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						PLEASURE AND THE BEAST about
			Earning a living in the music business is a pretty hit and miss affair at the best of times. Think how often you see a small news item about an artist sueing a manager or record company or publisher (or all three) for unpaid monies and you'll get the picture. It gets particulary depressing when you skim the classified pages of the so called 'serious' music papers. There you'll find colum upon colum of unexceptional bands looking to break into an exceptionaly over crowded market. Most of these musicians are probably holding down jobs they hate in the hopes that one day they'll sign a record deal, have a hit record, and tell the governor where to stuff it. Most of them havn't got a cat in hell's chance. With that in mind I have to admit that I found Pleasure and the Beast refreshing. What ever you think of their music, if indeed you've heard it, and their reputedly outrageous stage show, you've got to give them credit. They're survivors. In my hour with them I learned that you can earn a living in the music industry, without (yet) having a hit record, and without doing odd hours down at the local Tescos. Robert Pereno and L.A. Richards form the visual focus for the band. as we settled into Robert's King Road flat two other members of the band join in. First Simon Ellis, keybords player, and then Marty Williamson, guitarist. As is often the case when a group of self-confident individuals gather there were interruoptions, voices raised to make points and disssagreements. "It is possible to make a living doing this," asserted Robert. "I mean I have chosen to be in the entertainment business and whether the NME likes it or not I'm going to carry on working and earning a living. First of all the band are on a wage. L.A. and I are also actors, and in acting you can earn as much in a couple of days as somebody with a top 20 record. Then there's the clubs. I've lived off clubs- I was on a weekly wage from the Camden Palace for a year. And Simon's on a wage from the Hippodrome at the moment." L.A. came in, "You make it all sound so easy..." "It's not easy" he barked back, "but you've got to be realistic. You've got to make a living havn't you?" Of course the obvious question that rises is , if you can make more money doing other things, why make music at all. Robert wass first off the mark again.   "What I'd realy like is for us to be so busy making music that we couldn't act. Making music is an ambition and it's something I've got time to do. Surly it's better to do it while you've got a chance than to look back years later wondering what might have been" "I'm not an actor," said Simon, "but I can play keyboards. That's why I've chosen music - it's what I do best." The catalyst for Robert and L.A.'s musical career was their long time friend Rusty Egan - which could explain their affinity with the London club scene. Origionaly the pair were signed to his production company, Metropolis. The first fruit of that partnership was a single caled 'Dr.Sex' which was banned by Auntie Beeb and went on to becom a big gay disco hit in the states. Although Robert fells that Rusty has been "a necessary part of what we've done so far" the opinions of the rest of the band are split down the middle. "Basically his production stinks, and you can quote me on that!" sputtered Simon. Marty joined in, "Rusty has a lot of enthusiasm for his work and if you work with him somehow that enthusiasm rubs off on you. He's good for bouncing ideas off - that's where his usefulness is". What is surprising is that for all the reputation the band has gained through it's adventures in clubland, and all the press they've had, you'd expect them to be very prolific. In fact , in the year and a ahlf since PATB formed they've only had two singles - the aforementioned 'Dr.Sex' and earlier this year, 'God's Empty Chair'. They cite the reson for this as lack of funds. To compensate for the slow relese of product they simply gig constantly. A prospect that occasionally fills a lesser mortals on an equally tight budget with dread. "I know what you're saying" said L.A. "There is a bad side to it. I don't actualy like ending up in some horrible bed and breakfast not knowing where I'm going next." "The traveling isn't much fun either," agreed Marty. "but when you get out and do the gig and you're facing new people each night- that's great. There was a trend in the last few years that saw a lot of small venues dissapear. But now I think those venues are coming back. I think live bands are coming back." "I was in Nottingham recently in a realy kitsch disco" continued L.A. "and there in the middle of it was the Lords Of The New Church playing live. All those discothequues are becoming normal venues again." Robert turned the conversation to PATB's own stage show: the ultimate extrovert experience. "There's no compromise. We go on stage to entertain and it's loud and brash with an element of pathos as well. There are very few extrovert English bands. I don't think dressing up in strange clothes makes you an extrovert- it has to do with charater. It's being honest, opening up and being able to laugh at yourself. It's a mixture of passion, sexuality, humor. Blood and guts." L.A. laughed, "Robert once broke my arem on stage. We use to do a sort of Apache dance routine where I got thrown about an awful lot. But after that I vowed I would never let him throw me around again." Blood and guts. Broken arms. It's all part of lifes rich tapestry, I suppose.  - DEBUT MAGAZINE 1985 PLEASURE AND THE BEAST MENU