NAMES IN THE NEWS : Reid: No Chitchat on the Stage

William Reid, founder of the band The Jesus and Mary Chain, said mum’s the word on stage--unless he’s singing.

“When you make a record, you don’t introduce the songs. . . . It would break the spell,” he said. “Playing on stage is kind of magical, and when people stand up there and start saying things, it breaks the spell.

“If I go see a group, I want to see them playing as hard and as good as they can. I want the music to be one intense, long flow. I don’t want people to talk to me.”

Reid said he has broken his rule of on-stage silence only one time in five years--and that was because he was drunk.

“I was abusing them. I was insulting them,” he said. “The next day I was embarrassed. I regretted it.”

The Scottish band, scheduled to appear in Dallas today, is touring after its latest release, “Automatic.”