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SPOOKY ACTION: RUMOURS OF A REUNION
Ronela Pearce for The Tunes Mag, 30 September 2017
Every 70s kid around the country and beyond probably remembers the band Spooky Action At a Distance – and the scientific background behind their name – with great fondness. Most would be familiar with a couple of singles from their second (and most famous) album: Quest. Mainstream hits such as ‘Down in the Upside Down’ and ‘Rubik’s Cube’ come to mind, both of which got a lot of radio airplay in their heyday. But hardcore fans often gush about songs like ‘I See You’ and ‘Crazy Together’ with heavy symbolism in their lyrics, making them ‘Anthems for the Freaks’, as bassist Max Mayfield said in a 1976 interview.
The band had often stated their support for various social causes, as was evident in a lot of their lyrics which encouraged their listeners to be kinder to each other and to themselves. However, this principle didn't seem to have held true behind the scenes. Speculations of a feud between frontman Dustin Henderson and guitarist Mike Wheeler had been brewing since the inception of the band itself, with several interviewers describing the looks between them as ‘sour’. While this feud reportedly started due to differences of opinion regarding the creative direction of the band, the idea of them being involved in a love triangle with frontwoman Jane Ives picked up momentum among certain fans not long after she joined the band. The existence of such a love triangle has been denied on multiple occasions by all three members, but the theories (and the fanfictions) continue to run wild to this day. It would certainly explain the band’s explosive and mysterious break-up at the height of their fame.
Some members of Spooky Action have since joined other bands and had successful careers. Henderson is credited as a songwriter on multiple famous pop singles in the last three decades, while Ives released music on her own and got Wheeler and drummer Will Byers to join her on stage on a memorable occasion. Wheeler himself went on to retire from the music industry soon after. It has been over forty years since all six members shared a stage. Could this be the year when they finally do? The music industry’s rumour mill thinks it is more likely than ever.
User @/spookler300 posted a simple and otherwise unremarkable tweet last night commenting on the raw display of emotions in the band’s last ever public performance, stating “holy shit I feel like I’ve ascended. Ik it’s been decades but COME BACK GUYS WE STILL TALK ABOUT YOU!!”
People have tweeted similar stuff about other great bands in the past, only to fly right under the radar. The only engagement they got was from other music lovers and hardcore fans. But this pattern changed when frontman Dustin Henderson himself replied to @/spookler300’s tweet with a mysterious “ok.”
Could this mean a reunion is in the cards? Read more here: 10 Reasons Why A Spooky Action Reunion Would Be Literally The Best Thing Ever
Top comments:
@/auroraa0801: ME AND ALL MY FANS JUST WON A MILLION AAAAA
Likes: 20k; Replies: 72
@/saaadfreak: They forgot to mention Lucas again. The racism istg-
Likes: 18.2k; Replies: 241
@/demogordon_joys: youre joking. youre so joking. You
Likes: 11.8k; Replies: 23
@/theiveshive: oh you BEST BELIEVE i’m getting tickets for this. idc i’ll give away my firstborn okay
Likes: 7.7k; Replies: 7
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SPOOKY ACTION: STEVE HARRINGTON CONFIRMS NO REUNION
Candace Rajagolan for Rock n Roll Times, 4 October 2017
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SPOOKY ACTION: MAX MAYFIELD TEASES SOMETHING EXCITING IN HER LATEST INTERVIEW
Candace Rajagolan for Rock n Roll Times, 5 October 2017
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SPOOKY ACTION: HENDERSON CRYPTICALLY REPLIES TO ANOTHER TWEET SPARKING BUZZ IN THE FANDOM
Asher Xu for Rock n Roll Times, 8 October 2017
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“You’ve got to know something about this!”
“I really don’t.”
“Bullshit,” her colleague replied confidently, angling his chair towards her. “You always know when Dustin is active on social media.” His tone grew pleading. “And you’ve always told me about it at least two days in advance”
Chrys sighed and carefully placed a few files in her desk drawer as an apologetic grin spread across her face. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Ha, so there is something,” he replied triumphantly, moving his chair to face his laptop again. “Good to know Rock n Roll Times isn’t just trying to maintain their viewership. They could really just remove the paywall but what the hell do I even know about this shit man.”
Chrys laughed and glanced at the glass window on the other side of the room. In only a few hours, the sun was going to set. In only a few hours, most people would be at home planning to have a relaxing weekend. In only a few hours, the –
She couldn’t wait.
