Kula Shaker's psychedelic Victoria Wood (???!!!)
Any thoughts on the Q award?
" I don't watch television, I don't read the papers much and I don't listen to the radio either so coming here is a bit of an education in who's being taken seriously in the music business at the moment. I liked seeing Mr.Starr, a classic like him and I'm glad Gomez are getting a lot of respect."

How's the yr been for you?
"We've been in a houseboat studio on the Thames working with Bob Ezrin.It was a great experience, I'll build a shrine to him. Of course, there's a lot of pressure on the 2nd album especially when we had so much success with the 1st one.

How's the philosophising going?
" Ah, what's life without a bit of philosophy? It can't be all irony and sarcasm. Sometimes, a man has to sit down and furrow his brow."

Are you excited by the prospect of a new millenium?
"Yes. Totally. It's a kind of like a mark in time that's symbolic. It's not the actual year 2000 that's important, it's what it represents. It's also something that really does imprint itself on people's consciousness and it can represent so many different things as to how you want to explore it. Nobody's really talked about what it could mean, no one's analysed when we're at right now. Things like where we've come from, or where we're told we come from, and where we're going, or where we 're told we're going, it's like, what's real and what's isn't? What's information and what's bullshit? Who are we? Where have we been? Where are we going? (Yikes! This sounds likes Waiting for Godot!!! - Nida) That whole thing is just so positive, to use it and be really honest would be a great thing. So, yeah, it should be used as a means to evolve."

So it should be a time of reflection, to take stock?
" I think all human beings are lazy and selfish and, if you want to, you can turn the millenium into merchandise and parties. If that were to happen it would be a total waste. You should use it to remind human beings who are lazy and selfish that, collectively, we are an organism on a journey. Where are we taking our kids and our kid's kids? It should be reflective but also about new ideas, inspiration and people speaking up, especially with young people who don't really seem to have an opinion at the moment, they don't believe in anything. Now's the time for a big change and for people to make a difference. "

How would you go about facilitating that change?
" I think it's more than just voting Labour. You have to do it with what you're comfortable with. But the begining of this change comes with a question and that question is: ' Where the f*** are we going? ' "

Do you believe in any of the Christian End Times?
" I don't believe in fire and brimstone and the archetypal souls in eternal torment, all that shite. But I do believe in a universal higher justice. It's interesting how all different ancient traditions - whether it's Aztec or red Indian stuff - they all talk about the year 2000 as a great shift in time, a huge re-evaluation of principles. So, I don't think we should reject the whole esoteric part of the picture because that's the thing that originally got me excited about the millenium. Not on a social or ecological  level, more the different prophecies and manuscipts - all that Raiders of the Lost Ark stuff. "

Will it be a time of great change, then?
" Yeah. It's difficult to talk about these things without sounding like a complete twat, which I find an increasing problem and something I'm getting to be very successful at. The only way I can descibe it is that Ben Kenobi's always going on at Luke Skywalker about The Force and not to underestimate the power of The Force. There is another side to reality that we're not aware of and it's a healing power. The spiritual side is the same with all culutres and will heal all over the world."
" I think people will re-evaluate fashion, music, politics, social issues, all kinds of shit. People will seperate the wheat from the chaff, about what's really important in their life. China, particularly, in terms of America ruling the world. On every level, I believe it will be a time of great change, which is a damn sight more exciting than drifting through the next 20 years as we have done so far."

Will it be a cleansing process, then?
" Definitely. Cleansing, purification, re-evaluation, getting closer to the truth, learning, evolving, all those sort of words. At the moment, we always get told at school that Darwin is the truth....There's an attitude in England that it's futile trying to get some happiness out of this system, that whole Trainspotting vibe. It's about striving for a better society, a better appreciation for human life. That doesn't necessarily need to be a heavy thing, it can be a very human and positive way of understanding each other better. And if pop music doesn't reflect that then what a f***king wasted opportunity, because pop music is always on the cutting edge of a scene or a generation. Then it will always be fun and you've got a great soundtrack to whatever change is going down."

How will you look back on the last century?
" Science has taken over from religio, which is good. Religion is just there to control people and is simply a business far removed from the original principles. But science, in its fight against religion, has lost out a lot of the truth as well. It was so set on its course of beating religion that it actually missed out on a large part of the equation, which is the whole spirituality thing. What is consciousness? What is the human being? They missed that in favor of concentrating on analysing the mechanics of the world. Technology is a subtle icon, and we don't feel threatened by it, because it makes us feel more powerful, but we will suffer as a result."

Where will you be on Millenium Eve?
" Somewhere not underwater."
 

CRISPIAN MILLS: THE KU-RUCIAL FACTS!
Thought you knew everything about our posh Kula Shaker chum? Well, think again....

• Crispian was born on Jan 18, 1973 to Hayley Mills, a famous 60's actress.
• He claims to be 6'4" ( 'Turn the numbers round the other way and you might be about right,' says a doubtful Jay Darlington, the Shaker's organist ) and  weighs nine stone.
• Crispian used to work for Harris, the people who do the electoral polls. He was a market reseacher.
• He describes his job as being "Robin Hood with the truth". Eh?!?
• His earliest childhood memory is of Nelson's Column. ( "But I was a non-writing puppy then!" growls Nelson ) "I just remember going around it in a car." ( "What on earth are you talking about fella?" -Nelson )
• The first poster he ever put on his wall was of 80's group Madness. "It came a magazine called Look In and on it, they were all posed on top of each other, in these big black jackets. I put graffiti coming out of their mouths in speech bubbles.
• His co-shaker, drummer Paul WinterHart, describes Crispian as  "hardworking, charming, schizophrenic, trying - he is very trying - and surprising. He surprises you with good and bad things."
• The last record Crispian bought was Harvest, a 1972 album by old hippie troubadour Neil Young. He can't remember the title of the first one he bought. "I remember thinking it was crap, but that went for every record in the 80s."
• When asked whether he thought he was sexy, Crispian said,"That depends on how sexy you consider a big bag of blood and pus and urine to be. That's all bodies are, isn't it?" Urghh!
• "I've got a criminal record as long as my arm," boasts Crispian. "I've committed petty psychic harassment of drummers and policewomen!" Barmpot alert!
• He claims not to possess any talent of his own.  "I'm just a vehicle for higher forces." "Yeah, an E-type Jag on some days and a Mini Cooper on others." says bassist Alonza.
• He gives his unwanted clothes to Paul. "The last thing I gave him was a Michael Hutchence jumper - the sort of jumper you'd wear to hang out with Paula Yates."
• He likes the Johnny Depp film Dead Man. "It's not often you get films like that - with William Blake (famous mystic poet) and Red Indians. You used to get loads!"
• It's rumoured that Crispian has a wife whom he married in an Indian ceremony a couple of years ago. "I am married - to the Lady of The Lake." says Crisp.
• He's a funny devil and no mistake.