MARK CHADWICK vocals, guitar


Cornered in the managers office, with no hope of escape, an angle poise shining in his eyes, Mark Chadwick prepares to reveal as little as possible to OTF's intrepid reporter:

Question: So tell me about your childhood - How did you end up dancing barefoot, singing and playing guitar for a living?
Answer:Oh no.Really?Is that one of the questions?

> Q:How about: How did you end up with the Levellers?
A:It's a long story isn't it?
> Q:Well compact it then!
A:Groooooooooaaaan.
> Q:What made you pick up a guitar?
A:Seeing Pete Townsend when I was a kid.I thought: I could do that!
> Q:How old were you when you first started playing it?
A:About 13.
> Q:Did you have loads of time to play it?
A:Yeah, noone seemed to mind - my Dad was in a military band anyway.So he went and got me a guitar from work.I used to posed with it in front of the mirror...
> Q:What was the first band you were in?
A:I was in a band with Steve Boakes while we were in the sixth form.It was terrible, we were called the Soupdragons, but then there was the Soupdragons who became very famous - bastards!Steve played bass - and all the rest of us is in the biog.
> Q:So are they proud of you then, your parents?
A: they weren't first, but they are now.They are glad they didn't dissuade from it....They're happy that I'm happy.
> Q: Looking back on it what's the high points so far?
A:All of it, really, I love it all, I really do.Any moment of it I wouldn't swop, it's very interesting.
> Q:Does that come across to the aufience do you think?
A:I suppose so, we're never bored with it.Should we ever be bored with it then it would come across :THE LEVELLERS ARE BORED WITH IT!It would be very obvious, but we're so far from that I doubt whether we ever will be - until we distinctly phyically can't do it anymore - which is fast approaching actually.
Q: The Levellers have always challenged the official way of life,p.l.c. .Do you have any personal philosophies an what it's all about?
A:They develop and change all the time, we all read a lot - we're not necessarily answer seekers, any of us, we're just enjoying the search.The questions change as we discover new things etc.etc., so, no, we don't have any set philosophy, other than we don't have a set philosophy on anything, but there is still the obviously right and the obviously wrong.
> Q:What sort of areas are you reading in at the moment?
A:A lot of philosophy, a lot of history, that sort of thing, a lot of challenging novels, new ideas that sort of thing.
> Q:Is that a good idea for people to do?
A:It is if you like that sort of thing.You can read what you like - Simon reads SAS books ....
> Q:You decided to record 'Zeitgeist' in the Metway, why was that?
A:Cos this is where it's all happening for us, it would be stupid to go anywhere else.This is where the vibes are, really strongly for us.To go anywhere else would be watering it down - so we decided here was the best place to do it.
> Q: Has it paid off?
A:Yeah, absolutely, we're just comfortable in here, we don't feel pressured - only the natural pressures of doing an album.
> Q:How has the writing divided up on 'Zeitgeist'?
A:Same as ever really, split.Some Simon, some me,some the whole band.
> Q:What about Mr.Chadwicks personal future, what's happening with you in the future?
A:I don't know.I am a part of the band really, more than anything else, it's about 95% of what I do.The rest of the time, dunno.
> Q:How's touring going, has success alleviated the stresses a little?
A:Not really, touring always will be stressful no matter what.There is nothing that you can do to stop that, because touring by its very nature is a stressful business.Personally I thrive on it, it's something that has to be done and I enjoy it.Not everyone in the band does enjoy it, but they know how to survive it, better than most bands do.
> Q:Is there a scret to surviving it?
A:Just go for it!Use it for the experience that it is.That's my secret anyway, make the most of it, not be lily-livered about it.The worst thing about touring is boredom and that's what gets people in the end.You abuse yourself in the end..
> Q:So you're a band of self-abusers ...?
A:Well, every band is!All bands on the roads are self-abusers, all bored, but it's acutally not a very wise thing to do because you tend to get really ill,put on weight and look really unhealthy - emulating oliver Reed is not a good idea - although it feels like it all the time.
> Q:On your touring travels, have you noticed people behaving differently in different countries?
A:Not really, the planet is getting quite uniform.It's one of the things that concerns me.It's why next time the band takes a break of any length of time, I'm going to see as much as of the planet as possible before it becomes uniform.I've definitely noticed that that is one thing that has happened - more and more is getting the same everywhere you go.It's quite concerning when you go into your hotel room and turn on the television and exactely the same programs are on anywhere else in the world - it's just CNN, MTV.Hang on a minute, this is a bit familiar, so you go out and it's McDonalds everywhere.So before the world shrinks I want to see as much of it as possible in my own way, rather then dictated by Terry!
> Q:Do you feel there are that there are two differents you's - the guy leaping around on the stage and the bloke at home?
A: No, it's just an extension not another person.There is no personality change, it is us on stage, you can see it. we're quite normal looking.There's no play acting.
> Q:And how do you feel about the idea of young women masturbating over images .... Question interrupted by shocked laughter
A: I don't like to think about it! Stop it ... no, I don't like to think about that at all.
> Q:So .. what star sign are you ?
A: Oh man, I don't get into that shit - I'm not into star signs, it's bullshit.Just real crap.I like strange things and all that, but astrology is the least important, in my mind.
> Q:You tend to avoid personal questions ... are there influences from childhood that got you into the outlook of the Levellers ..?
A:You just have to look into the lyrics.It's all in the words - it'sd better that it comes from there, that's the best expression of it; better than to sit in an interviw and talk about it.That negates the whole process of being a musician.
> Q:Which is remarkably similar to the motivations of the 17th century Levellers.Do you see any similarities between yourself and Lilburne - without taking that too seriously..?
A:No, not at all.He was a hard-nose, tosser (laughs).He was tough, he was a tosser as aperson, but a genious as well.He was very dedicated, very committed.But I'm sure if I met him I'd hate him.To be honest tough, he truly was an excellent character, it should be John Lilburne and not Robin Hood as folk hero - he really went out of his way, he really did a lot for people - but he was a pious bastard and I didn't really like people enjoying themselves too much.That's where me and him part I'm afraid..
> Q:Did you realise how apt the coice of name the Levellers was when you chose it?
A:No.That's the weirdest thing about the Levellers, none of it was ever a conscious decision.It wasn't like we got together and we were this kind of band, so we got this pro-active name the Levellers-Cos we were'nt proactive at all, we were just playing guitars in Charlie's bedroom.I just picked the name out becauseI thought it sounded good,it was a word.We lived near the Level in Brighton and yes I'd studied them in history at school, and though vaguely yeah they're alright - didn't bother checking up on them or anything.Just a word.It could well have been potato.But, yes, the name fitted, the further we went down the line we started noticing parallels - and it's gone on and been quite interesting really - quite frightening sometimes - I'm not looking forward to getting shot.

More to come!