FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.


Like all great romances their's was destined to leave lives in ruin, friendships in turmoil and two different rock bands in its wake.

The names are different, the roles the same: Johnny Sinclair as an ambitious, under-achieving musician; Leslie Stanwyck as his beautiful and supportive lover; and Moe Berg as the jilted, brooding bandmate.

"Moe called me 'Yoko,'" Stanwyck laughs personably while remembering the tragedy in question. "Here it all comes out."

Now the lead singer and the honey in the Canadian pop rock band Universal Honey, Stanwyck met Sinclair when both were members of Berg's band The Pursuit of Happiness. He was the bassist, she the back-up - and in 1992, the shameless temptress stole him away.

"(Johnny's) a really good writer, he writes great stuff," she defends. "I was the one who pushed him to write in the first place when we met through Pursuit. I said, 'Gee, you're a witty guy, why don't you write lyrics, for God's sake?'

"Maybe Moe wanted him to drive the van and play basslines the rest of his life, but he's got so much more in him. But he made choices. If he didn't want to, he wouldn't have [he's an adult now?][sorry, too easy].

"It ended up being a great thing and a good partnership and arrangement."

Stanwyck admits that life on the road can be trying for a couple of crazy kids in love - especially considering her and Sinclair don't even have a home to return to when they finish up this tour - but also acknowledges that their relationship has grown in many ways because of it.

"We've mastered that whole jealousy thing," she says when asked what happens when admirers approach either of them after a gig.

"We don't have that kind of relationship, we're very open," she says before catching herself (and disappointing many). "We're not like swingers or anything.

"Talking to somebody and having a good time is a good thing. You should be happy about that."

The songwriting duo are now, with two other bandmates in tow, happily touring their second album, Earth Moon Transit. Released late last year, it resonates with the sounds of the '70s and '80s, at times resembling Jane Siberry or Debbie Harry fronting a softer, more resourceful Elastica. It's tuneful, poppy, pleasantly appealing and it should build comfortably off the success they realized with their debut, Magic Basement (an album that received MTV and American radio play). At the very least, she hopes it can knock those luvable raggamuffins Hanson off the airwaves.

"You can't sing that song," Leslie insists, contradicting her statement moments earlier that she does, in fact, like bubblegum pop. "I've heard that song ("Mmmbop") I don't know how many times and I still only get, 'Mmmbop, boop-bop, biddee-bop,' or whatever."

Perfect.

"But that's not it," she laughs again. "It's more the groove that's infectious. But, I like real, simple melodies that draw you in and you walk away and you just can't get it out of your head. It makes you...," she pauses, "...it sends you dreaming.

"I don't know if I've mastered that, but I hope that some people get that out of it."

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