Gatecrasher Summer Soundsystem 2000

Jeremy Healy - Interview

How was Homelands?

I played just after Public Enemy, and there was this huge river of mud in the middle of the dance floor, two feet deep! I looked up, and the tent was absolutely packed out, and there was thousands of people, a gap of about twenty feet, then thousands more people… and I was looking at it trying to figure out what it was! A twenty foot wide river of mud! Going right through the middle of the main tent!

It was getting quite amusing playing after Public Enemy too, 'cause they were big heroes of mine back in the eighties, and it was a weird experience, when Chuck D came running down and started to give me a little boogie, and I was like, "Elvis! Please!".

How do you feel your set went down at Homelands?

Pretty good. The bigger the gig is, the harder it is to judge audience reaction, obviously because you're so far away from them, but I was pleased with what I did.

I overheard you mentioning to MTV earlier that you had special mud resistant shoes…

Yeh, I had special mud equipment!!

You can't beat army surplus can you!

No! I had a flash of inspiration the day before the festival, and we all went down on a tourbus, about 15 of us, and they were all looking very jealously at my footwear… [Jeremy got some mudproof covers for his boots…]

So you're not here to play any of the main arenas?

No, I'm playing in that little VIP room there…

What are you doing later?

I'm going out to a club later, I'll be around for about half an hour after my set then I'm going…

Who do you want to see later on?

Anyone! Just my mates!

But you've just arrived and you're jetting off later - very rock 'n' roll…

I do like to socialise and listen to what everyone else is doing, but there's not really enough time tonight… got the rest of the summer though…

Plans for the rest of the summer?

After Ibiza, we're releasing an album called Bleach In, and that's out in seven weeks time, so we're going to be doing live gigs with my band and we're rehearsing at the moment - that'll be kicking off in about three weeks. We're going to go to Japan, do live gigs, we're a rock 'n' roll band now!

Not hanging up your headphones then?

No, I'm doing a bit of that, but it's incorporated, live sections with guitar, 'cause I'm good at that, and it's a bit silly to stop doing something you're good at.

It's good to see people branching out a bit though…

Yeh, I can play guitar, I do that as well.

And you're still doing all the fashion shows too!

Yeh, I've been doing that about fifteen years, with my friend John Galliano, that goes on and on, my life story!!

And sporting some lovely clothes today…

I got this shirt in Australia and the trousers are Vivienne Westwood…. but they're mine!