Win a holiday

Enter our Snapshots of Summer photography competition

Navigation - link to other main sections from here

Skip Navigation

From The Sunday Times
August 26, 2007

Siouxsie Sioux is back in bloom

‘I didn’t get permission – I just went ahead and did it.’ That was then, but Siouxsie Sioux is still as punk as she ever was

Siouxsie Sioux
Dan Cairns

Don’t get Siouxsie Sioux started on the subject of the internet. Before we meet, the video for her new single, Into a Swan, has been leaked online. “YouTube,” spits the high priestess of punk, “technology – I hate it. Everybody has downloaded it. You try to stop it, but it’s pointless. Someone from [the gay club] Trannyshack in San Francisco is already miming their act to the song. Even my brother hasn’t heard it yet. Mind you, he’s only just got an answerphone.”

If you were going to meet Siouxsie, what would you expect? That she’d be as spiky as her hair still is, frosty, magisterial, aloof? She’s none of those things. In an adenoidal voice with a twang that recalls her fellow Bromleyite David Bowie, Siouxsie in the flesh is candid, approachable, emotional, her pale-blue eyes often swelling with tears of laughter or distress. The woman once labelled the queen of goth is as far removed from her image of severe, slightly threatening “artiste” as it is possible to be.

“I’ve never been able to categorise what I do,” she muses at one point, “but I know others try. Though there has always been that undercurrent of, ‘Don’t get too comfortable.’” The labels we plaster her with are, she thinks, for the most part wrong. As just one example, the blogs are agog with speculation about Into a Swan, on which she intones: “I feel a force I’ve never felt before/ I don’t want to fight it any more.” Bingo, they tap-tap-tap: she’s come out as a lesbian. Or not, as the case may be.

When I ask her how long it took for the inner her to catch up with the outer one – confident, defiant, a mask of industrial mascara and punked-up hairdo – who stared out of early photographs, she says: “I think maybe it’s still trying to catch up, in total honesty.” We’re in a London hotel bar, patrolled by a clipboard Nazi whose pernickety perambulations Siouxsie delights in monitoring. Mantaray is her first solo record, after 11 studio albums with the Banshees and six with the Creatures, the side project she formed with her husband, the Banshees’ drummer, Budgie.

Her home for the past 15 years has been a farmhouse near Toulouse, packed with cats and books, and she briefly considered making the album there. “But you have to have a workplace to go to,” she says. “You think, ‘Oh, how perfect: when I get an idea, I can just walk into that room and do it.’ But there’s no urgency, it’s always domani, mañana, demain. Yet the idea is still there, lurking, like a reminder that you haven’t done anything today.”

Discussing the logistics of travelling from France to the studio in Bath where the album was recorded, she says, matter-of-factly: “I’ve just gotten into driving again. I hadn’t been driving long while I was in London, I didn’t enjoy it, so I quite happily gave up and allowed my husband to be my chauffeur. And so, in the last ...”

She pauses. “I’ve actually gone through a big upheaval. I’m divorced now. This is the first time I’ve publicly told anyone.” Another, longer pause. “So, in the past two or three years, there have been major changes – practical, emotional, all kinds. I knew I needed to get to the airport. So I got a car, a little secondhand Renault. It’s been like a real journey – literally.”

Then she adds, in a much smaller voice: “And, you know, there’s tons of other stuff as well. It’s not just about getting myself to the airport.”

Siouxsie fans will be able to enjoy many a “eureka” moment sifting Mantaray’s lyrics for postdivorce fall-out. “I want the record to stand up on its own,” she says, aware of this possibility, “and not be, ‘Oh, it’s about all that stuff.’” Lines such as “If it doesn’t kill you/It will shape you” and “Sweetness covered falseness” may mean she is denied this wish. But it’s clear the album deals as much with history as with recent events. She mentions, again, the disparity between the up-yours 1976 photos and the person behind the disguise – back when Susan Ballion became Siouxsie Sioux and was part of the so-called Bromley contingent, alongside Billy Idol and the Banshees’ bassist, Steve Severin, caterwauling through a punk version of the Lord’s Prayer at the 100 Club and getting chatted up by Bill Grundy during his infamous television interview with the Sex Pistols.

