From the ashes of the Shop Assistants and Meat Whiplash came the Motorcycle Boy, one of the great lost Scottish pop groups of the late 1980s.

Featuring the unmistakable voice of the late Alex Taylor, the band traded under an enigmatic name inspired by Mickey Rourke’s character in Francis Ford Coppola’s avant-garde film noir Rumble Fish.

The Edinburgh-based five-piece were feted as the ‘next big thing’ and went on to release a string of classy singles – but it was the old, old story. Dropped by a major label, the Motorcycle Boy’s debut LP was recorded and never came out – well, not until a few years ago, about 30 years after it should have done – and the band split up, their chance at world domination gone.

Michael Kerr from the band spoke to Gigslutz ahead of the bands John Peel session vinyl release:

Can you please tell me abit about your upbringing?

I was born in Glasgow but my family moved to East Kilbride (a post war new town a few miles outside of Glasgow) when I was very young. My parents both worked, my dad was a labourer and my mother a factory worker. Due to both being in low wage employment we didn’t have any money growing but that was the same for the majority of people around us. I wouldn’t say it was a particularly happy childhood with constant air of tension in the house and both parents constantly bickering. My escape from all this in my early childhood years was playing football, we seemed to be playing football at every opportunity. It has been the one constant in my life, even before music became a part of my life.

What’s the first music you can remember hearing?

My dad was a big music fan, listening mainly to the “crooners” with Frank Sinatra being a particular favourite. There was also a lot of country and western and a smattering of rock and roll being played. When we got ready for school in the morning Radio 2 was always on which played some hits of the day as well as the easy listening output of artists such as Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert. At that time the most important group for me were The Monkees. I loved their TV show and was enamoured by the catchy pop melodies they sang.

Can you recall the first serious music you got into?

I remember buying Life on Mars by Bowie from someone at school, it only cost me 2p. The only problem was I had nothing to play it on as my dad forbade anyone else in the house to use his stereogram. He would even go as far as removing the stylus, placing it in a matchbox and taking it to work with him. When I reached my teenage years the people I hung about with at school were into heavy metal and rock music so I found myself being drawn towards that. The people I hung about outside of school were into punk and new wave so I heard a lot of that also. Back in those days you had to choose your tribe and I chose the rockers over the punks but I always liked listening to The Stranglers and Devo as much as I did AC/DC or UFO.

How did you get into playing the guitar?

I played drums in Meat Whiplash but it was always guitar players I admired so decided to take that up. I also thought it was better to be at the front rather than the back of the stage. I’d managed to get myself an almost unplayable guitar and learned a few chords. I’ve never really moved on from just knowing a few chords and I’ve always promised myself that I would learn properly one day. Perhaps that’s a project for my retirement.

Did you find it easy to play the guitar?

Not particularly! I’ve never been the most co-ordinated of people so having the dexterity for both hands to be doing different things has always been a challenge.

When did you first start to write your own songs?

Almost as soon as I learned a few chords. The initial intention was to switch from drums to guitar in Meat Whiplash but it became obvious that particular musical endeavour was coming to an end. Therefore, anything I wrote was used by The Motorcycle Boy.

Were you in any bands prior to Motorcycle Boy?

I was in Meat Whiplash who released one single on Creation records and recorded a John Peel session. Our limited output was released recently but the American label Silvergirl Records that went by the title Collected/Contextualised. Our one single, Don’t Slip Up, did pretty well in the indie charts and we appeared in a couple of the music papers.

How did Motorcycle Boy form?

Eddie Connelly, bass player in Meat Whiplash, was going out with Alex Taylor from the Shop Assistants. Eddie told me that Alex was deeply unhappy in the band so I suggested that we form a new band from what was left from Meat Whiplash with Alex singing. We decided we needed another guitarist to expand our sound and that is when David Scott joined the band.

How did you get signed to Rough Trade?

