Countess Zapak & the Bourgeoisie

Welcome to the C*nt Rock Revolution. Welcome to a new found Fachoism. Countess Zapak and the Bourgeoisie are the most confrontational act since Minty made the headlines in the mid 90s and like Leigh Bowery they provide a forum for serious issues in a fun way. As Countess Alex is proud to admit "It's not rocket science. Were not Coldplay or something". For all those tired of cock rock, c*nt rock might provide the ultimate release.

Q: You've just come offstage after blowing ITC Unsigned away with C*nt Rock. What's the ethos behind Countess Zapak and the C*nt Rock Revolution?
Alex: Iggy Pop and the Stones did Cock Rock so I guess the equivalent of that is C*nt Rock. I'm reclaiming the word c*nt as a good thing. The band, some of it are my relatives and when Tim's around he comes and plays, but as I say he's been drying out in Thailand. And Ruth is just some girl I met a few months ago in a Hamburger bar. I just decided to have a band like I was casting for a film as opposed to the band thing which I had tried so many times before. It's just worked out better to have family and then people I liked the look of.

Tim: It's trying to make a way of people not being to intimidated about women being upfront. Despite people like Madonna and other such artists that make you think it's all ok now and Feminism the war's been won. It hasn't.
 

Q: It's in the true tradition of rock n roll then?
A: Yeah, I like their shoes or I like their haircuts. It's terribly superficial. Ruth's just on the Edgware Estate and there's a hamburger bar near there. I go there each week to get my nails done and then I go in. There was this girl in there and I just really liked the look of her and it was like please tell me you play keyboards and she does. She's only 18 and she's got a 5 year old child so she had this amazing story which was right up my street.
 

Q: What do you think when you sees these lame pop acts who look to someone like Madonna as an icon and then end up like Atomic Kitten?
A: I think Atomic Kitten are f**king terrible. They're an abortion on the surface of music. I see no point in them existing whatsoever. Everyone keeps saying that all these bands in the 60s were manufactured, but there is a difference. Mary Wilson could really really sing. Those Motown acts worked f**king hard - they could sing, they could dance and the songs were f**king amazing. All these people around that want to be famous and you ask them why they want to be famous...it's like I dunno I just wanna be famous. Why? There's got to be a reason for you to be on-stage in the first place. You've got to have a f**king skill. I hate bands that I think are basically untalented and manufactured.

T: Teenagers used to be interested in culture, now they're just walking billboards. They're using the language of rock n roll to sell products run by massive corporations. It's like Nike have done - they get you to buy the product and advertise it at the same time. I think it's disgusting. It's like pedophilia!!!

Q: The live show with its confrontation aspect really took me back to the days of Minty. Do you see the comparisons?
A: Leigh Bowery. Absolutely. I love all of that. And a singer called Annette Peacocks is a huge inspiration of mine. She wrote a song called "Happy With My Hand" and did an album called "X-Dreams". She's a friend of my mums so she was like a really big inspiration. Anything that boys do basically inspired me. I didn't want to f**k Mick Jagger, I wanted to be Mick Jagger. I didn't want to f**k David Bowie, I wanted to be David Bowie. I wanted to be Iggy Pop so that's what I'm into.
 

Q: And who really inspired you as a woman to come out with the "C*nt Rock Manifesto"?
A: I like really sad people, but I like Barbara Streissand. I like the great jazz singers, the one's that break your heart. I like Marianne Faithfull. She might be doing a cover of a song of mine called "Don't Go To Love Me". I met her through a designer called Robert Kerry Williams and she really loves the song of mine. She keeps going I'm like a young her so that's really cool.
 

Q: Aside from the music you're a designer and a actress. What's this new film you're starring in?
A: I'm a lesbian in the new film, just like my mum. A chip off the old block. So I'm a sexy lesbian in it who strangely enough seduces my best friend Emma. What's really good is that Emma is so gorgeous she looks like a punk Marilyn Monroe and she's totally snoggable. I think women are beautiful. I was in another film about 3 years ago about strippers and then I was in a really embarrassing mini-series in Los Angeles and I was the hooker in it. They gave me a part and I over-acted in every single on of my 5 minutes.
 

Q: Who's your perfect lady then?
A: My Mum (Ed: Would you Snog your mum? Were not into incest). I'd snog Marianne Faithful when she was young. I'd snog Sinead O'Connor. I'd snog Monica Beatty when she was young. I'd snog Marilyn Monroe definitely.
 

Q: And any last words for our readers?
A: I'm Facho which is the female equivalent of Macho. That's what i'm propagating - C*nt Rock and Fachoism!!

Words: Alex McCann
Photos by Ian Baldwin and styling by Charles of London

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