Thanks so much to Erik Illes for this great interview! The Watermelon Men might be one of the most important guitar pop bands to ever come from Sweden. They were around the late 80s and released a bunch of singles and 3 albums. They toured many countries in Europe and even graced the cover of Sounds magazine in the UK. On the web there is not much written about it, so took the chance and asked Erik many many questions, and was even surprised that there is actually a 4th album that remains unreleased!

++ Hi Erik! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! Very honoured to do an interview with you. I know you are still making music now with the band Distant Days. Care telling me a bit about the band? Who are part of it? How does it sound like? Maybe there are some links to share? And how different or similar would you say Distant Days is to Watermelon Men?

I lived and worked overseas for many years, in Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Sarajevo and Brussels. I returned to Uppsala in late 2013. Over the years I had written many songs that I wanted to try them out with a band and record. Michael Funke, who plays guitar is an old friend of mine. He found Anders Vretenäs and Ulf Eklund on bass and drums – and it has really worked out with the chemistry. The music, in a spiritual and emotional sense, comes from the same place as with Watermelon Men. It is a bit darker and even more dramatic. Someone described it as a meeting between Simon & Garfunkel and Joy Division. Our first album, Dying of the Light, was released on vinyl last year and has been well received. It’s also available on Spotify and SoundCloud.

++ Now that I’m looking at info on the web about the band something struck, for a band that had quite a following and that released more than a handful of records, the information on the web is little. That is quite strange. Do you know why that may be?

In 1994 I moved to Laos and that was de facto the end of the Watermelon Men. So, it was really before the era of on-line communication. We never ourselves published anything related to the band on internet. It’s nice to see though that people upload and make available songs on Youtube and elsewhere.

++ This might be a long interview! You released 3 albums and around 10 singles/EPs. I have so much to ask you. But  let’s go back to the very beginning. What are your first music memories? Like what music was played at home while growing up? And what was your first instrument and how did you get it?

I have two older brothers who very much was part of intruding me to the world of music. It really started during the era of glitter rock – I heard the intro riff of 20th Century Boy by T. Rex and it had such a transformative effect on me that it lasts until today. Then came punk and new wave, and through that we started to listen to bands from the 60´s that were a source of inspiration for new wave bands like The Jam and XTC.

I started with flute and trumpet but it was the guitar that I was drawn to. I learned to play it on my father’s nylon string guitar. Then I had my first electric, a Gibson Les Paul copy, that I swapped for a Gretsch Chet Atkins when I met Imre von Polgar to complement his Rickenbacker. Then we were in the early 80’s and the quest was to chime louder and clearer the The Byrds. We found out that when certain frequencies met, other and unexpected sounds could appear, it was magic.

We were not very skilled musicians. At the time we started, we very much associated skilled musicians with playing fusion or Toto. Bands looking bad and playing dull music. After a while we realized that being able to play had its merits to develop the arrangement and sound that the song required.

++ How was Uppsala back then? Where do you usually hang out? What were the venues to check out up and coming bands? Or what were the good record stores there?

Uppsala is a university town. Usually we would hang out at cafés. There was a really good record store that had a good collection of punk, new wave and prog. We were fortunate to have two good venues in town where many international bands, The Saints, The Fleshtones, The Triffids, Alex Chilton to name a few, came to play and where we were given the chance to perform.

++ I’m assuming you were in Uppsala studying as it is a university town, am I on the right path? If so, what were you all studying?

Everyone in WM grew up in Uppsala with the exception of our bass player Hans Sacklén who came from the south coast. I studied political science and languages. Imre IT and Hans macro-economics.

++ Were there any like-minded bands in town that you liked?

Not many I would say. The Preachers, a garage-rock outfit, were close allies. I quite liked Webstrarna and The Pretty Triggers as well.

++ And in general, what would you say are your all-time favourite Swedish guitar pop bands ever?

What comes into mind are band like Tages, The Wannadies, Eggstone, Simian Ghost

++ How and when did the band start? How was the recruiting process or how did you all know each other?

