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Anna Mercedes.
Anna talks about growing up, being a bad girl, and throwing things....
First off, how has the tour with X Is Loaded been so far, are you enjoying it?
Anna: Yeah it's been good, I like their music a lot but they're really fucking cute too, but they're good boys so it's hard...
How would you describe your sound, if someone had never heard your music, what style should they expect?
Anna: The songs are kind of, like, classic punk songs, they're simple. But Tony and Kevin (miss machine guitarists) are really hooky guitar players, so at the same time there's like the vocal hooks there are kind of guitar hooks as well. So it's a cross between punk, and like Ziggy Stardust or something like that.
What is your forthcoming single "American Girl" about, what was your inspiration for it?
Anna: Growing up in, like, y'know, a little town, I was a really bad little girl! My parents fucking hated me, I was always stealing the car and driving to LA, and my dad had a truck and I used to get frustrated. Everyone at school was an idiot, so I used to like drive my dads truck into the middle of the corn field and blast, like, Guns n Roses and shit, or take a guy out there, or drink beer or something like that.
It's kind of a comical song, I used to write deep emotional songs, and one day I fucking lost it, and I thought I can't listen to any of this shit that makes me sad anymore! So I started writing these really simple songs that had a feeling that they were kind of happy even if they were fucked up.
What was it like making the video for it? Did you enjoy it?
Anna: Jesus christ man, I had no idea! Like we talked to the director about, like, all different ideas for it, and the plot for it and things, but I had no idea! I was on my feet from like 8'o'clock until 5 o'clock and I got to sit down for a cigarette twice. Everytime I got a minute off there was no beer and no food left, I was like out of my mind! Three hours into it, I was like, the doorman grabbed me in the sequence, and he threw me into the door, and I had bruises all over my body. I gave up and was so pissed off that I gave up and, I don't know, just became like, whatever, fuck it, I'm leaving my body, I'm not going to bitch! I'm just gonna do it, I think the whole band was looking at me and feeling sorry for me, I think everyone was, I was running around so much.
What has been your best gig?
Anna: I like playing for kids, I mean London's good.. The first time we played Coventry was just amazing, there were loads of kids there who all wanted a good time, they just wanted to get drunk. They'd never even heard of us before, they were totally glammed out, had make-up on and were dancing and I loved that. But the last time we went back I got beer thrown at me.
What has been the worst gig so far?
Anna: That second Coventry gig! I fucking lost it. As soon as I stepped onstage there were like... about 5 or 7 guys in the front row, and as soon as I walked on they were like "Take your shirt off" so I was like "fuck you!" so they threw this thing of beer at me in my first song. So I like threw it back at them and they kept throwing shit at me, and like by the end of the third song I fucking lost it and just threw shit at them .Whenever I wasn't singing they were just shouting stuff at me like "Take your shirt off" and getting really violent and disgusting, so I was throwing drumsticks at them and acted like a total bitch, I said some really terrible things. But whatever, they were drunk and horny and disgusting.
How did you come up with the band name, is there any specific meaning behind it?
Anna: It's a vibrator called Miss Machine! laughs. I thought I was going to be solo when I came over here, just have a backing band as that's what I'd done in america, but when I met Tony and I heard how he played guitar it was fucking perfect, but I didn't want it under my own name as it became a lot more than that, it became a whole band. It wouldn't be the same without them. It's also kind of feminist because y'know so many fucking popstars don't really do anything, they're just puppets. I'm hoping to get sponsorship from the vibrator company!laughs
What is your favourite song of yours and why?
Anna: I mean, I think it's "Groupie Supreme". All the songs are great, they're like really fun to play, but "Groupie Supreme" is the only song that's kind of emotional, and for some reason whenever I sing it at one point I'm nearly crying, as it's the only song where I'm not.... not mocking myself, y'know?. It's the only one where I really show my emotions. I really like the groove on it too.
Do you ever worry that people won't take you seriously as you're female?
Anna: I know they don't. I don't even expect them to anymore. I mean it's been like that since I started playing out when I was 17, and everytime I walked onstage, I was wearing, like, evening gowns, and I was singing pretty songs but guys would be disgusting, now I just throw shit at them. The only thing I know how to do is write songs, I don't really do anything else well, I don't have another option. I think people are starting to appreciate it more than just, like, I'm a girl and I'm blonde, they're seeing that the songs are pretty good too. I hope it's going to change, the first time I walk onstage being a girl everyone's gonna judge me if I'm pretty or not. There's only been one or two who have made it not relying on their sex image. Im sure I wouldn't be getting so much attention if I was butt ugly but I don't go out of my way to be pretty and sexy, that's just the way I am. I'm not going to change. People think I'm slutty or trashy but I don't care.
