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Ash Latest

Melody Maker 25 September 1999

Ash in New York

The two shivering, wet souls stuck out in Times Square look bit like Tim and Charlotte Hatherley from Ash. Right now, they also look a bit like Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in "Singing In The Rain" , but we wouldn't be asking them to do a photoshoot in Force 10 conditions, so it's probably Ash after all. Still, check this for Britrock spirit...
"Is it raining?" trills Tim, nonchalantly. I hadn't noticed.
Hurrah! He's either Andie MacDowell from "Four Weddings And A Funeral" or he's exactly the kinda chap we need to help us win this war. Come on, Tim! Over the top and tally-ho!

"God," he drips, miserably, "I've gotta get out of these clothes!"
Wuss. Still, Charlotte's brimming with excitement at being in New York. "I so love it here," she squeals. "Luckily, we've been here quite a lot, especially recently, when Tim and I did some modelling for Calvin Klein. And, well, I've got a boyfriend in New York so..."
You've been shagging!
"Ahem," she coughs demurely. "I've been living it large on the sofa bed! But playing over here's pretty special for me, because I only joined Ash after they'd already slogged around America. The guys toured extensively, especially one where they went out with Weezer fora long time. Did it drive them mental? Yeah, it's what 'Jesus Says' is about:
'One million light years from home/Throwing up and feeling small'. It's Tim's big rant about touring America, feeling f***ed-up."
That's no way to go about breaking America, is it? Snivelling like wretches!
"Well," she laughs, "after a while, there's nothing to do but whine on tour. But, on the other hand, being over here really pumps you up, too. You tend to pick up that big, sleazy, laid-back cool attitude over here, walking around with an extra swing to your stride."

Will our bands ever make it over here in America, Charlotte?
"Is anyone really bothered?" she wonders. "It's probably Just a matter of investing time, living over here like U2 did, and I don't know if English bands want to do that. One of the benefits of being in Ash is that Americans have this thing about Irish bands: 'I'm a quarter Irish.' Like f*** you are! But, even with that, we're still relatively unknown over here, which is totally cool."

Still, if the Yanks don't understand us, that's nothing compared to how badly we misunderstand them sometimes. Charlotte smirks, remembering a story her friend, the producer and composer David Arnold, told her recently. "He's woking on the music for some film starring Robert De Niro ," she sniggers. "So De Niro rings up his studio and says to the gy at reception: 'Can you telly David Arnold it's Bobby De Niro?' And this guy says to David: 'It's Bobby Davro on the phone for you!' Isn't that brilliant?"
Oh yes. Slay the enemy might of Hollywood! Burn their stinky-vomit-ego-fortress to the ground! Arise, my friends - to war! And, um, that rather nice dinner in the East Village...