It started around 1983. Imre had been in a defunct band with Johan Lundberg. I didn’t know Imre but one day I read an article he wrote that was published in one of the major evening papers comprising a list of the best songs using Rickenbacker guitars. He was only 17 and I was 16 at the time. It made me get in contact with him to propose that we started a band. I think I played the bass guitar for the first rehearsals and we had someone trying out as singer. Then we picked up Hans on bass and I became the singer. Then we recruited Erik Westin as a drummer. He had his own band, called Start, where he played guitar. Erik turned out to be a great drummer and song writer but he never felt as comfortable with the drums as with the guitar.

++ Had any of you had other band experiences before being on Watermelon Men?

Yes, there was a number of short-lived constellations. I was in a band called Allan Ball and then my first band with Imre (The Rave-ups), Hans played with a band in Southern Sweden called RH-negative. Johan played together with Imre in Martin Bendix and the Taxi Drivers and had a band called The Original Rummies.

++ Why the name Watermelon Name? What’s the story?

My grandfather cultivated watermelons in Hungary, then there was the song by Gun Club.

++ How was the creative process for the band? Whereabouts did you practice?

Imre was the mentor of the band. He had this enormous extended network from which he managed to harvest al this fantastic music of all different eras and genres. Soul, psych, pop, French film music, surf, hard core – he had the ability to find quality in all strands of music. We rehearsed in a shelter in the center of town. Usually me and Imre would work on the songs before we introduced them to the band. Erik Westin brought his own material and sometimes recorded home demos he shared.

++ And what would you say were your influences?

So much music of different genres, soul, folk, psych, garage, punk, new wave, pop. You need to mention The Byrds, Love, Velvet Underground and the Kinks. Among our contemporaries our peers were REM, The Barracudas, Robyn Hitchcock, The Triffids, The Go-betweens, The Church among others.

++ Your first releases date from 1985, where the “New Hope for The Lonely” 7″ and the “Past, Present and Future” albums are released. Something that caught my attention was that the album was released in three countries straight away, in Sweden, Germany and UK. I suppose your main label was MNW in Sweden and they licensed the record? And just out of curiosity how did you end up signing to MNW?

As far as I remember, we came in contact with MNW through Jörgen Johansson. It was Jörgen through his Tracks on Wax label who financed the recording of the two first albums. Jörgen was a fan and a very important mentor to us. He has this incredible ability to find and share quality music. A very generous man. Maybe you are acquainted with his Facing Yellow compilations with timeless and forgotten pop music?

++ Was there any chance to release the album in any other countries perhaps?

Yes, the album was licensed in Europe through a German Company, EFA, and in the US and UK through What Goes On Records.

++ Even from this first release I notice something about the art for your records. There’s generally always an evocative photograph on the cover. Who was usually in charge of that?

We were looking for covers that captured the landscape of the music. The artwork was done by Hank, the drummer of the band Wayward Souls, who worked in visual design. All that changed when we were signed by WEA for our third album. How I hate that cover! They brought in an American producer who was instructed to give us a more contemporary slick 80’s sound. The whole project was a trauma and a battle. He hated guitars. Finally, when everything had been recorded and mixed, we persuaded the label to give us two more days to put back the guitars that were erased and to remix the whole thing. It improved things but we were still highly unsatisfied with the way it sounded. It wasn’t us. I was like listening to the record of someone else.

++ This first album has the song “Hungarian Heart”, which speaks of yours and Imre’s background. I wonder though aside from this song, if Hungarian music was much of an influence to your sound?

It was. Me and Imre used to travel to Budapest every year and hang out in restaurants and cafés looking for the best gypsy musicians. We came across this band with the lead violin being replaced by cello. They wore black tuxedos and were incredible. The saddest and most uplifting music you can imagine.

++ The first record I ever bought by Watermelon Men was the “Four Stories by the…” 7″ that was released in 1985. I noticed that that record and many others were recorded at Studio 55 in Uppsala. What can you tell me about this studio. Does it still exist? Who ran it? Was it convenient? Was there a liquor store close by or a cheap restaurant for the breaks?

It was located in an old villa in Uppsala. A quite area, not much else around. The state has liquor monopoly in Sweden, so no off-license liquor stores in the neighborhood. The studio is closed since many years ago.

