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 Kung-Fu Interview
interview 0171 added 17.01.04 words: Lingo
technical:
QED
KUNG-FU! You’ve all heard of the night in London, most of you have been
there,
but not much is known of the mysterious pasts/present/futures of the
brains behind the night. I caught up with them @ Worlds End, drank quite
a lot, chewed the fat, watched some Greyhound racing, and got this
interview from them.
Lingo – Hi guys,
thanks for doing the interview. I know you guys don’t usually do this
kind of stuff. Lets get a bit of info about you two.
 ‘Leo’ – Basically my spirit is drenched in the essence of love. I spend
a lot of time with Elroy Drakes. More to the point I am an octopus.
‘Charlie’ – I am not tall. I am not small. But not bad. You may have
seen me, some have not. But let me say this; I ask the question to all
listeners who only hear peace. Have you ever been caught with your
trousers down round your ankles. Always trust in trustworthy things,
follow only inspirations and take love from all good things. "Another
bowl of nuts please"
Lingo – So tell
me, what is Kung-Fu?
‘L’ – Kung is an underwater tax haven.
Lingo – Right,
down to business, ‘Kung-Fu’ isn’t a typical name for a hip-hop night,
where did the name come from?
‘C’ – By mistake I took my mothers Tamazepan instead of a vitamin C
tablet. After a few hours on the sofa watching my eyelids give birth to
my eyelashes. I fell to the floor and crawled while drawling to the
kitchen. There I saw Leo giving it to my mother whilst beating my sister
with a belt made out of duck tape. The vision had been implanted. It had
to be called Kung Fu.
‘L’ – The NES game.
(Greyhound racing comes on the big-screen behind me.)
‘L’ – Sorry, sorry, sorry. Our mate Lee who’s universal symbol is the
lion shaped ant, used to own three Greyhounds… and one of them broke its
leg in its first race… …and then he spent 4 grand on Vet’s bills, and it
broke its leg in the next race...
‘L’ - …but he won £180 at Hackney last weekend.
Lingo – So where did it
all start? What was the first venue/line-up?
‘C’ – The first Kung-Fu was a barn dance at Ezeekial Puppageorgio (Las
Vegas Finest) grand estate in Essex, back in the late seventies when
crack was whack.
Lingo – So where
else have you guys run it?
‘C’ – We also did it at the Form in Soho……Greek St, after Ruby’s, then
we did WKD’s in Camden, and obviously the Underworld. After that we’ve
done many other parties running along side the main event: The Lock
Tavern, The Embassy, Tonic Bar, Manjaro, Salmon and Compass. Supported
the Roots at Brixton Academy. And loads of other shit.
Lingo – Any plans
to move from the Underworld?
 'L’ – Yes. If any one wants to move us into their lavish mansion and pay
for dancing girls and a free bar.
‘C’ – Always judge a place by its toilets and ceilings….
Lingo – So what
did you guys learn from the first night you did then?
‘C’ – Not to keep captivated animals.
‘L’ – Photo copy flyers are sufficient and cost effective. Big up
Maureen.
‘C’ – We learnt it takes a lot of hard work to do.
Lingo – Yeah I’d
agree with that.
‘L’ - …and it doesn’t take a lot of money, and you don’t have to make
money to make it good. As long as you break even, and everyone has a
good time.
‘L’ - …strictly like…you know, whatever…………Alcohol helps.
Lingo – So there’s
no ‘dry’ parties then?
'L’ – There’s no draw?……
‘C’ – We don’t encourage drugs……
‘L’ – Alcohol is a drug though really…
‘C’ – We encourage child exploitation….nah, nah, nah I’m just
kidding…
‘L’ – Get the fuck outta here…
‘C’ – shall I go get another drink? (Goes to bar.)
 ‘L’ – Don’t be fooled though, cos I tell you what, now I got you to
myself….now that, that pricks gone!…….basically, yeah, all these people
that go on…. I do think we shouldn’t give in to like multi-nationals,
and people do who exploit people, but…you should start, instead of
wearing other people’s brands, that are like billionaires, you should
wear independent brands, and brands you set up and stuff. But, if you do
wear those brands, which most people do, and you do drink Coca-Cola, and
Bacardi……and wear Nike, they make their clothes in China in sweatshops,
so does everyone, everything’s made there. So at the end of the day, if
you do…then you can’t complain. And that’s what I think, too many
people, I know this is off the track, but too many people complain, and
go on about Nike and this-and that…but what shoes are you wearing? They
give them 60-70 quid every couple of months, and complain they’re (Nike)
exploiting people… well they wouldn’t be exploiting people if no one
bought their sneeks, so I think people should get over that, and start
supporting independent labels.
