Well yeah we are his disciples, but we are also his children, his patients, and his concubines, you know he is everything to us, he's the man. And this rehab thing, you know, whether you take it literally or metaphorically, Alabama 3 is rehab, its a big rehab center, we're all being rehabilitated by D Wayne Love and so are you, although you might not know it yet.

But surely as a big group, (sometimes there are up to 13 on stage), there must be difference of opinions at times?

"No, absolutely never, we always just do what D Wayne tells us to do, cause he is the way and he is the light".

But surely people can't take Alabama 3 seriously, I mean they are looking for people to donate money so that the band can buy Graceland, come on? "Well its funny you know, cause some people do take it seriously, you know, and if the illusion gives them pleasure then who are we to deny them that illusion or pleasure".

So their journey has continued and took them to their, and, their mentor's spiritual home, the U.S of A and Alabama which were "very big and very weird. But yeah it was good. I mean touring the States with Chumbawamba, one can only imagine what must have happened, like at our last gig their trumpet player came on during our set, dressed in a fuckin rabbit suit. So we had D Wayne with his afro and a guy dressed as a rabbit, it was absolutely mad looking, but it was fun".

But what about the spiritual side of the tour, surely the band or Orlando had 'conscious expansion'.

"Well there was the time I almost got married in Las Vegas. This friend of mine, a girl, who dresses entirely in pink, got me completely pissed and them tried to marry me while I was unconscious. She put me in a taxi and took me to this little chapel just outside Las Vegas", the Little White Chapel of Love I enquire, "yeah that's the one, but she didn't have a marriage certificate, so we couldn't get married and I got away with it, but it was a very close thing".

Relieved? "Well, I kinda had mixed emotions".

It has been a very busy year so far for Alabama 3. The album 'Exile on Cold Harbour Lane' was released in January, followed by the release of the single "Aint Goin To Goa". They then toured Britain and Ireland with Primal Scream, have gone Stateside with Chumbawamba, a European Tour at the moment, and then the Holy Roller Tour in the middle of May, the finale of which is in the Temple Bar Music Center, in Dublin.

The last gig they played in Ireland was in the Olympia in Dublin, and having witnessed it, I can safely say it was something special, so what do they think about coming back here?

"We're looking forward to it, cause we've had our best gigs in Ireland, thats straight up, and the one in the Olympia was great, cause its such a beautiful, all the old architecture and the stage, its lovely. We always have a good time when we come to Ireland, I don't know what it is but Irish people seem to get us in a way that other people don't".

Yeah us Irish know what you're talking about man, glug glug, you get used to it though, its our national pastime. But what happens when the touring stops? "Well we are probably going to release our next single 'You Don't Dance To Techno', and then we will be doing festivals and stuff. After that we start working on trying to drag some more nightmares from our sub-conscious, for the next album".

So the journey goes on, the word is passed to more and more people, and the disciples' numbers grow and grow, and no I am not one of them. But before we end is there any update on the recruiting of the fairer sex.

"Well its funny you should ask, cause when we played in Wolverhampton these two girls turned up, cause they thought it was an audition for a job, for real proper professional dancers, it was a bit awkward actually, cause the poor girls they really thought they were going for a job, and they were confronted by these horrible bearded, leering old men. I think they were a little disappointed and a little disconcerted".

Shocked beyond belief I'd say is probably more likely, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........!!!!!

Related

Part 1 Alabama 3 - La Peste Alabama 3, Astoria, London, 1st December Alabama 3 - Vicar Street, 4th December, 1998