“The confidence youth projects isn’t very deep,” she says. “When you’re very young, you desperately want to blend in. I remember feeling aware that my family background wasn’t akin to everyone else’s, that our home was at odds with what was around us in suburbia. And there was a point, round about 13 or 14, when I thought, ‘You know what? F*** it.’” This metamorphosis wasn’t, then, an act of rebellion against her upbringing, but against the suburban conformity she saw around her. Home life was, though, pretty complex, by all accounts. Her mother, a bilingual secretary, was, she says admiringly, “someone who went out to work at a time when I didn’t know anyone else’s mum who wasn’t at home. I had a great teacher there, and I’ve had to remember that again now – you know, I used to do all this shit before, I lived on my own, I was the boss. She was the odd-job man, too, changing fuses, painting, doing the gardening. My dad was there, but not functioning”.

Siouxsie’s father, a scientist, was an alcoholic, and died from complications caused by drink when she was 14. She has, she says, spent years telling herself that isn’t the whole picture. “You’re angry at the disease. It’s like you’ve been robbed of this person. But it’s not the person, it’s the disease you hate.” Thinking back, she associates music with happiness, albeit in a complicated way. “It was like the classic Tom and Jerry cartoon, where they’re getting on fine when the music’s playing, and the second it stops, they’re at it again. I remember, when I was young, feeling really dismissive, but later I knew there was this other side: he read to me, things like the Just So Stories. He was educated; he had all these ideas, a great sense of humour. Apparently, he invented a tropical-disease cure – I’ve only just found that out. I wanted to know, ‘Why is this so?’ And it was always, ‘Don’t ask so many questions.’ But I’m still of the opinion: shine the light on it, get it out of the darkness and let’s look at it.”

On her wonderful new album, Siouxsie does just that: raging against adversity one minute, calming herself down the next, drifting off into fantasy on Sea of Tranquillity (a song she describes as a “sci-fi murder mystery”), bathing in Bernard Hermann-like strings on Loveless. Here Comes That Day is so brassy, it sounds as if it’s auditioning for the next Bond film, while fans of the early, Metal Postcard-era Banshees will welcome the motorik austerity of About to Happen and They Follow You. The endlessly inventive soundscaping of her producers, the Robert Plant collaborators Steve Evans and Charlie Jones, means those jittery drives to Toulouse airport were not in vain.

Siouxsie turned 50 in May. Her influence – on the likes of Björk, PJ Harvey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Bat for Lashes – has never been more apparent, though she reckons she wouldn’t last long if she was emerging now. Innovators, these days, “get assimilated”, she says, “eaten up and spat out. Something becomes fashionable and, like all fashion, it’s destined for the heap”. Not that her memory is rose-tinted. The moment punk was commercialised, she says, “it lost its teeth. People forget it was an attitude, a mindset, reacting to what was going on in the world, in music, at that time. You can’t take that and place it now: that would just be mimicry. It’s weird when you hear things like, ‘This is the new punk rock.’ They’re so obsessed with looking back. I mean, after Bill Grundy, forget it. Once it hit the tabloids, it became a cartoon. People doing their own thing – that’s punk.

“I did that. I didn’t get a degree that told me I could do it. I didn’t get permission. I just went ahead and did it, gatecrashed the party and took it over.” She throws back her head and laughs in delight at her bombast. There is, she admits, “a bit too much of Beryl the Peril in me sometimes. But I think I’ve always had the ability to channel my anger or frustrations or longings through music. And, without vulnerability, there is no daring. If you’re thick-skinned, if people say stuff and it doesn’t hurt you, well, what’s so strong about that?”.

A move back to London is being considered, though Siouxsie says she’s wary of the noise, of “all those straight lines and grid-like routines”. Any new home in the city would have to be central. “I’m not going to the suburbs,” she cackles edgily. “I’d rather commute from France than from Bromley. To me, that’s a much more painful journey – in every way.”

Mantaray is released on Sept 10 on W14

If I could have one wish, it would be to meet and have a chat with Sioux.

pauly.B, Leatherhead, UK

The greatest female that ever graced this planet, she has the voice of an angel and I find her music amazing to say the least. Thank goodnes for her return........................love you big Siouxsie.

Warwick Railton, Kempton park, South Africa.

siouxsie is the original goth queen & still produces a mean record-get mantaray!

bertie wooster, belgravia, london

A true genius! MANTARAY the best album anyone has put out since HA! by this other great band THE CREATURES . thanks siouxsie

ondy, los angeles, c.a

The new album is truly a work of art. I was fortunate enough to meet Siouxsie crossing Parsons Green in Fulham one hot summer day, she was so beautiful & kind. Living in Camden, you can imagine how excited I am that she is playing at the Roundhouse. I will be at the front, as I have been so many times before in the last 20 years.
Love you always Siouxsie

Lee Harrison, Camden/London, U.K

I just love her! I ordered her cd today and pulled out all my old cds, I have the entire collection, I'm going through the songs now -- reliving my youth.

