Thanks so much to Mark D for the interview! If you love indiepop you most probably know who the Fat Tulips were. A fantastic band that recorded an album and a bunch of singles that sound so fresh still! I am very honoured to have been able to interview Mark D and learn more details from a band I am a big fan! This was amazingly cool!
++ Hi Mark! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Are you still involved with music?
Hi and thanks for the interest in my old band – I haven’t been involved in music for many years now I’m afraid though.
++ I usually have a list of questions I send to bands as I normally know very little or nothing at all about them and I want to cover the basics. I feel, and maybe I am wrong, that I know a bit about the Fat Tulips as I’ve been listening to your music for so long! But I wanted to start with a question, that you already told me the answer, and that’s why the Fat Tulips are not that present on the internet (though you do have a great website)?
The Fat Tulips didn’t exist when the internet really started – we split in the early 90’s and mobile phones weren’t even around much then! All our promotions and activities revolved around the underground fanzine scene – we were pretty well accepted on that scene and most of us got involved in putting on gigs by other bands we liked at the time too.
++ So as I said, I won’t ask the obvious questions, but some very specific ones. When exactly did the Fat Tulips start?
I formed the Fat Tulips around 1987 – I had been in a few bands before and had some songs but they weren’t getting used by the bands I was involved in so started Fat Tulips – originally was just me and I asked my friend Sarah to do some vocals – we recorded “You opened up my eyes” for a flexi I released with my fanzine 2 Pint Take home alongside a track by the Rosehips. That and the two other tracks we recorded later got released on Sunday Records as The early years EP.
++ Did you have a different name then perhaps?
No
++ Did you have any other names as options?
Was a last minute decision on the name based on a kids to series Tales from Fat Tulips Garden.
++ Before starting the Fat Tulips, had you been in other bands before? I know you were in The Pleasureheads, right? But that was around the same time, no?
The Pleasureheads I was in from 1984-6. I left them to go to university but they did continue with a replacement guitarist for a few more years. Prior to that I was in a dodgy goth band called Transmission who played a couple of gigs – the keyboard player in them was Jim Abbiss who went on to become a major record producer (he produced Adele!) and produced the first Pleasure Heads single I was on.
++ From what I understand the band was originally formed in Peterborough but the band was then based in Nottingham. How did this relocation happen? What made you move there?
I simply moved to Nottingham to study at Trent Poly / University
++ Originally, in Peterboro’ it was Sarah and you. As a duo, you recorded the “You Opened Up My Eyes” demo tape that would later be repressed by Sunday Records as the “Early Years” 7″. I was wondering about that demo, how come it ended up being released by a US label, Sunday Records, many years after its recording. Was it your idea? Or maybe it was Albert who came up with the idea?
Albert simply asked us and we said yes – such a lovely guy and supporter of us we couldn’t say no!
++ “You Opened Up Your Eyes” was also a single track on another flexi, the split single with The Rosehips. How did this record come about? Were you friends with The Rosehips at the time? I know later on they would be on your label!
I was a big Rosehips fan but didn’t know them at that time – just wrote to them and asked them and they sent me a tape! Later became good friends with them and followed them around to gigs quite a lot.
++ And was that the only thing that was recorded by that first version of the Fat Tulips?
Yeah just that.
++ And did Sarah continue making music afterwards? No she was a reluctant singer
I read that she went to Peru on your website, but is that true? No but reality was too boring! She just wasn’t interested in singing
++ How did the new Fat Tulips in Nottingham come to be?
I was going to the same gigs as the rest of the band – eventually befriended them and started to going to gigs out of town with them. How did you recruit or find the new members? The rest of the band were all friends with each other – I just persuaded them to have a go at a band rehearsal – I had several songs already written. After one rehearsal we agreed to go in the studio the following month and record our debut single.
++ Had they been in other bands previously?
I don’t think so.
++ Having lived in two different British towns, I was wondering what was your take at the time comparing Peterborough and Nottingham, which town had the best bands? The best music scene? Were there any bands in these towns that you liked?
Nottingham always the better musically- I went to University in Nottingham because of the Garage – legendary music venue in Nottingham.
++ This second version, with Katie in the band, didn’t last that long, just the superb EP “Where’s Clare Grogan Now?” single. It is clear you were big fans of Altered Images then, but what other bands would you say made an impact on you?
I loved loads of types of music but around that time was the classic indie bands like Orange Juice, the Fall, Wedding Present, Pastels C86 scene
++ Speaking of impact, you released a covers single, “The Tulip Explodes!”, with three songs by The Teardrop Explodes. Was that your idea?
Kind of a joint decision between me and Sheggs.
++ If you have had the chance to do another covers single, what other band would you have liked to cover?
I would have loved to have done Orange Juice or the Au Pairs – although did do It’s obvious cover by another band Confetti.
++ Maybe there’s a chance to do a Heaven Records interview later on, but I wanted to know if Heaven Records was originally a vehicle to release the Fat Tulips or was it always thought of as a full-fledged label that was going to help/release other bands?
No was just a vehicle to release our own single at first – just made friends with Vicarage Garden and had some extra cash from our records to allow us to support other bands – never in it for the money but it kind of expanded to allow us to help other bands we liked – a very much punk rock label of love
++ Maybe it is too obvious, but I want to confirm, the song “Amelia” that was on the Spindly Killer Fish flexi, was it about Amelia Fletcher?!
