Miscellaneous -

1981

From an unknown French publication, possibly Salut!

Comateens New York Fever

Q: You use a rhythm box. Are you machines youselves?.

Nic:: No. Our music is too organic for that.

Q: Does the box leave a place for improvisation?

Nic: No, we only improvise in private. Then we jell the ideas. Improvisation is annoying.

Q: Are your songs about machines?

Nic: No, if they were we’d be called Kraftwerk. Our songs are about New York, our city, and the people who live there.

Q: An urban group, then?

Lyn: Yeah, very urban.

Q: What effect does that have on you, being urban?

Nic: It’s anxious. New York is a stressful city.

Q: You can be afraid on some nice melodies…

Nic: Yes. What’s more, people can remember them. Melodies are more agreeable than banging around.

Q: So urgent rhythms + romantic melodies = Comateens?

Nic, Lyn and Oliver together : YES!

Nic: Rolly, our rhythm box, loves fast tempos. It’s important that our songs practically play without us, no matter what other nonsense is going on.

Q: And David Bowie, in all this?
Nic:: It’s the old story. Since we liked him when we were starting out, we did a cover of “TVC-15”. And since we still like him, we put it on the album.

Q: What is the history of the Comateens?

Nic: I worked in a recording studio with a girl who had a rhythm box; it was her who asked Lyn to join the group, so she could operate the box. That was 3 years ago, during the era of Richard Hell, James White, etc…

Q: Lyn, what were you doing in those days?

Lyn: I was bored out of my mind, but I had the look.

Q: And so?….

Nic: Drummers and rhythm boxes came and went. The girl left, Oliver joined. The Comateens are born.

Q: Coma what?

Nic: Teens! Co-Ma-Teens! You didn’t see the Daily News article 3 years ago? A weird story. Each day, they gave a report on the health of a comatose pregnant woman in the headlines of the Daily News…Coma mom still alive…Coma mom dies….Coma baby lives… A pal of ours said to us one day
“Why not name yourselves the Comateens?” Funny, no?

Lyn: Now we can’t say two words without saying “coma”. Do you have a comacigarette?

Q: How old are you?

Lyn: Old enough.

Nic: Average of 22. But our ages are secret.

Q: Do you go out a lot at night?

Nic: Nah…culturally I live in a very ascetic way. For example, I never listen to the radio.

Q: So what do you listen to?

Nic: Classical records. Or silence; that’s the most musical thing.

Oliver: For me, it’s The Residents. And that’s the truth.

Lyn: Me, I love noise. Doesn’t matter what noise. At my house the radio is on 24 hours a day.