We never really signed for Rough Trade, our contract was with Chrysalis through their Blue Guitar subsidiary. Part of the Shop Assistants deal with Blue Guitar meant they had first refusal on any splinter projects which they duly took up when The Motorcycle Boy formed. Geoff Travis, the main man at Rough Trade, was also involved with Blue Guitar and felt we would receive more attention, initially at least, if Big Rock Candy Mountain was released on an indie label. It was merely a marriage of convenience.

Do you remember hearing Alex Taylor sing for the first time?

I’d heard the first Shop Assistants single before seeing them live. I don’t remember her voice particularly standing out initially as there were dozens of guitar bands with female singers at that point. The first time I heard her live was at a Jesus & Mary Chain gig where the Shop Assistants and Meat Whiplash were the support acts. I loved the Shop Assistants but I don’t think she was able to sing as she wanted in that group. The Motorcycle Boy gave her a greater opportunity to sing more melodically.

How did the songs come together for the band? Were they all joint band compositions or did certain individuals come up with ideas for some of the songs?

In the beginning I came up with a chord progression and a song structure that I gave to Alex, she would then do her thing and then David would add guitar parts. After a while Eddie started writing songs. Some songs started as a fairly obvious rip off of some song or other but by the time we all worked on them it had turned into something that was our own. For example, the verse of Hey Mama started as “copy of The Cliques, via REM, Superman. The drums on the demo were hip hop influenced and by the time it was recorded it was a whole other beast.

Did you play any of the songs live before recording them in the studio?

I don’t think we had played live before we recorded Big Rock Candy Mountain but we supported The Jesus & Mary Chain, on their Darklands tour, not long after the single was released and we played a number of songs that were unrecorded at that time. A number of songs that were recorded for the Scarlet album had never been played live prior to them being recorded.

Do you recall how recording the album came about?

We had already recorded our first single at Pat Collier’s Greenhouse studio with Pat producing. We had recorded a second single with Flood but it didn’t turn out great (it was never released as a single) so when it came time to record the album we had already decided to use Greenhouse with Pat producing. We were booked in for 3 weeks of recording and a week of mixing and, for us at least, went very smoothly. Pat was such a laid back guy and it was a joy to work with him.

What were the sessions like? Was it an easy album to record?

It was very easy, only Some Girls was a chore and looking back we should have scrapped the original recording and took a different approach to the song. Pat had a young family at the time and didn’t work weekends and we worked 10 – 5 during the week. Rather than staying in a hotel for 4 weeks we rented a mews house near Waterloo so the whole experience was pretty relaxed. Greenhouse was equipped with a pool table, a dartboard, pinball machine etc. so in-between recording there was always something to do.

Why didn’t Scarlet get released when it was recorded? 

This is when things started to get messy. Not long after finishing the album, Alex and Eddie sacked David from the band. It came out of the blue and to this day neither of us know why this happened. Alex and Eddie expected me to go along with this decision but I felt I had no option but to leave in solidarity with David. It broke my heart in a way as the band was my life at that point and I’d been more than happy with the way the album had turned out. So, with that decision being made, Alex and Eddie left Edinburgh for London to continue the band. I’m not a 100% certain what happened after that but Chrysalis appeared to throw money at the band to re-record some material but with a more “polished” production. At this point the label wanted to concentrate on Alex rather than the band. Two singles were released without any great success so Chrysalis appeared to just shelf the band completely and that included the album.

Are you happy with the sound of the album listening back to the album 40 years on?

There are certain keyboard sounds that are of their time but the songs still stand up and I still think it’s far better than a lot of albums released by similar bands at that time. For me at least it’s better that the debut Primal Scream album as well as albums by the Mighty Lemon Drops and the Darling Buds that were recorded around the same time.

How popular were the band in a live setting?

Our live performances were never that great which held the band back to a certain extent. It’s hard to build a live following when you’re not a great live act. I was never a great fan of playing live, being in a recording studio was always a more preferable habitat.

Do you have any favourite gigs the band played?

