Supergrass Confirm Some Outlandish Facts And Deny A Few (Probably) Untrue Rumors

Originally published in Teenage Kicks #2 (Fall 1997)
Interview by Devorah Ostrov & Michelle Castro/Story by Devorah

Supergrass strike a pose with Teenage Kicks #1
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Those British wunderkinds Supergrass barrelled through town recently for the third time in as many months, all in promotion of the fabulous new album In It for the Money.

First, they played Slims in May. Then they opened for the Foo Fighters at the Fillmore as part of Miller's "Blind Date" series. (Gaz: "It was a bit weird really, everyone was expecting Metallica.") And finally, they returned a week later to headline their own Fillmore show.

Poster for the Foo Fighters/Supergrass MGD "Blind Date"

 show at the Fillmore in San Francisco

Before the second Fillmore gig, we met up with all three band members — vocalist/guitarist Gaz Coombes (he of the fabled cheekbones and massive sideburns), bassist Mick Quinn (very cute and very charming), and drummer Danny Goffey (very tall, very skinny, and passed out on the dressing room couch).

Unfortunately, our timing inconveniently coincided with openers Super Deluxe's soundcheck (it was a super show, hahaha!), which pretty much drowned out the conversation and turned our interview into a photo op/autograph signing party. But we still managed to get some info!

For instance, Many Things You Think You Know About Supergrass Are (Probably) Not True:

In It for the Money (Parlophone 1997)

It's been reported in several publications that Steven Spielberg offered Supergrass a starring role in a Monkees-like sitcom.

"No!" declares Gaz emphatically. "It's rubbish. I don't know where that came from."

"We did meet him," says Danny lifting his head from the couch. "He was very nice. We said we couldn't do anything at the moment because we're too busy. We didn't know what it was gonna be about."

"It's all bullshit really," finishes Gaz.

And what about Gaz being offered a five-figure sum to become the new Calvin Klein model?

"No!" he shouts. "Where are you getting this stuff? It's all rumors."

On the other hand, Some Of The Outlandish Things You've Heard About Supergrass Are Actually True:

Back cover of "Going Out" b/w "Melanie Davis"

autographed by Gaz, Mick & Danny!

Parts of In It for the Money really were recorded in a big tent erected on the lawn outside Sawmills Studio.

"It was just a homemade kind of thing we built," explains Gaz. "Because the weather was nice, we wanted to be outside."

Did recording in a tent somehow help them get the sound they were looking for?

Gaz has a good chuckle. "No... It made for very poor sound. But at least we were outside."

Did they bring some sleeping bags into the tent?

"No, no..." mumbles Gaz, while mentioning something indecipherable about a campfire.

As for the oft-cited and quite remarkable differences between the "carefree adolescent pop" of the group's first LP, I Should Coco, and the "darker, more cynical, mature nature" of In It for the Money, Gaz pretends not to have noticed.

Gaz Coombs at the Fillmore, San Francisco -1997
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

"I dunno..." he says evasively. "It's hard to sort of look at it... Yeah, it is sort of different, but it's hard to analyze it. We just kept on doing what we've been doing. We just kept on writing songs and touring."

He pauses before adding: "But thankfully, it was different. It would've been horrible if we'd done another album just like I Should Coco. You've got to move on. You've got to change. But those were just the songs that we wanted to do."

Were they under pressure to follow-up the enormous (at least in the UK, where it was No. 1 for several weeks) success of I Should Coco?

"No, not at all," states Gaz. "We were just making an album that we wanted to hear, rather than trying to please the market."

"Alright" b/w "Time"

Mick tell us this lavishly packaged, orange vinyl 
45 with a gatefold picture sleeve was his idea.

Now that they're famous, are there any plans to reissue the Jennifers' (Gaz and Danny's pre-Supergrass outfit) EP?

"I hope not!" gasps Danny, suddenly wide awake.

Were the Jennifers' songs anything like the material on I Should Coco?

Gaz shakes his head. "Actually, it was closer to the stuff on the new album."

"It was sort of like Ride," comments Danny.

"We were shoegazers," admits Gaz.

Lastly, Anything You Think Is Cool About Supergrass Was Mick's Idea:

Whose idea was it to use a Theremin on "Richard III"?

"Mine!" yells Mick from across the room. "I got it from Scooby-Doo."

And when we express our appreciation for the group's lavishly packaged, color-vinyl 45s, Mick nods and smiles. "That's my idea too," he tells us.

"Alright" b/w "Time"

Inside gatefold sleeve autographed by Gaz, Danny & Mick!