When's the tour? I've seen her several times at the Warfield here in San Francisco and can't wait to buy a ticket to her next gig!

We Love You Siouxsie!

Ricahrd, San Francisco, CA

Siouxsie was and IS the original Gothic Beauty. And her voice has been nothing short of ethereal. Can't wait to hear her new music.

Ken Severson, Indianapolis, IN, USA

I am a 61 year old man, yet I sit here in tears at the news of Siouxsie's divorce. She is one of the greatest human beings on this planet ( although many would consider her to be a goddess - myself included ). It beggars belief that she and Budgie could no longer live together after being so close all these years, producing phenomenal music. Thank God she has survived the trauma and lost none of her genius as a composer.
For me, her greatest work from this latest opus is the slow version of " Into A Swan " called " Swansway ". Prepare to be blown away !!

K Williams, Doncaster, England

A Diva

loz, Birminhgam, england

It is really sad thaat Siouxsie did not understand what means the internet. I live in Japan and I knew about Into A Swan from a friend based in Brazil. And now I am just writing about it. You Tube spreads. If were not from YouTube, I think it will take months to get this information in countries outside Europe and USA. I hope you think about it, Siouxsie. We also love you.

Romer, Tokyo, Japan

Thanks to the Sunday Times online; I can read Siouxsie's interview from the States......A fan since the beginning; I've followed the music; the many live concerts thru the years.....and a number of years ago in Boston actually met and talked to her..........way overdue; looking forward to the new CD...and as one of your responders so nicely put it; getting older has been a pleasure, with her music as company thru the years....................Go Siouxsie

Jim Drebitko, AlbanyNew York, USA

I think the way that Siouxsie has influenced modern music has been underestemated. The whole "goth" look was inspierd by her,and so too the music ,you have to ask what would modern goth/rock/metal be like if the banshees had never existed? The thing that has enabled Siouxsie to be relesing a new album at 50 is her ability to evolve and never stand still like so many others, if you listen to the wonderfull song Skin from The Scream and then the amazing Peek-a-boo from Peepshow you would be forgiven for thinking they were two diferent bands , ( ok so most of the band members WERE difrent) I look forward to seeing her live on 5th of November in London as much now as i did 20 years ago when I was just 17.

Rob Burden, Haverfordwest, Wales

Siouxsie Siouxpreme - I've been a fan since I was a tender 13 year old when Hong Kong Garden hit the air waves in the Summer of '78. Siouxsie is the most talented and original UK female artist ever and has inspired a generation with her strong attitude, stunning looks and fantastic music. Siouxsie has consistently managed to re-invent herself like a chameleon and as such has maintained her musical credibility and well deserved success. Looking forward to hearing Mantaray and I've already got my ticket for The Roundhouse gig on bonfire night. Sorry to hear about the divorce Siouxsie and good luck with the new album and tour chuck. Love you lalways Siouxsie

GRAHAM, CASTLEFORD, UK

Unfortunately saw Siouxsie and the Banshees at Malvern Winter Gardens in 1978. The worst band I have ever seen.

MVG, Brackley, UK

Oh, the Return of the Mother. Nina Hagen once christened herself the Mother of Punk, but she owed it all to Siouxsie. The make-up, the dance moves. I've seen Siouxsie so many times in concert, but have never once been disappointed. I look forward to hearing Mantaray, and maybe even seeing her in Sheffield again.
Life without her dulcet tones would have been tedious and flat, and getting old has been made a pleasure with her as company through the years. From fifteen to fifty-blob. I wish my grandma had been as punk, as talented, and as beautiful....but if wishes were fishes....Ha! And to think, I almost applied for the vacant post of guitarist with the Banshees. That'll teach me.

Paul R. Scott, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. U.K

I remember The Creatures album that you recorded in Hawaii. I continue to listen to the magical songs to this day. Please come visit the islands! Love you, Siouxsie!

Ram, Kaneohe, Hawaii

I remember seeing The Creatures in Santa Cruz, California back in 1996. I was peeking on mushrooms when you passed me by and said "hello". Glitter exploded everywhere.

