“Come and Get It: The Desire of Jay Aston”

“This tour will be a chance for a generation of fans - both old and new - to step back into the future and celebrate a time that defined millions of people’s life soundtracks when the era of Music Television ruled the earth,” says Mike Peters of The Alarm about the Live Today Love Tomorrow Tour MMXIV which is about to take the US by storm.

Featuring a phalanx of British music artists who first came to prominence in North America during the original MTV music television era, The Alarm, Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel and Belouis Some all broke onto the scene with music that collectively blurred the lines between new wave, alternative rock and pop music as we know it. For Belouis Some, in particular, this tour marks their re-entry into the U.S. performance space after quite some time.

Continues Peters, “All our bands made an initial impact through the medium of music, but it was driven deeper into the hearts and imaginations of people all over North America via Music Television - a then brand new format that allowed bands from all across the globe to be both heard and seen, paving the way for a new generation of artists and fans of which had never been witnessed before.”

Gene Loves Jezebel are a British alternative rock band formed in the early 1980s by identical twin brothers Jay (born John) and Michael Aston. Gene Loves Jezebel’s best-known songs include Heartache, Desire (Come and Get It) (1986), The Motion of Love (1987), Jealous (1990), and Break the Chain (1993), as well as alternative club hits Bruises (1983), Influenza (Relapse) (1984), and The Cow (1985).

However, The Motion of Love was the band’s most successful UK single. The name of the band is a reference to rock musician Gene Vincent and his song Jezebel. As the result of a rift between the Aston brothers in 1997 and ongoing legal issues, there are currently two incarnations of the band.

Catching up with Jay Aston himself ahead of the US tour, we chatted about all-things then and now, but we first chatted about the last time he was actually in the US touring?

You are heading off to The States to tour with The Alarm and Belouis Some as a last minute replacement for The Blow Monkeys, so I was wondering where you were when you got that call and have you always got a suitcase packed and ready? - “I’d heard some rumblings and that we were in the running for the tour. Still surprised that the proverbial call came. I was in London. All one needs is a passport {and a visa}. I move around a lot.”

So when was the last time you toured the States and what are you most looking forward to about these shows? But at the same time, have you any trepidation about what to expect now that we are fully out of the Covid musical lockdown? - “We toured in the spring of 2023 {although that was mostly just Pete Rizzo and I} and James Stevenson has been busy with The Alarm too, so we’re not worried. It is a very long tour though and with lots of consecutive nights without a break. That can be mentally challenging and physically exhausting. Eating well and getting enough sleep on the road is almost impossible; especially as I use up a lot of energy on stage and I’m always too buzzed to go to bed until the wee small hours. I’m a vegan too, but I don’t drink alcohol. I’ll be fine.”

The US tour is titled Live Today, Love Tomorrow, so I’m wondering what that tag line might mean to you personally? - “There’s a line from one of our new songs {The Lone Rider} “Live for today, not tomorrow,” which is not too different. Although I don’t understand what “live today, love tomorrow” means. I’m sure I’ll find out.”

Being known for your UK and worldwide hits in the 1980s - Heartache, Desire (Come and Get It) and The Motion of Love - over the years of having played them live hundreds of times, are they still as enjoyable to sing today as they ever were? - “They do change shape and an audience can affect the vibe of any song in a big way. Sometimes the audience just want to sing and celebrate and other times things happen musically, that take the song off into a completely different direction. We’re very much a “live” band, so “happy accidents” will happen. It’s theatre to me.”

So are they still the three (3) songs that make you the most happiest to sing live on stage (given the audience’s responses and such), or do you have album cuts and/or international singles you perform live that you enjoy singing a little more, perhaps? - “We’re really looking forward to playing songs from the new album {X Love Death Sorrow}, but I personally love doing “How do you say goodbye to someone you love,” “Break the Chain” and “Sweet Rain.”

Indeed, does your set-list alter UK to US and if so, how and why? - “No, we play what we enjoy playing. If someone suggests a song we haven’t done live before, or a song we haven’t performed for a long time, we try to accommodate. It’s fun for us.”

Also, and this is a new question to ask these days, but as some artists have, are their certain words/lyrics to your songs over the years that you have found you now had to alter/change when singing, due to wokeness and, perhaps even a life taught inner sense of today’s state of being? - “Sometimes I’ll change a line depending on where we are, or if there’s something topical and very often, something that amuses me in the spur of the moment.”

