective Gordon.

It is still very Indie orientated and I was shocked to be honest at how bad the uk music scene was when I arrived here, they all copy the same 5 60’s bands over and over and over. I recently read a biography of Nick Cave and he said much the same about when the Birthday Party first got to London. A few cool acts but LOADS of trash. The uk goth and alternative scene is dying (Johnny would say being killed) from a lack of decent live acts.

Through out year there have been many developing styles of music some becoming very large and having there own subculture of fans and others styles of music methamorphosising into another. In what Direction do think music will go?

Johnny Navarro:
Well we are only interested in guitar bands and rock n roll so this is from that perspective Gordon.

Germany and other parts of Europe like the USA are producing energetic and exciting music but in the uk the pre-eminence of past their sell by date clubs like Slimelight and Full Tilt (now thankfully ended) has retarded music. Too much techno and to many awful karaoke acts who can’t play or sing have reduced the uk goth/alternative scene to a joke. Djane Darlin Grave of Dead and Buried put it well in the recent Meltdown article on Deathrock. “The uk scene has been going downhill for years” Exactly!! but we have tried to show that playing live is the proving ground, and guitars are the only way forward. That is why we chose the name Presley, we have gone back to the mother-lode of rock n roll and we need to kick people up the arse. Slowly, very slowly, it seems to be working. We wanna do to this scene what the White Stripes did to the dance addled masses, bring back Raw Power.

What are your future plans?
Keep on Trucking. Keep playing live and hopefully inspire some bands to
form and keep the banner waving for live rock n roll. To release the 3rd album and to tour everywhere we can. Thanks Gordon for your time and interest.