Howard pictured at the CA exhibtion of sleeve artwork by Peter Anderson

To Be Continued - Howard Devoto skips through Magazine's back pages by Paul Morley Howard Devoto drives me down to Margate in a hired yellow Ford Cortina.

So Magazine have split.

For a change

Is there value in retrospection?

Yes. I think there is a kind of temporary immortality! Yes - a temporary lasting that some songs and music have. It's not all fly by the following night and out of the window: I'm pleased with our records - astonished by some of what we've done - and think that they stand up- I don't find much need to defend anything about them. Mainly I just want people to notice that - now - Magazine have stopped. "C'est fini." Whether they're inclined to notice or not.

It's been a longtime since there have been records of the quality of something like "Low" and "The Idiot." they were definitely the two - and there haven't been many records released since that are going to be worth listening to years later. I think ours will last. "The idiot." - I told the group to listen to that when we formed - you can hear that especially on "Real Life" I think.

Where Magazine a rock group?

Well - can you offer me any other choices? I think that anybody who didn't know that much about rock - say your big sister - if you played her a Magazine record and you said what kind of music is it - she would say - rock. So I suppose this proves it was rock. The rest Is just twiddling around with terms.

But all that rocking mediocrity!

I think there are some people doing good things. Things I like a lot. The value I get from these things is certainly different from the value I got when I wasn't in it myself. There is no way I can let it enclose me like it did when I was a fan-consumer. I had a hell of a lot of illusions about it -the musician star thing. Even by the age of 20- very juvenile.

Were your songs and your records statements of how you felt and perceived at that time or a contribution to this scene you had illusions about?

(Pause) A bit of both. (Pause) Yes. I didn't come from nowhere and happen upon the rock form thinking - oh yes this suits my intentions.

Is the splits discovery that the forms it was taking are compromising or that you felt you had achieved all you could with the enterprise. This is it and it was right - or there is a better way of working!

(Pause) A bit of both. (Pause) A lot of things caught up with me.

Does your leaving Magazine take the form of an excitement for you?

Definitely. I wasn't enjoying myself a lot a few weeks ago when I was having to tell the group. But it has been all down hill ever since!

You should have split the group when Formula joined Visage.

Ooh well. (pause)- (pause).

Say something.

I'll say something. Something like I was just glad that everybody had something to do. There were times when Magazine weren't doing much. It was John that started that.

Were you Insulted?

Naah- I don't think so.

Did you resent Dave Formula getting into the hit parade with Steve Strange and not Howard Devoto?

(Pause) A little bit - yes. But I don't really think I fool bitter about it at all. I wouldn't mind playing keyboards in Kim Wilde's backing group for a couple of months.

Have you noticed the Buzzcocks in those songs - and the "Shot By Both Sides" bit in "Chequered Love ?"

You mean there's a chance for me !! She's just irresistible.

Have you felt like leaving before?-

After every LP.

What made you change your mind the events that follow such releases - tours etc.

by Peter Anderson

There comes a point where the whole thing starts to perpetuate itself. You carry on to justify what you've done in the past - and there are financial reasons. I really thought at the time of each of our LPs that it was the last. It is odd to leave around the release of an LP - perhaps. It doesn't feel odd to me because as far as I'm concerned that's the main thing - the writing of the songs and the recording of them. "But having done it you kind of want to make the most of it as well." This time round-

You didn't want to.

Well - it's been on my mind to leave for six months. Last year was quite enervating- with John McGeoch leaving and then that two month tour with Robert Simon.

Was he a mistake?

Well - yes - really. We fulfilled our commitments to the tour well and he did well but when it came to the writing of the new songs it just wasn't happening.

Anything that could have changed your mind during the last six months?

The thing people obviously said is what if the new single or album is a -really big success - that would change your mind wouldn't it? But it wouldn't have- it might have put off the decision for six months and maybe we would have been a little better off. But what were the chances of that happening?

Do you think "Song From Under The Floorboards" was one of your most successful songs?

I think so. You know where a lot of it's from don't you? "Notes From Underground" by Dostoevski which is also translated as "Notes From Under The Floorboards". I think that story is one of the most amazing pieces of writing you've got all of his BOO page books in that story more or less. The whole idea of man rejecting paradise if he finds that he's programmed for paradise lust for the hell of it he'll f*** It up. It did say on the single "For F.D" - It was supposed to be on the LP as well. Because I always wanted a disclaimer in case y'know- anybody found out !

Will what you do next be very. different - or will it take a similar form?

I think that anything that has Howard Devoto written on it is going to be not dissimilar to something Magazine has done. Magazine has encompassed quite a lot of styles. The idea of doing something where I'm kind of in the background quite appeals to me.

A director?

Maybe.

A catalyst?

Maybe. I don't really know what I'm going to be doing next.

Is that exciting?

Yep

Will people wait ?

Whoever said I was expecting them to? They will or they won't.

Are you Into trash?

Not really.

Are you into art?

Not really. (Pause) I'm not into either of those. I'm into beauty and panache.

What do you take seriously?.

Things that kill

When you said that some of Magazine astonished you - this is not conceit?-

No. No. No. it's the opposite of conceit ! It's a weird bit of humility. - It's one of those strange distances. If I was prepared for it to be astonishing then that would be conceit. I'm saying that it genuinely kind of surprises me.

It surprises you that you achieve what you do and don't think you can do it again?

I find that a little bit about the first two LPs because I was- kind of different on those. There is a change after that. I sort of understand what initially got up people's noses. A lot. of that this is no kind of apology - people have taken the stances in songs as in many cases 100 per cent me saying I'm nearly God Almighty. This kind of amazes me- there are a multitude of hints to the contrary and there are also blatant statements to the converse

What are you really like?

I'm like this!

A man who drives a car.

Well - that tells you a lot.

Are people uncomfortable in your company?.

I think a lot of people who meet me are maybe surprised by how casual I am. I think they perhaps expect me to be intense and when I'm not they go - oh he's not intense but the songs seem to be - so he must be pretending- "Something detached" is the other one. I do find quite a strong need to shut a lot out In his own little world - that a what people say. But if I'm not in there I'm totally lost - and that's what its like some days - To boil an egg takes the greatest concentration.

I thought you preferred fried eggs (Which reminds me.) Has it escaped your notice that Peter Shelley is "free" at the moment?

Well - obviously I know he isn't working- I think it's very unlikely that! will work with him again. I think you go and do those things when you've tried everything else.'

HOWARD DEVOTO was born in Scunthorpe.