- What have you been up to for the past year?
"We've just spent six months making an LP and I had six months off at the end of the last year. That sounds really lazy, but we worked really hard last year travelling round the world. We went round most of the countries in the world had had big success in most of them.
"We were busy up until October then we had a big hit in Japan and had to go there. I was really exhausted after that. I was linving in Liverpool at the time, and we were on a plane tree or four times a week.
"I know a lot of people can cope with it but it's not the healthiest of existences. At the end of last year I was just knackered all the time.
"Now after coming out of the studio I feel like an old wreck. I hate being unhealthy, and at the moment I am."

- What did you do in your time off?
"I bought a house in London and had that decorated. That took months. And we wrote some songs and rehearsed."

- Are you a club person?
"No, I really hate them. There are some good ones in Liverpool, but they're all really unhealthy with all the cigarette smoke and that. You feel so stale the next day.
"I'm usually in bed by midnight, though because we play club music people get the impression I go to clubs the whole time. Most club music doesn't excite me that much."

- Are you ever tempted to make music other than dance music?
"I hate ballads - I really loathe them. Sometimes I'll hear a subdued record and quite like it - like there's one by Everything But The Girl that I think is brilliant, but I could never do anything like that.
"I'd rather stay doing dance records even if they didn't sell because they're fun to make. And all the gimmicks that people think are cliched are still really new to a lot of people. When we did 'Spin me Round' everybody was saying that hi-NRG was dead, but didn't think it was hi-NRG anyway, because to me hi-NRG is crap like that Sinatra record.
"It got to No.1 in 17 countries anyway, so it wasn't that dead."

- Why get rid of the eye patch, is it a new image?
"We went abroad and it was like being the singing eye patch! The band is quite visual but it's not like 'yoo-hoo kids we've changed our image and gone really tough and macho'. It doesn't matter - it wouldn't matter to me if we were never ever seen, just as long as we made our records. I'd quite happily be anonymous and obscure."

- What was success like after years of having a small cult following?
"You can give two answers to that. I always think groups who say other groups have sold out are talking a lot of crap because everyone's in it for the same reasons. It's because they don't want a normal nine to five job, it seems quite glamorous when you first get into it and it's quick money.
"The thing is that you don't feel any different, but while you're successful you find that a lot of people are polite to you. People do change towards you even though you're exactly the same.
"It's like Prince has built up a clever enigma thing where people think he's God, but he's just ordinary - he goes for a wee like everybody else and eats the same food as us."

- Have you ever had a 'proper' job?
"No, but I never wanted to be a singer in a group. I had no intention of doing it but I just drifted into it through the Liverpool Eric's scene. We were always in the Club, and the owner was always saying, get in a band, and before I knew it he'd thrown together a bunch of musicians for me and we started rehearsing. It was so easy - it seemed like a hobby and I didn't want any money for it then.
"I just drifted into it. I certainly didn't grow up wanting to be famous or anything - I'd have been satisfied to run a little village post office or something. And I'd still look exactly like this." (Ah... Postman Pete - you can just picture him. - Ed)

- What was your ambition when you were young?
"I think I wanted to be permanently a baby and stay in my cot. When I've got loads of money I'm going to have a giant playpen built! I still find it absolutely murder to have any kind of responsabilities.
"Like lately I'm always late and I worry that people think it's a superstar tantrum, but I just can't get myself out of the house on time. I always find a thousand things to do - I dash around, start polishing a table and before I know it I've forgotten what I'm supposed to be doing. I'll be hosing down the bath or on me hands and knees scrubbing the floor."

- Can you ever see yourself getting in a similar position as Boy George has?
"Poor fella - what more can you say? What did they try and do to him? He gave so much of himself to the press he must have just flipped out one day. I'd never get in that position because I've watched it happen to other people - everything that ever happens in the world is an example.
"George had had enough examples of people going off and doing the thingd he did, but it's up to him. Everyone has the basic human right to do - it's his own business. He brought enough people pleasure through what he did - even though we were always bitching at each other - it's a shame that people can't leave him alone."

- Do you get upset when people criticise the way you look?
" I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but if you look like I do then people naturally think you're vain and they attack you because you're brought up to think that vanity is a sin. I just think, sod'em because for every person that hates you there's probably two that love you.
"Everything I do to myself is for my own self-satisfaction - not from a purely narcissistic view, but for the same reason as you'd decorate your house. You live in it, so you can do what the hell you like to it."

- How old were you when you first started dressing up?
"When I was very very little I used to dress up in me mum's high heeled shoes. And I'd dress up as a Red Indian a lot with woollen plaits and things. I always decorated things - I can't leave anything alone."

-Are you happier now than you were when you were 17?
"I'm 27 now and I'll start lying about my age when I get to 30! But I feel exactly the same as I did at 17. I still feel as scatty and disorganised. I remember exactly how I felt then too, because I never forget anyhting. I remember everything people say when they go out and get drunk - I can listen to four conversations at the same time and quote them back!"

- Are you good at applying yourself to something?
"No, not at all. At home I'll have the TV, radio and record player on all the same time then I'll turn them all off because I can't stand it any more. I've tried hobbies, I got one of those Space Invader machines, but I couldn't be bothered. I couldn't see the point. Like when people take up sport I go, 'but what can you win?' It's not even that healthy because you pull muscles and sweat."

- What are your friends like?
"My best friend is a cleaning lady! It's great taking her to things because she's happy with her lot and isn't phased by things. I tend to surround myself with people who aren't in music because I'd rather hear about their job than talk about mine. I like real life."

- What do you do in your spare time?
"Clean the flat! Honestly, you'd think I was absolutely psycho if you could see how I clean up the flat. I'm unbelievably tidy - I'll see a magazine on the table and pick it up and put it straight, then if someone picks it up to look at I'll be watching them 'til they put it back. I never relax.
"It's got worse as I've got older. I was on the point of going to a doctor about it! I wouldn't like to clean up anybody else's mess though because all the mess I make is careful mess! The other thing I hate is wire hangers. I opened my wife's wardrobe and her clothes were on wire hangers and I flipped! She's used to me now though.
"I'm a terrible houseguest because I'll go rooting through people's things. I'm not snooping, but I just like having a look. As you can guess I don't go round to many pepole's houses."

- Are you puritanical?
"Even though I don't do things like drink or take drugs, I don't mind if somebody else does. I still think everybody has a right to do what they want to do. Does anything shock me? One person who got in touch with us was so mad... we folded our fan club because though we had some brilliant ones there was this weird element creeping in. When you get people threatening to kill themselves if you don't do something then that's disturbing."

- What do you listen to at home?
"Linda Ronstadt, folk music mainly. I even listen to classical stuff and I buy a lot of compact discs of things like Simon and Gartfunkel. I never play dance music at home, and I don't play our records at home - they're too bloody noisy!"

Interview by Karen Swayne, Photos by Paul Cox (1986).