PROBABLY STRANGER THAT YOU OR I HAVE EVER SEEN

"I am here," Charles told Mark Radcliffe on the 13th of January, 1993, "speaking to you through the BBC trunk-cable-tube-what-ever-it-is."

[Radcliffe was was a BBC studio doing his usual Hit the North show for Radio Five, interviewing Charles via satellite in London in what was to become, in some ways his last appearance as Pixies Black Francis.]

"I have these strange headphones on," he continued. "I'm holding a microphone that weighs about ten pounds. But I like it - in short, I like it!"

I noticed on the track Los Angeles you pronounced it with a hard G, Los Angle-es.

"Yes, that's the film noir pronunciation."

Oh, is it. I thought that's what the local called it. You live there now don't you?

"That's right. I've lived there off and on all my life."

I've only got four tracks on this preview CD. People hear that and say 'Sounds a bit like Lou Reed in places, a bit like Lennon'. Is this you paying homage to your heroes, because it did start out as a cover versions album?

"That's correct. In terms of, like, ending up like and sounding like, y'know, other rock icons, inevitably you're always paying homage indeliberately. It's inevitable, we're all mimics and throwing in our own little dash of originality maybe. In the end it's all mimicing and it was mimicing for them guys too."

You set out to do a cover versions album like David Bowie's Pin-Ups album, so what happened? You just couldn't stop writing songs?

"Well, what happened was I couldn't get it organised enough and I couldn't get out of my touring obligations soon enough, by the time it all happened, I had a stack of tunes and I was ready to record them."

Do you think that a Pin-Ups album is something you'll do in the future - maybe next time?

"I do accept the challenge mentally 0- I'd like to see if I could do it. There are that many cover songs albums that maybe aren't that good, and the good ones are very few."

There is a Brian Wilson song on the album I believe.

"That's right. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Tony Asher his old road manager, who helped him with the lyrics, I think. It's from the Pet Sounds record. Originally called I Know There's an Answer. It's got an alternative lyric on my record, as it did on it's CD re-release a couple of years ago."

Why did you change your name to Frank Black, because everybody knows it's you? Are you paying homage to Cilla Black or the British snooker programme Pot Black?

"British snooker programme....[laughs]. I did it to simplify things. You know, people never really got the old name, or were twisting it around, mixing it up with my real name. so I wanted something a bit more basic. A little more straight ahead. Something with a little more oomph."

It;s a very sort of un-rock star name really isn't it?

"Yeah. Frank sounds good. Frank."

You've never been into the rock star image though, have you? In the most polite sort of way, you're probably not the greatest sort of rock n roll material that teen dreams are made?

"It takes a certain kind of talent to pull that sort of stuff off, y'know. I've nothing against people that want to put on make-up or put on clothing or want to be dramatic or theatrical. It can be very entertaining if it's pulled off, but can look pretty stupid if you can't pull it off."

What does your mum call you? Does she call you Charles, Black Francis or Frankie - or what does she call you now?

"C.T."

What does the T stand for? That's your actual surname presumably.

"Exactly."

What is your surname? Are you prepared to reveal it or is that....

"Toodle-ooo [laughs]."

Charlie Toodle-ooo. That's and exclusive.

This is a solo album, a solo album that you're in full control, but then you were in full control of the Pixies a lot of the time or so it seemed. You wrote the songs, you sang them, Joey is playing on this record, Kim we know is in the Breeders. So you've just fallen out with the drummer of the Pixies then have you?

"No. I haven't fallen out with anybody, except maybe Black Francis. I sort of have fallen out with him, so therefore out of the Pixies rises something else. I'm just giving it my best shot."

Is the Pixies finished [sic]?

"Yeah. In a word, yeah."

Why did you need to, because it seemed you had as much control as you needed. Why couldn't you keep the Pixies going, because, obviously, it's a name close to lot of people's hearts?

"Yeah, some people can pull that off, but a lot of times people just end up boring fans, and stick around a little too long. I want to stay fresh and I want to be able to make a longer career out of this, and I think the way I'm going is the best way."

Joey's playing guitar with you. Who else is playing with you? You've got some Captain Beefheart sidemen on the album.

"That's right. Eric Feldman playing bass and keyboards - he's also the co-producer and Nick Vincent from Donnie and marie Osmond...."

What, from their band?

"Well, yeah, he used to play with them - not on their records, but he played pretty much on all of the live Donni and Marie stuff."

I bet he saw some wild rock n roll times, eh?

"Probably stranger that you or I have ever seen."

Usually on this programme we only allow on people from our own patch, y'know, the north of England, but in Las Vegas terms, Manchester is your second home, Frank.

"Yeah. I got a whole stack of gear stacked up there in one of those villages out of town, Wigwham [Is he taking the piss? Does he mean Wigan or something?] All our crew are from the Manchester area. My tour manager Chaz Banks is a member of the community."

He lives in Stretford, Old Trafford kind of way.

"I got my usual restaurants that I hit, I don't think I'll go into that Chinese place anymore after those little machete guys..."

Yeah, The Triads [Chinese mafia]. There seems to ne a growing problem of that in \manchester. Most successful American bands that come over seem to base themselves in London, why did you choose Manchester?

"It's sheer coincidence. I can mention all those people that I work with that are from around there. I just got to know the area a little bit.

"My last experience in Manchester was a sort of painful one. I was out in Redittch, in one of those old converted mills. they turned this mill into a paint-ball place.

"I went with a couple of guys I know, actually Chaz Banks' sons took me out there. Man, I had this one bruise on my back for like six months! It was, like, kids blowing me away. I messed up my knee."

I can see you'll be anxious to hurry back after the treatment you had last time.

"I'll give it a second try. Tell all my friends in Manchester if they're listening 'Hi!'"

[The intro track to the interview was Los Angeles and Mark gave Frank the choice of outro track - Ten Percenter or Fu Manchu. He replied, "I guess Ten Percenter is a typical rocking kind of track, go for Fu Manchu, that's the stuff of pop, and I'm pretty proud of it."]

Reprinted from Rock a My Soul #4