Qkumba Zoo: We read through the questions together, all adding our comments, and now Levannah, being the swiftest typist (a testament to the lean years), is inputting our communal answers.

Sugar: Who are your music gods?
Qzoo: Pan on wind, Thor on percussion!

Sugar: To what extent did Moroder foresee the techno music boom of the '90s?
Qzoo: 90%.

Sugar: Why on the remake of 'Wake Up And Dream' did you include three remixes of 'The Child (Inside)' instead of three remixes of three different songs?
Qzoo: Can't have too much of a good thing...

Sugar: When Levannah says the chorus for 'The Child (Inside)' is sung in a "universal language of sound and melody", does she assume it's as accessible to an Eskimo as it is to a Zulu?
Qzoo: No. She assumes it is equally INaccessible to an Eskimo as it is to a Zulu. The Cantonese, however, have informed her that she was bidding them a polite good day.

Sugar: Were you excited to hear that Erasure had agreed to close for you on your SA tour?
Qzoo: We thought it was really sweet of them.

Sugar: What is the common ground between the ancient dust of Africa and cyberspace?
Qzoo: Stardust.

Sugar: When the band says SA needs to go through a 'detox' period, what specifics could be mentioned?
Qzoo: We said we think it is already going through a detox process -- it's happening naturally. All we can suggest is to go with the flow and clean out your own little patch of consciousness. Dropping judgment in favour of discernment is a really useful start.

Sugar: I've had email contact with an American called Mary Savage who seems to be your biggest US fan. Do you know her?
Qzoo: Levannah has met her once in NYC, but we exchange a lot of email and she's become almost part of the family. Sugar: Does the band think Bloemfontein should host the 2056 Olympic Games?
Qzoo: No. Nelspruit. And there should be a firewalking event.

Sugar: Levannah's voice has been compared to Karen Carpenter's. Any comments?
Qzoo: Actually, Elvis shaved his chest, grew a beard and lost 50 kilos, Marilyn had a breast reduction and took up gymnastics, and Karen didn't really die.

Sugar: Does Tziki see herself as the Bez (Happy Mondays) of Qkumba Zoo?
Qzoo: No. She sees herself as the Tziki of Qkumba Zoo.

Sugar: Is the band in favour of inter-species relationships?
Qzoo: As long as everyone is of the age of consent.

Sugar: Arista has signed you for a six-album international deal. Where is this all leading and when can we expect something new?
Qzoo: We are currently writing and pre-producing for the second album.

Sugar: Why are there so few openly gay/lesbian pop stars in SA?
Qzoo: Don't know. We can only give you our guess: the SA press and public don't ask about sexual orientation, so it must be hard to be "openly" gay without being militantly so. Even you didn't ask....

Sugar: What is the oddest question you've ever been asked?
Qzoo: "What is the oddest question you've ever been asked?"

Sugar: What is it that the dark continent can teach the enlightened world?
Qzoo: Enlightenment.

Sugar: What separates an also-ran song from a timeless chestnut?
Qzoo: The Essence.

Sugar: Who are the band's favourite poets?
Tziki: Kahlil Gibran.
Owl: Leonard Cohen.
Levannah: Neil Gaiman.

Sugar: Do you think group sex should be spontaneous or prearranged?
Qzoo: Spontaneously prearranged. Why, do you have something in mind?

Sugar: How many records have you sold and does anyone, besides David Gresham, really care? Qzoo: Don't know. Maybe Arista?

Sugar: Why choose the phallic symbol of a cucumber when there are so many circular fruits?
Qzoo: Are you a sex maniac or something? "I'd rather have a paw-paw" doesn't make such a funky bumper sticker. Anyway, did you ever try SLICING a cucumber?

Sugar: What are the pros and cons of holotropic breathwork?
Qzoo: The pros are: remembering who you are. The cons are: remembering who you are.

Sugar: Would you go to an Erasure concert if you weren't working there?
Qzoo: Depends on the ticket price. By the way, we have a website, and there is also a guest book and a FAQ. But be patient if we don't answer as frequently as you'd like -- our main occupation is music. The address is http://www.spinneret.co.za/qkumba

By Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman (sugar@cd.co.za)

The dates for the Qkumba Zoo/Erasure tour of SA, presented by Famous Concerts and 5FM, are July 25 (Three Arts, Cape Town) and July 29-30 (Standard Bank Arena, Johannesburg).

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