SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – "ARE YOU STILL DYING DARLING?" (B-side, 1988)

Written in the spring of 1988 over a period of great uncertainty in the Banshees’ career, this is a song of irony and pity at the same time. Preceded by some warning signs, the band’s worst fears came true eventually on March 17th: their manager Dave Woods not only had systematically been neglecting his duties but also his addiction to heroin had inevitably dragged the band into a financial nightmare on the verge of bankruptcy. He was formally resigned on 3 May 1988, and then disappeared.

Siouxsie: "All I could do to respond was write a B-side 'Are You Still Dying Darling?' If I saw Dave now, I don’t know how I’d react. I’d like to think that I’d smack him one, because I’d be letting myself down if I didn’t, but I’ve just blanked him out of my mind. I’m not one for nursing any bitterness, because it’s only going to make me feel bad, not him. Why should I waste my energy? I don’t even know if he’s alive and, frankly, I don’t care."

Budgie: "Everybody went wobbly at different times. If it wasn’t a band member, it was a manager. Yet musically, we were hitting a peak again, probably for the first time since the John McGeoch days. After Martin joined, it had become very easy. The ideas came flooding out. […] (In this track) Martin’s cello part always reminded me of the theme tune to 'Steptoe And Son', an early English sitcom that probably nurtured our love of black comedy."

Siouxsie laughs: "This is a schmaltzy number about someone on a life-support machine and their loved one turning it off. […] (My greatest fear is) to be sustained on a life support machine without hope of recovery. […] I’ve made a pact with all my nearest and dearest, that should I ever wind up in hospital being kept alive with no hope in sight of recovery, to pull the damn plug with my blessing!"

So while in London in the spring of 1988, the Banshees joined forces recording this track at Marcus Music Studios, with drums provided by Budgie, cello by Martin McCarrick, Steven Severin on bass and Jon Klein on 'slide' guitar, all over Siouxsie’s perfect voice, singing those lyrics penned by her.

Jon Klein (quoted about his contribution in this track): "There’s some more slide guitar on the B-side of the next single (note: "The Killing Jar"), the most different tone I’ve worked with so far. Quite mellow, no jagged edges, which is unusual for me cos I’m normally such a thrash merchant. It just feels really nice to play…I go for tunings which are quite close to the norm, but get more chord shapes with less effort."

The track was subsequently mixed in May/June at Marquee Studios in London with an astounding audio result and an aura loaded with feelings of bitterness and regret. The single "The Killing Jar" was released on 30 Sep 1988 and peaked at #41 in UK Top75 Singles chart.

Credits: All pics in this video by Richard Bellia (from "The Killing Jar" promo-video photosession, Sep 1988, London, UK). No copyright infringement intended.