"In the beginning, people would say the Chicks can't dance and they don't look good and blah blah blah. So we got a lot of shit because we didn't wanna look good or dance properly. But after a while it turns into a style, and after they see you on MTV people have to shut up."

Melissa Logan (the American one) is one third of Eurotrash glamour-girl politipunk sensation Chicks On Speed, speaking on the eve of the release of their latest record titled '99¢' on their self-titled imprint. Logan, Australian band mate Alex Murray-Leslie and German counterpart Kiki Moorse are finally in the same place at the same time, that place being their current home of Berlin for an MTV hosted fashion gala.

"Yesterday we had these long white gowns on and we smeared them with make up and tonight we are wearing them again at a gala at a different TV station," giggles Logan. "They said 'you guys are so wild!' and we said if we went to London we'd be boring and conservative."

Truth be told, Berlin is one of the hippest places in Europe these days with young artists flocking there to take advantage of the cheap rent and availability of large spaces in which to operate. Logan clarifies, "We have an office but it's not really luxurious. It's kind of a small 'sixties asbestos building. But that's part of the charm of the city, the beautiful-ugly architecture."

Clearly the Chicks like to live life on the edge - after all, this is a band who're known to douse themselves in ultra violet paint. "Actually, this morning I've got some on me," Logan laughs, quickly denying any harmfulness, "No no no! It's water-soluble."

The Chicks wowed us earlier this year at the Big Day Out with their chopped up designer dresses, robotic dances and various compelling projections. The most talked about video footage featured a bunch of svelte ladies showing off their... er, maps of Tasmania.

"They are friends of ours. We had this photo of a pussy on a record cover, then we asked all these friends to come and pull down their pants and they all did it and we were surprised."

Logan is thrown off at the suggestion that the Chicks on stage are aesthetically pleasing as well as thought provoking. "Looking good? No!" she quivers, "It's more about action really. But yeah, we realise it's entertainment. I don't really like live shows that much so I just thought, 'what kind of a show would I be interested in?' so that's what happening on stage. I guess it's an extension of us but it's also something that builds up because it develops when we're on stage."

The video for the anthemic We Don't Play Guitars, which features hot pink aphrodisiac Peaches on guitar, shows the Chicks at their playful best. Somebody told me the video featured the Chicks and Peaches naked so I hastily went to their website, only to be disappointed.

"That's funny!" Logan laughs at my expense. "Actually, it was a remix for a band called Vivid and they really do just play wanky guitars. So we got all these great guitar samples. And then we thought, what are we gonna do next, 'cos the lyrics are horrible," she says, reciting some of them "underground going over ground..." "So we just wrote new a text for that and put together the samples."

Sounds pretty easy, but the Chicks and their various collaborators, including Finnish minimalists Pan Sonic (who lend their stark serpentines to '99¢' secret track) and Cristian Vogel (who helped record their next full length release due next year), toil to produce the humanistic electro-art they are famous for. Logan speaks out on the feedback her group receive on their music, art and political leanings. "A lot of the time it is something that people really think should be done more... that people define all these genres and don't really make a difference, a line between them anymore. I think people are also thinking more and more in that way. I don't think it's something so unusual that we are doing. It's really positive feedback."

Perhaps 'unconventional' is the best word to describe the Chicks' sound and stage show, for even when they use other people's songs they still manage to mark them with a definitive style and presence. "This idea of putting on a black t-shirt and hiding behind your machines...that's not why we're on stage. Of course people will say it's about the music, but what are you doing on stage if it's just about the music?"

Initially I was expecting to speak to Alex Murray-Leslie and I was going to ask her about the phenomenon of Australians claiming ex-pats as their own even when they might never come back. Logan assures me, "No, the Americans are not like that, but everyone notices that with the Australians. Alex is like that herself. We met Nick Cave when he was on tour here and he was a little bit annoyed because of that, because Alex was like 'oh, hiiii...' and then his friend said to him, 'she's Australian,' and he said, 'yeah, I can tell.'"

Cave is notoriously terse in conversation, "...but if you give him shit then he's okay. We were telling him that we did a cover version of Where The Wild Roses Grow but ours is much darker," her laugh reverberates down the phone line.

Before parting I ask for a quick fashion tip. What is worse, bad shoes or a bad haircut? "Well, what's better is bad shoes and a bad haircut together." Bless her punk rock heart.

Lenin Simos

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