An Interview with Mark Goodall About His El Records Book

ON THE PASSAGE OF A FEW PEOPLE THROUGH A RATHER BRIEF MOMENT IN TIME: él RECORDS

40 years since the start of él Records there is now a burst of activities commemorating Mike Alway’s pop-art label él Records. Stefan Zachrisson talks to Mark Goodall about his new book Bright Young Things. The Art and Philosophy of él Records.

”If él wasn’t a label it would be a restaurant or a bar, one of those old bars where there’s no music at all, loads of good conversation, where you have this special relationship with the barman – though not too pally – the idea of something private and delicately euphoric.” A very Buñuel influenced Mike Alway quote from a lengthy Sounds feature on él Records in 1986.

The people hanging around at this metaphorical bar during five years in the mid to late 1980s would other than Alway be such eccentric aesthetes as Philippe Auclair, Nick Currie, Simon Fisher Turner, Bid, Nick Wesolowski, Cat Rees, Julia Gilbert, Matt Lipsey, Jessica Griffin, Vic Godard, Richard Preston, Karl Blake and Kevin Wright, to name just a few. During that brief time this group of people contributed to what became a really special record label.

Would-Be-Goods by Nick Wesolowski

él founder Mike Alway loved 1960s pop culture but, like many of the él musicians, came out of the post-punk era; an environment where pretentiousness and curiosity really could thrive. He was a&r for Cherry Red in the early 1980s, releasing the classic Pillows & Prayers compilation, introducing Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt to each other, and generally introducing ”light music” as a way forward.

Many of the él influences came from film; the name is from a Buñuel movie and directors Powell & Pressburger and Orson Welles were constantly mentioned as influences by Alway. When ”indie” was at its most mundande in the late 1980s Alway instead used él to create a kind of parallel fantasy world – in an admittedly low-budget way – suggesting personas, concepts and titles for the musicians. Some of the results were glorious failures but mostly it really did work.

What is the legacy of él today? Most people cannot name one record that él released. But like many of the best independent record labels of yore él was about more than actual music, even though a lot of great records came out of it. It’s a kind of fleeting spirit, which for me, regarding él, has lived on not only through a great influence on Japanese pop but also with the stylish playfulness of someone like Tyler, the Creator.

Louis Philippe by Nick Wesolowski

So él may seem obscure but it’s not completely forgotten: Spring of 2025 sees the release of two major retrospectives: Mark Goodall’s book Bright Young Things. The Art and Philosophy of él Records and the compilation The Rubens Room. Él Records: In Camera. Furthermore, several former él artists are releasing new music and doing concerts (Louis Philippe, Momus, Hotel Artesia, The Monochrome Set, Would-Be-Goods), while él as a name has for some time been re-activated as an archival/reissue label.

To highlight these happenings I interviewed Mark Goodall about his book. Goodall’s also the author of Sweet and Savage, a book about mondo films, and Gathering of the Tribe about music and the occult. He co-produced and directed the film Holy Terrors based on the stories of Arthur Machen, and is the singer/guitarist in the group Rudolf Rocker. (Text and inteview: Stefan Zachrisson)

Bid from the Monochrome Set; courtesy of Tapete Records

Chickfactor: It’s a book about él – how would you describe your relation to
the label and its music?
Mark Goodall: It was only through conceptualising the book that I realised the scope of él records. Up to that point I had loved bits and pieces of their output – the first Momus LP, the Flair 89 LP, The World in Winter – and of course The Monochrome Set before that. I loved the post-punk/new wave scene and thought it was the most innovative period in pop music history since the 1960s.

What was your main motivation writing the book, the point you wanted to make? 
With the book I wanted to explore the unique qualities of the label. There were lot of indie labels, but only one él. To me, the label had a ‘philosophy’ rather than just a modus operandi that stood it apart. That came of course from Mike Alway.

