Interview by our guest writer Michael Sutton
The number of New Wave couples in rock & roll history
is surprisingly small. New Wave artists either marry persons
not involved in music or, in the case of Mark E. Smith and Brix
Smith of the Fall, ended up getting divorced. San Francisco-based
wife and husband Charlotte Summerand Claudio Tinnirello of Moonlife
represent the flip sides of New Wave: Summer is darkness and
mystery while Tinnirello is color and flamboyance. They seem
to represent different eras of classic New Wave with Tinnirello
recapturing the New Romantic fashions and vintage synthesized
pop of early '80s Depeche Mode and New Order while Summer is
haunted by the sultry dark rock of mid-'80s post-punk. Summer
and Tinnirello took time from their domestic responsibilities
to talk with me.
Michael Sutton: How did you two meet?
Charlotte Summer: We met at a club. I was just booked to play
my first show as "Bizarre Love Triangle" and the booker
put us with a band called Moonlife. Later that week, I went out
dancing and noticed fliers around the club for Moonlife with
their picture on the flier. I recognized Claudio from the photo
sitting in the other room so I thought I would go introduce myself
and let him know we were the other band he was playing with.
He told me they had just cancelled their slot that afternoon
but maybe we should do a show in the future. One conversation
led to another and here we are.
Claudio Tinnirello: I'd heard about her from a booker but
I'd never met her before.
MS: In terms of New Wave and post-punk preferences - how
are you two similar and different in the records that you choose
to listen to?
CS: Well, we are similar in the respect that we both love
New Wave and synth music. However, we have very different tastes
when it comes to favorite bands. I liked a lot more guitar music
in the '80s than him but he seemed to like more guitar music
in the '90s than me. I love the Smiths, and he could do without
them. I am a huge Echo & the Bunnymen fan and to him, they
are just a band that had a single or two. There are bands that
I love that he had never heard of in England and vice versa.
We have both introduced each other to new sides of the New Wave
and post-punk genres. We both love Depeche Mode. We are both
fans of Goth music but I am huge Peter Murphy fan, and he isn't.
He loves the Sisters of Mercy a lot more than I do. It's the
little differences like that that make it interesting. We both
fight over whose iPod we get to listen to in the car when we
are driving.
CT: I'm British and Charlotte is American so we have very
different histories with those genres. In the U.K., British New
Wave was very mainstream and in the U.S. it was more underground.
We like a lot of similar music, but then each of us has a fave
band that the other just doesn't get.
MS: Do you influence each other musically?
CS: I think that Claudio had a huge influence on the final
production of my CD. All the songs were written before I met
him but they needed some polishing in the production phase. He
would notice things like a missing drum fill that would really
add to the song or a backing vocal that I had not thought of
putting in the song. As far as the next album, I think he will
have a definite impact on my lyrics. All of my lyrics are very
personal and so the next chapter will be about a whole new set
of experiences. Anyone who knows me knows that they might end
up in one of my songs. I know some of my friends and family think
my first album was a little dark but that's where I was when
I wrote it. The next album might not be as dark lyrically, but
who knows.
CT: I don't think so. Charlotte and I are both very headstrong
songwriters. We write what we want and I think we each have very
definite ideas when we're writing. But then, we introduce each
other to new music or new ideas and I'm sure that has some influence
on each of us.
MS: Are you planning on recording an album together?
CS: It's possible. We have already started collaborating on
a few songs for some side projects. One of the projects has been
for a dance video game. We are both such strong and opinionated
songwriters and musicians that you have to find a happy medium
to work together on. I like to do it my way, and he likes to
do it his way. I think there are some great possiblilities there.
CT: We've talked about it but haven't laid down any solid
plans. Right now we're busy with our own projects, but we've
done a couple of songs together for a video game and a short
movie. It'd be nice to have more hours in the day to work on
more projects
MS: What is the San Francisco music scene like these days?
CS: Hmm, that's a tough one. It's not that great. Live shows
a few years back were really not attracting crowds. People would
rather be at a dance club or sitting home in front of their computer.
This last year, there have been some good bands to hit the scene
but I still don't think it has been what it was in the past.
The shows I enjoy the most these days is where we show up at
a club or a big event and do two or three songs to a crowd that
is already there to dance. It's more like a "special appearance."
Also, the all-ages shows are the best. The younger the crowd,
the better the audience. They really get into the music and aren't
so busy trying to look like the coolest person in the club. They
are there to have a good time and it shows.
CT: The club scene is pretty good, but the live music scene
is very hit-and-miss. Let's face it, most people here would rather
go and dance than see a band. It doesn't help that most live
music venues aren't willing to develop the live music scene.
They just care about a band's one-time draw.
MS: When did you two decide to become musicians?
CS: I think I was born to be a musician. In fact, the day
I was born, the doctor at the hospital said, "I bet she's
gonna be a piano player because of those long fingers!"
My mom dabbled in music and played a little piano, guitar, and
violin. My older brother started banging the drums at a very
young age so it was always around me. My parents always had music
playing in the house and in the car like the Beatles or the Beach
Boys. I started playing the piano first which led me into my
keyboard fascination. I loved Howard Jones and Depeche Mode and
wanted to [do] music just like them. Eventually, I picked up
a guitar as well and started getting into that back in junior
high school.
CT: Heh, heh, heh, not until recently! I never wanted to be
a musician, I wanted to be a songwriter and a pop star. While
others at school were learning instruments I was trying to write
songs. Oh, they were awful! I realized that I needed to know
music to write songs properly, so I learned from my favorite
songs. Next I learned to play synth so I could play my songs.
I prefer to be in bands with better musicians than myself because
I can then concentrate on the writing and singing. I ended up
learning the studio side of things like production and remixing,
so recently I decided to learn some more and started playing
electric and acoustic guitar. I guess that's the long way of
saying that I never intended to become a musician, but I picked
it up on the way to my final goal of being a pop star.
MS: Who are your musical influences?
CS: I have so many, it's hard to think but I will at least
list the major ones: Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Echo & the
Bunnymen, Howard Jones, Madonna, A-ha, Bauhaus, Peter Murphy,
Love and Rockets, New Order, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Vicious
Pink, Eurythmics, Freur, and The Cult.
CT: I have far too many! Every time I hear a song it influences
me, but then there are a lot of bands that I like but I could
never write or sound like them. I have always been influenced
by bands with strong visual images like Dead Or Alive, Falco,
Army Of Lovers, Prince, Adam & The Ants, the Human League,
Gene Loves Jezebel. But musically I'm influenced by genres more
than bands.
To find more about the artists visit http://www.charlottesummer.net and http://www.moonlife.com
