b'Director Interviews UKDave How one man with a camera Robinson and sometimes a bat used thrift, speed & Stiffs Upper Lip humor to craft StiffRecords\' memorable catalog of distinctly British music videos Tracey Ullman They Dont Knowon the set of Robert Plants Burning Down One Side (photo by Nigel Dick)As the head of Stiff Records, you were doingWhat was the first clip you actuallyOn the Our House video, whatThe budget for Madness My Girl was everything. When did it come about that youdirected? happened with the parachute?around 2,500 pounds. The Lena Lovich one would be directing the music videos? First one I really did was the DamnedsWe hooked the parachute onto thewas in the same ballpark, between 2,500 I started off work as a photographer, so I had New Rose [1976], which I did with anothercrane, and made it look like the wires wereand 3,000 pounds. At that time, the major a vague idea of how it worked. In those days,guy who could film, so I directed and heconnected and it was working. record companies were spending fifteen before MTV, they were made to send to be seen filmed it. And then I thought, wow, this is reallyYes, but the shot in the video has thethousand pounds for a music video. around the world. Theyd get a look at the band, easy, maybe Ill just do all of it. I believe Leneparachute falling down. It obviously looksGenerally, where were they being so obviously you wanted to keep the budget low.Lovitchs Lucky Number was the secondlike a mistake, but comes off funny. seen in the UK.?There was no promotional usage for them, it was[1979]. And from there on, that was the thing. IYes, it obviously didnt work, but it was allTheres an awful lot of Saturday morning just letting the people in the offices in Australia mean, Madness shoots were unique becausepart of the humor of that one.programs for kids with music in them. They see the band you were talking about. So I gave ittheyre very good actors, and prepared to doAnd it looks like you won a fewalways used the videos. Saturday morning out to several directors, and give them an idea ofanything. They were into being funny. Youawards for those clips. shows and music shows mostly. They were how it was going to be, and Id get it back and itknow, I was brought up on the Carry On filmsYes, I believe we won twelve awardskey for records in the U.K. at that time. We wouldnt bear any resemblance to what you agreedof the UK, so you know, slightly slapstick,for our videos. We got a Clio too, somewere making commercials for records, which you were going to get. And theyd run overbudget slightly zany. The way the videos were made,advertising award for a Kirsty MacColl videois what I always thought of music videos and all kinds of stuff, so I thought, what could be they had to be made in one day. I could takecalled Terry." The record wasnt a big hit. Itas.We were making a spot that was a difficult about this? These people are idiots, so time off to mess about, so eventually I put anwas a funny thing in a club, and we pickedcommercial for the record. obviously I could do itIm an idiot.And I could editing suite into the office. My wife and thisup some awards. Nigel said he learned this from you: Madness One Step Beyond do a good job, because I know pretty much what Inew editor started working there. So all thoseWhat was your general budget inDont tell me your problems, and I wont want, so I started doing them.videos were made in a day.those days? tell you mine. 54MVTMISSUE #1ISSUE #1MVTM55'