I talked with Tim in the dressing room of LA’s Knitting Factory, before he was about to DJ at Poptones Presents Radio 4. For those not wise to it, Poptones is the new record label for Alan McGee, the former head of the late great Creation Records (Oasis, Slowdive, and Primal Scream). Radio 4 is a Poptones sponsored club night that started in London, but is now held in cities worldwide. Sometimes Poptones bands are brought in to play, other times local bands perform. The clubs DJing mantra is to play what ya like, thus you’ll get Madonna mixed with Daft Punk mixed with AC/DC etc. Tim admits that the mark of a good DJ in someone who “just doesn’t care about whether what they’re playing is hip or fashionable, but just something that they know if no one else is dancing they’ll be dancing.” Luckily Tim usually sticks to groovy ‘70s soul records, although he’s sometimes tempted to throw a little Scritti Politti on.

Tim’s wife, Michelle, is one of the organizers of the LA chapter of Radio 4. Time met LA native Michelle through mutual friends The Chemical Brothers (Tim’s collaborated with them several times). “It was pretty much instant attraction, but it took us three years to get it together, it was the distance,” Tim says. Eventually he realized that something had to give or he might lose her. Either she was going to have to move to London or he’d move to LA. Even though moving out to LA is generally reserved for older British rock stars like Ringo Star or Morrissey, Tim chose sunshine over familiar clouds. “I’d lived in London a few times before, good and bad memories. I thought the idea of a new place was brilliant. And my best friend is living out here as well, which made it a lot easier in my mind, you know, to get over here. My heart was already here.”

Then Tim had to break the news to the rest of the UK based band. Initially it was a shock. “It was either going to make us stronger and make the purpose of being in The Charlatans even more real, or it was going to piss everybody off and they were going to hire a new singer, and I hoped it would do the first thing and it did.

“ There’s a real reason for us all to get together, rather than just getting together and wasting time. You know, if I go to England for three weeks I expect to write at least ten songs. Where as, I used to live down the street from martin our guitarist and it would take us a month to even get together.”

Tim can also be more anonymous in LA, although he’d be happy for that to change. “I’d like to be really really massive in LA, because I like to be big in my own town,” he laughs. But then he might have fans running after him all the time, I point out. “That’d be alright, I’d set my dog on them. (laughs) I’ve got a really viscous Yorkshire Terrier.”

Over the past few years The Charlatans have remained one of the biggest bands in Britain. Three of their albums have debuted at number one, and the last one introduced itself at the number two spot. Of course stateside, where they are known as The Charlatans UK thanks to some obscure West Coast ‘60s band named The Charlatans, success hasn’t been quite so forthcoming. Tim’s not bothered though. “I think we have broken America,” he says, betraying no arrogance, “There are a lot of people buy records that I like, you know what I mean. Compared to The Smashing Pumpkins, we haven’t broken America. It’s just comparative isn’t it?”

The Charlatans originally came on the UK radar in 1990, amongst the shoegazer and baggy scene, which included fellow Manchester bands The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays. Both those bands have long since dissolved, with The Happy Mondays becoming the overrated Black Grape (who then broke up too) and the once great Stone Roses ending with embarrassing new bands and solo efforts. The Charlatans were once seen as a second rate Stone Roses, but has now out lasted them by at least six years and five albums. Tim gets no satisfaction from that. “I like The Stone Roses. I thought it was a really big waste of talent. You know, it’s egos. If you can’t by your band mate a drink, well go solo. And nothing they’ve done after has been any good really.”

The Charlatans sound has progressed over the years from their baggy debut of Some Friendly to 1995’s funky self titled release to 1999’s desolate Us and Us Only. “I think the last album was very much an unusual party, compared to this one, which is a crazy party,” Tim admits.

The stripped down sound of Us and Us Only was a little disappointing to some fans, even if it did open with perhaps their best song ever, ‘Forever.’ Tim admits that there weren’t really any obvious singles on Us and Us Only, but that the new album has plenty. Wonderland takes things in different direction, with influences like Prince and Curtis Mayfield, compared to the Bob Dylan inspired last two albums.

The most startling thing about Wonderland is Tim’s new vocal style. On most of the songs, like ‘Judas’ and ‘A Man Needs to Be Told,’ he sings in a Curtis Mayfield like falsetto. Their trademark organ sound is also buried lower in the mix. “There’s organ on pretty much every track, you know, it’s just filtered and sounds more like punk organ.”
Time describes the new album as such: “it’s funky and dirty. A bit like The Charlatans by The Charlatans but it’s very modern, as modern sounding as the last Madonna record, but it doesn’t sound like anybody else.” He later added, “.It’s a produced record. It’s a really good fun record. It’s Wonderland, yeah because we recorded bits of it on Wonderland Ave., but really because of the state of my head, everything that I like is in my own head. And the record sounds like my head.”

