An Interview with The Flying Postmen

Imagine being told, what you can and can't listen to as a child! Growing up in the USSR wasn't easy for The Flying Postmen.

Andrei: We were banned from listening to the music of The Beatles! It was like wanting it more. When someone is not allowed to do something, that person gets more intrigued by that thing mainly because the first driving question is why? Well in our case, as far as I can remember, The Beatles specifically were forbidden to listen to. I can recall some lines from our encyclopaedia in the section of Great Britain's music and arts. "In the 60's the most popular and successful band were The Beatles. But their music carries capitalistic ideas and concepts which are not relevant for Soviet nation and do not match the principles of our education." It sounds ridiculous I know, but that's the way it was. Still, people that were lucky managed to get hold of many of The Beatles and other good bands records. The other funny thing was, that one day in the early 80's, the Russian record company released an EP with 4 Beatles songs, one of which was 'Girl' and under the titles you would see 'National English Song' not 'Lennon and McCartney', but everybody knew who wrote the songs!

When did you first discover that you had a musical talent?
Mircea: I think I'd been discovered when I was in play-school. The teacher would make me sing in front of all the pupils in order to set them an example.
Gabi: As far as I remember it was my father who discovered my musical talent. Certainly it would be a must for a conductor of a children's choir to bring that up in his own kids. Obviously, when I was six I began to sing in the choir.
Andrei: I started playing guitar when I was 9. And then sometime later I made up my first song - it was nothing special, as far as I remember, but realized that I was not bad at all. It just had to take some time.
Emil: I did not have to discover anything. I was discovered by the guests at my family's parties, when they would ask me to climb on a stool and fire a song away. That was when I got into top 10, well, in fact top 1 with me having a number 1 hit song!!

What was it that made you want to become a musician in a band?
Mircea: The lust for playing drums. I liked this instrument from the very beginning.
Gabi: When I heard The Beatles.
Andrei: To be honest it was The Beatles that started it all off. There was some kind of family togetherness in the whole damn thing that would make almost anyone want to be a member of a band. And then I knew I had something going for it.
Emil: When I was 15 I was getting bored. But I wouldn't have thought I would get into a band. I just liked listening to 50's & 60's records. So, when Andrei came up with a proposition for me to play in HIS band (which consisted of just Andrei at that time,) it was more than joy. I was interested. To me it meant bye bye boredom! Isn't it great when you have to start from an innocent chord and then build up your own sound?!

Who encouraged you to play the guitar? How did you get in your first band and what were they called?
Gabi: The main driving thing that made me want to play the guitar was the idea of forming and playing in a band of The Beatles' calibre. In fact, before joining The Flying Postmen, I used to play in my school's band and then carried on with the same people at the Medical University. It wasn't anything serious, I mean the band, we were just sort of amateurs. I can't remember what it was called like. If I'm not mistaken it was something like a title of one of the Beatles songs.
Andrei: Nobody really. At first it was curiosity, then habit and then determination. But in a way it was my brother again. The only trouble was that he would not allow me to play his acoustic guitar. But when he'd be out I'd certainly try it and one day he found out by coming home unexpectedly. Well, he was impressed by my progress! In 1988 I was attending some of the rehearsals of the school band because I was dying to get into any band to play. Mircea, our drummer was playing there and other 3 guys from the school. When the bassist would not turn up I would sort of replace him for that day but that was it. They would not actually let me play with them on a 'full-time' basis, as I was one year younger, although I was better on bass. I don't think they had a name - just a school band. Some time later I hooked up with Emil. And it all went well!
Emil: My grandma was a better guitarist than Hendrix himself!! I still have this belief. One day she just decided that it's too late (80 years old) to become a professional guitarist. As a result she gave me her 7th string in order to give it a rock n' roll look. I literally inherited my first guitar.

Where did The Flying Postmen form and how did you all meet?
Andrei: I can't give you a precise date but if I'm not mistaken it was in February 1989 when Emil, Mircea and I thought that I it could be a lasting thing. But I met Emil much earlier in our school - autumn 1988. He was the member of the pupils board or something like that and the guys would organize all sort of soirees of music, poetry etc. It was very exciting. They, the ones from the board, would ask me to play couple songs as they heard that I was into music and playing guitar. So I played there. But we actually discovered each other a bit later when I heard him whistling 'Yesterday' in the lobby. At that time my mind was taken by the love songs of The Beatles. I stopped and asked if he liked The Beatles. He did. I also had a strong idea of getting my own band because the others were tough on me playing the bass. I just thought to invite him over to my place. It turned out he lived 5 minutes away from me. Excellent!! Emil still tells me that I said I wanted to show him my band. But there wasn't any! It was me with this idea. I was just running around playing bass, guitar and piano. We listened to a tape with 'Please Please Me' and another album, which turned out to be Paul McCartney's first solo album. We thought it was The Beatles! Anyway, I think he was impressed. A couple of weeks later, before getting off the bus, I told him quiet affirmatively: "We'll find a drummer and a guitarist and form a band". He nodded meaning yes obviously. Then I thought of Mircea to drum for us a bit. Although he was into another style of music, he was the only drummer that I knew. He accepted, questioning his temporary status: "Why only for a while?"

