The afternoon of February 19th 1998 saw JJ Burnel ("JJB") and Tony "Thunder" Smith ("TS") in the CIUT-FM studio (Toronto, Canada). Their appearance on the "$1.49 Jazz Show" (1-4 pm, Mondays) was in support of the Pat Dinizio Trio concert in the Horseshoe Tavern that evening. A transcript of the subsequent interview appears below:

ME: Here you are, the two of you, contacted by Pat, and then you're doing the "Truckstops of America" tour.

TS: And we never played together until we recorded the record; we never even rehearsed (laughs); we just went into the studio...

JJB: (Aside) And just "clicked"...

TS: Got a tape, and I kept thinking, "Well what happened if it didn't work?" It's like three people from different parts of the world just converging to North Carolina and we cut three tunes as soon as we got into the studio.

ME: Which ones?

JJB: "124" was the first one.

TS: "124" and....I hadn't even checked into the hotel.

ME: And this is with the great legendary Sonny Fortune as well?

TS: Yes...actually Sonny Fortune came down and, that was quite an event.

ME: Now, he (Dinizio -- ed.) just contacted you because he's not busy with the Smithereens?

JJB: I think it's more than that; I think he wanted to prove a few things to himself, and to a few other people. He also wanted to experiment with a different chemistry.

ME: And he contacted his favourite musicians?

JJB: I suppose, on paper, it looks as if we come from total extremes really; different extremes of the same spectrum.

ME: Well, where did you meet, musically?

JJB: We met, literally, in the studio, and then , musically we're actually...

TS: very similar

JJB: ...surprisingly enough.

ME: How so?

TS: Well...all different kinds of eclectic backgrounds. But...I guess I would just say a love of rock and roll. JJ and I, it was really funny because, as a rhythm section, there's no way of getting around it: you have to click. There's no way of learning how to play together. (laughs) As soon as the first notes hit, it just has to click, or it just doesn't work.

ME: You have to speak the same language.

TS: Yeah, and I really thought it was quite amazing, because when we got into the studio, we had heard the tape, but we didn't do any rehearsal and when we ran over the tune, it wasn't more than, what, 2 or 3 takes.

ME: Is that a familiar circumstance for you? You say this as if it's a little outrageous for you to click so quickly.

TS: It is, it really is. I'm from where you'd rehearse and you'd get ready to go on and do the record, and these are the tunes we're going to rehearse this amount of tunes and pick from the tunes which sound the best...With Pat, he had sent the cassette tapes and then, when we got together...I thought it was quite amazing, because I had never gotton off an airplane, plunked my bags down, went into the studio...and then right after that we cut three tunes.

ME: Does that say something for Pat's song-writing skills?

TS: Yeah, very great.

JJB: He's one of the greater North-American song-writers.

TS: He's got a great voice. Really, really wonderful voice when you listen to him when he just plays with the guitar alone.

ME: So, how did he intend to use Sonny Fortune, because I notice a lot of the songs are your typical six- string beginning-middle-end "pop tune", sort of.

TS: Sonny added a lot. He's got a whole other kind of flavour where you can just sit back and...we don't even know where he's coming from.

ME: What's it like for you to work with a jazz musician JJ?

JJB: Oh, mind blowing. Playing with Sonny was quite an experience. But playing nightly with Tony is something I suppose I never thought I would do within the format of what I do with the Stranglers, and he's upping my game...I think it's enrichening.

TS: Well, for me too.

JJB: It's some education, you know. Because I think basically, in North America, you have such a depth and quality of musicianship: even the little hick pub or bar down the road has got good musicians and the depth here compared to back in England is quite phenomenal. Maybe that's why we tend to bypass the technique side of it...be a bit more quirky and explore more in the song-writing department. But if you can combine the two, then you're fulfilled as a musician.

ME: I want to talk a little bit about Pat's work...of course, he also likes the avant end of jazz as well. He says he wants to do some "Captain Beefheart"...

