Having been behind of two excellent and highly successful magazines in recent years (Big Cheese, Vive Le Punk), Eugene Butcher, the editor and soul of these versions, found time to talk about his new task with pleasure!
Vive Le Rock really impressed me... Even though Eugene was closing the second "Vive Le Rock" issue (trust me I had no idea when I asked him for Poly Styrene) and so he reasonably had limited time, he talked with enthusiasm for this famous new magazine. Maybe soon we will be talking from there....
1. What can i say, like a dream come true for all the fans of the true Rock & Roll spirit! A really fantastic magazine!! So, first of all Eugene give us the picture, the main idea if you wish behind such a great magazine as VIVE LE ROCK!
I realised no body was writing about the great bands we grew up on from the 60s, 70s and 80s.Festivals like Rebellion were getting 8500 people but there was no magazine for them-so Vive Le Rock!!
2. I really enjoy the ride through your pages, from the RUTS (what a band…) to MOTORHEAD and from EDDIE COCHRAN to the legendary CRASS...that’s the spirit! The true spirit. So can you tell us a few details (at first hand!) for the second issue?Issue 2 has Adam Ant on the cover-plus the Stranglers, UK Subs, the English Best, Screaming Jay Hawkins, the Bay City Rollers and more!! Plus another great free cd!
3. Eugene, how do you really feel in the internet era, as an 'Editor-In Chief' of the VIVE LE ROCK! magazine? To put it straight. On-line magazine or 'real' stuff..? What do you think? To tell you the truth, I really like to hold a magazine in my hands…
A lot of older music fans still but magazines so that's what we are giving them!! They grew up buying magazines-not like a lot of todays kids who just go on the internet.
4. 'Boredom' by the BUZZCOCKS, is my favorite song of all times...what about yours Eugene really; and why?
I think the Damned-Machine Gun Etiquette is the greatest album of all time-punk, psychedelic, experimental-a great album. Also Australian bands like Saints and Radio Birdman were an influence on me.
5. Speaking with Poly Styrene (just some months ago) on my radio show, was a great pleasure. Are you thinking of an interview with Poly maybe? She’s back! Sounds interesting I think..Yes!! She’s in issue 2!
6. Can you tell me some of your favorite gigs ever by the way? It’s really interesting for us to know some.
The Ramones were always great, I saw the Cure very early on in New Zealand and of course Motorhead never disappoint!
7. What can we expect from VIVE LE ROCK in the future really? Are you working on some new ideas maybe? I know it’s very early (laughs!) of course! But it’s always good to be in progress.
Just more great retro music-and cool new bands influenced by the past. We are holding a Vive Le Rock photo exhibition in London too-from Feb 17th at the Orange Dot gallery. Photos include the Clash, Billy Idol and Exploited.
8. And what about the music industry nowadays? Vinyl, CD, or mp3?
Downloads have killed the industry. It sucks. CDS or vinyl for me.
9. And for the end, we're under IMF here as you probably know (like England back in the seventies). Any comment?
Britain will burn in the summer this year-people can’t take these cuts!!
Thank you very much Eugene!
Dimitris Antonopoulos
Thank you my friend!!! Cheers Eugene
