Rock ’n’ roll hell-raisers? We’re too busy being a taxi service for our kids
THEY were the feuding rock brothers from East Kilbride.
But as The Jesus And Mary Chain return with their first album in 20 years, Jim and William Reid have revealed their toughest gig is now getting their kids to school.
Jim, who now lives in Devon, said: “William moved to LA when his boy was one and I’ve got young kids as well so I have to ferry them about, including the school run.
“I don’t do it every day. I usually do the pick-up but I don’t do the drop-off in the morning because it is too early for me.
“You become a taxi service to your kids, really.”
Formed in 1983, The Jesus And Mary Chain enjoyed five chart albums including their classic debut Psychocandy, as well as 10 hit singles.
But their concerts usually descended into chaos within minutes, leading to riots and police interventions.
Jim, 55, said: “At one gig we were in the dressing room with the door locked and an angry mob trying to pound down the door.
“I remember just thinking, I hope that door holds out. Fortunately it did.
“I don’t really know why they were so furious with us.
“We had never been in a band before. We didn’t know what the rules were.
“It never occurred to us that they were expecting us to come on at nine on the dot.
“We’d stroll out at half-past 10 after a few drinks in our dressing room.
“People would be fed up waiting and they would be ready to tear the place apart and us too if they could get their hands on us.
“There were utterly chaotic gigs where it went totally beyond music and entertainment.
“It was just somewhere in between music and a train crash.”
The Reids split up the band in 1999 after numerous fall-outs.
But they have now recorded a new album, called Damage & Joy, their first since 1998’s Munki.
Tellingly, one track, Facing Up To The Facts, features the lyric: “I hate my brother and he hates me, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.” Jim said: “By the time we got round to making Munki we just couldn’t be in the same room together so trying to make a record proved to be quite difficult.
“Now the hatchets have been buried – fortunately not in each other.”
This summer, The Jesus And Mary Chain will headline the Scottish music festival, Electric Fields, situated in the fields of Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire.
And Jim has promised a more peaceful affair than their original shows.
“Festivals can be a bit daunting because it is not necessarily our crowd,” he said.
“But I feel confident we can entertain some people that might not know all of our back catalogue. We’re quite good at playing live these days.”