European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 9, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Entertain me atthe torment of Rock n Roll by Deedee Doke staff writer a n anguished and despairing world View soaks the manic Street preachers the Hoty Bible in a Wash of vitriol cynicism and self disgust from today s holy wars to capital punishment and the hypocrisy of political correctness no manifestation of human frailty escapes the Welsh band s rage on this their third album. But ultimately they re hardest on themselves for contributing to world problems by failing to solve them. Coupled with a masochistic taste for the lash a certain arrogance is necessary to approach music with such a Quot life sucks Quot attitude a albeit to a furious beat and curiously uplifting melodies. Lead Singer James Dean Bradfield prefers the term Quot pompous Quot admitting Quot we be always been a very pompous band and we be always been a very judgmental and opinionated band Quot but the Root of the manics unrelentingly dark vision lie in growing up working class in die Shadow of Wales mines and Bradfield claims the band s a a confusion with a world in which absolutes Are useless. Quot perhaps we believe in nothing but we desperately want to believe in something Quot he confided in an interview in Frankfurt Germany. A he and the three other manics concluded that Quot every ideology has failed to a certain degree. And the band is just very very confused basically and we be come to realize that we want to believe in something but we can t find anything to believe the Short muscular Bradfield visited Frankfurt in conjunction with the band s album and a tour with suede of Continental Europe where the manics Are less Well known than in Britain where they _ a. / a. A. Is amps Ken George Singer James Dean Bradfield lets out a frenzied How in Frankfurt Germany boast a fanatical following and in Thailand. The president of the group s first fan club in Germany hovered around the Batsch Kapp nightclub to speak to the group scrapbooks in hand hours before their show. Dressed in All Black with a a Matching Eye makeup Monika w. Shyly said that she had seen the group More than a dozen times and had travelled even to England to see them. A a Quot i like their music because it talks about current issues and personal problems Quot said Monika who had travelled from a Cologne in the last year the band lost their manager to cancer and experienced a a a near tragedy when one member with a history of self mutilation suffered what the rolling stones concert listings a see pages 22, 23 amp 24 get your Yayas out with the world s Best known Rock meisters when they bring their voodoo lounge tour to Europe. Bradfield described As Quot worse than a nervous the musician a identified in British press accounts As guitarist Richey James although Bradfield did not refer to him by name -1 recovered sufficiently to make the late fall tour. Quot he s better now Quot Bradfield said. Quot he s abstaining from All the vices in life a he s not allowed to drink he s not allowed to do any drugs and he s no allowed to have a asked what Steps the band took to ensure a Safe tour Bradfield said Quot we set the rules before going on the Road like of if you re going to do this then there s no Point of going on tour Bradfield Wenton to say Quot we re All pretty close. We re always on top of each other when we re on tour anyway. We re a very kind of like chatty group anyway. We re always talking about something or arguing about something. We re always in each other s Richey James problems notwithstanding Bradfield acknowledged that the manic Street preachers dim world View in t limited to the holy wars at Home and abroad poverty violence and the general condition of life. It also has personal overtones. Quot i d say there s one member of our band who is kind of very stable and he s very traditional a which is Good because we need one person who can reach a life state with humanity Quot Bradfield said of Bass player Nicky wire. Quot but the rest of us a we vetoed Many things and failed at Many things cd say the other three of us Are like hopeless causes at the . Hopeless perhaps but going Down fighting mad a As exemplified on the holy Bible on such tracks As of walking abortion. The chorus Quot who s responsible you of a Are Quot screamed Over and Over again becomes a mantra of self hatred. On the single p.c.p., the preachers assail politically Correct jargon As hypocritical Quot words discoloured Bow to the Bland. . Caresses bigots and big brother read Leviticus Learnt censorship pro life equals Quot basically Quot Bradfield said Quot we just Felt this album will be our divine truth. Our holy Bible it s very complicated but we feel like. Every value system everything we believe is very transient. I Don t think Yog can believe anything for the rest of. Your life anymore. Quot i think you have to pick your beliefs just to suit the times and then perhaps move on we feel that s the Only Way you can exist a just by completely changing your a a a a a to Date the manics have played a total of six dates in the United states a country with which Bradfield says he has Quot definitely a love hate thing. Quot it s one of the most diverse societies in the world but also one of the most racist _ countries in the world Quot he reflected. Quot it s like they re sitting on a powder Keg. Quot there s such a dichotomy it s very confusing. It s easy to be fascinated with America it s just the Best and worst of Friday december 9,1994 the stars and 5tripe5 19