Lingo – You say
about independent labels, you share the same office as U-Dox s, Spine TV
how does all that fit in together with Kung-Fu?
‘L’ – Well that office is where they run Spine TV from…well basically
they run a lot of projects from that office, one of which is Spine TV,
and em, they run it….Spine TV is a co- production agreement between
Kung-Fu and them, in which they film our nights. And then from Jan 2004
you will see a series of DVD’s coming out…
Lingo – So is
Spine TV not running live on the web anymore then?
‘L’ – Spine TV has been down because it is being re-organised, but it
will be back up in January 2004. Also at that time the Kung Fu DVD will
be out and you will be able to order it from
www.spinetv.com. So start
hitting that site kids!
Lingo – So you
guy’s were in a photo-shoot today, what’s that all about?
‘C’ – I don’t like having my photo-taken……..I believe it steals ones
soul.
‘L’ – Yeah, we did a six hour still life fruit and veg photography
session with Jeff Metal.
‘C’ – Wait a minute let me put this on…. (puts on trilby & dark glasses)
now I can concentrate.
Lingo – Why do you
think you’ve been so successful with Kung-Fu?
 ‘L’ – …because of basically, a great group of people, a lot of talent,
dedication and hard work. We met Sarah Love, who we’ve known since
school. She started DJing with us in about 2000… then Harry Love, Mr
Kevlar, and Mystro,…. Des & Chris @ MSM, Itch FM, A-Cyde, U-DOX, YNR,
Low Life, M.F.T.C… and everyone who has performed and contributed since
the beginning, too many names to mention, IT’S ALL LOVE BABY!
Lingo – All the
usual suspects then?
‘C’ – The secret behind Kung-Fu was the quality of our acts,….and the
vibe created by the people who came to the night because of the quality
of the acts, and the atmosphere that was there,……… which in fact they
created.
Lingo – How did
their involvement help it to grow to what it is today?
‘C’ – To have a good interview you need a good interviewer, to have a
successful night you need to have good acts and residents.
Lingo – Did you
expect it to get to this level?
‘C’ – I’d say it was……. kinda like a gut reaction. If a ball comes towards
you, you kick it, and it was kinda like that for us.
Lingo – So what’s
your motivation?
‘C’ – The never ending search for that original Tamazepan high.
‘L’ – That first crisp day I visited London Zoo I was propelled into a
motivational tunnel vision frenzy. I must own it, that’s all I care
about. Failing that I want to live under the sea with my fellow octopus
or at least become Ralph out of Rampage.
‘C’ – To introduce Jay-Z to Rowan Atkinson……?
‘L’ – I think the thing is that we never set out to be promoters, in
fact I don’t even like being a promoter, or calling myself a promoter,
because its not what I want to be, and not what I think of myself as.
Lingo – So if that
is the case, what do you guys wanna be?
‘L’ - Simultaneously be a lion that lives in the city and is accepted as
a human member of society a bit like Dr Zoidburg. And maintain my booze
Octopus skills. Also in this media-society the biggest aim is to isolate
people, and keep them separate (television), so they don’t have a place
to talk and become Activists, I want to try and stop this isolation
happening.
‘C’ - I would like to always constantly maintain the feeling just before
one reaches climax. I would like to sleep like the cat, graze like the
wild horse and co exist like the ant. I ask this: ‘Can you make an
Ant?’.
Lingo – Out of all
the nights, is there one that has been the best, or stands out the most
for either of you?
 ‘L’ – Not really man. They’re all good, and touch-wood will continue to
be. Everything is good in it’s own way. There’s nothing bad,…… obviously
bad things happen but you can draw positive from that.
Lingo – So there’s
not one that stand out?
‘L’ – Harry Love’s 20th Birthday bash was amazing, cos no-one had ever
done that before, in terms of that many artists, and that formula. And
those ones, the Harry Love Birthday bashes are always good.
‘C’ – Mystro’s beach party.
‘L’ – The Chester P for mayor party, cos it was a free party, and we
threw the doors open, and you got the chance to ask Chester questions….
‘C’ – Rawdog live band was good.
Lingo – So which
of them didn’t go off as well, and you thought you could do better with?
‘C’ – They one where my Mum clocked the Tamazies had gone missing. When
I got home my mum was playing kirbsy on her own.
‘L’ - Fer Rilla! I had to draw for the duck tape belt….
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Part 2
 
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