Gene Loves Jezebel personified the 80s. A strikingly garish style mixed with a perfected merge of goth and pop music that many 80s bands tried to nail and couldn't. Along the way, alternative radio gobbled up hits like "Desire," "The Motion of Love" and "Jealous." Unfortunately, rock history is riddled with brothers that can't get along and GLJ are no different. Twins Jay and Michael Aston have been feuding at various levels for 30 years to the point where Michael maintains the Gene Loves Jezebel name in the States, while Jay runs with it in the UK. In this conversation, Jay and I discuss what's at the heart of this squabbling, but also great stuff like his 2017 album Dance Underwater, what it means to have "riff master" James Stevenson in the band, and his current tour with Modern English and the Alarm. It's a messy, frustrating and often confusing musical history overwhelmed by sibling rivalry, but the music itself lives on and is as bright and excellent as ever. Enjoy!
Related - Episodes
This is epic. XTC guitarist Dave Gregory returns to the podcast to give us all the scoop on the creation of XTC's 1986 masterpiece Skylarking. The album almost can't be listened to without an understanding of the behind the scenes stories…
The Tubes were revolutionary for their time, mixing rock music and theatricality in a way few others were doing. At the center stage stood Fee Waybill, one of the greatest frontmen in rock history and one of the most fascinating…
Singer/songwriter Dar Williams can do it all. On top of her wonderful music career, she also publishes the occasional book and her latest is a gift to creative people everywhere. How to Write a Song that Matters shows her describing not…
