Life’s All Right - Behind the Music

  • The album was recorded in Phil’s room in the house that he shared with Paul and Treeve, which was known affectionately as BR. Phil desperately wanted to pork the landlady’s daughter, but was frustrated in his efforts.
  • The Paul in question - and who is mentioned in Two Pint Rule and Drugs are Dull is not the same Paul who recorded Bastard with Phil.
  • The Two Pint Rule is both a physical and ethical law: in BR it was verboten to make a decision about the evening’s activities until you had consumed at least two pints of beer. This ensured that any residual hangover from the night before was sufficiently hair-of-dogged away before you could claim that you didn’t want to go out. Of course, after two pints of beer you were usually up for a night out, which is why Paul, Treeve and Phil all developed significant beer bellies whilst living together.
  • Phil borrowed Dan’s bass to record this album, and recorded it using the same crappy 4 track used to record Bastard
  • The original mix of the album was terrible, but Nick helped Phil immensely by helping to remix it.
  • The cover of the album came from some pic Phil found on the Internet and probably breaks several copyright laws.
  • Phil transfered the analogue recordings to digital format in early 2000.
  • Absent Friends was written after Paul and Treeve had moved out of the house and Phil was left alone with only Heineken Export - which was on special at the offy - for company.
  • Dan pointed out that Phil was far more likely to say “vagina” and “faeces” than “cunt” and “shit”.
  • Two Pint Rule made Nick’s top five list of tunes to whistle in 2001 and 2002.
  • The title of the album - and the font used for the cover - is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the TV show My So-Called Life which Phil liked a lot because Claire Danes is a cracking looking bird.
  • Drugs Are Dull was a dig at Treeve who used to pile as many mind-altering chemicals into his body in anticipation of a great night out, only to fall asleep on the sofa before even getting out the front door.
  • This City was recorded after Phil had left university and was living unemployed and thoroughly miserable back at his parents house.
  • Brainwashed By Me Bird was based very strongly on Phil’s girlfriend at the time. It’s perhaps telling that the album was released in March and she dumped him in April. He kept the tartan travel blanket.