Consuming Passions
by Gavin Martin from "Uncut" September 1999
In the heart of Texas are Diana Ross dolls, alien movies, fanzines, photo books, American soul and something in leather -just a few of the favourite things; that loom large in Sharleen Spiteri's world...
Gene Clark Memorial Fanzine
I could be wrong, but I don't hear many people talking about Gene Clark least of all any of The Byrds. I think he's the most underrated talent to have come out of the Sixties. Such a beautiful voice. When Dennis Wilson did his solo album, it sounded like the sea and Gene sounds like the wind - that sounds stupid but it's something organic that he has and it's the essence of being a good singer. I feel really sad when I see footage of Gene Clark with The Byrds banging the tambourine. He's like, really like music, but I don't really like it here. 'Sometimes I think I know how he feels."
Chic's "I Want Your Love" 12inch
"For me, it's a great record, obviously, but it also brings back memories of making our first record. We'd just done a few demos, been signed by a major label and we were told Bernard Edwards wanted to produce our record. I was like - YESSSS! This is the best business in the world. We went to LA and what I remember about Bernard is long games of table tennis, four changes a day and many, many trips to the bathroom. At the time I was 18, and I didn't know what it was all about until one day when he disappeared completely. We were told Bernard was upset because a Chic movie was being made - Eddie Murphy had been cast as Nile, but he was being played by some no mark. As if that gave him the right to get off his face and fuck us off! That was a very early lesson - my bubble burst right there."
"Divided Soul: The life of Marvin Gaye" by David Ritz
"David Ritz is the ultimate Marvin Gaye writer. He's done other books, but you can tell from this one that Marvin is his true passion. I love Marvin so much but what I love about this book is that it's not a Hog that just goes on about how wonderful the subject is. This is balanced, and it makes the case that Marvin is interesting outside his music. Considering the records he made, that's an amazing achievement. The interesting thing is the way it starts - the beginning is the end of his life because it's about his relationship with his father - that's what makes it a wonderful story. Tragic but wonderful."
Aliens DVD box set
"Sigourney Weaver is not a role model, but she can kick ass. I wouldn't put any actresses down as role models. Or anyone, for that matter. I like the suspense of these films, but I don't find them scary I like the whole idea of the story and the way the stories run into each other. The first one is definitely my favourite, but ifs an amazingly consistent series."
Diana Ross doll
"I got it at a toy fair in LA for $I50 - it was patented in I977 and registered to The Motown Corporation Of America. Totally cool. I was with Johnny (McElhone Texas guitarist and songwriting partner), who is always collecting Star Wars stuff, but I really love Diana Ross and I had to have this doll. I collect quite a few toys. I haven't had this out of the box but I do keep fixing her hair because it keeps falling over her face, which really bugs me. She's got great eyelashes and blue eye shadow, just as I remember Diana had when I was a kid. There's a big thing on the Internet now where people are trying to make clothes for these dolls. Fuck that! I've got some of the original clothes with Diana's face on them. She wont get to wear them, but she can look at them in her wardrobe."
Something Leather by Alisdair Gray
"It's a book about a really straight woman who works in an office, never does anything very exciting, then one day she sees this leather dress in a shop window She buys it, and it changes her whole life.
"It's three short stories that go off in tangents but come together in the end. To me, that's really clever writing. He doesn't write from a female perspective - I think that stuff about men being in touch with their feminine side is a load of shit, actually.
"The writer's a man, and he writes about sex and everything else from a male point of view, which is fine by me. I hate it when men try to be something they're not."
Jeff Wall photo book
"It's a really nice, really simple book of beautiful modern photographs. His theme is just life generally - people, space and time. I've got many photographic books in the house - every time we do an album cover it's an excuse to buy some to get ideas. I always think the best way to find what interests you is to go to the photographic section of a bookshop and find what you like for yourself.
People get far too much handed to them on a plate. I've got a videocam and a DVD) but I'm old-fashioned - nothing really replaces photography. It's one of my big interests. If I weren't in a band, I'd either want to be a photographer or a carpenter."
"Atlantic Rhythm and Blues box set" (Vinyl edition)
"Everything you need to know is in this box, the best education you could have. it filled in a lot of spaces for me. Sam and Dave I always loved, but people like Barbara Lewis I never knew before this and I really got into her. I got it when I moved into my first flat. I spent so many nights there with nothing in the flat just listening to this. Even on the Marvin Gaye box set I'll skip tracks, but this is brilliant from start to finish."
"Doctor Alimantado Born For A Purpose"
"Number One - what a great title. The record itself is just filthy, it makes you want to do the whole thing. it's not dreamy beautiful like Gene Clark, where you can just lie back and go 'Aaah' with this, you have to get involved. When we did The Hush, Studio One was a major inspiration, I know it sounds different but the whole sensual sexiness thing came from our interpretation of it."
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"David Ritz is the ultimate Marvin Gaye writer. He's done other books, but you can tell from this one that Marvin is his true passion. I love Marvin so much but what I love about this book is that it's not a Hog that just goes on about how wonderful the subject is. This is balanced, and it makes the case that Marvin is interesting outside his music. Considering the records he made, that's an amazing achievement. The interesting thing is the way it starts - the beginning is the end of his life because it's about his relationship with his father - that's what makes it a wonderful story. Tragic but wonderful."
)
"I got it at a toy fair in LA for $I50 - it was patented in I977 and registered to The Motown Corporation Of America. Totally cool. I was with Johnny (McElhone Texas guitarist and songwriting partner), who is always collecting Star Wars stuff, but I really love Diana Ross and I had to have this doll. I collect quite a few toys. I haven't had this out of the box but I do keep fixing her hair because it keeps falling over her face, which really bugs me. She's got great eyelashes and blue eye shadow, just as I remember Diana had when I was a kid. There's a big thing on the Internet now where people are trying to make clothes for these dolls. Fuck that! I've got some of the original clothes with Diana's face on them. She wont get to wear them, but she can look at them in her wardrobe."
)
"It's a really nice, really simple book of beautiful modern photographs. His theme is just life generally - people, space and time. I've got many photographic books in the house - every time we do an album cover it's an excuse to buy some to get ideas. I always think the best way to find what interests you is to go to the photographic section of a bookshop and find what you like for yourself.)
"Everything you need to know is in this box, the best education you could have. it filled in a lot of spaces for me. Sam and Dave I always loved, but people like Barbara Lewis I never knew before this and I really got into her. I got it when I moved into my first flat. I spent so many nights there with nothing in the flat just listening to this. Even on the Marvin Gaye box set I'll skip tracks, but this is brilliant from start to finish."