LR:  If you could perform with any other aritst living or dead, who would you choose, and why? Ed:  Willie Nelson.  Great songwriter, beautiful singer.  It would be a joy.  (Editor's note:  Not to mention Willie's great acting abilities -->  Austin Powers:  The Spy Who Shagged Me. LR:  What band would you consider to be a great opening act for one of your tours? Ed:  I think U2 would be a great opening act for our tour, it would be a real treat for the fans! LR:  (laughs)  Which song is currently your favorite right now? Ed:  My favorite song right now is "Beats the Hell out of Me," by The Waltons.  I just spent a weekend in studio with them producing that track and one more called "Silver Lining."  They're an incredible band and really great guys. LR:  I met them back in '97.  I agree.  Brilliant musicians and nice to boot.  Since it must be difficult to keep a song fresh after years of live performances, have you guys considered removing "If I Had $1000000" (especially with audience members who still throw Kraft Dinner at you) from the set list?  How do you keep the song interesting? Ed:  It's different every time...  That helps.  We know that people want to hear it.  For many people, it's the song they first heard, or the reason they started listening to the band.  It would be selfish not to play the song for them. LR:  If someone wanted to join you on the road and play the egg (like David Duchovny on the Tonight Show recently), what would they need to do? Ed:  They would need to *be* Gillian Anderson...  We were just using David to get to her.  (laughs) LR:  Moving on to a more serious line of questioning...  Is it more important for you to be seen as an amazing and electric live act or as a musically talented studio band? Ed:  Hopefully both.  It's nice to have a great live reputation, but I want people to enjoy the cds as well.  We work really hard on both. LR:  Is there any uncharted created territory that you feel you might wish to explore as artists in the future? Ed:  I sure hope so, otherwise it'll be a boring career from here on.  There's tons of space for this band...  We'll get there. LR:  What do you think is the most comman misconception that fans have about you? Ed:  That we want to rock and roll all night and party every day.  Much like girls... we just want to have fun. LR:  (laughs)  As your popularity seems to be growing in the UK & Germany, how do you find performing at European festivals as opposed to North Americans ones, such as your stint on the H.O.R.D.E. tour last summer? Ed:  I always approach playing live with the same goals.  Get the crowd involved, play well, and have fun.  It doesn't matter whether it's a small club or a giant festival in Zurich or elsewhere, it's still a Ladies show. LR:  You are one of the only Canadian bands to be doing European festivals it seems.  How doees it feel to be out there as ambassadors of Canadian music? Ed:  That's not true.  We just did a couple of German festivals with Amanda Marshall, and Bryan Adams.  I guess we're more identifiably Canadian or something, but Canadians are out there. LR:  The band managed to have a little time off while touring in the UK when the lead vocalist for the Beautiful South (for whom the band was opening) was taken ill.  What did you do with your unexpected break from your grueling touring schedule? Ed:  We all got REALLY, REALLY bored!  We did a bunch of London media, but mostly just hung around in London.  Shows were being cancelled by the day, so we were kind of in limbo for a week until we finally decided to cut our losses and fly home.  Luckily we were able to return for most of the make-up shows. Ed:  We go back to the Pacific Rim in September, and then back to the UK in November...I think.  LR:  Great!  We'll let members know as soon as possible!  We have learned that you've recently collaborated with singer Tom Jones, covering the George Baker Selection's song "Little Green Bag (a popular tune heard on the "Reservoir Dogs" soundtrack).  How was it to work with Tom? Ed:  Tom was amazing, what a pro.  It was a real treat to work with him.  Actually, it was exciting just to be asked to *do* the project.  The song selection was his choice.  We wanted to do Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls." LR:  Nice!  One last one here.  It relates to nothing in particular:  Where did each of you fall in the pecking order when it came to picking teams in gym class during your youth?  Did the cruel rite of passage leave any scars? Ed:  I was usually 3rd or 4th picked after the two most athletic guys.  But I was in a pretty geeky school program.  We were all the last picked for sports already, so it evened things out a bit.