JJB: All power to him. Because, I think if you want to develop, you have to remain flexible and eclectic in your tastes. There's a well, a richness, of past material to inspire you and to teach you and to help you go forward. Look at Beefheart: he's been influenced for the Stranglers as well some of the weird timings. You shouldn't be restricted to 4/4.

ME: That's one thing about the Stranglers: your time signatures really blew a lot of people's minds, considering the audience.

JJB: It certainly made them stop dancing...But I'm discovering some weird shit with Tony. Sometimes some of the Jams which we do (which is a luxury I can't really afford with the Stranglers. We don't jam much; it's quite structured), some of the timings are mind blowing and you really have to dig deep, and just let the body take over and let those fingers take over and a lot of fantastic things you're coming out with. Sometimes they'll be anal; sometimes it's bloody interesting. And you can consider writing different songs; it's very exciting. It's "Karma Sutra" music!

ME: Well, everyone's progressing forwards through their lives and through their musical career and tastes. People out there probably think "what ever happened to the Stranglers?"

JJB: We're growing old disgracefully, I'd say, and we're pacing ourselves. We're still playing. We try not to burn ourselves out. After twenty years of doing it, you could get into a routine: that's death, isn't it? So, we try to do things differently. At the moment, I'm taking a sabbatical. I'm actually at school, really.

ME: Yeah, you're feeding your brain with new stuff.

JJB: And Tony's the Sensei.

ME: Tony, is there anything you're picking up and learning and filling your head with when you're on tour with these guys?

TS: A different way of travelling! (laughs) A lot of times, you're so separate: you meet at the airport; a car picks you up and takes you to the hotel; somebody else has already checked you in and you go to your room and you haven't seen anybody. You see them while you're on the plane, you meet them in the lobby, you go and do a sound check; another car picks you up and takes you away; you come back and do the gig and another one takes you away. So, this one is...

ME: It's "D.I.Y"

TS: Which is a great thing; we get into sync with each other; and then, when we play, it's so relaxed, it's a wonderful thing. We went on stage the other day and my mind is really being blown because the things we're doing together. It's just like we're put on "high", like "turbo"...and it was amazing.

ME: Do you think you get that energy because these are new folks to play with? And new energy.

TS: For me, it's familiar. When JJ goes in one direction, I know where he's going to go. If I go, he knows. At's all very supportive. When Pat gets ready to do something, we jam. We literally jam on stage and that's unheard of. Everything is "this is the structure", "this is where it goes".

JJB: (laughs) Sometimes we don't even know what's the next song until we do it.....I think we can jam because there are only three of us. So...there's eye contact, and we can let loose. Whereas, more than three, you're having to communicate.

ME: This must be sort of liberating for people who have very strict song structures to follow.

JJB: It is liberating: (laughs) you can fall flat on your face, of course, when you're liberated but it doesn't tend to work that way.

ME: You've got a little Duke Ellington here...."I'd rather have the blues than what I've got"...

JJB: It probably sums up some of the sentiments that Pat's been going through.

ME: Yes...the album is a product of a personal situation. And a lot of the songs indicate that. What's it like...helping somebody sing their blues a wee bit?

JJB: Helping someone through their confessional? Well, you know, that's what friends are for, I think.

ME: Now, where do you go from here, musically. After your project and you go on your merry ways, what are you up to?

JJB: We want to write together...definitely.

TS: I think it's going to evolve in that direction.

ME: So, somebody's gonna have to traverse the "pond" then. Who's it gonna be?

TS: Well, I'm just letting it go; I just have a vibe; that was the only thing that pretty much got me here. There's something happening here, and I have to go with it so, I'm just going with it.

ME: Jean, I wanted to mention that there's a new Stranglers hard-cover tome out (No Mercy -- ed.).

JJB: Yes, and I assume you haven't read it otherwise you wouldn't be inviting us onto your show! (laughs).

ME: I've read....

JJB: And you're still speaking to me?...I'll never get invited to another dinner party in my life in England!

ME: Any regrets?

JJB: No....and no apologies, really.