Interviews Franny - June 2002 - SpaceFans.org.uk

Interview conducted through SpaceFans.org.uk, now SpaceTheBand.com.

Personal Details

Nickname: Griffo
Full Name: Francis Griffiths
DOB: 01/07/70

General Information

Who's at home?
Karen and Christian (5) and Ellis (2)

Do you have any pets? (Judy looked so cute in the Neighbourhood video!)
2 Goldfish. Pilchard and John

Which musical instruments do you play and how/why did you decide to learn them?
Keyboards/Piano, Guitar. I'm still learning to play them

What are your favourite types of music? What's in your stereo at the moment?
All kinds, been putting my old records on the decks e.g. Mantronix (bassline), Shannon (Let the music play), later stuff Royksopp.

What was the most memorable gig you've attended (what band, where, why)?
Spangles, Royal Court Liverpool. It was my first big gig, crazy night.

If you could order all your fans to buy one album, which one would it be?
Stations of the Crass, Crass.

Do you have a day job? If not, what was your last job before you became a member of Space?
I lived and worked in Spain.

When was the last time you spoke to your mum?!
Half an hour ago

Do you spend much time on the internet? If so what are your most visited sites?
Not much lately, all kinds, mostly music

Describe your ideal day out/holiday - where would you go and who would you take?
Driving around Wales with Karen and the boys.

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time?
Weeding my garden

Are you proud to be from Liverpool?
Yes

Are you a romantic person? What's the most romantic thing you've ever done?
No

Do you get recognised a lot?
Now and again

What's the best present that a fan has given to you?
Sonic the Hedgehog

How much personal meaning is there in Space songs?
I don't know

What's your favourite Space song?
Only half an angel

Do you try to push yourself as a musician and learn new things all the time?
No

What's your advice for anybody who wants to be in a band?
Go ahead, keep it fun though

Would you like to play on Jools Holland's show?
Yes if they would let us on.

Are we too nosy?!! No seriously - does it ever bother you, doing interviews and all that?
No and no

Record Companies

After your experiences with Gut has it made you more cautious with regard to signing with a new one?
Yes

How much of an influence would you allow a new record company to have on your music in the future?
We'll see

In January it was suggested that there were a couple of possible deals in the pipelines, have you got any further with these, if so are you allowed to give any more details yet?
Looks like a deal is around the corner, Yorkies answer will give u more info.

Any comments you would like to add?
Regarding the album, we're in the studio now and it's going really well, everybody is buzzing, can't wait to get on the road

Jamies Departure

Was it purely his decision to leave or were there more factors involved?
Yes, thats life

It's been about 3 months now, how do you feel about it now in comparison to at the time of the Unity gig?
I feel the same, I miss him as a mate but he needs something different.

Do you feel you have changed much as a group since he left?
Not much, better songs, ha ha.

Has it had any effect on any songs written since then?
Maybe

Have you kept in contact with him at all? Or heard any news about his new band?
Yes I keep in contact

What are the chances, if any, of his returning to Space?
Don't think so.

Any additional comments you would like to add about him?
Good Luck.

Future Releases and gigs

Have you got together enough material for the new album yet? And if so have you recorded any of it?
Plenty. Plenty.

Have you come up with possible names for the new album? If so what is it/are they?
Not yet.

Have any of the songs played at the Unity gig been considered for possible single releases? If so which would you like to see released?
Changes all the time.

What have been your main influences when putting together the new material?
The same influences we have always used.

How do you think that the legions of Nu-metal fans will react to the new Space album?
Can't be sure, but there will be some heavy tunes in there.

What about fans of pop music? Will Space be in the charts again and do you even want to be?
Not sure about charts, I think we want to try a different route.

What's your favourite song from the new material?
Grounded.

Are there any plans for a tour/promotional work within the next year? Will this come about the same time as an album release? If so any idea when it might happen?
Yes, Yes Maybe, No.

Are there any plans to return to America or Japan? Perhaps with a new album or tour?
Yes please.

Where do you get the ideas for the artwork on new releases? Would you consider using fans work in the future if it impressed you enough?
Yes they're cheap.

Any other future release related comments?
Ask Yorkie.

And Finally...

A question we just had to ask - have you personally been to our SpaceFans website? If so any comments or suggestions for future improvement?
Yes, Keep up the good work.

As we have seen there are still a lot of dedicated Space fans out there. In just one sentence is there anything you would like to say to them all?
You're mad