Letting Them Talk with Will Harris - Ep. 37 - Sally Timms (Mekons / Marc Almond / Pete Shelley / Cowboy Sally)

This time I’m letting Sally Timms talk. Sally is a singer-songwriter who – since 1985 – has been a member and one of the lead singers of one of the longest-running bands to emerge during the UK punk explosion, even if it’s been quite a while since one would readily describe their sound as “punk.” She recorded her first album in 1980 with the help of Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks – if you’re curious about how it sounds, you’re in luck, because it’s out there for streaming – but even after she released that record, it still never occurred to her that she might actually end up pursuing a proper career in music. That situation changed after she joined the Mekons in ’85, but even then, she probably never imagined that she’d still be part of the band’s lineup more than 40 years later. Granted, the band’s tendency toward cult status means that she hasn’t always been able to make music her full-time career, but she’s certainly been continuing to make music ever since. Last year, the Mekons released HORROR, and this year they released an album of dub remixes called HORRORble (mekons v.s Tony Maimone in Dub Conference). If Tony’s name rings a bell, it’s because he’s a member of Pere Ubu, and he’s really transformed the songs in some unique ways. We talked about that collaboration, and we talked about some of Sally’s other work with the Mekons, too, of course, including the differences between major and indie label life and her thoughts about the documentary about the band. But beyond the Mekons, we also discussed her work with the Aluminum Group, her duet with Marc Almond, being Cowboy Sally, and even when she provided a voice for Cartoon Network’s Toonami. That’s probably enough of an intro. It’s time to let Sally Timms talk.