Who are your inspirations, are there any bands or artists that you truly admire?
Anna: The first records I truly fell in love with... My parents had tonnes of vinyl, and I'd go down and try to find any band with a girl artist, the first record I had was Joni Mitchell, and the second was Kate Bush, I'm in love with her, she's just so innocent, I wish I was... Then I found Patty Smith, which just like empowered me, the first girl I'd ever seen do Rock and Roll. I don't think all Blondies records are great, they have good songs, I don't know... Suzie and the Banshees were my favourite, and Iggy Pop. As soon as I found punk rock, my parents were total hippies, I got so excited cos I was really angry and I know everyone thought I had no reason to be as I grew up on a farm and had cool parents, but I was just really angry. Punk rock was the only thing that really embodied that. When I was like 13, the second show I went to was Nirvana, I didn't realise how special it was to be there at that time, there were a lot of riot grrl bands going on that I didn't really like. I loved Soundgarden.
What are your ambitions for this band?
Anna: I'm an ambitious person.. I don't care about making money. The only thing that kept me alive when I was growing up was music, I was really unhappy, so many times, like, y'know I wanted to kill myself, and the only thing I could relate to was music. I didn't get on with my parents, I mean I get on with them now, they're cool, but every kid hates their parents, I didn't like school, I mean.... I think now for female artists.... It's not real, its trying to make girls think more about their image. Every girl wants to be Britney Spears and be pretty and have blonde hair. I wasn't ugly growing up, but i was really.... I saw every girl put on makeup and hate themselves. Right now there aren't any female artists that are trying to do something different. I would like to be able to communicate with that audience. I don't care about impressing anybody, I dont know anything about that, I communicate with girls that hate their lives growing up, and maybe they won't kill themselves or hate the way they look.
Have you got any advice for anyone who is starting out in a band, is there anything that you wish you had known when you started out?
Anna: Take piano lessons. I never had the patience. I just wanted to play guitar. Write good songs, people don't join bands for the write reasons anymore, writing good songs, [good songs] will be good songs whatever, study music, work on songwriting. Write hundreds and hundreds of songs, don't make it sound like anyone else, if you're trying to imitate somebody else it's not real.
First off, how has the tour with X Is Loaded been so far, are you enjoying it?
Anna: Yeah it's been good, I like their music a lot but they're really fucking cute too, but they're good boys so it's hard...
How would you describe your sound, if someone had never heard your music, what style should they expect?
Anna: The songs are kind of, like, classic punk songs, they're simple. But Tony and Kevin (miss machine guitarists) are really hooky guitar players, so at the same time there's like the vocal hooks there are kind of guitar hooks as well. So it's a cross between punk, and like Ziggy Stardust or something like that.
What is your forthcoming single "American Girl" about, what was your inspiration for it?
Anna: Growing up in, like, y'know, a little town, I was a really bad little girl! My parents fucking hated me, I was always stealing the car and driving to LA, and my dad had a truck and I used to get frustrated. Everyone at school was an idiot, so I used to like drive my dads truck into the middle of the corn field and blast, like, Guns n Roses and shit, or take a guy out there, or drink beer or something like that.
It's kind of a comical song, I used to write deep emotional songs, and one day I fucking lost it, and I thought I can't listen to any of this shit that makes me sad anymore! So I started writing these really simple songs that had a feeling that they were kind of happy even if they were fucked up.
What was it like making the video for it? Did you enjoy it?
Anna: Jesus christ man, I had no idea! Like we talked to the director about, like, all different ideas for it, and the plot for it and things, but I had no idea! I was on my feet from like 8'o'clock until 5 o'clock and I got to sit down for a cigarette twice. Everytime I got a minute off there was no beer and no food left, I was like out of my mind! Three hours into it, I was like, the doorman grabbed me in the sequence, and he threw me into the door, and I had bruises all over my body. I gave up and was so pissed off that I gave up and, I don't know, just became like, whatever, fuck it, I'm leaving my body, I'm not going to bitch! I'm just gonna do it, I think the whole band was looking at me and feeling sorry for me, I think everyone was, I was running around so much.
What has been your best gig?
Anna: I like playing for kids, I mean London's good.. The first time we played Coventry was just amazing, there were loads of kids there who all wanted a good time, they just wanted to get drunk. They'd never even heard of us before, they were totally glammed out, had make-up on and were dancing and I loved that. But the last time we went back I got beer thrown at me.
What has been the worst gig so far?
