DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Trank
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 find Trank sat on the beach. The island is far from his home, so how did he end up here and how did he 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?
Michel: 'Violator' by Depeche Mode. If you have to ask why, just play it.
Johann: 'Kingdom of Desire' by Toto. Yes I know, it’s not very heavy – but it sounds amazing
David: 'Appetite for Destruction' by Guns N’ Roses because for me it is the starting point of my life.
Julien: 'Origin of Symmetry' by Muse, the 2021 remix for the album’s 20th anniversary - I learnt bass and guitar ultimate combination thanks to it.
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?
Michel: I hope by the time we get marooned, the third TRANK album is out (we’re working on the second one now); so it would have to be the sleeve to that, and it would need to have Ruth Negga on it. Not just because she’s obviously, incredibly, magnetically beautiful – she plays Tulip in Preacher and makes her totally believable as this badass character that stands her ground when faced with the complete jerkoff that is God in the show. So she’d be a good reminder that anything is possible against all odds, and that we’ll get out of the island one day. Also, let’s face it, she IS, you know – really beautiful.
Johann: Dream Theater 'A Change of Seasons'. It will feel like we have another friend on the beach with us
David: Jimi Hendrix 'Axis Bold as Love' to lose your head even faster!
Julien: Muse 'Showbiz', just before “the woman in the red dress”, there was “the woman in the white dress” with the blurred face, I always wanted to know if she does exist… this would keep my mind busy.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Michel: Coffee. Something with a slightly soft and round taste. Probably from Latin America.
Johann: Mojito. What else can you drink on an island? Would need to get enough sugar, though. And mint. And ice cubes. So it would be great if we could get a freezer on the island.
David: Rhum!! No ice, no coke.
Julien: Red Italian wine, the Amarone remains my fav ever.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Michel: Yars ago I had a jeweller friend make me a ring in the shape of the “Walking Man”, the logo of Mute Records. Mute was my favourite record label throughout the 80’s and 90’s and a huge influence musically – they had Depeche Mode and all of the other electronic acts the label launched, like Fad Gadget or Yazoo or Erasure or later Goldfrapp; bands that were accessible and experimental at the same time, which is something I’ve always admired; but also as a label that did such a great job of reissuing the catalogue of many important electronic and industrial pioneers from the 70’s and early 80’s, like Cabaret Voltaire or Einstürzende Neubauten. So I’d keep that ring.
Johann: I wish a band would do Swiss army knife as merch. That would be useful on an island. I just don’t own any, though. Damn it, bands – where’s your sense of practicality?
David: my Slipknot boxer shorts
Julien: Billy Corgan’s pick. That’s the one he played that night when… to make the story short, I “lost” my wallet in the crowd. Once the gig was over, I checked the floor, never got the wallet back but found that pick with the ZERO!
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?
Michel: No one. I’d hate the idea of imposing it upon anyone I care for to be marooned. Have you seen “Passengers”? You’ll know what I mean.
Johann: David Copperfield. With his magic tricks, hopefully he can build a boat with palm tree leaves and sand to get us out of here.
David: With David Copperfield's ex-wife, waiting for him to have fun with his palm trees
Julien: The Fifth Element supreme being (aka Milla Jovovich) - I always wanted to practice her specific… “language”.
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?
Michel: Since I DID quote Depeche Mode in your first question – I’ll go with David Bowie, Paris Bercy, 1995 – the “1. Outside” tour. Absolute perfection. I’m a Bowie maniac and that album is up there for me with the 2 or 3 greatest ones he’s ever made. And the show was amazing – a masterclass in execution; his voice and charisma were out of this world.
Johann: Foo Fighters 'Skin and Bones'. We may look like that eventually, so might as well get prepared
David: Queen “Live at Wembley '86”
Julien: My very first discovery with Muse was thanks to Hullabaloo live in Paris 200
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?
Michel: Aimée Mann. One of my favourite singer-songwriters of all time. And she has that song called 'Save Me'.
Johann: Slash. Maybe he can use his private jet to pick us up, because we would be 'Pretty Tied Up'
David: The Police, they will understand my 'Message in a Bottle'
Julien: Weezer, on an island in the sun, we’ll be playin’ and havin’ fun… because when you know, you know…
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?
Michel: You badly need to see a shrink!
Johann: Let’s all learn how to fish instead. Or grow stuff. Looks like we’ve been lazy so far if the food supplies are running low, so we’ll get started right away
David: I'd rather make a fishing line with Michel's hair and feed my friends
Julien: I’m not into fish and am too skinny to provide extra food to my fellow band members, but some of my bones could serve as fishing hooks, let’s give it a try!
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?
Michel: Dave Gahan.
Johann: Steve Gadd. He stays relaxed in any circumstance – should be a fun hang!
David: Slash
Julien: Matthew Bellamy (did I already mention Muse somehow?)
