John Stapleton
September 5th, 2002 by freddie96
Name?
‘John Stapleton (if that’s ok).’
‘Job’?
‘DJ / club promoter / record collector / magpie / sometime journalist / label owner / compilation maker / car boot haunter / cook / boyfriend.’
Habitat?
‘Mostly Bristol, with occasional forays further afield.’
Hobbies / Passions?
‘See ‘job’.’
Favourite food?
‘Thai / Vietnamese / organic / lentils / parmesan / free-range / pasta / broccoli / chicken / every kind of fish / beans in every form / rocket / olive oil / rice / toast / soup / pasta / mash / chilli-hot / garlic / coriander / basil / Scottish raspberries.’
Drink?
‘It’s OK – I’ll get them.’
Ideal evening chilling at home?
‘Cooking, white wine, girlfriend Jane, music, television broken.’
Ideal evening chilling out?
‘Winding down after successful club night / DJ set / whatever.’
Favourite places?
‘Coogee Beach and Pittwater in Sydney, the Gellert Hotel in Budapest, Bristol, New York in autumn, Cornwall in spring, car boot sale at 7am in summer.’
What are you reading these days?
‘William Goldman’s ‘Adventures in the Screen Trade’ – one of the best books about the film industry I’ve ever read (along with ‘Easy Riders and Raging Bulls’).Gary Valentine’s ‘New York Rocker’ – founder member of Blondie’s autobiography. H.V.Morton’s ‘I Saw Two Englands’ – hugely evocative, and subtitled ‘The record of a journey before the war, and after the outbreak of war, in the year 1939′. Nigel Slater’s ‘Thirst’ – forget your Nigellas, Nigel’s the one for me! Daniel Defoe’s ‘Journal of a Plague Year’ – just plain fantastic.
‘Websites: Vinyl Vulture, Soul Strut, Boing Boing, The Onion, Kaiju Big Battel. Magazines: New Statesman, Mojo, New Scientist, Tate, Big Daddy, Wax Poetics. And (of course) The Guardian.’
Are you a political animal?
‘I try to be – at least I can say I’ve voted in every election I’ve been eligible for, and I’ve always voted Labour – certainly not perfect but the best we’ve got. In an ideal world I’d choose somewhere between Tony Benn and ‘no god, no master’. I really can’t understand the ‘what’s the point of voting’ argument, and to be honest it really annoys me. I also think ‘personal’ politics are important – I have my own rules and try to stick to them.’
What gets the goosebumps rising for you musically at the moment?
‘Well now… quite a bit.
‘- fairly recently live (at Glastonbury) – Richie Havens, The White Stripes, Robert Plant (I can’t believe I only caught the last two numbers of his set! $%^&*#*£@!)
‘- at home – Christine Harwood, Demon Fuzz, Fifty Foot Hose – lots of folky / psychedelic / funky music from the late 60s and early 70s, Cinematic Orchestra, White Stripes, Quantic, Love, Portishead, The Peddlers ‘Suite London’, Vaughan Williams, Alice Coltrane
‘- dancefloor – Brazilian jungle, Dynamo Productions, Hero no 7, Catskills, Afro-house, Ray Charles, Harvey Averne, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, DJ Zinc, Suba, Kokolo Afro-Beat Orchestra, Blowfelt, Shy FX remixes, Tru Thoughts, nu-skool breaks, obscure funk, latin and r’n'b 45s from 30 years ago, Scratch Perverts DJ sets…’
Top twelve influences of all time (musical or otherwise)?
‘LSD
Miners’ Strike
Jimi Hendrix
The Wild Bunch (the old Bristol DJ crew, not the film)
‘ The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel’
Eric B and Rakim
Punk
Mod
Fela
James Brown
Acid House
18 years of Tory government.’
What are you working on at present?
‘Compilations for Harmless Records, promoting BlowPop and Four Corners nights in Bristol, DJing in Bristol and round the world, running a label (or at least trying to).’
What would most like to achieve over the next five years?
‘More of the above – never been one for ambitions particularly.’
What would you like to see change most in the world over the next five years?
‘George W Bush and Ariel Sharon to be struck down by Old Testament plague – American ‘government’ to finally realise its role as global bully is untenable in face of worldwide hostility. Recognition of Palestinian state. Euro to be introduced in UK. Margaret Thatcher to die protracted and painful death unattended by members of the medical profession. Cheap and effective HIV treatment. Discovery of new alternative energy source to replace oil and uranium. End to religious bigotry and racial discrimination.’
Highlight of your life?
‘When the above takes place.’
Top Big Chill moment?
‘The first Big Chill in the Black Mountains – ice sculptures, the spooky walk back in the dark from the ruined abbey / pub up the road, the abysmal on-site food.’
Describe the essence of The Big Chill in a few words…
‘Have you seen the Rizlas anywhere?’