Djengo, Honolulu, Hawaii

Totally disagree with Michael. I think she's way more interesting now than when she was younger. The wisdom transforming her still rebellious persona. She'll always be stroppy outsider, good on her!

dc, London,

I have been a big fan of Siouxsie in all musical guises since 1981 and have watched her creations twist and turn since that time. It's been a magical journey and I've been fortunate enough to interview her this week for the radio station that I run in Winchester. She's ever inspiring and unique, and the new material that she's finally able to unleash her truly personal material. Love her!

Phil Marriott, Southampton, Hampshire

I just adore Siouxsie and Budgie and the Banshees.It really feels like theres no hope for anyone now.I'm not going to be bias on this situtation as every person choses it own faith,actions and concequences.I'm very excited about the album and cant wait to see Siouxsie live.

Michelle, Dublin, Ireland

Siouxsie Sioux - I remember listening to the Peel sessions on the radio as a 15 year old boy and being totally blown away by that amazing sound!! Different from all around you - many have tried to copy and all have failed - one on your own - a real innovative talent, a star!

You were soundtrack to my teenage years and beyond - welcome back Siouxsie & I for one can't wait to see you at Astoria 2!!

Phil K, Coalville, Leicestershire

Siouxsie's one of many in the industry whose music is great, but who should never, ever speak. She's as punk as my grandma, but far less interesting.

michael, las vegas, nv

A goddess amonst the mundane, still a great performer, just such a shame that Severin is no longer to her right.
Together, ther were truly the best.

Mark, Rochester, UK

I'm so sad to hear that there has been a separation for Siouxsie. Selfishly I guess the eager fingerings of release info have overshot the real story. Like water parts. IOU.

Rupert Ellis, Bristol,

Hi, I have been a Siouxsie fan for 20 some years. She is my god, in my eyes. I am so sad to hear of her divorce with Budgie. They seemed so right for each other and made such great, beautiful music. Divorce can be so, no, IS difficult. But, I know how strong she is I always was and still is heavily influenced by her in so many ways that in turn I know her new record will be great. I look forward to seeing her in California to perform. Not seeing Budgie on drums will be odd. I hope "getting to the airport" is getting easier for her.

Julie, Los Angeles, USA

Beautiful photos and a beautiful woman. it.s not just about women in punk or women as goth or as a role model or influence, it.s about the beauty in truth.

Denise, Centennial, USA, Colorado

I am so happy that this album is being released...Siouxsie has been missed..can't wait

Rich, Adelaide, Australia

Siouxsie remains timeless and enchanting. I hope she tours in the Washington, DC area again. She was pure energy and flawless during the Dreamshow tour.

Rick, Alexandria, VA

GREAT interview and very touching and real.
--Christian Montone.
http://www.christianmontone.blogspot.com/

Christian Montone, basking ridge, NJ, USA

A real good news. I thought it was all over after "Rapture " LP, last century. So Siouxsie' s back? Thanks God and thanks Times!

Andrey , Moscow, Russia

I have greatly admired the depth of Siouxsie since the early years. Here's to the fabulous future. Come see us in Denver, Colorado again. Anytime.

Steven Willis, Denver, Colorado, USA

God bless Siouxsie Sioux !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been starving for more new Siouxsie Songs !!!! I hate to hear about her divorce...sometimes a change is just what's called for...

Eagerly anticipating MANTARAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Todd, Austin, USA / TX

Here in San Francisco and since 1984, I have enjoyed what The Banshees and The Creatures have created . Fast forward to 2007 and Siouxsie can guarantee that I will support this solo venture. I am always impressed by new material and I believe 'Mantaray' will let us experience a much deeper sound of Siouxsie Sioux... thanks Siouxsie!

Paul Valdez, San Francisco, California

From what I could listen to so far, I'm loving MANTARAY already! It's that kind of album that makes me want to go and live inside it!
I can hardly wait for September 10!
THANKS SIOUXSIE FOR ALL YOUR MUSIC!

Fernando, Porto, Portugal

Thank you so much for publishing this article. She is as beautiful adn wonderful as ever. What a pioneer for other women she's been, a trailblazer.

Stephen Austra-Beck, Anchorage, AK

Siouxsie is one of the greatest female punk, rock and glam vocalists of the last generation. In addition to having a mystical and mesmerizing voice, Siouxsie is a compassionate human being. She loves people, animals, vegetarian food and supports People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals. My favorite song of her's is "Cry" from the Banshees "Superstition" CD. Her and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders are two of best female vocalists.

