The Story So Far - 19th August 1999

USA tour dates (19-08-99)

The Skunks are hitting the states for a month, with 13 gigs supporting Sevendust. Here are the tour dates, albeit a bit late! Appologies to all you west coasters :)

Skunks on CD:UK (25-07-99)

I was invited by the folks at CDUK (a music show on English TV, for those abroad) to see the Skunks playing Lately yesterday, and for free too :) It was great. I was literally two feet away from Skin, watching as she had a quick tune-up on her guitar. While other stuff was going on at the show, I plucked up the courage and went and said hi to Cass. He's such a top bloke! We had a good little natter, and he even remembered my name from when he'd visited my website. Alas the security people had banned cameras otherwise I'd put the pics online, but I did manage to get the show taped at home, so I'll be putting a few piccies up soon :)

More Oz Dates! (19-5-99)

Thanks going out to Vi for yet more Australian gig dates. Check the pages. Also, thanks going out to Whaley for some handy venue info.

New Tour Dates! (17-5-99)

Skunksters in Oz will be pleased to hear Skin and the gang should be rockin' it up at The Arena,Brizbane and The Mercury Lounge, Melbourne, on 23rd and 28th July. Many thanks to Violator for those :))

Discography Update (13-5-99)

Well I'm sort of half way there.. been rewriting the searchy script thing and adding some of POC to it, so now the discography is not lacking as much as it was. So far, the list of tracks (minus tabs and lengths) are there, plus the lyrics for the first two tracks Charlie Big Potato and On My Hotel TV. Keep watching! :)

Secretly B-Sides (7-5-99)

Out on two CDs, Secretly is the 2nd release from POC to date. The cover depicts Skin and co hanging out beside a road in the middle of nowhere (looks like somewhere in America). CD1 contains Secretly, Killing Psychotic Size and Painkillers, with Secretly, Breathing, and Secretly - Optical Vocal Mix on CD2. Unfortunately I'm stuck until the 10th before I can get at the singles, so no reviews for now (though Secretly as you know if you've got POC, is excellent).

Site updates (2-5-99)

New tour dates are available on the touring page at last! Also, provided I get time to sort it, I'll get my scanner back from work so I can update the discography. I might even get time to type in all the lyrics! If anyone has guitar tabs for tracks from POS I'd be forever in your debt! :)

Secretly Single Out(2-5-99)

Secretly will be released as a single on Monday (3-5-99). I'ts a bank-holiday here so providing at least one local record store is open, I'll grab a copy tommorrow and let you know (+ the b-sides).

I'm Not Afraid (21-3-99)

The end track on the album (and nice and relaxed too) I'm Not Afraid brings to a close what so far sounds like a great record. We're now at the end of the wait too! Cash at the ready I'll try and grab P.O.C before I get into work (though boss won't let us have sound on! bah.. I'll have to sit and look at it all day!). Anyway, Skins explanation of I'm not afraid is this. "We ended the first album with this kind of "rise-up" sort of thing. And the second album ends with this taking-the-piss thing because everyone took us so fucking seriously. And then this album is more kind of like a warm feeling. Like it's the beginning of something more important. Something new. We're really solid now. Tight and close. It's a song about that." Listen to it here

You'll Follow Me Down (19-3-99)

Ok, I'm insanely busy so you don't get my stance on You'll Follow Me Down (oh great loss I hear you say ;)) Skins explains "That's about pushing somebody away because they have no idea what they're about to get into. You can behave in really disgusting ways but it's like I dont want you to forgive me - because every time you forgive me it means I can start again. Almost martyristic" Listen to it here

Cheap Honesty (18-3-99)

Oh I don't want to wait another 4 days!! "Just because you're being honest about who you're fucking or whatever, doesn't mean that it's a good situation. It doesn't mean that you're dealing with people in the right way. You're still cheapening what you have" Listen to it here

Good Things Don't Always Come To You (17-3-99)

Ok, based on the fact the server that my SA site runs on nearly trashed itself and had me up half of last night fixing it; that another machines power supply blew up, my student loan repayments started, and I just gave myself a papercut, I'd say that Skins definition is spot on... "Good things don't always come to you - don't matter who you are or what you're doing. Life is complicated unless you take this conformist angle. Unless you become one of the conformist masses." (in my case, going to bed on time and finishing stuff off the next day instead of staying up all night ;)). Listen to it here

Oh just lately... (15-3-99)

Lately is mellow.. I really like it! Just fits my mood right now (00:24am) and I'm feeling all mellow and relaxed. So many people (me included) can totally identify with Skins description... "It's about quite a melancholy, depressive period. I don't smoke at all, I've never smoked in my life but I've always been around people who've smoked. When you're around people who smoke weed, they always pass it around, you never smoke on your own, it's a social thing." (sounds so much like my ol' uni days..) Listen to it here

The Skank Heads (14-3-99)