++ In 1987 there is a split single with the American artist Peter Case. This is quite a one-off release, there are no other split releases by you. And also because it came out on the label Bucketful of Brains and it was the first and only time you collaborated with them. How did this happen? Were you aware of Peter Case beforehand? Did you like his music? Did you ever meet?

I think it was organized by the What Goes On label. We liked the music of Peter Case but we never met. We did a cover of Flaming Groovies’ “I Can’t Hide”. The same year we played it live at The Dingwalls in London together with Chris Wilson from the Flaming Groovies/Barracudas and Robert Wills

++ Your second album dates from 1987 and this time you expand to Austria and Switzerland thanks to the German label Yellow Ltd. On this album I notice that you expanded your sound by having session musicians. How did that come about? Did you know them? Was it easy to work with them?

We loved strings and had already worked with string musicians on our first album. We also expanded with horns, maybe not as successful. The steel guitar player was a friend’s boss from an insurance company. We were influenced by the way the Triffids used steel guitar, but this guy was more old school country in his playing.

++ This album have many of my favourite songs by the band. But I will choose one hoping you can tell me the story behind it: “Postcard View”. Any chance for that?

It was written by Erik Westin. His songs were usually quite light and melodic.

++ Your last album, “Moving Targets” from 1988, was released by a big label, WEA. How was that change? Did it influence in any way your music or the big label is not as terrible as everyone thinks?

It was a horrible experience. They signed us but were not really into what we were doing. They wanted to change it into something contemporary and that could appeal to a larger audience. The main problem was the choice of producer. The album flopped and we were dropped.

++ Your last release dates from 1993 and was an EP on Fat Lady Records and Amigo. I wonder why that gap in between releases? Like 4 years since the “Nobody’s Fool” 7″! In the 80s you were releasing stuff more often. What happened in between the album and this CDEP?

It took a long time to recover after the WEA debacle. Erik Westin left the band. We recruited a new drummer, Ola Jameson, and a keyboard player, Jonas Rehn. We recorded a full album in KHM studios in1993. But it was never released as I moved to Laos in the spring of 1994. There are some really good songs there.

++ I see that on Discogs there’s an unofficial album titled “Fifteen Stories by The Watermelon Men” which is an LP with the whole gig in Stuttgart on February 23rd of 1986. Do you have a copy of that? Did you ever got in touch with the unofficial label Lounge Records?

I think I have copy somewhere, we were never in touch. I like the way they have misspelled the title of some of the songs.

++ Also I did find some Youtube videos from that gig. It looks and sounds great! I like the style of yours, kind of Postcard Records a bit. Were you into vintage clothing? Thrifting? Or where does that look come from?

We certainly did not like the mainstream fashion of the 80’s. We were more into classic and stylish outfits of the 40s-late 60s era. But we were quite eclectic.

++ Your music appeared on a few compilations during the eighties mostly, like on “A Real Cool Time Distorted Sounds from the North”, “Efa’s Tönende Musikschau”, “Bada I Hitz” and “Yellow Unlimited”, but I’m quite curious by you appearing on two compilations dating from the 2000s, “Children of Nuggets” and “A Real Cool Time Revisited”. Was there a renewed interest in the band at the time you think?

Since Nuggets was such a source of inspiration when we started the band, we felt honored to be on the “Children”-compilation.

++ Is there any unreleased material by the band? Or everything was released?

Yes, the whole album we never released in 1994. It is named Stories from the Blue House.

++ From all your repertoire, which is not little by any means, do you have any favourite songs? and why?

From our first album, “Seven years”, “Back in My Dreams”, “New Hope for the Lonely”. They capture the true spirit of the band. “Heading for the Woods” and “In Another World” from “Wild Flowers”. “Tonight” from the “Moving Targets”, there are some other decent songs on that album but I have problems with the overall sound. “Four Heartbeats”, our last single, I also like a lot.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? What about abroad? Which countries did you visit as a band?

We played many gigs in Europe in 86-87. Lots in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Greece, Switzerland, Austria and the UK.

++ And what would you say were your best gigs and why? Any good anecdotes to share?

