Q Magazine - ? 1992
Where Are They Now: Big In Japan

FEW OTHER groups in the post-punk era can claim to have launched so
many successful careers as Big in Japan -The KLF, Frankie Goes To
Hollywood, The Lightning Seeds and Siouxsie & The Banshees owe at
least part of their existence to them.

Although each member frequented the infamous Eric's club in Liverpool,
the group met more by accident, via Ken Campbell's 24-hour stage opus
Illuminatus, which was being staged at the Liverpool School Of Dream
And Pun. Bill Drummond was the set designer, lan Broudie and Budgie
lent their respective guitar and drums while Jayne Casey had landed a
stage role.  Big In Japan was originally Drummond, Phil Allen and
Kevin Ward, but the lineup gelled when lan Broudie joined, followed by
Casey, who introduced her friend Holly Johnson to the band. Pete Burns
(Dead Or Alive) and Paul Rutherford (Frankie) were also involved from
time to time. "Every member had really strong ideas," Casey recalls.

"Holly and I were into the whole Warhol superstar, plasticky
mentality, lan was the most proficient musician, while Bill was just
off his head - and remains so!" The group only released two singles,
Big In Japan/Do The Cud (the latter credited to the Chuddy Nuddies),
released in November 1977, and the posthumous From Y To Z And Never
Again EP, released in November 1978.  "So what happened to the
infamous Big In Japan?" wonders Mark Catterson from Oxford.

Bill Drummond (rhythm guitar): The everbusy KLF co-founder was too
busy making three videos to pass comment on his old group but his past
reads like this: founded the Zoo label (run from a cafe where he used
to work), releasing the debut singles by Echo &The Bunnymen, The
Teardrop Explodes (both of whom he subsequently managed) and his own
part-time band Lori &The Chameleons. Eventually became A&R man for
WEA, signing, among others, Brilliant, whose guitarist Jimmy Cauty
became Drummond's partner in first The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu and
then The KLF.

Kevin Ward (bass): Fellow art-school student with Drummond, Ward was
the original bassist but admits he wasn't much of a musician: "I
played parrot-fashion".  Moved over to vocals but got squeezed out:
"lan Broudie started turning our simple stuff into real songs and I
was defunct." Did artwork for various Liverpool bands before moving to
Kent, where he made models for petro-chemical engineers. Hasn't played
music since leaving the band.  lan Broudie (guitar): "The band was in
a good spirit of fun more than a great musical event." Formed The
Original Mirrors with Steve Allen (ex-Deaf School), releasing two
albums. A chance meeting with Echo &The Bunnymen led to producing half
of their debut album. Formed Kingbird when producing The Bunnymen's
third and has since produced (among others) Colour Field, Frazier
Chorus, Primitives, Icicle Works and Northside. Formed Care in 1983
with ex-Wild Swans guitarist Paul Simpson (three singles) but soon
split.  Returned to recording in 1989 as The Lightning Seeds, when
Pure was a Top 20 single. Has just finished the second Lightning Seeds
album.

Jayne Casey (vocals): Left the group soon after Johnson: "We both were
thinking about electronic music - we'd heard Devo and The Normal, who
were so different." Formed Pink Military - "with lots of people, but I
haven't got a good memory, sorry!"- and subsequently Pink
Industry. Joined Liverpool's Bluecoat Arts Centre as Director of
Performing Arts and is currently director of Liverpool's Festival Of
Comedy. "l'm interested in how festivals can develop the perception of
a city." Has just released the single Keep The Love (G-Love featuring
Jayne Casey): "I recently had a throat operation and was told I
wouldn't be able to sing again, so I asked the surgeon if he could
make me sound like Eartha Kitt. Three out of four reviews I've read
say it does sound like her! A satisfied customer at last."

Holly Johnson (bass): Replaced Kevin Ward on bass. Was "voted out"
after a year - "Someone said, We don't want to work with you any more,
though they didn't give me a reason. I know I wasn't the greatest bass
player, because I wasn't that interested. I was 16 whereas the others
were in their twenties, and some of them were taking themselves
seriously, like it was their last chance to be in a pop group. But it
was something to do, and it meant I got into Eric's club for free and
my picture in the NME I also remember some jealousy because Jayne and
I got offered a record deal by Stiff as our sideline, The Sausages
From Mars, while the band were desperately trying to get one. I always
thought the rest had no talent whatsoever, although I liked working
with Budgie. I thought I was destined for better things." He was
replaced by Dave Balfe, latter-day Teardrop Explodes member and now
running Food Records).  Released two solo singles, Yankee Rose and
Hobo Joe, before forming the embryonic Frankie Goes To Hollywood with
Steve Lovell and Ambrose Reynolds.  Continued making demos with Lovell
before meeting Peter Gill and Mark O'Toole and writing Relax and Two
Tribes And the rest is history. Is currently writing songs, painting
pictures and writing a book "about life": "l'm not Paul McCartney but
l'm surviving."

Budgie (drummer): Recruited from The Spiffire Boys (whose singer was
future Frankie Goes To Hollywood dancer Paul Rutherford) to replace
Allen.  Subsequent short-lived groups included The Secrets (Budgie,
Broudie, Frankie Average aka Steve Lindsay, ex-Deaf School bassist and
Dave Off-The-Wall and Clive Langer And The Boxes (Langer, Budgie,
Average and Ben Barson) He joined The Slits, recording the Cut album
but left after a year: "I always loved what they were doing but felt
l'd done all I could with them." The Jimmy Norton Experience (with
Glen Matlock, Steve New and Danny Kustow) was also brief affairs. "We
were all too mad for each other" - but a call soon came from Siouxsie
& The Banshees, who'd lost their drummer in mid tour (Paul Cook of the
Sex Pistols recommended him), which is where Budgie has remained for
12 years. Married Siouxsie earlier this year (1992). Considers Big In
Japan "a process of growing up. I just wish we'd done more justice to
our songs - there were some pretty ambitious ones in there."

Phil Allen (drums): Joined up with Ward and Drummond, "who knew a
couple of chords, for a bit of a joke". Got bored and left "as soon as
it got to the stage of record companies. The whole idea was to be a
caricature of punk rather than the real thing".Subsequently joined The
Egyptians, The Moderates, and in the mid-80s, The Hunters (two singles
on MCA) but has mostly earned a living as a session musician and
teaching keyboards/guitar.  Has formed the more dance-oriented The
Hail Marys, who have their own label, LAP Records.