Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 30-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
In a recent interview, I was asked which song best states who I am. I answered “Not With You.” I wrote it in 1985 about my then-boyfriend John Mann—the singer in Canadian Celtic band Spirit Of The West. I met him when they’d only put out their first album, when John was opening solo for Art Bergmann or his band Poisoned. I saw him do his a cappella thing and rushed over to commend him. We were together less than a year—I guess we broke up when Spirit Of The West were playing a regular gig at Expo 86 while I was making anti-Expo bumper stickers and contributing a Mecca Normal song called “Sha La La La” to a D.O.A. propelled seven-inch called “Expo Hurts Everyone” to benefit residents of the Downtown Eastside who were displaced by the capitalist fervor that was Expo 86.
“Not With You” was the first song I did a vocal overdub on, and I was really excited about it. I guess I sort of forgot what it was about and played it for John. Awkward. It’s basically about telling a guy (John) that I have my own dreams and I’m going to do things my way and see my dreams come true. He went on to write a song about me called “Political.” He definitely got me back for “Not With You.” I’ve never publically answered why “every little thing had to be so political” but there were very good reasons why I didn’t like some of his friends. But I’m still not going to say what they were.
Anyway, I’ve worked successfully with some of my partners and lumped it when others didn’t like Mecca Normal (or my singing). Gerry Useless, bassist of the Subhumans, was not a Mecca Normal fan (when we were together circa 1991 or so), but he did like my writing. I worked successfully with Peter Jefferies for several important years (albeit ones fraught with upheaval) when we were either here in Vancouver working on his albums, our albums in New Zealand working on 2 Foot Flame or on tour in the U.S., N.Z. or Europe.
I’ve tried not to let a man’s agenda impact my course of action; not for very long anyway (says the long-time single, 55-year-old lady).
“Women Were King” from Mecca Normal (Smarten Up!, 1986; re-released by K, 1995) (download):