You released a brand new studio album late last year, X - Love Death Sorrow, your first in 7 years, and amongst some originals, it also features your covers of songs originally performed by Magazine, The Cure, Edwyn Collins, The Only Ones and more! What was it about these songs in particular that resonated with you so much that they made it onto the album? - “Randomly pulled out of the air whilst we were rehearsing songs for the album. I think we just got lucky, as the songs really sit well and in many ways, feel like our own songs.”

And where does the album title come from? - ““X” because it’s our tenth album {and a kiss, of course} and a line from “The Lone Rider” just seemed to fit. It was the last song we recorded and that line just came out of nowhere.”

It’s been just over 40 years since you released your debut album Promise and so, in reflection, and with all that has since happened in life to you, your fans, your music, your personal life and all the other stuff that makes up our lives, has it been as exciting, as wonderful, as hard, as engaging, as worthwhile as you could have hoped, or are there genuinely things (health aside, as that is out of all our hands) that you would have done differently (and if done so, would present us today with a different, remodeled Jay/John Aston, perhaps?) - “I’m not one to look back. Whatever happened, happened and nothing really matters anyway. I’m not one to place any real significance on anything. It’s just a story.”

Indeed, and with those aforementioned 40 odd years having gone by since those days, please fill in these five (5) words that best describe Jay Aston circa the release of Promise in 1983 Vs. the one kindly now answering my questions:

The Promise Promoting Jay (1983) = 1) Clear. 2) Trusting. 3) Egalitarian. 4) Kind. 5) Leftie.

The Here and Now Jay (2024) = 1) Loner. 2) Wanderer. 3) Ready. 4) Vegan. 5) Teetotaller.

And, for the record, and something that I’ve always wanted to know, given you were originally called the darker-themed Slavaryan before GLJ came to be, were Gene (Michael) and yourself (Jezebel) so-named due to biblical contexts, perhaps? And, with respect to both parties along with the band name, do they indeed still love one another?! - “No and No!”

Now, going a little left of center (so please do stick with me here), as we are putting together a children’s book about just this subject matter, we ask everyone this very simple question: Do you, Jay, like or have any time or admiration for Penguin’s? (the flightless bird, not the delicious chocolate biscuit!) And if so, do you have a story about one you may have encountered, or given as a soft toy gift, perhaps? - “I love all animals, but I can’t say I have a particular thing for {or dislike} for Penguins. John McVie is your man!”

In closing, well, if you have even made it this far, fair play and well done you, and I shall bring this chat to a close by simply asking you this: We are called not called Exclusive Magazine for nothing, my friend, and so, and without further ado, please dig deep and please reveal something that is imminent/upcoming, that we have not already discussed, and most definitely has not yet been announced to the world, that we can lovingly be the first to sing and shout about and spread the word of (thank you). - “World War Three is imminent and a beautiful new shirt!”

Jay, thank you so very much for taking the time to answer our questions and we wish you nothing but happiness and success for your upcoming US tour, along with all you do around the world, of course. Take care and be well, always. Russell - “Thank you Russell! Love, Jay.”

Interview by: Russell A. Trunk

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES MAY 2024:
May 01 2024 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
May 02 2024 Austin, TX Emo’s
May 03 2024 Houston, TX House of Blues
May 04 2024 Ft. Worth, TX Tannahill’s
May 07 2024. Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads
May 08 2024 Minneapolis, MN Parkway Theater
May 09 2024 Chicago Des Plaines Theatre
May 10 2024 Detroit Magic Bag
May 11 2024 Los Angeles, CA Cruel World *
May 12 2024 Pittsburgh, PA Jergel’s [Warrendale]
May 13 2024 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
May 14 2024 Buffalo, NY Asbury Hall
May 15 2024 Cleveland, OH Temple Live @ Masonic
May 16 2024 Asbury Park, NJ Asbury Lanes
May 17 2024 Philadelphia, PA Colonial Theater [Phoenixville)
May 18 2024 Falls Church, VA State Theater
May 19 2024 Richmond The National
May 22 2024 Huntington, NY Paramount
May 23 2024 Pawling, NY Daryl’s House **
May 24 2024 New York, NY Irving Plaza
May 25 2024. Salisbury, MA
May 26 2024 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
May 29 2024 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall

* The Alarm only
** The Alarm / Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel only

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