él records founder Mike Alway

How would you, in short, describe that kind of “philosophy”?
The él philosophy to me seems to be:
1. The aim to create great (musical) art by synthesising other art forms, especially film, fashion and graphic design
2. The idea of creating new music by re-inventing 1960 pop sounds into a new wave
3. To combine the hit factories of the 1960s with Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory’ into a creative form of collaborative practice
This is kind of what my book is trying to explore.

Was there something surprising that you realized while writing the
book, some new insight/understanding?
Through interviewing almost everyone involved in the label, I learned more about the working methods of the label and the artists. The collaborative nature came across in a way that was not evident. Through assembling the records as a distinct body of work, the beauty of the visual aspect of the label became more apparent.

How was it for those involved to look back and talk about their él past? Did anyone say no to being interviewed?
It was forty years ago so memories were somewhat frayed! I think the timing was right – not so long that those involved were no longer around, but long enough for any resentments to have mellowed. I think it was mostly an enjoyable experience and a confirmation of the excellence of the work that they did. The only person who did not respond to an interview was Julia Gilbert (Anthony Adverse).

If you’d pick one él artefact – a song, a record, a cover, a lyric, an image, etc – as the pivotal one, what would it be and why?
Difficult to choose as there are so many classic LPs of course – The Camera Loves Me, Choirboys Gas, Royal Bastard – but probably for me the Marden Hill Cadaquez LP is the most extraordinary combination of originality, variety and skill. In short form, the 7-inch and 10-inch sets are incredible.

Marden Hill

él was influenced by things like the past, art, movies etc and created something new. Is there anything going on culturally today that you’d say function a bit like él did?
No, it was totally original, unique, because of that combination you mention, and while the spirit is evident in other labels and artists there is nothing like it today and probably never will be. The world has changed and could certainly do with another ‘él’ but I can’t see it. It was a product of particular historical moment…

Mark Goodall’s book Bright Young Things. The Art and Philosophy of él Records is published by Ventil Verlag on April 11.

A Q&A with Mark Goodall and Louis Philippe about the book takes place at the Rough Trade shop at Denmark Street in London on April 14.

The 25-track compilation album The Rubens Room. Él Records: In
Camera is released by Tapete Records on April 11.

New albums by former él artists this Spring: Louis Philippe, The Road to the Sea, Momus, Quietism, and Hotel Artesia, Everywhere Alone.

Stefan Zachrisson is a librarian in Stockholm, Sweden, who’s also the administrator of Adeste Fideles, a Facebook group about él. Previously he’s been involved in the international pop underground through BCNVT, Friendly Noise and Benno.  
Oh Constance / Photo by Peter Moss
Photo by Peter Moss

chickfactor lists 2024: round two

The Umbrellas on CF19, 2022. Photo: Gail O’Hara

The Umbrellas: here is our end of the year list, we decided to rank gas stations!

The Umbrellas were on the road ALOT (possibly far too much) this past year. Given this, what better way to wrap up 2024 than a retrospect of where we spent a majority of our time, gas stations…?

One9 – This fueling station we believe is a newish franchise. The whole sign and exterior looks like it was designed by a silicon valley software developer. They have hot food items, a lot of car accessories you wouldn’t normally find (like hub caps), and the latest trending food items. Nick tried an Oreos Coca-cola and commented that it tasted like cleaning supplies.

Kum & Go – Ha ha ha … get your mind out of the gutter! This midwest franchise only has a few locations, but each one is more charming than the last. Generally friendly staff who don’t mind you giggling when you bring one of to their “Kum & Go” t-shirts up to the counter to purchase.

Sinclair- That dinosaur logo is cool! Maybe it has to do with the fact that these are not terribly common in the bay area, but whenever we stop into one there’s an indescribable sense of nostalgia and whimsy. It feels like an old-timey gas pump attendant dressed in all white with a newscap is going to pop out from behind the big fiberglass Dinosaur they have on display. While other chains have rebranded or updated their logo … that dino has always remained, plastered on their fueling pumps.

