Interview: The International Teachers of Pop

After the success of The Moonlandingz, Adrian Flanagan & Dean Honer (out of the Eccentronic Research Council) are now in cahoots with vocalist Leonore Wheatley (out of The Soundcarriers / Whyte Horses) as The International Teachers of Pop, They promised “Tomorrow’s Syllabus…Today” and with their debut eponymous LP (buy it here) they’ve certainly delivered. They’re binging their “nerd disco” to The Exchange on Wednesday 20th February and if you fancy a night of Moroder meets Kraftwerk in a Sheffield disco then get your arse on to the dancefloor or forever be a sad wallflower. Meanwhile we turned the tables and asked Adrian to complete our own pop exam.

History: Demonstrate your knowledge of pop history by answering the following questions.

Question 1: Best pop song of the fifties?
Stranger in Paradise by Tony Bennet.

Question 2: Best pop song of the sixties?
Have I The Right by The Honeycombs.

Question 3: Best pop song of the seventies?
I Feel Love by Donna Summer / Moroder.

Question 4: Best pop song of the eighties?
I Eat Cannibals by Toto Coelo.

Question 5: Best pop song of the nineties?
Groove is in the Heart by Dee Lite.

Question 6: Best pop song of the two thousands?
Ooh Stick You by Daphne & Celeste.

Question 8: Best pop song of the two thousand and tens?
After Dark by International Teachers of Pop

Project Background: In order to help grade your most recent project, please answer the following questions.

Question 1: So, The Moonlandingz was a hoot: sold out shows at both The Thekla and The Trinity and plenty of critical acclaim but now you’ve moved on to pastures new. How did this project come about?
This project came about through a chance meeting of Dean and I after bumping in to a young singer pal of mine Leonore at a circuit bending workshop in Barnsley. We talked about getting together and attempted to write a song together, which we did, and it turned out ok. Within 6 weeks we were doing our first live shows in a cave after an invite from Jarvis Cocker. A month after that we had a record deal in the bag, a 6 Music session under our belts and have since been picking up lots of love from many places of good intention!

Question 2: You used plenty of old school equipment on the recording, what was behind that – the way they sounded, a desire to eschew modern technology, stubbornness or all the above?
It’s not something new, with all our projects, (Moonlandingz, Eccentronic Research Council, ITOP etc.) all the songs are written and arranged by us using predominantly analogue synthesizers and dusty old drum machines. It’s how we work, to my ears vintage synths are the genuine sound of modernity!

Question 3: Many of the acts lauded by beard stroking traditional music fans work up tunes on acoustic guitars, how do you develop tunes for synthesizers and such? Can you even jam on a synth?
Sometimes you just turn them on, and they play themselves, sometimes we attach them to sequencers and have them talk to the machines and that throws up some incredible things: new possibilities that an acoustic guitar could never imagine. I think musicians that Jam need water boarding…they perpetuate the myth that musical groups are a democracy!

Question 4: What comes first, the tunes or the words, or does it all jump in to your brains fully formed? Did you split musical and lyrical duties or is it all a great big free-for-all?
Dean & I mostly write & produce the music .We then send instrumentals to Leonore who’ll get some rough verses and maybe a chorus written and then she’ll come over to Sheffield for a day. We tweak the lyrics and work on making sure we’ve got a catchy chorus, then lay down her vocals. She’s incredible at five part harmonies is Leonore, she’s like a harmony machine!

Question 5: Why the fuck did you do a cover of Another Brick in the Wall…in German? Whatever next, Owner of a Lonely Heart in Hungarian?
Good idea!

Project Context: Validate your knowledge of the place pop & rock exist in a wider social/political context by answering the following questions.

Question 1: During their time Elvis, the Stones, the Tubes, the Pistols, NWA, Lady Gaga and others have all shocked the mainstream and their fan’s parents…is there any way that a mere pop or rock band can cause the same level of outrage and shock in the 21st century – especially given what can be found on the internet? In fact, should pop and rock bands even be deliberately trying to shock anymore? If not, what is their purpose…?
Well, me coming from The Moonlandingz, who enjoyed pushing people’s buttons and picking scabs, I know you can do the above in a fresh and interesting way without coming across as a desperado. I guess if you are choosing this medium as a form of communication to put across thoughts or ideas then that is fine. There does now seem to be a lot of middle-class careerists using politics for pounds, which is a bit embarrassing… you can smell ’em a mile off: they smell like Billy Bragg driving a Range Rover!

Question 2a: Women in the music business have come a long way since Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin & Aretha Franklin et al; do you think women artists now have true equality with their male counterparts?
Women have always been as good as, if not better than men in the arts, it shouldn’t even be a question really. What needs to change is the predominantly sexist music industry, from the old school A&R departments, to the music media, to the live promoters. There’s some cool people who work in all those areas who aren’t living in some arcane idea of what the music industry once was, but sadly there are some still there who need beating with a massive bat!