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SPOOKY ACTION: JANE IVES REVEALS A DOCUMENTARY SERIES IS IN PRODUCTION
Koichi Buckley for Moving Cobblestone, 10 October 2017
Jane Ives, the frontwoman of the famous 70s rock band, Spooky Action At a Distance, has been releasing her own music ever since the band’s sudden break-up in 1976. Her sound diverges almost completely from the style of the songs she and Henderson co-wrote for the band’s second album, Quest, with music critic Robin Buckley describing it as ‘swampy but in the best way’ in a 1987 article. Some of her best singles include ‘Mr. Fibbly’ and ‘Three One Five’.
Last week Jane sat down with my fellow Moving Cobblestone correspondent, Yana Stevens for a rare interview in the lush gardens outside her Lenora residence. The video recording of the interview will be uploaded on our YouTube channel momentarily. Here’s a transcript of the same:
Stevens: Thank you so much for agreeing to speak to us!
Ives: *smiles* Oh, the pleasure is all mine, dear.
Stevens: So let’s get right into it. You recently announced on your Instagram handle that the release for your upcoming album, Nina has been delayed. Could you tell us something about that?
Ives: *nods* Nina has been in the making for years if not decades. Every song on this album is dedicated to someone who has changed my life for the better or worse. It is probably the most personal thing I will ever put out.
*sighs and shakes her head with a grin* But you see, Yana, I just got a phone call from an old friend this week. And he asked if I would like to be a part of something huge.
Stevens: *encouraging nod* Something huge?
Ives: *laughs* Yes! He asked me if I would like to be a part of a documentary series about the rise and fall of this particular band I used to be in. You may have heard of it – Spooky Action At a Distance.
Stevens: Oh, I was raised on you guys’ music, Jane! How did you reply to this friend?
Ives: Well, I asked him if the others agreed too. If they were all completely sure about this. We have a deeply, deeply complicated history, Yana.
*pauses* But if all of them are ready to tell this story now, I am too.
Stevens: That sounds very exciting! The fans are gonna love this so much.
Ives: *smiles* Oh they are, aren’t they? So yes, this is why I had to postpone the release date of Nina for a bit. I want to wait until the documentary is out there. I want them all to understand. I think maybe they will love all the songs on this album a lot more once they know.
Stevens: I’m sure they will. Could you perhaps tease something more about this upcoming documentary?
Ives: Oh, I don’t know. *long pause* Well, I can say that besides the band itself, a lot of our crew members have agreed to feature in this. This is going to be quite an… intimate look at everything happening behind the scenes.
Stevens: Well, Jane, that was amazing. Thank you so much for talking to Moving Cobblestone.
In the years since their break-up, band members of Spooky Action At a Distance have been reluctant to reveal anything regarding what was truly going on inside and outside the recording studio during the making of Quest. Several musicologists and music historians have attempted to explain the reasons for their break-up, including a video essay by Mireille Mallon which gained traction in 2015 where she hypothesised that the musical style of every individual member was simply too different to work cohesively for a longer duration. And that there may have been something fragile between the two lead vocalists – which has been denied by both on several occasions.
“An intimate look at everything happening behind the scenes” therefore, promises to be very exciting. And the anticipation for the release of Ives’s eleventh solo album, Nina only grows stronger.
Watch this space for more updates. In the meantime, here’s an article about why Spooky Action At a Distance is easily one of the ten greatest bands of the 20th century.
Top comments:
@/mireille.mallon.official: there was clearly *something* going on between jane ives and duston henderson. you can see it in their eyes
Likes: 315k; Replies: 342
@/theheartofthepartyy: Spooky Action Not At a Distance. Spooky Action Up Close and Personal.
Likes: 302.6k; Replies: 225
@/dustin_thehenderson: guess what.
Likes: 328k
@/theiveshive: SHUT THE F*CK UP WE’RE FINALLY LEARNING ABOUT HOW QUEST WAS MADE!????
Likes: 289.9k; Replies: 94
@/everlarksolos: My guy Three One Five is a good single. Does everyone agree with me when I say that Kitty Cat was Jane’s BEST single or is that too obscure for yall-
Likes: 86.2k; Replies: 147
@/carlton_spookyactionfan: I’m seated. The theatre employees are scared and asking me to leave because it’s “not [insert month] yet” but I’m simply too seated
Likes: 61.1; Replies: 32
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