It's not easy being the most misunderstood band in the world. Just ask Rachel Stamp's bassist, vocalist, and head taskmaster David Ryder-Prangley. He's been messed around, misinterpreted, and misquoted enough to know better. But Ryder-Prangley still has enough fight in him left to not let the dogs of the music biz get him down.

In fact, on Rachel's Stamp's latest effort, Oceans Of Venus, he might just get around to taming the bureaucrats. Slated to be the Stamp's first American release, it's a long time coming for a band that has had much success in their home port of London, England. It hasn't always been that way, though.

Currently testing out the waters on the Captiva label, Ryder-Prangley and the rest of Rachel Stamp have fought hard to earn their place in Rock. They've attacked music from every angle. Major label incompetence left them with a shelved catalogue while independent self-issues eased arguments but taxed the billfold. They've recruited and lost band mates at a rate that would tank a lesser stamina only to have subsequent replacements duck out at the last minute. Hardly the makings of an overnight success.

But their persistence may be why every new 'glam' band is in some way compared to Rachel Stamp and their unique approach to symphonic deconstruction. If David Ryder-Prangley's undertaking as head of Rachel Stamp has been monumental, then it's easy to see how the resultant music is like a classical epic, traveling unknown territory and changing plot with every new turn.

On Oceans Of Venus, Rachel Stamp ushers in a new era in rock with an exhilarating pace. Thunderous snarls, mirrored lyrics, and grandiose production give the Stamp's an original edge - and the listener some meat to chew on. The light moments are few and far between with the bubblegum good times being guarded by a sentry of complex emotions. The music is a monster that demands to be assimilated and understood, but much like Rachel Stamp, it must be on it's own terms.

Sick of being a saint, David Ryder-Prangley agreed to be interviewed by Dixie Tucker. He filled us in on Rachel Stamp's recent trip to the States, the best way to recover your music from a defunct record contract, and setting the Pope on fire.

Dixie Tucker: How does it feel to release a full-length album? Were there any aspects of the recording process that cropped up that you weren't expecting?

David Ryder-Prangley: This is actually our third album, but the first to be released in the USA. We were prepared for what to expect from a musical point of view but the dreaded business side was a nightmare. I hate the music industry.

DT: You've had a tumultuous time with keeping band members, most recently your drummer, Robin, left. Wasn't it an inopportune time for him to leave the band?

DRP: He left at a point where it was impossible to go on with him. With all due respect to previous members, it takes a lot of guts, blood, and passion to be a member of this band and some people just can't take it. If you want to fuck with the eagles, you've got to learn to fly.

DT: How did your American Tour go?

DRP: Wonderful. Very low key, but very encouraging. I do think it's weird that in the USA people seem to be very into labels for music. We don't like to label what we do.

DT: In what ways are American audiences different than English Audiences?

DRP: American audiences appreciate the fact that we can actually play and sing and seem less lead by fashion. English audiences would watch a dog take a shit onstage if the NME said it was cool.

DT: Why did you decide to shoot the video for "Do Me In" while stateside?

DRP: To me it's not really the 'video' for that song but a cool postcard of our time in Austin.

DT: You once were on Warner Brothers, only to have your contact there quit and Rachel Stamp was basically dropped as well. What was your reaction to being stranded like that? Did you feel you could bounce back?

DRP: We never had any doubt that we could keep it going. We hit the road and never looked back.

DT: Was it difficult getting back the rights to the material?

DRP: We hired someone to go to the WEA office, find the person who dealt with song rights, dangle them out of a fifth storey window and tell them that Rachel Stamp wanted their songs back. No Problem.

DT: Bitch vinyl was your own independent record label for awhile. Was it harder or easier taking full responsibility for your music?

DRP: It was easier because we only had to argue among ourselves rather than argue with the suits at WEA.

DT: Would you do it again if you had to?

DRP: If we had the money, I would do it tomorrow.

DT: Rachel Stamp takes enormous pride in how they present themselves on-stage. Why is it important to not look like the average bloke when you perform?

DRP: Well, we don't look average anyway. It's important to not look like the average person because we stand for individuality and the way we look is an extension of our entire philosophy. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

DT: David, you have said that, "There has never been a more misunderstood band in the history of the universe". Why is that?

DRP: Because we are deadly serious about music and we have a sense of humour and we want to change the world and save people from hellish existence. Because of they way we look, in the UK the press and even our fans think we're some 'Party Glam' band and nothing is further from the truth.

We did a gig once where my bass kept breaking down and I couldn't hear myself sing. The audience was really boring and the band was arguing and I was telling someone in the front row to fuck off. I stormed off halfway through the set and it was just really dismal and the vibes coming off the stage were like hell on earth. Someone came up to me afterwards and actually said 'It's great to see a band having fun onstage'! If I gouged one of my eyes out and set fire to a picture of the pope, we'd still get people coming up saying 'You guys remind me of Poison'.

DT: Why should people pay attention to Rachel Stamp?

DRP: I think that's a question that you should answer.


For more info check out www.rachelstamp.com