During the last days of 198.. oh sorry, of 2017, I had the chance to get in contact with Valerie Day, lead singer of Nu Shooz, the lady we all remember at the desk in the video of “I can’t wait”. Valerie answered to a tweet, and was so kind to answer to some questions. An interview to Nu Shooz was about to be reality! It’s an enormous pleasure for me to share Valerie’s thoughts: the only thing we were missing in the 80s was the easy way to communicate and to get in contact that we have today!
– Nu Shooz are, according to many 80s fans, one of the most iconic groups of the 80s. Nu Shooz reached worldwide success with two major hits, yet still today it is almost impossible to find an 80s fan who didn’t and doesn’t love Nu Shooz and their songs. What is, in your opinion, the secret of this absolutely unanimous love tribute to Nu Shooz? And, by the way, how could you come up with this fantastic name… I mean, whose shoes are we talking about? ????
We were lucky because we had some success while sounding completely like ourselves. We were not punk or Nu Wave. In fact we came out of the Latin Jazz scene of the late ’70’s. (Nu Shooz began in ’79) The music that interested us was big-band funk with horns. As for the band name, that’s not too interesting. We just needed something to put on a poster. We didn’t like the name for about 30 years. Always wanted something tougher, like Slayer! Now it seems oddly perfect. Also, we NEVER had shoes in any of our graphics, until those guys put a million of them in a video.
– The refrain part of “I can’t wait” is probably the most addictive piece of Nu Shooz music. Could you tell us how this song came to life, and if there is a story behind it?
That song took about six months to make it go. There were some other chorus ideas that were not as good. Had they been chosen instead, we wouldn’t be talking about it now. John remembers walking the rainy winter streets of Portland with the demo track playing on a cassette walkman over and over. Finally though, the verses were written in about 15 minutes as the band loaded in for rehearsal.
– If you had a magic wand and could go back to a specific moment in time (during the 80s of course), which day or moment in your career would you choose, and why?
We were thrilled to become one of the top LOCAL bands, years before we got a record deal. For both of us, it was that summer of 1981 when the band was really tight and we were packing the clubs for the first time, and really had peoples ears tuned to us. We could repeat that scenario forever.
– Finally, this is a great period for 80s fans and also for the artists of the 80s. Why is this happening right now with this intensity, in your opinion? I mean, it’s just about good songs, or probably a lot of great artists were kind of underestimated in the 80s and they are still showing how good they are, or maybe it’s related to this historic period, probably less funny and enjoyable than the 80s.. what’s your idea?
The people who came of age during that time are in their 50’s and 60’s now. Of course it’s natural that they would want to go back to when they were 20 or so. More hair, less wrinkles, less knee pain, etc. They say that the music you listen to between 13 and 20 will always be the most important in your life. We’re not sure if that’s true, but that’s the most you’ll ever imprint music on your soul. And by the way, you’re right about the historical period. Back then we had Reagan and Thatcher, who were just as bad as they come. Somehow though, the present seems more dire in the age of the Trump kleptocracy. Time to crank up the turn table and throw on some New Order…or maybe Nu Shooz.
A big big THANK YOU to Valerie and John from Nu Shooz for being so kind and nice to us!
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