Kings Have Long Arms by Pete Mella Kings Have Long Arms release 'Rock and Roll is Dead', a collaboration with Phil Oakey, at the end of July. L2SB fired some questions off to the ever-modest KHLA mastermind Adrian Flanagan.   Your new single's a collaboration with Phil Oakey. How did that come about?  I wrote a letter to jim'll fix it and said (said in jimmy saville voice) "Dear jim can you fix it for me to have the godfather of electro pop/lord mayor of popular music as we know it ,sing my underground cult classic Rock and roll is dead?” This was years ago, anyway I got a letter back off Sir Jimmy months ago and he said "sorry about the delay- my people have spoken to his people get the kettle on and your microphone out. Mr Oakey is coming to the studio". AND THE REST YOU WILL FIND IS MUSICAL HISTORY AS THEY SAY. Well i think thats how it happened maybe i just dreamed it all??? Hee hee. In fact these are the things that dreams are made of!!!!!"    When can we expect the KHLA album?  Probably October. It’s called WHO STOLE MY CRACKERJACK PENCIL. The title comes from the fact that a kid I went to school with was jealous cos I had a crackerjack pencil, he was dead handsome and was in to hip hop and could freestyle, all the girls loved him, i couldn’t freestyle and wasn't and still am not handsome but had this pencil which he stole off me. Anyway recently I was doing a DJ gig in Manchester (being a celeb and all that) and got a taxi to the gig anyway the driver of the cab was this kid, but he was now 20 odd stone with a beard which was filled with pastie crumbs. His cab also stunk of piss. It’s a revenge of sorts and I love revenge. It’s the only female trait I have.    You seem to have several mysterious projects on the go at the moment, can you let us in on some of these?  I’m currently building a rocket out of old rubbish and the odd dead dog. Hopefully this will be ready for public viewing in 2006. There’s also something involving a famous Intruda, a Troupe and I hope to become an MP for the Netheredge area, stamp out dogs, kebabs musicians and words such as wicked, nice one, big brother. I’d also have a national Long Arms day where you only hear and see me. Come on, it’s only once a year.    If you were forced to pigeonhole your music, which other acts would you affiliate yourself with?  I’d rather die, I’d rather be stabbed by a nation of naked grandmothers with knitting needles. I’m me, there will be a section in all record shops called the Adrian Flanagan section!!!    As an exiled Salfordian, what do you see as good and bad about Sheffield and it’s music?  The good thing about Sheffield is that I’m here, the bad thing is that I have to carry it, hee hee!!!!    Do you think Sheffield and it’s electronic acts are really going to get as trendy as some people are predicting?  As horrible as it is, Sheffield based bands, eg Kings Have Long Arms, Fat Truckers. Pink Grease, are all really trendy everywhere but Sheffield. I get emails and fan mail from all over the world, they write to me saying how great I am and I reply with “I know, you have fantastic taste”… there is not many places to play in Sheffield that is suitable for the kind of shows I like to do here – there’s either 20 crap local bands on a bill nights or the Sheffield City Hall – I will wait for the latter. The Leadmill don’t play Kings Have Long Arms and that’s something I’m proud of. I may do a very special event in October being put together by Razor Stiletto (Ralph), which could be interesting as I’m involved.    Finally, is rock n roll really dead?  Rock and Roll is the occupation of the living dead. What’s rock and roll about doing? What millions of people do every weekend. Take drugs, f*ck, fight. Big wow. It’s the death of imagination, that is why popular music and independent music and dance music is so boring, because the people doing it somehow think they are rock n roll. I mean what’s in the top 3 this week, Evervessence and Beyonce, Cristian Rock and Christian R&B, for f*cksake, do I have to do everything…??? Sheffield is the new rock and roll, let’s make it wrong.    [link]  July 8, 2003 1:27pm