Article published in RAVE magazine, April 1968
The Move: Controversial Interview with Carl Wayne | After the raging success of their record “Fire Brigade”. Carl Wayne of the Move strengthens their reputation as pop’s most outspoken group in this controversial interview with RAVE.
Carl Wayne was being vindictive. He had pinned a plastic doll against a dart board and was hurling a pointed missile at it.
“This one’s for Peter Frampton!” he declared, as the dart thudded home into the doll’s eye. “Great!”
It was just part of the Wayne mystery. To talk to he is a sane, reasonable, intelligent person, but he and his companions have a dangerous undercurrent of violence running through their personalities that makes it difficult to like or admire them without reservation.
The Move: Controversial Interview with Carl Wayne
Violence, controversy and a legend of hell-raising has marked the Move’s path to the top. They tend to be scathing, a trifle vulgar and very real.
“Fire Brigade” is a rock number – basic, sexy and full of beat. Their stage act incorporates rocking Cochran numbers. Is rock the next move for the Move?
“No, I don’t think so,” Carl said. “We play what we want to but I don’t condemn any group that wants to advance, but we do feel that pop today is a competitive business, everybody is thinking commercially, and basically it all depends on how much money and time a group has got to produce a hit sound.
“We would like to be ‘progressive’, but hate to be on the same level as anybody else. The Beatles progress and we admire them, and we bring back a little rock ourselves. A generation – almost ten years – has passed since the real rockers – Jerry Lee, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent.
“We just play a few of the numbers that we like from the old days. Stuff like ‘It’ll Be Me’ and ‘Week-end’. We also do a modern number called ‘Hey Grandma’ by the Moby Grape. We’re not going to convert ourselves solely to rock ‘n’ roll.
“Basically a group with a rock ‘n’ roll backing can’t set the world on fire. We’ll never set the world on fire musically, but there’s always an air of excitement about us.
Hot Stuff From The Move!
“You never know what the Move are going to do next. We’ve done a few stupid things in our time!
“What nobody realises about us is that we’re five different people who don’t agree, even musically. All we do agree on is what we should play on stage and how we should play it, because from the money-making angle we know it’s right.
“We formed because we were the five most commercial musicians in Birmingham at the time. It was planned as a last hope to get into the Charts. Now Trevor Burton has ambitions to go solo as a rave singer, ‘Ace’ Kefford likes the soul scene, Roy Wood wants to be a writer and study musical theory at a school, Bev Bevan would like to be a jazz or big band drummer and I want to get away from the stuff I’m singing at the moment and sing sad songs.
“I want to sing ballads, big drama stuff like Proby and Mathis. It’s not that I can sing like these people, but it’s what I’d like to do. The Move will be together, however, for as long as we’re commercially saleable. At the moment we’re a commercial quantity. We’re fulfilling a need in the record market.
The Move: Controversial Interview with Carl Wayne
“It’s been said that we’re the second Rolling Stones. That’s rubbish”
“As friends we get on tremendously well together because we’ve all got the same weird sense of humour! We get on better now than we ever did. Musically we get on all right because we have to. It’s very rare that five people agree with each other on everything.
“We’re the group that people love to hate. It’s been said that we’re the second Rolling Stones, but that’s rubbish. Our manager said it, and it’s wrong. Nobody’s a second anybody. We’re just another group that’s come along.
“I don’t like being hated. I like to get on well with others. If people come and interview me just to put me in my place I’ll have a go at them so that they hate me. I don’t like ‘yes’! ‘no’ people who don’t want to know my opinion, they just want me to agree with them.
“I look at Peter Frampton and think, people like him have nothing to offer”
“I know there are people who sing better than me and are better-looking, but at least I can keep my freedom of speech. I can deal with people who try to put me down. They don’t bother me. I can fight them verbally —and beat them!
The Move: Controversial Interview with Carl Wayne
“Sometimes I get very jaded with the pop scene. I look at Peter Frampton and think, people like him have nothing to offer. I’m not knocking the fellow, I’m just saying that he’s got nothing to rave about. I know better-looking blokes than him; my bass player’s better-looking. Frampton’s not even a great singer. If he had Stevie Winwood‘s voice that would be different, great!
“I don’t feel bad about the pop scene just because it’s ruled by the Beatles. They’re the guv’nors merely because they’ve got more time and money than anyone else to do the things they want. I’m very envious.
“If the Herd were the guv’nors I’d feel bad. I don’t think they’re offering anything. Mind you, it’s not my job to knock people. I’d rather praise a few people, like the Pink Floyd. I like Hendrix for being a showman, and Eric Clapton for being such a great musician. There are a lot of groups that get into the Charts who shouldn’t —to me the Love Affair shouldn’t have done.
Strong words
More strong words from Carl Wayne! Something we’ve come to accept over the months. He says what he thinks, and if it’s offensive, it’s just too bad. Carl is self-opinionated, cynical and caustic. He knows precisely where he’s at and where he’s going, and he doesn’t care a damn about anybody. Love him or hate him you’ve got to admire his fierce independence and fighting spirit.
Somehow one finds it hard to imagine him singing sad songs. He likes life, having a ball, too much!
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