One of our fave releases so far this year is ‘Dog Dad’ by Minny Pops. Here is your chance to get to know Minny Pops and then watch the video below.
Hello Minny Pops………..welcome to the DeClunk universe
Please give us a description of your surroundings so that we can all cosy up.
I am sitting in my bathtub and have just washed my hair as I like to be presentable when doing interviews.
Please introduce the band and tell us what each member brings to it.
Minny Pops is actually not a band although we pretend to be a band. I AM MINNY POPS so by default I am the band! I am the only one left from back in those days when we started out so better to talk about members of the Minny Pops collective.
Mark Ritsema on guitar is my right-hand man, John Barrett on drums is my left-hand man and we have wonderful collaborators such as Lee McFadden on guitar, Iona Tangue on clarinet and Tom Ford on bass. There are also some other great characters who drift in and out like extras in a movie.
Minny Pops formed in 1978. Do you think you will still be making music and performing when you reach the grand old age of 80, like The Stones.
Quite possible if I do not have to run around as Mick Jagger does. Recently I went to see composer – keyboard player Roedelius who recorded with Brian Eno, play at the great age of 89 at the Jazz Café in London. Roedelius was comfortably seated behind his keyboard while his audience had to stand up.
If I may say so, these days I prefer the comfort of seeing shows at seated venues, much easier if you want to take a power nap during the show.
Why the name Minny Pops? Were there other names in the hat?
We used a Korg mini-pops drum machine and played it around with the word mini-pops. I really liked the word ‘Pops’ as the word refers to a father, a dad but also to a sound that pops which is very applicable to our music.
We love ‘Dad Dog’. Why do you think that people lavish affection on their pets more so than on friends, family, and lovers?
Pets are hardly ever in a bad mood, sometimes unpredictable but do not talk back something human beings quite often tend to do.
What plans are there for 2024? Should we anticipate an album this year? Some shows?
We are releasing our new album ‘Stockholm_1974’ on July 17, this is the first album in a series of four albums which will be released over a period of four years. Album #2 has already been recorded and album #3 will be recorded in Istanbul, Turkey later this year.
The plan is to play some random pop-up events this year, maybe do a Christmas show in Billericay, my favourite town in the UK. Also, I would love to go on a proper tour and play a run of 10-15 dates and act like a rock band. Dear readers, let me know if you hear of any opportunities, we are not picky.
Do any of you have any hidden talents away from music? Maybe one of you is talented at origami or brilliant at making balloon dogs, for example.
I am really good at making spaghetti Bolognese and baking banana bread. I am also good at giving things away and do lots of decluttering. I am definitely not a hoarder.
My friend and I go fishing overnight a couple of times a year. It involves copious amounts of beer. A two-man disco breaks out around 11pm. This involves two blokes, in wellies, throwing shapes in the dark. What would be on your playlist for a drunken bankside disco?
Oh boy, please no. This something I would not do. I would be in bed by 11pm as I need my beauty sleep.
There have been some notorious riders demanded by rock n rollers. For example, Marilyn Manson requested gummy bears and a bald headed, toothless hooker. Van Halen demanded M & Ms with all the brown ones taken out. What would be on yours if money was no object?
Nothing extraordinary, I am a simple man from Chickentown in Netherlands and would not impose any unreasonable requests on the person who is kind enough to have Minny Pops play at their venue. My motto is don’t be an ass, just be humble.
If we were to visit your neck of the woods for a weekend, where would you take us. You are the Entertainments Committee!
I would invite you to La Ribaute in France to visit the Anselm Kiefer Foundation and afterwards we would visit a local restaurant for dinner.
Any bands/artists that you recommend we give a listen to?
What about composer Mica Levy who performs with his own band but has also written great music for many original soundtracks. I recently rediscovered Suicide as their song ‘Dream Baby Dream’ was include in the ‘Civil War’ movie and if it needs to be a band, I say Empire State Bastard whose music I would describe as ‘art-core’ metal.
Many thanks for taking the time with DeClunk. We look forward to seeing you folks some time.
DeClunk 