DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring The Penny Black Remedy
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 Keith of The Penny Black Remedy sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, but how did they end up here and how did they 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?
Keith: Disintegration by The Cure. It's got everything, romantic songs, epic atmospheric songs, quirky songs, pop songs and a pleasing amount of miserable songs, perfect!!
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?
Keith: Maybe Treasure by Cocteau Twins? It could be any of their album covers, really. They are all beautiful and strangely calming.
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?
Keith: I’m pretty addicted to Rooibos Early Grey tea. Not very Rock’n’Roll, I know. I don’t add milk, though. So extra R’n’R points for that. I don’t mind if the extra points are purely pity-based.
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?
Keith: I have an Elvis mug that I’ve used for the last 20 or so years. It’s pretty disgusting now, but I love it. Does a mug count? If so, then definitely that. I’d be lost without it. I’m sure there are other Elvis mugs out there. One thing the world is not short of is Elvis merch. Which is only a good thing in my book.
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?
Keith: I always wanted to visit Marlon Brando when he had his island in Tahiti. So if he was still alive, it would definitely be him. He was quite eccentric, so would be a lot of fun...and he’d have a limitless amount of amazing hilarious/outrageous/libellous anecdotes to help put in those long desert island days. He was also a pretty knowledgeable guy generally, but he’d be especially knowledgeable about island life. Which would come in very handy. I don’t know anything about which coconuts are edible or not. Or how to eat the ones that are. Marlon would have the answers, I’m sure. For everything!!
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?
Keith: If I can choose an artist’s show, it would have to be 'Leonard Cohen in Amsterdam in 2008'. It was nothing short of a sublime experience. It was an outdoor show in July, and watching him perform 'Hallelujah' as the summer sun was setting was something I’ll never ever forget. If it has to be a band, it would probably be 'The Cure at Dundee Caird Hall in 1992'. It was part of a warm up tour of small-ish venues they did before their world tour of arenas for the 'Wish' album. It was pretty magical seeing them for the first time so close up (especially at the tender age of 16). I have pretty hazy memories of most things in my life, but I remember every second of that show. I probably wouldn’t need it on a walkman. Saying that, I’d love to hear it again properly. It’d be interesting to compare my memories with reality. Then again, the fog of nostalgia is quite comforting. This question has opened up a surprisingly philosophical can of worms.
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?
Keith: I’ve always thought Brian May seems like a really nice, empathetic, dependable fellow. He seems to have a genuinely big heart and is very pro-active about things he cares about. Also his knowledge of the constellations would come in very handy for guiding us out of there. Queen are the reason I got into music in the first place. So it would also be nice to meet him and say thanks!!
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?
Keith: I’m vegetarian. So I’d go hungry whoever was sacrificed. I’d like to think I’d offer myself as a menu choice. Breakfast ala Keith. Heave.
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?
Keith: Definitely Tom Waits. My creative impulses are always significantly heightened whenever I listen to him. He taught me the importance of following your own artistic path. And that you can still be adventurous musically after the age of 40.
