Q U E S T I O N S  &  A N S W E R S

Q: There have been a few articles in the Sunday papers recently about rock stars who have allotments. I noticed a reference to allotments on one of your posters. Is there any meaning behind this?
A: There certainly is. Without going into specifics, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the NOTSENSIBLES allotment credentials are second to none and almost baronial in proportion. Not one, but TWO members of the band are consummate allotmenteers. Between them they have FOUR allotments. One of them is even Chairman of an Allotment Association. A third member used to be a tree surgeon. Enough said.

Q: I bumped into someone who said that they remembered shouting 'music puffs' at you when you used to walk up Manchester Road in Burnley. Do you remember this?
A: Yes. You're referring to 'The Football Thickies'. The football thickies were actually mates with the band. They lived further up Manchester Road than we did. They had a couple of chants that they would routinely hurl at us. One of these was "Music puffs, music puffs. Skin tight pants and silly hair cuts!" Another was "You only play your own records, you only play your own records!" We had a single elegant retort to all their jibes: "TD and woodwork, TD and woodwork" (meaning that they were too thick to get any O-levels except TD and woodwork).

Q: Do you do any covers?
A: No

Q: As a band, are you into football?
A: Interesting question - Three members of the band are football thickie / music puff* hybrids, and two members of the band are pure music puffs.
* A football thickie is anyone who is really into football. A music puff is someone who is so into music that they're not interested in football.

Q: Are you politically motivated as a band?
A: Not really, but having said that, you could say that there are a lot of personal anti-establishment politics if you look closely at the lyrics. Of Course, ' I'm in love with Margaret Thatcher' became a statement of the Thatcher generation, and although overtly tongue-in-cheek and irreverant, it does contain the double meaning line 'I go red when she's on the telly ....'. There are a few tories who actually bought the single thinking it was a Thatcher tribute song.

Q: Is it true that you got banned from a lot of the places that you played at.
A: Yes it is. We did have rather a mischievous streak in those days, which went hand in hand with our Notsensibleness. We got banned for a range of activities which ranged from spraying shaving foam over everyone to impaling meat pies on microphone stands in recording studios (not to mention the state of some of the dressing rooms!).

Q: Will you be re-releasing Instant Classic?
A: Yes - It will be remastered, and contain all the tracks from both versions of the album. There'll also be a second album of the singles + some old demos & live tracks.

Q: Now that you've reformed, do you think it's still relevant being 'Not sensible' after all these years? Wasn't your charm your schoolboyish cheeky humour? Can you still pull it off now that you're not teenagers any more?
A: Good question - we were acutely aware of the ephemeral nature of what we were doing first time round, and we bowed out as soon as the freshness faded. Unlike just about every punk band that you can name, we never reformed to cash in on the 'punk cabaret circuit'. It was almost a coincidence that we ever got back together in the first place. When we did, we were taken aback by the amount of interest. The response to our first couple of 'test the water' gigs was pretty amazing.
To answer your question though, being not sensible is probably more relevant now than ever before. In this fucked up world where someone is asking us to fill in forms and comply to protocols at every turn of the way, our off the rails surreal anti-establishmentairianism still prevails. Don't expect us to throw pies & shaving foam about any more, but in the wilderness left behind by the Zappas and Beefhearts and the other offbeats of this world, people still need something that isn't sensible. Can we still pull it off? Come and see us live and find out for yourself. We're still a backdrop to your daft lives.

Q: I'm having terrible trouble growing peas. I've been trying for a few years now, but they always seem to shrivel up and die. Can you give me any tips?
A: Without knowing more about your soil type and growing conditions, it's difficult to be specific. However, reading between the lines, it sounds like your peas are drying out. Here's a few pointers:
1. Make sure your plants are strong before you put them in the ground - you can start them off in toilet rolls filled with compost. Onward and Early Onward are pretty tough varieties.
2. Plant into trenches lined with newspaper and water well. (the newspaper helps to keep in the moisture).
3. Mulch with straw and water regularly - make sure you have decent frames for the plants to climb up.

Q: Are you doing any more gigs besides Wasted?
A: Yes - there are a few in the pipeline. Keep an eye on the website for details.