Anna: That second Coventry gig! I fucking lost it. As soon as I stepped onstage there were like... about 5 or 7 guys in the front row, and as soon as I walked on they were like "Take your shirt off" so I was like "fuck you!" so they threw this thing of beer at me in my first song. So I like threw it back at them and they kept throwing shit at me, and like by the end of the third song I fucking lost it and just threw shit at them .Whenever I wasn't singing they were just shouting stuff at me like "Take your shirt off" and getting really violent and disgusting, so I was throwing drumsticks at them and acted like a total bitch, I said some really terrible things. But whatever, they were drunk and horny and disgusting.
How did you come up with the band name, is there any specific meaning behind it?
Anna: It's a vibrator called Miss Machine! laughs. I thought I was going to be solo when I came over here, just have a backing band as that's what I'd done in america, but when I met Tony and I heard how he played guitar it was fucking perfect, but I didn't want it under my own name as it became a lot more than that, it became a whole band. It wouldn't be the same without them. It's also kind of feminist because y'know so many fucking popstars don't really do anything, they're just puppets. I'm hoping to get sponsorship from the vibrator company!laughs
What is your favourite song of yours and why?
Anna: I mean, I think it's "Groupie Supreme". All the songs are great, they're like really fun to play, but "Groupie Supreme" is the only song that's kind of emotional, and for some reason whenever I sing it at one point I'm nearly crying, as it's the only song where I'm not.... not mocking myself, y'know?. It's the only one where I really show my emotions. I really like the groove on it too.
Do you ever worry that people won't take you seriously as you're female?
Anna: I know they don't. I don't even expect them to anymore. I mean it's been like that since I started playing out when I was 17, and everytime I walked onstage, I was wearing, like, evening gowns, and I was singing pretty songs but guys would be disgusting, now I just throw shit at them. The only thing I know how to do is write songs, I don't really do anything else well, I don't have another option. I think people are starting to appreciate it more than just, like, I'm a girl and I'm blonde, they're seeing that the songs are pretty good too. I hope it's going to change, the first time I walk onstage being a girl everyone's gonna judge me if I'm pretty or not. There's only been one or two who have made it not relying on their sex image. Im sure I wouldn't be getting so much attention if I was butt ugly but I don't go out of my way to be pretty and sexy, that's just the way I am. I'm not going to change. People think I'm slutty or trashy but I don't care.
Who are your inspirations, are there any bands or artists that you truly admire?
Anna: The first records I truly fell in love with... My parents had tonnes of vinyl, and I'd go down and try to find any band with a girl artist, the first record I had was Joni Mitchell, and the second was Kate Bush, I'm in love with her, she's just so innocent, I wish I was... Then I found Patty Smith, which just like empowered me, the first girl I'd ever seen do Rock and Roll. I don't think all Blondies records are great, they have good songs, I don't know... Suzie and the Banshees were my favourite, and Iggy Pop. As soon as I found punk rock, my parents were total hippies, I got so excited cos I was really angry and I know everyone thought I had no reason to be as I grew up on a farm and had cool parents, but I was just really angry. Punk rock was the only thing that really embodied that. When I was like 13, the second show I went to was Nirvana, I didn't realise how special it was to be there at that time, there were a lot of riot grrl bands going on that I didn't really like. I loved Soundgarden.
What are your ambitions for this band?
Anna: I'm an ambitious person.. I don't care about making money. The only thing that kept me alive when I was growing up was music, I was really unhappy, so many times, like, y'know I wanted to kill myself, and the only thing I could relate to was music. I didn't get on with my parents, I mean I get on with them now, they're cool, but every kid hates their parents, I didn't like school, I mean.... I think now for female artists.... It's not real, its trying to make girls think more about their image. Every girl wants to be Britney Spears and be pretty and have blonde hair. I wasn't ugly growing up, but i was really.... I saw every girl put on makeup and hate themselves. Right now there aren't any female artists that are trying to do something different. I would like to be able to communicate with that audience. I don't care about impressing anybody, I dont know anything about that, I communicate with girls that hate their lives growing up, and maybe they won't kill themselves or hate the way they look.
Have you got any advice for anyone who is starting out in a band, is there anything that you wish you had known when you started out?
Anna: Take piano lessons. I never had the patience. I just wanted to play guitar. Write good songs, people don't join bands for the write reasons anymore, writing good songs, [good songs] will be good songs whatever, study music, work on songwriting. Write hundreds and hundreds of songs, don't make it sound like anyone else, if you're trying to imitate somebody else it's not real.
© 2003 Jen Thomas
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