A couple of month s after I first talked to Tim, I caught up with him again at a week of LA Charlatans shows and appearances. Having by then heard Wonderland, it was apparent that the band was still working out how to play some of the new songs live. The subtle slide guitar of ‘A Man Needs To Be Told,’ for example, was almost grating live. Their two shows, at The El Rey and Vinyl, were both beset with sound problems out of the band’s control. The band rebounded, however, with an impressive, ten songs plus, free instore at the Virgin Megastore. Most bands only play three to five songs at an instore, but Tim displayed his willingness to win over Los Angelenos and become big in his own town by playing nearly a full set. The band also performed on the influential Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show and did a DJ stint and that week’s Radio 4. They almost played a surprise show at the Poptones club, but couldn’t get it together in time due to jet lag. Let’s hope all this hard work pays off.

The Charlatans seem to be in it for the long haul. They’re one of those bands that might actually still be around in ten or twenty years, when most of their contemporaries have long since broken up. They could be The Rolling Stones of Brit-Pop, a comparison Tim would be very happy with as The Stones are his favorite band, along with New Order. Every time things seem bleak, The Charlatans rebound. They’ve vowed to deal with Tony’s cancer and keep going. They’re survivors.

If the band were to break up, Tim wouldn’t know what to do with himself anyway. “I have no other talents really, I’ve got nothing else. I couldn’t hold down a job, not now. So I’d have to do something involving music. And the thought is scary, so I don’t really think about it.”

The rest of The Charlatans maybe don’t have quite as much invested in the band, as Tim candidly reveals. “I’ve got a different lifestyle to the rest of the band really. I like spending money more than the band do. I spend more money than they do, so there’ve got really good houses and stuff like that. They keep all of it. Tomorrow they could probably live out the rest of their life’s and never have to really work , cause of where they live. I live in LA and spend all me money, so I need to keep working for a bit. Because I like spending money on things that are really important, like buying records. (laughs) And buying my friends drinks.” Whether or not The Charlatans will still be going in fifteen or twenty years, Tim wants the band to be remembered on both sides of the Atlantic. “I think we’ll be remembered. I mean, definitely in England. I think in America we’re in that bracket of maybe/maybe not. I guess, in fifteen or twenty years I’m hoping we’ll be remembered for changing something. I’m hoping that change is going to come and we’ll be remembered for what we’re going to do next.”

www.charlatans.net

	Q&A
What are the essential records you bring with you every time you DJ?
“ There’s quite a few, personal soul records that I’m always playing really. A record by... god, what’s the fuckin’ name now, oh, Merry Clayton. It’s a cover of Gimmie Shelter by the Rolling Stones. Magic Corner by Belita Woods, which is the most expensive record I’ve ever bought, but it was worth every penny. A lot of early 70’s soul. Even though Michelle thinks I shouldn’t play it, I really fancy playing a Scritti Politti record. (laughs) No, when you hear it again though. I had that record, Keep it in Psyche ‘85. I loved it when it came out, I did think it was a great great record. Because of times and fashion it’s just been in my cupboard for ages, then I thought ah, I got it out a couple of days ago and I though, ‘ah, I used to love this,’ and played it again.”
Who would you say is your all time favorite band?
“ Uh, it changes. The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and New Order. You can’t call Bob Dylan a band, but Dylan. And Scritti Polliti. (laughs) My all time favorite band has gotta be The Rolling Stones or New Order.”
What have you been listening to lately, current stuff?
“ I like a group called Regular Fries. I like I new thing that’s coming out on Heavenly Records, he’s a guy called Ed Harcourt. He’s got a really good single called There’s Something In My Eye. I like the Beta Band record. I love Lambchop. I think they’re on about their sixth or seventh record now, but it’s still considered new because they had a pretty big record with Nixon. I like Brian Jonestown Massacre. I suppose they’re not new either, but they pretend to be new all the time, they’re a good band. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, I really like them.”
Have you had any recurring dreams of nightmares lately?
I have. I dreamt quite a lot about little people, dwarves. I went to open a dream book and it’s supposed to mean a new acquaintance you’re going to meet will bring you knowledge and wealth. So I think it’s a lucky thing, even though it’s frightening as hell.