“THE REUNION WAS ONLY
EVER GOING TO BE SHORT-LIVED.
I REALLY LIKE THE GUYS, BUT
NONE OF THEM ARE PROFESSIONAL
MUSICIANS ANYMORE.”
more to prove.” He laughs
ruefully, frustrated that Then
Jerico didn’t quite live up to the
artistic vision he had for them.
“Let’s be clear,” he smiles. “I liked
me! But we were a naïve band. The
songwriting was naïve.
“I never had any vocal lessons, or
songwriting lessons, no music lessons of
any kind. And that’s how a band should be.
But Then Jerico’s songs... They’re not David
Bowie songs, are they? I know that. They’re not what I
wanted them to be. They’re not groundbreaking,
dangerous or cutting-edge. I accept that, really, we
were quite a safe band.”
Aware of just how dismissive he’s sounding of his
past, Mark rallies. “We were at least leftfi eld from the
rest of the game at the time,” he says, pained at how
safe the Top 40 had become by 1986. “But we were
still effectively mainstream.”VODKA TONICS
Live, Then Jerico were – and still are in their current
line-up – a different proposition. Mark is an animalistic
frontman, more aligned to his infl uences. But Then
Jerico had only played seven gigs when they were
signed, so Mark was making it up as he went along on
stage. “I had to do certain things to get myself in the
zone,” he explains. “Mainly, it was alcohol and that’s
when the drinking really started. I couldn’t go on stage
as me, because I’m too silly and easy-going. I wanted
my anger to come across, so I’d listen to music that
makes me excited, like Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins.
To get unhinged enough to face the crowds, I’d have a
few vodkas.”
The band’s presence led to a tour supporting his idol
Iggy Pop, only for Mark to accidentally offend the wild
man of rock on the opening night. Iggy came
backstage to tell Then Jerico to ask him if they ever
needed anything. Mark’s response? “All I said was,
‘Is David coming down?’” he laughs. “I told Iggy:
‘I thought Bowie was your mate?’ Iggy said, ‘Yeah, he