Saint Julian. Hmmm, that sure has a nice ring to it, but who am I kidding? The Pope's not gonna go for this in a million years.

In fact, if there's only one sliver of truth to the stories about Julian Cope, former leader of Liverpudlian psychedelicists The Teardrop Explodes, then his chances for sainthood have already gone kablooey.

�The Teardrops was a particularly physically dangerous group to be in,� Cope explains. �A lot of blood got spilled. I quite liked that...� Recalling their zest for violent games and music, Julian innocently remarks, �We never actually ran people over,� then concludes, �You can only work for so long like that. In the end I�d get pissed off because everybody was as psychotic as I was.�

After a succession of deliciously hookworthy singles, EPs and LPs, the Teardrops imploded and Julian Cope began releasing a hit-and-miss series of musical excursions into bonkersville pop surrealism. His newest and best LP to date, St. Julian, is a cornucopia of catchy tunes spearheaded by the ruthlessly rocking anthem �World Shut Your Mouth.