Mark Burgess

Nine Questions with The Chameleons frontman – Mark Burgess.

Formed in 1981, The Chameleons are over 40 deeps into the game and are still selling out venues worldwide. I managed to catch up with Mark in Valencia last week for a 5 minute interview, which became an in-depth 30 minute chat.

As a band, you have inspired and influenced many notable bands over the years, and they give credit to you for that inspiration. Back in 1981, when you first formed who were your influences and inspiration?

When we first started out, we were inspired by the giants:  Me personally, The Beatles, The Doors, T Rex, David Bowie and Sparks. Then in the 70’s, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, purely for the theatrics of it and that was about as Prog Rock as I got.  Then I fell in love with Kate Bush and punk.

Reg and I shared a love for the original Alex Cooper Band, David Bowie and then we got into the Fall.

Dave bought something completely different – he had an older brother who got him into Crosby, Stills & Nash and Bob Dylan and the more progressive sound like Mike Oldfield.

When John joined, he was a prog rock guy and was into Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

All of this came to the mix, but the only real influence of any significance in 1981 was The Edge, because no one had heard a guitar played like that and we were fortunate to play them early on.

But really, we shunned influences – we didn’t want to sound like anyone else. We wanted to find our own sound.

Bob Dylan always said, no matter how much of a giant you are, you are just a link in a chain. And The Chameleons are a link in that chain.

If you hadn’t followed music as a career, what would you have done instead?

My plan was to do drama at Manchester Polytechnic. My last year at school wasn’t great and soon as I could legally leave, I did. I got a job and soon as I got some money together, I went to college to sit the exams I missed at school.

When we did the Peel Sessions our lives changed overnight. Literally the following day, the phones started ringing and that w3as it. I had to make a choice as to what to do. I was making music with friends and wasn’t really taking it seriously. Dave was career driven, I was just along for the ride and was pushed into being the singer. So, when it took off it was a complete surprise and I had to make a choice – so I chose to stick with my mates and play music.

What is your favorite song to perform and why?

It depends and changes. It depends on my mood, where we are and what’s going on.

From a lyrical point of view “Is It any Wonder” is one of my favourites, because I kind of stunned myself when I wrote it. I work very much with my stream of consciousness, and I don’t always know where something comes from or what it means – I write instinctively, something aligns. Then I can look back on it and I know exactly what the song is saying.

Second Skin is one I am proud of because the way it evolved, and it did evolve. I love it as a piece of music anyway, it started out talking about immortality that exists in celluloid, in films. James Deans, for example. Then it morphed into something much more metaphysical, about the Bardo – which is a state you pass through before you die. It’s a complete re-evaluation of your life and you see your impact from other people’s perspective and it’s an evolution for your reincarnation.  So, the song talks about Bardo and how time is an illusion. I was very proud of that for a 21-year-old it was very mature, the same goes for Tears.

It really does depend – right now for example one of my favourites to perform is “In Answer” because it’s about the huge, exciting love that comes from nowhere and Finally at the age of 63 I have finally met the love of my life - It’s taken that long!

I like playing them all though – if I didn’t, I wouldn’t!!

It’s been 40 years since “Script Of The Bridge” was first released. If you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would it have been?

Get a manger! Don’t do anything until you have a good manager – someone you trust, someone who has their head screwed on, who loves the members of the band and can be your representative to get your music to the right people and get the right deals.

A band shouldn’t have to be thinking about publishing, accounts, royalties, advances - these were the things that got in the way of me making music before we had a manager.

I would tell myself “You are making a record here that people are going to want to hear and be performed 40 or 50 years down the line. So, make sure you are taken care of because you will avoid years of struggle” Because that was it was, we had to really fight to make music. Financially we were on our arses, we did sell out tours of America and never got paid for them! It not about wanting wealth, it’s about having the breathing space and freedom to make the best music you can.

There are some incredible picture discs and coloured vinyl on The Chameleons webstore. Why is releasing vinyl still so important to you?

Because that’s what made me want to be in a band in the first place, buying records. Before all these hi-tec formats came in, it was vinyl records. Going through the ritual of flicking through album sleeves and seeing something interesting that you might not have heard of. The whole fetish of it. It’s not a sexual fetish, but it is a fetish – the size of the sleeve, the information sheet that you read whilst you are listening to the record, putting in the turntable – having a side one and a side two, and structuring the music so that’s a journey from A to B.

So even now, my turntable isn’t plugged in, but I am still buying vinyl, because I love them. I love the medium – you get a tactile and aesthetic experience from a record that you don’t get with any other format. Records have a special “thing” that you can’t really define, its not about the best quality sound, yeah it must sound good, but its more about the overall vinyl experience for me.

Out of all the venues you have performed at over the last 40 years, is there a standout favourite?

The Loft in Berlin, before the wall came down – it was run by a lady called Monica. She was a punk lady in her 40’s and she was very cool. It’s my all-time favourite venue ever.

You finished an epic North America tour in October, are currently halfway through a sell-out Spain and Portugal tour and have UK dates in Manchester and Liverpool later in the month. What’s in store for 2024?

The thing that set this year apart was the tour the tour we did this yar with the Mission was supposed to happen in 2021 – so that’s one of the reasons we have been so busy this year.

This year we have done 86 shows – it’s been great because we have had loads of work, but the flipside is you get very tired.

Next year is going to be a lot calmer. We have things planned for the summer and September and we are going into the studio to work on new material starting in January. We have a 3-vinyl set coming out, remastered by Guy Massey – of Strange Times. So, I would like to do some gigs around that, and we will probably return the States again next year. 

When you are not touring, how do you like to spend your downtime?

I tend to shut the door, I don’t want to do anything other than reading books, playing my guitar in the garden, listening to music and taking my dog for a walk. Touring is full on – so it’s all about re-energising yourself.

Next year, my life is going to change again as I am moving to Berlin, but the same will still apply. I am very deeply in love with someone, and I want to spend as much time as possible with my girlfriend and not spend months away touring.  I want to keep playing and keep touring but more of a balance. Less gigs and bigger venues at weekend. So, the fans might have to travel a little further to see us.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming bands who dream of following in The Chameleons footsteps?

Don’t listen to people like me! Don’t listen to old people telling you how to do it. The world you are trying to make it in is very different to the one we were trying to make it in.  The whole industry has changed, so 60-year-old people like me have no idea! It was hard for us, but it’s a lot harder for the new generation of artists. Back then you had one avenue – get John Peel on your side, because you only have one national radio station playing alternative music. The only way you could hear underground music was by listening to the Peel Sessions.

Now you have YouTube, Spotify and all these other platforms. My advice would be, think about your music and your style. Please yourselves, you don’t want to sound like anyone else. Back in Manchester in 78 we had the two giants “Joy Division” and “The Fall” - then you had 150 variations of those two bands.  That’s not what you want, you want to sound different. Don’t let anyone tell you how to do it – do it your way.

The other bit of advice I would give you is the advice I would have given myself – get a manager. Someone who loves you and the band and can help you move on.

 Words and photos: Rhyan Paul