Buc-ees – An allegory for what America is: Large, overwhelming, and hundreds of bathroom stalls. A must-stop for anyone driving through the south or mid-west. What more is there to say that hasn’t been said by bands and short-form video influencers alike? Matt says to make sure to try the Brisket sandwich. Pro-tip: skip the prepackaged bagged jerky and go straight to the counter for the fresh stuff.

Love’s – Love’s is like a reliable old friend that will always be there for you. Love’s doesn’t judge you when you’ve had one too many hard seltzers and you stumble around looking for their mini-tacos. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to catch the Love’s x Del Taco combo. Love’s would never dream of thinking illy of you! Hot showers, hot food, and hot deals (each location has a discount food rack of unsold seasonal items). Through and through The Umbrellas are a Love’s band. So spread the love and stop into your local Love’s the next time you need to top off your tank.

Claudia Gonson. Photo: Eve Gonson

Kid slang! 2024 – Claudia Gonson (from the Magnetic Fields) 

Huzz- attractive…non derogatory

Fine Shyt- sexy person, non derogatory

Link- hooking up

Bop- ho, derogatory

Buss – really great

Eats (“that eats”), ate up- really great

Cooked -done for

Cooking -doing well

Gyat- ass

Rizz -charisma, your ability to pull

Pull- your game, your ability to attract people

Game- your ability to get people to have a crush on you “she’s got game”

Low key – verbal tic, like “like”

Chalant – extrovert, over sharing, not mysterious

Non chalant – mysterious

Dip- leave

Crash out or tweak – I’m gonna lose it

Glazing- over praising

Tuff- good

Peter Momtchiloff with Jen Sbragia, Portland OR (Photo: Gail O’Hara)

Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly, Would-Be-Goods, Tufthunter):
Best trailside vittles of 2024

  1. Ox and Finch, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow (with the Would-be-goods)
  2. Taberna La Concha, Calle Cava Baja, Madrid (with Jessica and Heavenly)
  3. Donde Augusto, Mercado Central, Santiago de Chile (with Heavenly and Anto)
  4. Kouraku, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles (with robot)
  5. Souvla, Hayes Valley, SF (with the Umbrellas)
  6. Old School Pizzeria, Franklin St, Olympia (with Heather and Pat)

Daniel Handler / Lemony Snicket: For whatever reason, my attention span seemed to increase this year.  For example:

Best long poems I read or reread this year:
Liu Shang, “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute”
Matthew Rohrer, “The Others”
John Ashbery, “The Wave”
Annelyse Gelman, “Vexations”
Alice Notley, “In The Pines”
Laura Henrikesen, “Laura’s Desires”

Best long songs I liked this year:
Gerard Cleaver, “The Process”
Destroyer, “Bay of Pigs”
Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell, “Mutron/Arabian Nightmare”
Nichuminu, “Aberraciones y Milagros”
Matmos, “Ultimate Care II”
Yukihiro Fukutomi, “5 Blind Boys”
Prince, “Automatic”

Julie Underwood: Your Girlfriend Made You A Mixtape 
My favorite books I read in 2024:

  1. Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna
  2. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
  3. The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne
  4. Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley
  5. Long Island by Colm Tóbín
  6. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
  7. My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand*
  8. Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
  9. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters*
  10. The Rachel Incident: A Novel by Caroline O’Donoghue*
    *originally released in 2023

+ My favorite albums of 2024

  1. Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter (tie
  2. Charli xcx – Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat (tie)
  3. Waxahatchee –Tigers Blood
  4. The Hard Quartet – self-titled
  5. Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Destroyer 
  6. Fontaines D.C. – Romance 
  7. Rosali – Bite Down 
  8. The Umbrellas – Fairweather Friends 
  9. Jessica Pratt –Here in the Pitch 
  10. Kate Bollinger – Songs From A Thousand Frames of Mind 
Ed Mazzucco (Photo: Gail O’Hara)

Ed Mazzucco / Shelflife Records, Tears Run Rings:
10 songs I listened to a lot in 2024 

Colle – Green Edge
Crimson Whisper – Joshua’s Gaze
Dummy – Soonish…
Mo Dotti – Really Wish
Memory Drawers – Hart
Mahogany – A Scaffold
The Horrors – Lotus Eater
Seefeel – Sky Hooks
Caribou – Come Find Me
Chris Cohen – Wishing Well

Read round one
Read round three
Read round four

Heavenly in the U.S.A.