You all seem very 60's influenced, do you as a band of today, feel cheated that you missed the 60's? (Just like me!)
Mircea: I like nowadays, but sometimes I would not mind to experience the 60's, but definitely not in USSR.
Gabi: 60's is a style of life for me - arts, culture, music, etc. Had I not discovered this superb music, I've got no idea what I would've done. I would have liked to live in sixties and namely in Great Britain. I guess you can get some of that 60's atmosphere at the Mathew Street Festival and Beatles Convention in Liverpool.
Andrei: Well, it was a great time. Everybody says so. I don't feel cheated - I just would give so much to live at least one of those days. But we have a flying expression - it happened as it happened. Or as one of the songs goes - things are as they are. At least we got a piece of their energy and spirit.
Emil: It feels like I've lost something which never belonged to me. And I want it back! Who said it's impossible? For instance if you miss the bus, you'd wait for another one. Otherwise you'd just have to walk (Good luck!). Now, the important thing is that you must know where to go. Never mind the distance. On the other hand Moldova in 70's & 80's spiritually and economically was very close to England in its earliest 60's. So, personally, I don't feel any cheating on me. I'm a 60's man and I feel it from inside. I'm just like a kid, who believes in fairy tales.

What is it about The Beatles that you love? Can you remember the first Beatles song that you learnt as a band and how did it feel?
Mircea: I can't really remember. Probably it was 'Twist and Shout'.
Andrei: It's more the way they were doing everything rather than the music itself. They had a nerve which caused all that to drive over you. A combination of four perfectly matching energies, which formed a strong spirit. Emil and I, we tried to learn Love Me Do that was a crucial song from the voicing point of view. It was difficult for me because for some reason I had no idea how voices can sing in intervals. I was only 13. But that's when we discovered that our voices matched perfectly. The first song the band played was probably... 'I Saw Her Standing There' or 'All My Loving'. It felt as it felt - great!

Where was your first live gig as the Flying Postmen?
Andrei: I might be wrong - Ave Beatles Festival, autumn 1992.
Emil: Our first gig looked more like a dance party. We performed as a school band at 1990 Christmas party. It was pretty wild, because at that time our school didn't have a clue what rock n' roll was about. In fact, an entire school generation was brought up on the music we played.

How does it feel playing in front of a live audience, especially of Beatles Fans?
Mircea: I was bloody shaking all over.
Gabi: It is no easy job to explain that. But as far as I remember for a start I got a bit lost in front of the audience as the emotions were pouring out of me. Nevertheless, my band mates sort of ironed that out by generating a strong energy so that I could not stand still with my own fears, I just had to do something about it and I think I did. I pulled myself together and put all my soul into it. I think I cracked it - at some point I was madly jumping on the stage. As concerns the Beatles fans it is a pleasure to play in front of them.
Andrei: Smashing. Especially when we played mad songs that they did not expect.
Emil: Very comfortable. It's like a big family having a party.

Which period of The Beatles music do you most specialise in as a Tribute Band?
Andrei: I would not say we are a tribute band. We are just a band that plays covers and original stuff. So we specialise in what The Beatles specialised - being The Beatles whatever they played. Which means we specialise in being The Flying Postmen whatever we play.
Emil: Hamburg. And if you want to see a pupil teaching another pupil, watch The Beatles for whom Hamburg was a school and us learning from The Beatles.

What ambitions do The Flying Postmen have left to fulfil?
Andrei: One of them is to fulfil those ambitions, which would be touring, recording, exploring mad ideas, meeting new people etc.
Emil: The more healthy chords we play the better. I always had a quiet unusual ambition to turn minor chords into major ones, if you know what I mean. We've got a flying saying: a well-played minor chord can be major as well. Your own music is excellent!

Who is the songwriter of the band?
Andrei: It's usually Emil and I. Otherwise I've got no clue who writes it.
Emil: We just can't afford a songwriter for the band. It's a pretty nice job anyway.

Apart from The Beatles, who have been the bands other musical influences?
Gabi: I was and still am very much influenced by the giants of the blues and rhythm & blues like Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac, Cream …
Andrei: Personally I listen to loads of different music. Well, the main influences would be obviously bands like Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Animals, Kinks, The Byrds, The Yardbirds; rock n' rollers like Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, blues artists like Muddy Waters, B B King, Cream, Eric Clapton; then Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Wings, Bob Dylan, Dire Straits, CCR, Doors, Crowded House and others. I could probably carry on and on. Besides, some of the modern bands also influence me. I like Blur, Paul Weller, U2, R.E.M., Kula Shaker.
Emil: We all listen to the same kind of music. But apart from that I would put the stress on The Kinks. I like discovering bands which were less known in 60's. I listen to a lot of jazz. I'm able to plunge into an endless listening to bossanova.

As a Beatle band, The Flying Postmen are very popular, why do you think this is?
Mircea: It's probably because now we are not trying to copy the Beatles at all - something very much mentioned at the gigs. We've got our own energy, our own feel.
Gabi: Fame came due to the fact that we made a different approach, which is - we didn't play The Beatles exactly the same way. Generally, we are just bouncing off their and other bands' experiences and knowledge. It is essential to understand this music, to put your soul into it and most importantly to bring something of yours into the songs played for such a long time. And then evidently there will be a positive reaction and energy from the audience. Probably for doing something a little bit different.
Andrei: Are we that popular? If we are, maybe one of the reasons would be us being together for more than 10 years, which makes a difference. We sort of grew into each other spiritually. For instance when Mircea plays drums, subconsciously I know what he's going to do which gives me a hint into how to play the bass. It could also be that we dug very deep into the roots, in other words we successfully graduated from that 60's school which gave us an insight into what the music was about in those years. We also created our own environment in which we developed our talents.
Emil: It's only rock n' roll and you like it!!

Jo Rishton
TWIL Issue Three January 2001