Before Ginger took the stage at Hard Rock Hell I trooped off to his chalet to settle down for a little chat with the man with a plan and an ambitious triple album on the way, as well as a flurry of gigs that make up his now customary crimbo/birthday bash. Room service?
 

Evening Ginger, how are you?

I'm very good, thanks for asking.

Right, you've done a few shows before Hard Rock Hell as something of a warm up and the annual Crimbo shows are just on the horizon - discuss.

I always say the first one is for free and you find out what works and what doesn't work because you can't always pull yourself apart on the first gig because things usually are a little rusty, but as it turned out it worked well really, the band played great but I hate first gigs.

Why not play it in private? Set it up somewhere and invite a few mates 'round.

Yeah, well it wouldn't really be a first gig then I don't suppose. It is another way of doing it to invite friends but it's not the same as going to a venue, setting up, going into the dressing room - it's all part of the thing, you know.

Do you think it was difficult last night in Swansea what with so many other things going on nearby?

What was going on last night?

Well I went to see Mick Jones last night playing Clash songs for the first time in almost 30 years in Cardiff and Ace Frehley was due to play in the Coal Exchange in Cardiff also until he cancelled at short notice and, of course, Michael Monroe was only in Bristol with Wednesday 13.

Oh really, Christ! Wow, Clash songs, that's cool - wouldn't mind seeing that meself, ha ha. You know the amount of people who turn up is never a bad thing, I've played gigs where there's been tons of people and there's still no vibe and I've done them where there's like ten people and it's been excellent, that doesn't bother me. Sometimes you have to put it down to the curse of the first gig.

Moving onto the Pledge. Obviously it's exceeded your expectations but whose idea was it?

Well Pledge really. Initially they wanted to do a Wildhearts album and I was like, well that's not gonna happen, nice thought but the guys aren't going to do it and I'm not going to replace them with a bunch of other guys - that's not how I want the Wildhearts to be remembered - so I thought I could do a solo album and how about I do a triple album to which they said "a triple album?!" I didn't think they were too interested so left it at that. Anyway they thought about it and then part of me didn't think it was ever going to come off but when they did we thought there was a good chance we'd get the 100% we were after, then six hours later you could have knocked me down with your little finger - I was just blown away and I couldn't believe we'd done that....and it's still going.

You must have known or had an inkling that you have a solid fanbase who like to buy everything?

Um yeah, but I also know how many records I sell as a solo artist and..um...and the people who buy my stuff love it but I wouldn't say there was tonnes of them. I don't know, needing the amount of money I thought I needed  I didn't know what type of album we could have made with the initial amount we thought. Because all the money that's come in has gone into making this album I think it's a gorgeous sounding record.

How far are you into it?

We've done two sessions and I guess it's half way or thereabouts. I think the first session is the hardest one because you've got to stop yourself getting too overwhelmed. The second one was, oh crap this is the difficult one, because the first one went so well but CJ came and Rich turned up on the drums so that was really good, so I suppose the third one will be the easy one which is the band I'm playing with now so I guess it's all worked out and in the bag now. Unless something happens to me on the flight to or from Helsinki....

Oh fuck don't say that.

Ha ha

Did you have a lot of the material already written when you gave birth to the idea of the triple album? Was the fact that you had so many songs ready to go that you came up with the idea?

No. I thought I'll do a triple album - I like a challenge, then when it went to 100% I went "Yay" then it was "Oh no, what have I fuckin' done? I've got to write a triple album now!" Being serious, I've always got tons of ideas but sitting down and writing thirty songs is a lot of work for anyone's capabilities. I'm actually going away this Christmas and the family will be on vacation and I'll be working. I get asked a lot does it not fill you with anxieties because having done it this way you got to do it, but I don't think it has and it's given me motivation and inspiration really.

There's no timeline or actual deadline for when this has to come out is there?

No, Cast are still working on one they're doing and that's been, I think, two years. But I told people it'll be ready for the New Year...

No pressure then?

Yeah I know, ha ha, but then I think I work well under pressure. I'm one of them people who if there's a gun against me head then I'm good. Having spent all the time on the road I've never really had the luxury and to be honest I think I like deadlines.

Was that the case with the Singles Club?

Well actually the Singles Club, the problem was someone else was in charge. But with the way this has happened the money is already in so it's like the fans are in charge of it and Pledge are acting as like the middle men, mediators sort of, and I'm in charge of the creative side and there's only me that can stop the work. With the singles the rug was pulled from under by the people who were in charge.

I can't remember, was it five that came out?

I think you paid for six but the sixth never came out. But I don't think I'm very good when I've got a boss above me, especially when they say this might never happen now. It wasn't down to me to put the kibosh on that project.
 

Would you say that was the problem with the Michael Monroe band, having different managers, etc, to deal with and going from the decision maker to being one of the guys in the band, albeit one who wrote a lot of material that was on the album but not really having the final say - was it difficult?

Um, yeah it was totally different. I loved it. It's great not having to do all the photos and the interviews all the time, it was great just being in the bar with the rest of the lads, which is what the Wildhearts would do when I was doing interviews ands stuff all day.

Sort of a busman's holiday then, get your guitar and take a rock 'n' roll vacation?

Yes, yes. But in that way vacations can only last for a certain time before you have to go back to work. There were a lot of things in the organisation with Michael's thing behind the scenes that didn't make sense to me and I wanted to work more hands on and in touch with the fans, maybe more DIY and at the time I had a feeling it was important to bring it back to that sort of ethics which is what I'm doing now and boy, it works.

Do you see this kind of set up being the future then, the Pledge set up as a way forward for both new and established bands?

Oh yes, it's a way for anyone to go further. Signing record deals and getting involved that way is so backward now, it's like going to work on the back of a horse, you know in this day and age you just don't have to do it. Maybe it's about education: bands or artists have to educate themselves a bit more and be more hands on - learn how to use the internet properly and make it work for you - being in touch with your fans all the time and I guess being a bit more business savvy. You can work really hard but you want it to work and what better way than helping yourself to achieve that. I also think cutting out the middle men is a great feeling. I've never ever been given this much money to put a record together when under a label. I'm not blowing me own trumpet here but you don't need a lot of people to buy your music to make a lot of money and it just goes to show how much money is wasted, squandered and given to other people in organisations like record companies that ultimately have nothing to do with the music. At the end of the day the music belongs to the people who buy it and the artists who make it. Take all the other unnecessary elements out of the equation and that's what you have; Artist - People who buy it - The End!

It sort of harks back to what happened in the '70s with punk rock taking it from the man and doing it yourself, by the people for the people.

Absolutely that's where I was coming in. That's how smaller bands with a hardcore following don't have to go cap in hand to a label anymore and then get told what they can or can't do because this way they're in charge of both the failure and success. Nobody can bemoan the music industry anymore like some lazy fuckers do; a lot of that is because they couldn't be bothered to get out of bed. I work really hard and I think it shows. I like to think if you do work really hard the results will show for themselves. It's the best time for a young band ever! It probably is the opposite for bigger bands and, you know...good. They've got money in the bank so stop being so selfish and feeling sorry for themselves. So maybe this way smaller bands will have their time, bands that live on the road perfecting their art in front of a small hardcore following, I honestly think it's their time now. 

We're being told to wrap it up now so one last thought?

It's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog! Thank you, ha ha ha!

[HRH live photography by Tessa Blakout]