In honor of the forthcoming Heavenly reissues (Skep Wax will rerelease all the Heavenly LPs on vinyl soon: Heavenly vs Satan is available on pre-order now; Le Jardin de Heavenly will follow next April and the other two will come along at six month intervals)—in addition to the John Peel Sessions on Precious Recordings and the announcement of the band’s forthcoming gigs at Bush Hall in London in May 2023—we asked the band to think back to 30 years ago and tell us about their impressions of the U.S. in the olden days! The very first issue of chickfactor was handed out at a Heavenly / Lois gig in Sept. 1992; I reviewed their second album in SPIN around the same time, and we interviewed them in chickfactor zine (Amelia is on the cover of issue 2).

Heavenly: Peter, Amelia, Rob, Mathew, and Cathy. Photo by Alison Wonderland

ROB PURSEY
Going to America was overwhelming, partly because we were going to meet loads of people for the first time—people whose records we’d heard, but from a distance of 3500 miles. Two of the encounters I remember most vividly from that first Heavenly trip are Phoebe Summersquash (Small Factory) and Jeffrey Underhill (Honeybunch).  Phoebe is one of the select band of people known as ‘girl drummers’. She was the most diminutive person in the band, she wore glasses and she smiled all the time, even while she beating the hell out of a drumkit. I loved that combination of effortless glee and thunderous noise. She was the living antidote to those theatrical drummers (and guitarists) who pretend to be working out in the gym, or summoning Satan, as if that was crucial to making a great sound. 

Heavenly. Photo by Alison Wonderland

Jeffrey Underhill, we met, I think, in Rhode Island. I don’t really remember the gig very well, but I was a big fan of Honeybunch. Their song ‘Mine Your Own Business’ was in my head all the time, and it still provides the soundtrack for my memories of our first trip to the US. Anyway, what I remember about Jeffrey was the fact that he showed up in a back alley in a really great old blue/green semi-beater of a car. I am a bit of a nut about old cars, and liked this one a lot. Me and Jeffrey didn’t talk much, I imagine we were both somewhat shy, but I do remember sitting on the bonnet thinking ‘this is the best car, and it belongs to the person who played the best song’.

Image courtesy of Heavenly

The encounters with all these new people came to a head at the Chickfactor Party, where there was a whole community was assembling. I didn’t really know anyone there, of course, but I somehow felt like I could get to know and like all of them. We were a long way from the UK, but we felt at home. Part of the reason for this was that women were running the Chickfactor show, and these were wry, witty women.  There was a lot of intellect behind Chickfactor, and a definite attitude, but there was a lot of humour too. The humour was a sign of confidence—there was nothing apologetic about it. That’s what being in Heavenly felt like. The women in our band were obviously in charge, but they wore it lightly. So New York, or at least this little indie corner of New York, felt more amenable to our band than a lot of places back in the UK. It was a good feeling.

Amelia: Image courtesy of Heavenly

CATHY ROGERS
I’m not sure any of my memories are really separable. The synapses which connect Heavenly to America all sit in a viscous bath of coffee and the new kind of cool of the straight edge punks and the smell of wet trees driving through Oregon and Massachusetts and the swooning delight of being in the same venn diagram overlap as the really rioting riot grrrls and gigs not being gigs any more but shows and the sheer heat of new experiences and new loves. America just felt so great. It was like finding a version of us that was just so sure of itself. So certain. Walk around the town like you own it…everyone, all the time.

