Minny Pops

@ 2008-07-12 23:07:00
Cyberinsekt writes:

"I was a strange teenager. Actually, strike that. I was a deliberately strange teenager, pretentious and affected, and trying way too hard. I suspect that a large proportion of my more stupid antics were done entirely for my own benefit, to persuade myself of how different I was.

One of the more embarrassing of those incidents was the time I put this track on the record player, turned the lights off, and danced about the room while eating a bag of chips. Why? I have absolutely no idea. I suspect the fact that it probably had never been done before was a large part of the appeal."



Minny Pops, "Dolphin's Spurt."

"Dolphin's Spurt," the 3rd single off Dutch post-punk outfit Minny Pops' (not to be confused with these disturbingly sexualized pageant tots) debut album, Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement, featured a B-side; "Goddess."

"Goddess" was a fitting cure for Cyberinsekt's adolescent distaste for pedestrian/routine. Under the eye of drum-obsessed producer Martin Hannett, Minny Pops front man Wally van Middendorp was at his own liberty to create dark layers and totally express himself.

As detailed in the April '81 issue of Shades:

"It's strange working with Hannett. He just lets you record whatever you want. He told us, 'Just go ahead and record whatever you think is suitable and I'll see what I can do with it.' Sometimes [Hannett] laid down on the floor of the mixing room for half an hour at least, just thinking."

If you tend to recognize van Middendorp's Curtis-esque bug dance from the "Dolphin's Spurt" film, the band's Factory records label may also ring familiar. Minny Pops drew enough notice from releasing singles on Wally's own Plurex label to book opening dates for Factory alum Joy Division when Curtis & co. toured Amsterdam in January 1980. Minny Pops kept in touch with the Manchester label and four months later the Factory Club (ie. Russell Club) invited them to perform.

NME writer Andy Gill mentions the deliberate (& notable) theatrics that capped Minny Pops live "bug"-outs:

"They adopted the odd habit of standing silently, arms folded, for as long as a minute after each song. This caused considerable confusion amongst the audience, who seemed unsure whether to clap, shout, or ask for an encore."

Wally responds:

"We figured that normal rock and roll is set up as a fast-paced set - one song ends, the next starts within four seconds. I thought that if you break up the pacing between numbers, it might give people a chance to look over what you've done."

Between 1979 and 1985 Minny Pops released three albums on Factory Records before splitting up.


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Faxqs:
Minny Pops are: Wally van Middendorp (vocals and drum machine), Frans Hagenaars (bass), Peter Mertens (guitarist) and two dancers, including Wally's brother Rob.

Their name comes from a Korg rhythm box called Mini Pops.

In November 1980, Minny Pops were the first Dutch band to record a Peel Session for BBC radio.

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Indulge:

+ mp3 Goddess
+ mp3 Goddess [demo version]


If you want Minny Pops music / send veggie chips & dimming switches to aud520@gmail.com

or purchase their remastered CDs on LTD:
http://www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk/mpopscat.html