Andy Makin (ex-Psycho Motel): "What we did was pretty different for 1997!"

Well, I know that Psycho Motel isn't NWOBHM, but it's still good and interesting music and  the band has some connection to the movement due to Adrian Smith. Adrian has been my favorite person from Iron Maiden and I was always interested in what he did during his solo career. And thanks to Andy Makin who kindly agreed to answer my questions we have a chance to give the album "Welcome To The World" another spin and learn more about it. 

Tell me please about your first steps in music. When and how did you discover rock music? What bands influenced you to be a musician?

My Dad’s record collection had Queen, ELO, Kate Bush, T-Rex, Mike Oldfield, the Beatles amongst a load of others, and he was such a music fan. It physically moved him when he listened to his records. And so you can't help but be influenced by that sort of passion. So it was a natural progression for me to get into Metal. The bands that made me want to actually play guitar, to play the drums and eventually to sing were Maiden, AC/DC, Led Zep, Free, you know, the usual suspects!

I know that you’ve been a fan of Iron Maiden for many years. So what was the first Maiden’s album you bumped into? Why did it hook you up?

The first Maiden album I bought was “Killers”. That was it for me. Still love it. I remember jumping around the room after “Ides Of March” finished and “Wrathchild” kicks in. Still incredible.

You saw the band at the famous Donnington Festival in 1988. Many people consider it as a crucial point in the band’s career, but as far as I can hear now on different records Bruce certainly wasn’t in his best shape. So what are your best memories about the event? Did you like it? Would you say that the band was on their peak that night?

I was a little kid at the time, so judging them on that show would be a little rose tinted I think. I remember the sound wasn't amazing, they had issues with the bass and also I'm stood in a field with 110,000 other people and it's raining and windy so maybe I'm not the best to judge. But in my memory they blew me away.

Tell me about your music career before you joined Psycho Motel. What demo did you sent to Adrian and what songs were on it?

Before Psycho I was in various small bands, just trying to get gigs, get tours and make albums. It was difficult then but wow it's so much harder to break a band now! I was in a local band, we'd recorded a shitty four track demo, and obviously Adrian heard something in my voice that he liked.

As far as I know you weren’t aware that it was Adrian’s band when you answered the ad. What was your reaction when you discovered that you were talking with Adrian Smith? Weren’t you in awe?

I was out when he called my home, and my girlfriend at the time said “Hey you had a call from some guy called Adrian about that band advert”. She said he was gonna call back later that day. So when he called it was a little while before he said who he was. It was a very surreal moment for me. I tried to act all cool and not bothered but inside I was shaking.

During the audition you sang the songs from the first Psycho Motel’s album differently, so how did Adrian react on that? Was he disappointed or was he intrigued or whatever?

Well I was absolutely devastated when he sent me the first Psycho album, because Solli is such a different singer, with a great range. And I just thought “I can't do this, I can't sing these songs.” So with the bravado of youth and enough ego to give it a go I thought “Fuck it, I'll just rewrite the vocal melodies.” Which is what I did. I was supposed to learn two songs, but I re-wrote them all and just went for it. At the audition, when I first started singing, I could see Adrian kind of looking confused for a second, and then he picked up on what I was doing, and started singing along with me with a new harmony. He's such a great musician and someone who can adapt very quickly. Obviously what I did worked 'cos I got the job!

Tell me please about the songwriting process for the album. What was your input in the songs? Was Adrian certain about what he wanted to achieve?

Adrian had three songs done I think at the time. “Rain”, “Underground” and one other I can't remember now. We spent two weeks and hashed out about 15 songs in the end. A couple we dropped and the rest went on the album. As for what Adrian wanted, Psycho was originally more a traditional three piece style band, a sort of Hendrixy classic rock thing. When I came in I was more influenced by Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, Pantera, so the heaviness crept in. Plus we changed tunings, drop D, and even Drop C on “Into The Black”. That was pretty different for 1997!

Tell me please about the lyrics for the album. Who was responsible for them?

I wrote the lyrics for all the songs I co-wrote with Adrian, which is 9 out of the 13 that made the album. Adrian wrote the others.

Is it true that Sanctuary Management weren’t too excited about the album? In general, would you say that the management had any impact on the album?

We had no help whatsoever from management. It wasn't that they weren't excited by the album, they didn't give a fuck about it.

Was the recording session joyful and relaxed? Did you record everything quickly or did you struggle a bit with some stuff?

I loved every minute of the recording – working with Simon Hanhart for the first time, trying to soak in as much of the experience as I could, rather than struggle I found it a great challenge, and when you're surrounded by amazing talent you either try your best to rise to their level or give up!

What kind of boss Adrian was? Was he very demanding? And what was the input of the producer Simon Hanhart?