The gigs we did by the end of our first tour in Germany. We had become a really tight unit and Johan had developed into a first class show man. The gigs we did in Athens at the Kytaro Club were fantastic. We played two nights. The first night ended in complete mayhem. The following night we were a bit fragile and decided to start with only slower number to keep things under control. Then suddenly we only had fast number left in our repertoire . I remember thinking “Here we go, I hope we will survive the onslaught” as we started the first chords of You should be mine and people started to storm the stage.

++ Were there any bad gigs at all?

No disasters, but the gigs just before Erik left the band were not as exciting as they had been.

++ I read you appeared on the cover of British magazine Sounds. How did that happen?

We had a five star review of Past, Present and Future in Sounds. They followed up the review with the interview and gave us the cover. The article was written by Ralph Traitor, who was an alias for Jeremy Gluck, the singer in Barracudas. Me and Imre were traveling in South America for three months at the time when the article was published. Probably a bad career move.

++ I feel though that your biggest following was in Germany. I even bought some of your records there while visiting. How did this come to be? Was it just because of being released by a German label and having that support? Or perhaps there was another connection? I’m sure you also toured Germany extensively?

We had a good label in Germany. We were well received. Germany was full with great venues where people came for the music. We were not used to that in Sweden.

++ Were there any TV appearances of the band perhaps?

We did some TV appearances in Germany. One live show (could have been Rockpalast) and a few silly play backs.

++ And what about fanzines? Were you part of the fanzine culture of the 80s? Maybe involved in some?

There was one particular Swedish fanzine called Larm that was an essential guide to music. It was a fanzine started by Lennart Persson, a legendary Swedish music journalist, who sadly passed away a few years ago.

++ You released songs on tape, CD and vinyl, this is a simple question, what is your favourite format and why?

I am not too picky, but I have a soft spot for vinyl given that its size and format gives more room for the artwork and that it’s more tangible. I always listen to music while commuting to Stockholm, then vinyl is not that handy.

++ When and why did you split? What did you all do afterwards?

We split because I moved to Laos for work. When I returned after three years everyone had moved on. I am the only one in the band who is still active.

++ Were you involved with any other bands after the demise of Watermelon Men?

No, not until we formed Distant Days.

++ Are you all still in touch to this day? I know that Imre is sadly no longer with us, and that you did a reunion gig after he passed away. That must have been a difficult time to do the reunion? How was that experience?

We are still in touch every now and then. Losing Imre was such a chock and I don’t think we will ever reconcile with the fact that he is gone. I lived in Phnom Penh at the time of the Tsunami in 2004. We had met to spend some time with families in Bangkok before he left for Khao Lak and I went back Phnom Penh. Then came the Tsunami and both Imre and his two daughters died. The reunion gig was a way to gather friends and relatives around something positive and it was an important event to us.

++ Are you still based in Uppsala? Has it changed much since the Watermelon Men days? I visited once and really liked it, but wondering if you could recommend pop fans what to see, what to do, or what to eat in your hometown?

Uppsala has grown in size considerably. We are now over 200 000 habitants. The music scene is not doing well and many of the places hosting live music have closed down in recent years. Restaurants are mushrooming though. You should pay a visit to the vinyl store Open Mind Records, that released the Distant Days album. Dan Olsson, the owner will get you a cup of coffee for free.

++ Today, aside of music, what other hobbies do you have?

I love outdoors stuff like fishing, skating and picking mushrooms.

++ Looking back in time, what would you say was the biggest highlight of the Watermelon Men?

When we received the master of Past, Present and Future and we listened to it in Imre’s flat. We thought it was unbelievable. The tours in Europe, playing venues like the Dingwall’s in London and the Loft in Berlin. But the greatest highlight is always the sense of wonder and achievement when a new song is starting to take form.

++ One last question, taking the cue from “In Another World”, have you ever been to Argentina? 🙂

Yes, Argentina was the last country we visited in South America during our trip there following the release of Past, Present and Future. We started in Quito, Ecuador, and travelled through Peru and Bolivia down to Buenos Aires.

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Listen
Watermelon Men – Postcard View