DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Miles And The Chain Gang.
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we found Miles from Miles and the Chain Gang sat on the beach. Whilst we'd not seen them in the flesh for a while we assumed this was due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Turn's out they were actually stranded on our island.
How did the band cope with life on Devil's Island? Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
So you're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
For me, it would probably be 'Born To Run' by Bruce Springsteen. Billy likes The Stones Roses, so he'd probably choose their first album. For Tim it might be something by Pink Floyd, maybe The Wall. Or maybe Lindisfarne. Alan might go for Stevie Wonder, 'Songs In The Key Of Life'. Will there be electricity on this island? Can we plug our amps in?
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
I'd have The First Pretenders album It's brilliant. Chrissie Hynde looks amazing, sexy but slightly guarded, with her red leather jacket, lacy gloves and mascara. That Pretenders album is one of the best covers. They look fantastic. They were an incredible band. A friend of mine has a signed copy of that album. I was insanely jealous when I found out. I said I would buy it off him. I hope he agrees one day...it would be one of my most prized possessions. It's one of the greatest albums ever made. Two of the band died in the early 1980s. It's an amazing story, but tragic. I read Chrissie's autobiography and it was so sad.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to chose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Ha! Brilliant! Alan likes a glass of white wine. I don't drink much but a cold lager might be nice on the island. Tim would want something Yorkshire - maybe Black Sheep. Billy - lager or bitter. However, I am slightly concerned. Would it be a good icea for four blokes to be on an island with a lot of alcohol? I think that could end in tears...
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. Whats the merch and for what band?
I'd like a Miles and The Chain Gang T-Shirt, please. They don't exist yet. It's on my 'to do' list...
You're sat on the island thinking "I'm stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity"... who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
Blimey. What a thought. I have one or two ideas but I'm not sure sharing them is a good idea. I'm hopelessly impractical so maybe I should just ask for Bob the handyman. He lives down the road and is always on about his trips to Ibiza, so he might be quite happy on an island. Trouble with Bob is, he is not much of a conversationalist. He can't discuss existential poetry, which is a line of conversation I often pursue. People roll their eyes sometimes but hey... Really, I'd like somebody I can talk to who can help to build a shelter and catch a fish and cope with me when I am having a panic attack after two weeks on the island, wailing 'we're all going to die!'
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
I think the 1970s shows of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are the best live recordings I have ever heard. The 1975 Hammersmith Show is insanely good. They were just amazing, live. The gigs had everything - soul, r'n'b, rockabilly, a bit of jazz, touches of blues. Amazing. If you haven't heard it, check it out. I'm a big Thin Lizzy fan, too. 'Live and Dangerous' is brilliant. Also, Del Amitri are awesome live.
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
If I was on an island with Tim, Billy and Alan we'd all go nuts very quickly, so somebody better help us out. So I'd want somebody who was kind and well connected who could get us out of this mess. Jimmy Savile? Could he fix it? On second thoughts, that might not be a good idea. Prince William? He knows lots of people. He'd be good. But would the bottle reach him? Can we just send an email? Is there WIFi on this island?
You've been stuck here for a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
I'm laughing at this. I can't possibly answer it. They are all brilliant. It would have to be me. They'd have to struggle on without me. They could do their jazz exploration. It's tremendous. They have one piece that goes on for forty seven minutes...
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
I'd go for Billy Bragg. He's a great songwriter, and he has a vision for art and politics and humanity. He'd be good.
Sadly we must go now and there is no room in our boat to bring you home. We hope you survive this ordeal!
Thanks so much. It's really hot on the island. Have you got any suncream I can borrow? I'm burning up!