Question 2b: Many contemporary female artists (naming no names) are certainly willing to flaunt what they’ve got in videos & on stage in a way that’s totally different to the natural sensuality of, say Tina Turner or Janis Joplin; do you think this is a sign of empowerment as they claim, or are they just kidding themselves they’ve some control over their use of their sexuality?
I think everyone has the right to express themselves in whatever way they feel is right for them, if they aren’t being manipulated in to it or “advised” by treacherous pop spunk lords. No one bats an eyelid when Iggy Pop is swinging his dong bat around on stage, but if some young lass, who’s still growing up and becoming a women in the public eye is shaking her booty in hot pants in her video it’s like a massive crime, give the fucking kids a break man! Also, look up the definition of Rock n Roll!!

Question 3: There’s no argument that there have been some classic pop and rock tunes with a political or social lyric, and some have had a real impact (Free Nelson Mandela say, or Do They No It’s Christmas?) but there are those who still say pop and politics should never meet? What say you in this age of Trump and Brexit?
We live in interesting times, complicated, fragile times and the word Brexit is practically being tattooed on to people’s eyelids. It feels a bit like 1983 in the UK right now but with more lethargic forms of protest happening. I don’t know. As I’ve said, I think there’s probably too many bands using politics as the go to quid earner. I think ITOP are the antithesis to them kind of groups…we just want to give people a break from that and simply be a small part of a good night out for them, or a headphone treat to really lose yourself in!

Business Affairs: Explain what you have learnt about the pop world from this project and previous projects by answering the questions below.

Question 1: There’s a belief that the internet has made it easier for smaller bands to make a living: direct contact with fans, selling merch thro’ websites and building communities via social media; what have you learned from your work to date?
Though the culture of people making music will never die, and whilst it has many plus points, I think the Internet has totally crushed the music industry, which some people may see as a good thing. But unless you’re willing to tour ’till your livers explode’ it’s very difficult to earn a living from simply making records, then selling them. It’s become the playground of the executive rock star, the chosen few. ITOP have been operating on a spectacularly DIY level, operating from my home in Sheffield. It’s a modern miracle of science that we are cutting through the major league music chaff!

Question 2: Given the prevailing trend for streaming (and young ‘uns believing they have a right to free music) how easy is it to make any cash from recording music? And is it still worth releasing physical product?
Every week since the age of about 5 I’ve been going to a record shop with my spends or my earnings and buying new music and old music. I don’t really think we can blame young kids for streaming or ripping music as they were brought up in to that culture, they’ve known no different. To some kids record shops are where old people go to buy funny looking plates and coasters. I do blame the greedy streaming companies that do not pay artists properly, they are earning billions every year from the talent of thousands of musicians and the artist gets about two quid IF they hit a million streams. They definitely need to readdress the balance of their income shares!

Question 3: With people picking and choosing what they stream and maybe not even bothering to listen to a whole LP, is it worth taking time to sequence and prepare a coherent LP? Why not just release tracks
ITOP’s debut album is an incredible sequence of 10 solid outsider pop singles…I don’t care about what anyone else does!

Question 4: A lot of older bands didn’t die before they got old and now seem to make their living through the live circuit and selling t-shirts, but is the live circuit able to support newer and younger bands too?
As long as music has fans there will always be that young entrepreneur who wants to put on and promote new bands, for the love, if not always for the money, and they’ll always be people of all ages wanting to support it. Even when they are shutting down venues, theatres and pubs or whatever, kids will always find somewhere new to make an event happen. Sheffield is rich with DIY music venues and that’s where you will find me regularly hanging out with pals, listening to all kinds of music. As I’ve said, I care not for the executive rock star, they are fine, and they need neither me nor you!

Question 5: How about selling your soul to Satan and sound tracking an advert? If you get the chance, would you draw the line and not let the band be associated with products or services? Or is there a dream product you would like to advertise?
It’s very difficult to sell your soul to Satan when you are Satan!! (laughs). I’m all for selling out, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with someone skanking the corporations and making money from them if it’s offered. if people rather you be on your arse and skint, then that says a lot more about them than a half-arsed business opportunity! I’d draw the line at The Sun (and probably a bunch of others), that needs burning to the ground!!

Bonus Question: As well as two blokes and their synths along with a singer, what else can we expect from the live show? Pyrotechnics to shame Rammstein and a choreographed stage act to outshine Beyonce? Or just two blokes and their synths along with a singer playing some frankly banging dance music?
Live we have 2 singers (Leonore on lead vox, Katie Mason on harmonies) who bring some infectious synchronised dance moves to the proceedings; a live drummer (Moonlandingz alumni Rich Westley), with Dean & I manning the synths and the sequencers. We are very fun, people say we are bit like an Acid ABBA… However, why is it always down to a group to be the ones under pressure to bring something to the show? What is Bristol gonna bring to the show? We are an all- inclusive art pop happening: if the crowd bring their feet, we’ll bring the heat!

The International Teachers of Pop play the Exchange on Wednesday 20th of February.