ROGERS: I read in a recent article your fondness for Don Walker's, "The Girl With The Bluebird Tattoo" from Sad But True.

PERKINS: Part of the comment I was making was that I didn't perform on it whatsoever. (Laughs)

ROGERS: Just being a good punter for once.

PERKINS: Well, I had the opportunity to add something when we were recording it, but Don was just so on. I really find the piece of music to be quite remarkable. Everyone is so relaxed but still so on, just exactly. The best performance from Don I've ever heard.

ROGERS: Sad But True wins me over for its restraint. I think there's a real danger with the nature of the songs for someone to betray the tunes flavour and over-dramatise.

PERKINS: Certainly and we're almost guilty of it. There's proof. We recorded Bob Dylan's "Blind Willie McTell" for the record and it's really shocking - overblown, dramatic?It was exactly what you're saying. Understatement is the way to go always.

ROGERS: That would seem to be the real consistent thread over the last two Cruel Sea records and your stuff with Don and Charlie.

PERKINS: It's just something that's appropriate to the things I'm doing at the moment.

ROGERS: To these weather crushed ears, Don's voice on Sad But True is a dead ringer for Dylan's Nashville Skyline.

PERKINS: Someone likened him to Willie Nelson the other day?

ROGERS: That's maybe going a bit too far?

PERKINS: Definitely too far. (Laughs)

© 1994 Juice Magazine (Issue 14)