Life inside the wendy house

Having enjoyed a slew of chart hits with ‘80s pop-punk combo Transvision Vamp and having had the rare privilege of Elvis Costello penning an album for her, Wendy James promptly disappeared off the radar for well over a decade.

Staying true to the DIY ethic that inspired her, James spent the intervening years honing her songwriting skills, mastering a variety of instruments, and self-producing both long-players by her current New York-based outfit Racine.
Their second album has already shifted a hefty number of units on iTunes, and the ensemble’s playful brand of arty punk rock is proving quite the hit with audiences around the globe. On promotional duties in advance of European tour dates, she fondly reminisces about the London punk scene that influenced her.
“I remember going to see a Clash gig and just being fixated on Joe Strummer as the lead singer, his charisma and the way that he related to the audience,” she recalls. “On a very deep level Joe was my signpost in life: take this turn here.”
Wendy also had the pleasure of befriending Strummer as she rose to prominence with her own band.
“I became very good friends with him later on, and he was a really consistent, wonderful, beautiful friend,” she says. “All through the rise of Transvision Vamp, Joe was always giving me a slap on the shoulder and lots of encouragement.”
Her counter-culture coterie also ensured that her punk attitude remained intact.
“I was surrounded by people like Joe and Don Letts who were always the anti-hero. They were the rebels and believed in the underdog. If you were having a dilemma with some mainstream corporate issue and said, ‘God, I really feel under the cosh,’ Joe and Don would go, ‘Fuck ’em, just do what you think is right.’”
This single-mindedness led to Wendy boldly approaching Elvis Costello, who in response to her request for guidance, wrote her an entire album, 1993’s Now Is Not The Time For Your Tears. The project’s origins can be traced back to a muddy field in County Tipperary, as Wendy explains.
“The unconscious train of thought must have started at Féile '91 because Transvision Vamp and Elvis both played, and I remember standing at the side of the stage watching him, thinking he was rather good that night. At the time no-one in the band thought we would split up. Months and months later I bumped into Pete (Thomas, drummer with The Attractions). But I think the germ of the idea was sown in Féile.”
Mr. Costello’s involvement in the project was limited to that of silent partner.
“The songs themselves were completely written,” Wendy says. “Pete drummed on it, and was also like the conduit from me to Elvis. Elvis never had any creative part in the recording, that was left to Chris Kinsey, the producer.”
So did Wendy ever find out what Elvis thought of the finished product?
“A few months after the album’s completion, I saw him at a U2 gig. I very politely said ‘Hello’ and ‘Thanks very much’, and he responded ‘Good luck.’ I think he lives in New York now, so probably one of these days I’m going to bump into him!”

Racine play Crawdaddy, Dublin on July 19. Racine 2 is available on iTunes.