WEA Canada get hip (more or less)

By Sheena L., Nerve, March 1987

(This is half of an article on new WEA signings at the time - it goes on to laud Blue Rodeo. But first...)

Hey, Moe Berg of Pursuit of Happiness, how does it feel to have a hit disc?

"It sounds corny, but I guess everyone dreams of turning on the radio and hearing their record. It feels great. The first time I ever heard it on the radio, it was like a spiritual experience. I was at my day job (at a book distribution warehouse). I'm a blue collar man."

The happening single 'I'm An Adult Now' snagged a one-off distribution deal with WEA Canada after it received regular airplay on major radio. Proof positive record company clout isn't necessary to get the disc played alongside Depeche Mode and Peter Gabriel.

Moe, how'd you do it?

"I have no idea what makes this record a hit," he claims, over the phone from his Queen St. W. apartment. "I consider myself a songwriter, not a hit writer. I have no idea if my other songs will be hits. When I write I just try to reach certain standards that I've set for myself."

Barely a year old, P.O.H. are playing packed solid venues (luckily, I brought a snorkle for easier breathing). But their live show hasn't developed to the point of entertainment. Moe (on guitar), Johnny Sinclair (bass), Dave Gilby (drums) and Tam & Tasha Amabile (vocals, kind of) have yet to successfully pursue the art of tight performance and digestible sound to any degree of comfortable aural consumption, sounding like the Psychedelic Furs on Drano.


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