Todays track from P.O.C is called The Skank Heads. It's excellent stuff - couldn't describe it any better than Skin does..." That's a song with a lot of different characters in it. It's just a very angry song. It's about certain people we've met - certain skankheads, people who try and skank you when you're in a band. Just trying to t'ief you all the time. The skankheads." Listen to it here

Post Orgasmic Chill Track Listing (12-3-99)

Thought it'd be a sensible idea to give the track listing for Post Orgasmic Chill! :o) Charlie Big Potato, On My Hotel TV, We Don't Need Who You Think You Are, Tracy's Flaw, The Skank Head's, Lately, Secretly, Good Things Don't Always Come To You, Cheap Honesty, You'll Follow Me Down, And This Is Nothing That I Thought I had, I'm not Afraid

Charlie Big Potato released (2-3-99)

I didn't manage to get it first day, but Charlie Big Potato is now in my CD collection. As well as the title track, there are two others, Feel and 80's Mellow Drone. Feel, as the name implies, is a soft, slow and emotional affair - Skin gets her voice to impressive heights during the gentle ending. 80s Mellow Drone in comparison is quite up-beat, raising the pace for the end of the single. An added bonus is that if you pop the single into the CD-Rom drive on your PC, you can watch the video to Charlie Big Potato - tres cool! :)

Stalker (15-2-99)

I guess stalkers are one of the things anyone in the public eye may have to deal with, and Skin apparently has been dealing with it now for around 18 months :o( The story goes like this, in Skins words... "It's a mad bitch fan who lives in America. She's completely out of her box. We've had the police and Interpol involved, but there's nothing you can do until they attack or threaten you." "We met this woman outside our tour bus. It was one of those situations where you're nice to someone, then start to realise `This is really weird'. We went back inside the bus, and she started banging on the door." "Since then, she's made death threats and sent voodoo dolls to my home, which is quite scary. I'm not even allowed to open my own mail anymore. But the police say her letters aren't threatening enough to convict her. She has to make a physical or verbal attack."

Secretly...(6-2-99)

A new track Secretly by our favourite band will feature among the sountracks of a new movie Cruel Intentions. A US release will appear on March 2nd through Virgin. Other tracks include Colorblind by the Counting Crows and a remix of Placebo track "Every You Every Me" by the Sneaker Pimps.

New Release! Charlie Big Potato (30-1-99)

The first single from the new album is out, and are you in for a treat. Charlie Big Potato sounds wicked, and if you have RealAudio you can see what I mean!! It starts off all drum & bass, which merges into more familiar (and quite heavy too! woohoo!) guitar territory. Should be on the HMV shelves by the time you've read this.

Are you ready for the Post Orgasmic Chill? (14-1-99)

A funky name for the new album, Post Orgasmic Chill is just about complete! I've no idea what'll be on it, but imagine it'll be nothing short of excellent - they've spent a lot more time on their third album rather than rush it. No track listings available yet, but apparently the shortlist is now down to 30 or so. The gang are taking a well deserved break in Europe before the big launch in March, when I'll be down to the record store faster than a fast thing ;)

SA at MTV Music Awards (12-11-98)

None other than Skin and Mark were at the MTV Music awards (televised virtually everywhere!). After a quick greeting (in Italian!), they handed out the Best Song award to Natalie Imbruglia for Torn from her debut album, Left Of The Middle.

New Album for March 1999

Woohoo!!! The Skunks are working away on their new album at the moment, hopefully to get to the shops around March 99. It'll be their first new work via Virgin Records, following the end of their relationship with their initial label One Little Indian. I'll keep you posted with more info as soon as I get it :)

The Skunks visit my website (25-9-97)

I got a message on my guestbook from Mark himself. Check this out! Name: Mark Website: Referred by: Just Surfed On In! From: Skunk Time: 1997-09-25 17:17:00 Comments: Hi Kelv! Just a quick note from your friendly, computer illiterate drummer. We're in Toronto (yes, still on tour!) and I just wanted to say that I think the up-date is great. We know how much work it takes and it's massively welcomed. Don't forget you're always expected at a Skunk gig, so get you're arse down there. What is the latast? Well, We're on tour with Rule 62 in the States and things are v.good. Doing a couple of gigs with the Prodigy in France and Spain and after that it's promo up until Xmas. Then I'm going home to see my folks for the first time since last Xmas! Everyone else, I think, is going to the sun. Ace is still finding pedels for his guitar that he didn't realise existed, Cass is taking more photos than a psychotic David Bailey, Skin's gone Psion crazy with the rest of the world, whilst still being the worlds greatest explorer into the realms of new fashions and baggage! I am considering getting into video and want to put together my own Skunk video (for my own pleasure) and also keep a journal which, together with Cass' photos, would one day like to do some kind of book. Well, that's us, keep up the good work. Tonights show, my friend, is for you.YOU HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY SKUNKED!!!!!!!!! See ya............Mark. Needless to say, I'm pleased! :))

US & Canada Tour Dates for May-August 97

Click here to see them.