Cathy: Image courtesy of Heavenly

Compared with that overpowering sense of it all, specific memories feel a bit humble. The drive down from Olympia to play a show with a band who turned out to be Tiger Trap, Calvin saying, classic understatement, ‘I guess you might kinda like this band.’ Meeting them to play a show together in this kind of basement garage, them all wearing roller skates, us being powerless to resist charms on that level. For some reason, having a conversation with a bunch of people about our favourite foods and everyone out-doing each other for eccentricity, then Molly from Bratmobile saying ‘I just want to eat rice’ and that becoming one of those weird things that I think of literally every time I cook rice. The novelty, playing at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, of being fed really well before a show. Laughing over-hearing an old guy in the audience, saying – after a whole raft of indie bands – about Lois, ‘Finally someone who can actually sing’. Meeting Ted and Jodi for the first time and being so jealous that Pete was somehow already friends with them, then seeing Jodi’s band (with another girl with a rad American name like Brooklyn or Maddison, I’m pretty sure the band was called The Runways) and thinking these were the most sensational people I’d ever met. Being interviewed for this magazine called Chickfactor and hearing of another wait what cool girls are somehow allowed to be mainstream now magazine called Sassy and realising that culture was an actual thing and the world changes and feeling that we lived in some small backwater but we were so lucky because we were here, for now. 

Amelia. Image courtesy of Heavenly

AMELIA FLETCHER
– On our first US tour, Pete and I being dropped off by Small Factory in Hartford, Connecticut, in the middle of the night. We were near the place we were all staying with my parents, and figured we’d call a taxi to get us home. But it turned out that the place we stopped at had been robbed the week before, and we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by police cars. We were freaked out. It felt like an episode of Starsky and Hutch. Then, when asked where we were heading, we realised we couldn’t remember the address. Not at all suspicious! In the end, though, the police believed the daft English people and gave us a lift home in the police car.

– Meeting Claudia Gonson from Magnetic Fields at Chet’s Last Call in Boston. She asked if I had time to come and record a song for her and Stephin Merritt’s side project, the 6ths, the next day. I said why not. I had heard ‘100,000 Fireflies’ on the ‘One Last Kiss’ compilation and liked it a lot. I remember I sang ‘Hall of Mirrors’ in an especially breathy way, and Stephin commented that I came complete with my own reverb!

Image courtesy of Heavenly

– Playing at the Fantagraphics Comics Warehouse in Seattle with Beat Happening and another band who I just remember as being very smelly! It was a great space, and I was excited because I was a big fan of ‘Love and Rockets’. Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl both came, which seemed pretty thrilling too. We were easily thrilled!

The Heavenly option. Photo by Alison Wonderland

– Arriving in Olympia at the start of a West Coast tour, meeting Bratmobile and Bikini Kill and discovering Riot Grrrl. There was a visceral buzz around the whole place, and we quickly got very excited about it too. We had always been a feminist band, but in a quiet sort of way. We didn’t really feel part of the UK feminist movement at the time. It was fighting for stuff that was no doubt important but didn’t seem relevant to our concerns. So it was thrilling and empowering to find people discussing the issues that really had affected us. And to discover a whole set of new bands who had found a way of being outspoken and angry but also huge fun. It had a big impact on us, musically and personally.

Heavenly. Image courtesy of the band

PETER MOMTCHILOFF
I have opened the drawer in which I left my old memories of Heavenly in the USA. There is a lot there, but I can’t fit it together into any kind of story. My colleagues’ reminiscences do what I seem not to be able to. As a kind of coda, I do remember that we were brought down to earth by our first gig back in England after a West Coast tour, feeling rather pleased with ourselves. It was in a pub in Gillingham, to about five men and a dog. I don’t think they even turned the pub TV off while we played.

The late Mathew Fletcher. Image courtesy of Heavenly