Simon "Gen" Matthews - Jesus Jones

Simon “Gen” Matthews

1) Do you think you’ve made your best album or are you still hoping to make your best album? If you feel you have made your best, then which one is it?. (Derek McDonald)

JJ have had some pretty good moments for sure and at the time, they were the best things we’d done and we believed in them absolutely, but there is always still more to come, or you wouldn’t keep going…I’ve also recorded other great albums too that I believed in totally at the time… Stereodreamscene with Deckard being one.

2) What’s your goal today as a band? Get a #1 record? Have fun? Something else? And how has that changed from when you first began? (Todd Rosin)

Considering that doing this all again with JJ was a closed door for me until recently, everything we do from now on is gravy, all the way. Its just great to have the chance to keep doing this and that there is still love for the band making it all possible. We’re lucky fellas.

3) If you were to revisit the period of 1989-1993, what advice would you give to yourselves? (David Marsh)

Get more involved behind the scenes and be more of a nuisance. Don’t leave all the decision making to others. They don’t always know best…

4) Back in the late eighties – early nineties what were your most memorable gigs both in europe/UK and North America? (Scott Moon)

First Glastonbury and Reading gigs, first headline theatre tour, Town and Country shows, Barrowlands. Wembley Stadium (the old one) with INXS. The tour of Romania after the overthrow of Caucescu was something…Budokan in Tokyo, LA – The Roxy after we won our MTV award. We played this gig the same night – the place was mental as the audience had been watching the awards ceremony at the gig so when we went on stage the place erupted!!

5) What are each of the band members’ favourite songs (both your own and by other groups)? (Tim Yoder)

JJ songs – Idiot Stare, Info Freako, They’re out there, Tongue Tied, Someone To Blame, Caricature, Chemical No 1, Motion,

Others
Foo Fighters – The Pretender
Depeche Mode – Policy Of Truth
Led Zep – Physical Graffiti (Album)
ACDC – Anything up to ‘For those about to Rock’…
Blink 182 – All The Small things
Tenacious D – Tribute
Corb Lund – Cavalry Man
Prodigy – Breathe
Metallica – Sandman
U2 – Grace
Radiohead – OK Computer (album)
Yello – The Race
Mumford and sons – Lover of the light, Holland Road
Daft Punk – Da Funk
Terence Trent D’Arby – Neon Messiah
Abba – The Day Before You Came, Arrival
Beatles – take your pick
Chilli Peppers – Give it Away
Fun Lovin Criminals – Scooby Snacks
Coldplay – Fix You
Black Sabbath
Hard Floor
Orbital
Elvis
Talking Heads
Pink Floyd
Beta Band
etc etc
Too many to list…..

6) You were influenced by house,hip hop & hard rock originally , are those specific influences still there? Do you still listen to bands like public enemy, acdc, etc and who (if any) are your current favs? (James Fletcher)

ACDC still very much on my playlist – grew up with them and bad boy Phil Rudd was instrumental in me taking up the drums.
Was hoping to see them again this summer having seen them last year (and they were bloody great even without the great Malcolm Young) but now that Brian Johnson may not be doing it due to failing hearing, I’m not sure. Thats a step too far now… Saw Public Enemy with The Prodigy at Wembley in Dec 2015. What a gig!! Took my daughter and she loved it…passing the baton on
See previous answer….

7) Shadiest hotel stayed at while on tour ? Most ‘interesting’ backstage area at a venue ?

Stayed in a DSS place in Manchester in 1989 sometime courtesy of our beloved tour manager of the day, ‘Gimpo’, trying to save money – remember checking in and there was dried blood on the sheets and locks on the doors. Lots of shouting and noisy kids in the night…And no room service – I mean, come on!!

8) Now that you are older and possibly wiser, do your answers to the questions: Who am I? Where am I? Why do I feel this way? and, Do you feel real? differ significantly from your answers when you first sang them? (Lee Chetwynd)

I’ve never asked myself those questions? Should I have?

9) Would you encourage your children to wear some of your questionable wardrobe from the early days? Who was the most reluctant to conform with the clothes choice? (Stephen Eales)

Questionable wardrobe? How rude! We were just told what to do in those days ha ha

10) What was the first record you each bought and do you think it had any influence on what became Jesus Jones? (Marc Yeschant)

I really do not now what the first record I bought was……so no.

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