Brien Comerford, Glenview, United States

Siouxsie, you are beautiful.

Graham, Sydney, Australia

-she's so willing to stand right in front of her living room window and be seen without trying to darken or tint the glass. and allowing herself to be that vulnerable is simply brilliant and lovable.
always been a fan and always will.

Yuki, Lake Elsinore, Ca. U.S.

Siouxsie is just brilliant ,been a fan of the banshees for years ,Nice one ,Please Come to GLASGOW:)
We will make u very welcome.

E Reynolds, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Wow. I'm so glad Siouxsie has a new album. I can not wait hear it. It looks like she is aware of youtube and the drag video. I thought that would be something that exists below Siouxsie's radar. What was I thinking?

Chris, Boston, MA, USA

Siouxsie and Budgie divorced?

Bloody hell, there's no hope for anyone now.

Tim Footman, Bangkok, Thailand

Have your say

* Required

Print
Email
Bookmark and Share

Also in Music

Also in Arts & Entertainment

Content recommendations by Evri.com

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

Was the music megastar murdered?

He was a music megastar who died in mysterious circumstances. Drugs were inevitably implicated, but was the guitar legend killed over money?

Beverley Knight

Beverly Knight

Free download from her new album

Duckworth Lewis Method exclusive

Duckworth Lewis Method

Listen to the brilliant new cricket-themed album

Times exclusive

Listen to Moby's forthcoming album

Michael Jackson remembered    

Pete Paphides
 

Before he insisted on calling himself the King of Pop, he really was the King of Pop  

More...
Pete Paphides

Join us on Twitter

Twitter logo

Festival tweets from The Times

Playlisted

Stream these tracks to improve your week

Most Read

Skip Most Read

Today

MOST COMMENTED

Skip Editor's Pick

Today

MOST CURIOUS

Skip Most Curious

Today

Focus Zone

Angel of the north

Northern Lights:

Win a luxury weekend to Newcastle and its neighbour Gateshead, find out more here

BT

Business Solutions:

Risk, resilience and embracing new technology

accenture

Need to Know:

Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast

Cisco

Business Wisdom:

Discover the collective power of smart thinking. Submit a solution and be in with a chance to win a Flip MinoHD Camcorder

Social Entrepreneur

Social Entrepreneurs:

The inside track on current trends in the charity, not for profit and social enterprise sectors

ba business travel clouds

Business Travel:

Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip

rowing boats

Great British Summer :

Make the most of the summer and enter our fabulous photographic competition, you could win a £5000 holiday

Corsica

Corsica Travel:

Corsica is an island of beauty and contrast, an ideal holiday destination

More Reports

More reports:

Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more

previous next

The Jonas Brothers

Is there more to them than we think?

The Times Health Club

Time to get fit?

Training advice from our fitness expert

Nintendo DS

Ad feature

100 Classic Books

More than a novel idea

crossword with Cross fountain pen.

Crossword Club

Sign up today or try one of our free demo crosswords

Nigel Kennedy

Ad Feature

Talent at the Tower

A celebration of music

Restaurant Booking

Search by:

View special offers

Popular Searches on Times Online

bollywood news | britain's got talent | chess | dating | fashion | Michael Jackson | mortgages | movie trailers | music | podcasts | recipes | redundancy | savings | slumdog millionaire | star trek | sudoku | twilight | university guide | wine

Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles

Classifieds 

Cars

Skip Cars of the Week

Car leasing

The clever way to lease a new car is with Car leasing made simple™


Jobs

Skip Jobs of the Week
Operational Officers

Not Specified
MI6
UK-based

Finance & Corporate Services Manager

£60,000
The Environment Agency
Bristol

Programme Manager

Up to £90K
Boots
Midlands

Sales Professionals

OTE £85k
Credit Protection Association
Nationwide Opportunities

Properties

Rushmore Condo's

Luxury Condo's in Manhattan with NYC views

Diadem Homes

The best new homes in Wimbledon?

Holidays

Skip Travel of the Week

Seychelles Beach Beauty

Save up to £1,000 per couple with Elite Vacations at the five-star Constance Lemuria Resort


Leave the queues behind at the airport

and do the British Isles this Summer.
Save up to 60% with Oxford Hotels and Inns

Bored of life?

Try our inspiring luxury holidays to the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia.
Great offers available

Canada for Less.. fly from £129 one way inc taxes

8 fabulous Canadian cities ...you won’t find cheaper


Place your advert now