Here is the email I sent Vertigo and the one I got back confirming the Interview.
Vertigo Interview
1. How did it all begin?
Danny: To you
Vinnie: Well what happened Dan?
D: It was about
V: It was 1998 we met but then we didn’t actually get into a band till, am not very good with years, 2003 it was
D: We had a lot of practising in between you know when we met and when we did our first gig cause we didn’t think we were good enough or we weren’t very confident in, we were still only learning you know songs
V: But before all that Dan? You started playing guitar right?
D : Yeah
V: And I played guitar but I wanted to sing so you had a band and you needed a singer
D: Yep that’s right yeah
V: So I said well I will sing, cause you were kinda learning to play and I thought well I was willing to sing.
D: Yeah that was it
V: So I joined the band before we started and they said you can’t sing get out but luckily you wanted a singer
D: I was in collage you see, I was in college and I was only just beginning, I was doing a popular music course in the old Wirral met
V: Its flats now
D: Yeah its flats now and obviously we needed a singer so we asked Vinnie to come along and we were in that band for about 6 months and then, what happened then, how did we end up?
V: Well the drummer of the band was a bit weird wasn’t he?
D: Yeah yeah,it was hard to get the full band together was hard, was hard work and we all had day jobs it was getting together at the right time and getting everyone to be as enthusiastic as us I suppose, in the end you just said didn’t yeah?
V: It would be easier to practise and get it right with two people than them all
D: Were still trying
V: It was ruthless
2. Did you have a name for the band?
D: Oh we had loads
V: The Linings was one of them
D: The Wogans
V: The Wogans yeah, don’t ask
D: We booked a couple of gigs as the Linings, didn’t we?
V: Yeah we bottled out and we, should we really tell them?
D: I don’t know
V: We were doing a gig
D: We got booked to do a gig didn`t we? A charity gig and we said we will do it and they actually came here to watch us rehearse and said yeah you’re in and then
V: We bottled it
D: I went to the chippy and looked and there was an advert for it on the wall and it said a list of bands and The Lining and I phoned Danny and said I can’t do it
V: We bottled out and we took a step back but we just kept practising
D: It got to the stage where we were practising for 3 years and then people were saying are you ever going to do a gig? And we were like its gotta be right, its gotta be right and I think we did the right thing
V: Cause we spent money as well, we were getting all the right equipment, we didn`t all just go in with really cheap equipment we wanted to, you know we were gonna do it, we were gonna do it right
D: The thing is you don’t get two chances I don’t think, you go in a pub and you mess up, they will never have you back
V: Or at someone’s wedding, if you go get a gig to do someone’s wedding, you know it’s the best day of their life and then you mess it up
D: So we thought we gotta get it right
V: Yeah so 3 years after
D: So we did a gig it was awful it went well didn`t it?
V: It was family and friends mainly, Bar 54 in Birkenhead, it’s not there now, but it was the first place we played and
D: And in the audience was someone from Liverpool who liked us and who booked us for the next week, the coach and horses it was
V: The coach and horses it was yeah
D: And then suddenly we got loads of gigs
V: Yeah they just flooded in
D: It was lucky
3. So how did you settle for the name Vertigo?
D: We were struggling for names cause were not very good with picking names as you can tell by The Linings and The Wogans erm you were in a pub weren`t yeah?
V: The Danny lad man 2 you wanted to call it which I thought it was a bit out of order
D: No you were in the sportsman’s
V: Yeah and there was a song called Vertigo out by U2 at the time and the singer from this particular band said to me wouldn’t Vertigo be a good name for a band and I thought yeah
D: So he rang me up and I think he was a bit drunk and said let’s try vertigo cause we couldn’t think of a better name
V: It`s come to bite us really because everyone thinks were a U2 tribute band and we don’t do any V: U2 cause err
D: We don`t like him
V: I don`t like Bono
4. So who are your musical influences?
V: Danny
D: You can go first
V: Erm I don’t really have One particular, you know artist that I just loved and look up to, it was all sorts of people. Vinnie`s is The Beatles, he`s obsessed with The Beatles
D: Still obsessed
V: He`s still obsessed
D: Got the same jumper on as they have got on here
V: No, I like The Beatles and I like you know all sorts of music, we`ve got very different tastes in music I think that works well as well doesn`t it? I like a lot of American bands like The Counting Crows and The Goo Goo Dolls and Vinnie doesn`t he is strictly pulp
D: I don`t like pulp I like The Beatles, The Beatles John Lennon is like my hero but I like all kinds of bands, Danny thinks I say I like certain bands to try and
V: Morrissey
V: Yeah The Smiths I love, you know Morrissey was the first person I ever saw live properly, It was great
D: I was too young
V: But we both agree on Michael Jackson
D: Oh yeah Michael Jackson yeah
V: Which is you know
D: Everyone likes Michael Jackson
V: They don`t
5. First gig you went to?
V: Morrissey was the first person I ever saw
D: Brian Adams, first person I saw, I was about 15 I think, No 16 something like that. I was amazed you know it was brilliant
V: But the Bootleg Beatles was the first gig I saw
D: Was it?
V: I just wanted to see The Beatles but I couldn`t so when I was 17 I went to see them live, I thought it was amazing. But then I realized
D: We don`t get to go to a lot of gigs now cause were doing this and that`s i suppose a down side, you know going to see other bands
6. How long have you been together as Vertigo?
V: Five and a half years, six years
D: Six years yeah
V: About six years as Vertigo
7. So what`s happening with you at present?
V: Present, we are just getting our Christmas bookings in erm, it’s our busiest time now the end of December and were just carry on as normal, try and learn new songs
D: We aim to learn a new song every year
V: We do a lot of weddings as well
8. How often do you practise?
V: Not as often as we should, or not as often as we used to
D: We used to practice once a religiously and now we just practice if we get new songs
V: Yeah, yeah
9. What`s more important performing or money?
D: I just separate the two completely
V: Yeah
D: You couldn`t live without money
V: You couldn`t live without music, but don`t get me wrong the money is a bonus
D: It`s like saying what do you prefer Tuesday or a piece of string, there just different things aren’t they?
What`s more important performing
10. Best place or time to perform ?
D: I wouldn`t say there is a particular venue I would prefer to play I would say anywhere that`s busy and people enjoy it is the best gig
V: For me it`s Christmas, either Christmas eve or new years eve cause wherever your playing its rammed and everyone`s really into it
D: People think when it`s busy it must be really nerve racking with loads of people their but it`s much easier to do that I think than when there is three, not that that ever happens, It’s harder to play in front of a few people than it is a lot I think
11. What`s the biggest audience you have ever played to?
V: We don`t know the capacity of The Swan, a few hundred I think. Is it a few hundred? Yeah a few hundred
12. Who is your favourite local band?
V: We don`t get to see them as much anymore as we used too but we don't really know who`s out their
D: I mean as you said we don't get to see many these days I mean we used to. I mean I used to watch Hush a lot
V: He actually helped us out
But we never get to watch many bands now cause in a Friday and Saturday we are playing
Here is a voice recording of the interview.
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