Adrian has a great ear, intuitive when it comes to harmonies and is a great guy to have in your corner when you do vocals, as is Simon Hanhart. I worked with Simon again recently on an album for Phil Lanzon from Uriah Heep and he really does get the very best out of me. Adrian’s not demanding, he was never my boss, he was and is my friend and a fellow band member, it's how he approached collaboration, and why I felt so at ease with him. He's one of us, you know?

Why didn’t Adrian let you record some guitar parts for the album, at least rhythm? Did it piss you off?

I'm good now, I wasn't then. I used the guitar as a songwriting tool, and wasn't a confidant guitarist. I wasn't known as a guitarist then so it never was an issue. Plus why record me on guitar when we had Davey, Scott and of course Adrian in the room?

Who came up with the idea of the cover and what did the band mean with it? Did you have a chance to suggest some ideas for the cover?

I came up with the cover idea. We'd had a few suggestions from management which were just awful, and I seem to remember we'd had an artist come up with an idea as well. But when we started talking about the album artwork and cover I had a very firm idea of what I wanted. The concept was mine, my girlfriend at the time helped me cut out this huge collage mock up of the cover, and I went down to Adrian’s house and showed it to him, explained the concept behind it and we went with that. It's Dylan (Adrian’s son) on the front, with the gas mask. It's a visual representation of the album title. “Welcome To The World” the innocence of a child, the corruption of our world sort of thing.

You did only a couple of shows in support of the album “Welcome To The World”. Didn’t you want to play more? Would you say that Adrian’s involvement with Bruce Dickinson Band took its toll?

We had no help when it came to promoting the album, and Bruce’s tours and albums were always going to get more attention. Adrian was going out with Bruce and what are you gonna do? Play guitar on a tour already booked, with a great album and loads of fans ready to go nuts or try and sort out a tour yourself? If I'd been him I would have done the same thing. I wanted nothing more than to go out with Psycho, it's a massive regret of mine.

I know that Steve Harris spoke highly of the album, but how the album was received both by press and fans? Would you say that the album deserved more recognition than it got back then?

Of course I think it deserved more attention – I put my heart and soul into that band. But history has shown that albums that slip through the cracks tend to survive by being discovered later. It was never going to be promoted, it was never going to be pushed. And it never was.

Have you ever been asked to be a roadie for Iron Maiden?

No, why would I? I'm not a roadie, or a tech, I haven't the skill set that those guys have, as Henry Rollins says, “They should get your pay and you should get theirs”!

What did you do musically in the late 90’s and the 2000’s?

So after Psycho, I joined a band in the U.S. called Henryschild, we did an EP. Great band, sort of Tool sounding band, but I couldn't stay over there due to visa issues so I came back to the UK. Then in the early 2000s I'd got so disillusioned with the music industry, It was a very low period for me. I got a job, did a nine to five thing and played guitar at the weekends. That was me for about 5 years. Fucking awful. I guess coming from a band like Psycho, where all the opportunities are there, and possible, to have it all disappear it really was a kick in the teeth at the time.

Tell me please about the band Nine Miles Down. As far as I understand it’s more progressive type of music. What are your goals with the band?

Nine Miles Down is the best thing I've ever done. It's myself, Eddie Marsh, who was in Steve Grimmet’s band Lionsheart and has done a load of other stuff and is also Janick Gers guitar tech, and Tom Williams, an amazing drummer. We're in the process of signing to a record label as I speak, our first album "Fractures" will be out on CD, MP3 and Vinyl later on this year. A tour is booked, and we're adding extra dates as people wanna come see us. It's progressive yes, we have some longer songs but we also have some real heavy short brutal songs too. It's where I think Psycho could have gone.

Last year you sang on the Phil Lanzon’s solo album. How did that happen?

That all happened through Simon Hanhart who produced the album. Simon's been a very good friend over the years.

Tell me please about your collaboration with Phil. Did you have an opportunity to write your own vocal lines?

It was a first for me, it was very much a session piece, and singing Phil’s lyrics, Phil’s melodies and Phil’s vision. It was a lot of fun.

Why did Phil ask you to sing only on four tracks? Could you sing the rest of the songs or didn’t they fir to your voice? Which songs off the album are your favorites?

Well initially I think I was down for only two tracks, it was always going to be an album with lots of singers, but I was lucky enough to be chosen for four.

What do you think about the ongoing interest in Psycho Motel? Would you say that the band was one of the brightest highlights of your career?

I think it's great that Psycho has any kind of fan base 20 years on. Incredible. And if it means I can get the message out there that I'm still going with Nine Mile Down then all the better.

Do you know anything about fans of Psycho Motel from Russia? Have you ever had a chance to get any feedback on the music you’ve recorded over the years from Russian listeners?

Now and again I'll get tracked down through social media and I'll get messages. They're always lovely and deeply respectful of the music we did back then. It's amazing how far the music reached considering. I feel honored that our music touched so many people. Hopefully when Nine Miles Down go out later in the year and into next year I'll get to meet some of them in person and shake their hands!

Nine Miles Down official website - https://ninemilesdown.co.uk/home