Home Is Where The Art is This interview originally appeared in the Record Mirror June 11 1988. Words by Tony Beard

As any gig-hardened old rocker will tell you, touring is the bread 'n' butter on the tea tray of pop. Away from the hour long adrenalin rush of the show, life can be, and usually is, hard. Just ask the Mighty Lemon Drops, currently winding up a nine week jaunt across the USA, accompanied by Love & Rockets, on the latest leg of their appropriately titled 'World Without End' tour.

The boys have been trading the boards ever since the ripping chords of 'Inside Out' echoed round Aylesbury's Civic Hall on a cold, damp evening last February. Some four months later, the scenery has changed, but the songs remain the same. In between posing for photos and endless reruns of old Wolves cup finals, vocalist Paul Marsh found the time to offer a few words about life on the open road.

The Wolverhampton Wanderer

"As you can see, the 'room of my own' isn't quite a room and neither is it my own, it is, in fact, a tour bus which I share with 10 other people." Paul's lucky enough to have the "executive" bunk (the top one), on the "sunny side" of the bus. It's a position he's justifiably proud of, the coveted prize of being "the first one on the bus".

Eyes sparkling with the excitement of a first time buyer, Paul begins the conducted tour of his very own "private space". "Well, here we are, the centre of the universe, the pivotal axis on which mankind's very existence... Yes, it's my bunk. To give you an in-depth story on it would take two lines. It's six foot six long by two foot six wide - this is the King Size De-Luxe Model - and it comes complete with one pillow, one blanket, one light, and believe it or not, a pair of vinyl curtains!!"

OK Paul, enough is enough. So how about showing us a round the rest of the bus? Facts first, it's 45 feet long. Rumours the band got it from some bloke in a dirty mac they met at MacDonalds for $50 remain unfounded. Strange thing is, they seem to be followed from gig to gig by a bunch of motorcycles with their blue lights flashing, which can be bloody annoying when you're trying to get some kip.

Having a truck that looks like an ice-cream van can have it's disadvantages. Whenever they stop they get loads of spotty brats asking if they've got anything long and cool for them to suck! Ooer!

!It's taken quite a while to get used to sleeping in here and some people never do. We've found that the best solution is to have one or two LARGE drinks before attempting the climb into our bunks and praying that the road isn't too bumpy. Thing is, we're usually too plastered, so we just fall asleep in a huddle in the aisleway!"

"Before we go, I'd just like to tell you what a wonderful job Terry, our driver, does. Many's the time he's had to drive for 17 hours nonstop through treacherous mountain passes thick with snow." Makes the bloke from the Milk Tray advert look a bit soft, doesn't he? And all because the lady wants to get on the guest list, I dunno...

!Anyway, must dash," concludes Paul. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing the real 'rooms of our own' in Wolverhampton until July at the earliest, so we'll send you a postcard later on during the tour."