Of course – is just a list of Amelia Fletcher song titles and references 
++ “Four Songs for Simon” and “Albie”. I am terribly curious, were Simon and Albie real persons or not really? What about Sarah from “Sarah”?
Simon was a friend who we used to put bands in with and he used to slag off bands that weren’t in true indie spirit and short changing fans with 2 track singles so we called it 4 songs for Simon to shut him up!
Albie is about Albert at Sunday Records and was written by Sheggs.
Sarah was about my friend Sarah from Twa Toots who I was briefly in a band called Sundress with.
++ I’ve never been to Hull, but my British friends don’t usually have great things to say about Hull (even though I know there are many great bands that came from there). You must have liked it though as the name “Ferensway” from your single was taken from a street from that city. What did you like about it? Just the name?
Sheggs write the lyrics for that and I wrote the music – she would just give me a sheet of lyrics and leave me to write the music- worked well like that as she was a more prolific lyricist than songwriter. Believe she just liked the name Ferensway!
++ I was always curious about the “Nostalgia” 12″. The artwork is totally different from your other releases. Why was that? And also wondering who is the girl that is on the front cover? A friend of the band? A
hnnie was the girl in the cover and was Sheggis sister from Glasgow. Just liked the photo and it got used. Sheggs did that cover – no reason it was different really!
++ And speaking of artwork, was it you who made the cool drawings on your demo tapes of the indiepop girl, 7″s singles, or in the Heaven Records art, or the one I’m using here on my blog? Was there an inspiration at all where you got the idea of how to draw them?
Sheggs and our friend Theo did the artwork between them. I have no idea if the inspiration there but was tongue in cheek piss take of the twee indie pop scene.
++ You seemed to be more of a singles or EPs kind of band, but you did record a wonderful album, “Starfish”. I wonder was it any different for you to make the album compared to all your other records? Was it more difficult? More demanding?
Yeah the album recording pushed the demise of the band – was exhausting for all of us but we had a contract we had to finish it .
+ How did you end up working with and how was the relationship with Vinyl Japan? You had mostly worked with your own label, Heaven Records, and suddenly you were with a biggish indie label from Japan.
I had known Tetsuya at Vinyl Japan for several years before we signed with them – he started out buying 300 advance copies of our singles from Heaven records – they obviously sold in Japan so he signed us up.
++ Was there any chance to play in Japan?
Yes we had a contract to play there but split up before it happened annoyingly.
++ Another thing I have to ask is about the amazing German tour you did alongside another favourite band of mine, Throw That Beat in the Garbagecan. That must have been fantastic! I know you cover a lot of it on your website, but I am curious about your impressions about Germany. Like how would you compare the gigs to the ones in the UK?
Germany was great fun and we loved touring with Throw That Beat. Was a last minute decision to tour but so glad we did – we loved Germany.
++ And what was your favourite gig in Germany and why? Also did you get to do any sight-seeing at all? Was there any city you liked best? Any good foods you tried? What about the beer?
Very little sight seeing as we just turned up did rehearsal, slept and left for next town the next morning. No favourite places .
We did a gig in Belgium that was very strange though and they had very unusual beers there we tried!
++ And you drove there, all the way from the UK, and even took the good ol’ Peter Hahndorf in your car. I wonder, it must have taken so many hours, days to get there. How did you manage these roadtrips? Rented a van? Had to have a bunch of mixtapes or something to make it more bearable? Switch drivers every couple of hours? What were the logistics for this?
Yeah we just rented a van , me and Matt shared the driving so wasn’t too bad. Matt really annoyed everyone playing 2 unlimited tapes .
++ What about gigs in the UK? Did you play all over? What was the farthest from Nottingham you got to play in the UK? And what was the town you always liked to play again?
We rarely played live at all – but we used to play in Deptford a few times for our friend Dave and supported Heavenly a couple of times. Not many folk in the uk liked us at the time!
++ Did the Fat Tulips got the chance to be on TV or radio at all?
No although the track “So Unbelievable” was used on an American kids to show called The adventures of Pete and Pete!
++ Also there are no promo videos from the band, right? Why was that?
No – never had the time or money or opportunity
++ When and why did you decide to call it a day? I know you broke up while still at the top, which is great, but still, don’t you think there was more for the Fat Tulips to say?
I didn’t make the decision to split – was more the rest of the band that felt they had had enough. I would have happily carried on. You can’t force folk to do things they don’t want to do though. I just told them I respected their decision but if we did split I said we would never reform in any circumstances. All accepted the terms and moved on but stayed friends.
++ Are there any unreleased songs by the Fat Tulips? Or has everything being put out?
Only one professional recorded song unreleased “Human Timebomb”. Was planned to be a flexidisc release on Vinyl Japan but never happened. They still have the master tape I believe. Was a great track and recording though so a bit of a shame
++ These days you are most known as an artist, I wonder though how did your time in music, being in many bands and doing fanzines and a label, had helped in any way your artistic career?
Not sure about that – my involvement with band sleeves was limited- just threw them together to be honest without a lot of thought! Sheggs and Theo probably had more involvement with them and I left them to it. Loved doing the fanzines though – done pre-computer age with old school typewriter and blue and scissors! Guess that helped a little!
++ Aside from music and art, are there any other hobbies you have? Maybe a fan of footie? Nottingham Forest or Notts County?
Neither of those two teams – still like football and support Peterborough United – don’t get to matches very often though. Visiting galleries and exhibitions mainly but do love Just the Tonic comedy club
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for your interest and support!
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Listen
Fat Tulips – So Unbelievable