There are 3 gigs that stand out for me. Manchester University, supported by The Wonderstuff, we just all seemed to be on it that night. Govan Town Hall in Glasgow. It was part of the Mayfest programme and we were playing second fiddle to The Pastels that night. The audience loved us that night and, with no ill feeling towards The Pastels, we really should have headlined that night. The night prior to that gig we played Edinburgh University. It was intended as a warm up for the Glasgow gig. I usually didn’t drink much alcohol prior to playing but I had probably imbued too much that night. The playing wasn’t great but it turned into a fun night that everyone seemed to enjoy.

How did it feel front the front cover of the NME?

This was one occasion where the band were in disagreement. Two members of the band thought it would be great for the band, another two felt it had come too early especially when there was only a half page article to accompany the front cover. The majority of people didn’t know about the turmoil that was going on at the NME at the time, especially over the censorship of what was originally intended to be the cover. To someone unaware of the facts it must have looked unusual, and slightly suspicious, that a band with such an insignificant article should get the front cover.

You were then signed by Nymphaea Pink Sensation, how did this come about? 

By this time I was out the band so for some of the upcoming questions I will answer with what limited information I have.

Nymphaea was set up by Pat Collier as a means to release further recordings by the band. Pat was probably the band’s biggest fan and supporter and having the recording studio meant they could record for next to no expense.

Were the band still gigging in the early 90’s?

The band’s last gig was at the Falcon in Camden on October 25th 1990. They called it a day after that show,

When did the band decide to call it a day?

Lack of interest in the band probably. Their recorded output wasn’t selling in large amounts and they were still playing venues like the Camden Falcon.

Do you think it was the right thing to part ways?

It’s hard for me to answer that but it would appear to be the correct decision.

Fast forward to 2019, Scarlet got its much deserved released, but then a year later it was revealed Alex had passed away in 2005. When was the last time you saw Alex?

The last time I saw Alex was at a showcase gig for Ride, who had just signed for Creation, in London. It was a fairly friendly encounter if I remember correctly. That would have been sometime in 1989 I think.

Do you think she would have been happy the album finally getting a release?

I was contacted by her husband shortly after the album was released. It was at this point that it came to light that Alex had passed away in 2005. He did mention that Alex had always wished that the album had been released.

There has also been Anthony Cooper and Eddie Connelly, were you in contact with either of them before their passings? 

I hadn’t seen Anthony since the same time I had seen Alex. I’d seen Eddie a few times over the years, he was manager of the band Adorable and they had stayed at the house I was living in when they played in Edinburgh. He eventually moved to the US and the last time I saw him was when he was over for his father’s funeral.

Fast forward another few years and the bands Peel Session from 1987 is getting a release on Precious Records. How did this come about?

Precious were releasing the Janice Long session by Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes. They were one of the bands on Eddie’s Narodnik record label who I had helped out on occasion and who I joined full time after leaving The Motorcycle Boy. They were looking for other sessions to release by bands of the same era and it was suggested to them that the Meat Whiplash and Motorcycle Boy John Peel sessions would by available. Nick, from Precious, contacted me regarding both bands. The Meat Whiplash session was just about to be released as part of the Collected/Contextualised compilation by Silver Girl Records so it was decided to focus on the Motorcycle Boy release.

Are there any other unreleased tracks by the band that haven’t received a release yet?

There was one song recorded for the album, I Could Make You Happy, that we decided to leave off the album and there were a couple of different mixes of a couple of other songs.

Why do you think the band still appeals to your fans and new fans?

This will sound a bit David Brent but good songs are good songs and we wrote good songs. Scarlet doesn’t sound particularly dated which also helps. It’s a constant source of joy, and surprise, that interest still remains in the band.

Are you still involved in music?

Not these days. I still have a number of guitars that I noodle about on every now and again but that’s about it.

Finally, what’s on your turntable at present?

Many many different things but the last 5 albums I played are:

Alice Coltrane – Journey In Satchidananda

X-Cetra – Summer 2000

Jessica Pratt – Quiet Signs

Jane Weaver – Love In Constant Spectacle

Steven Wilson – The Overview

 

PRE 052: THE MOTORCYCLE BOY – John Peel session 14.09.87 can be pre ordered here