Hello everyone, thank you for joining us today on the Virtual RGM Lounge. Grab a beer and take a seat.
What made you decide that music was for you?
He probably grew up in a Beatles family. When I was a kid, music was always a “thing”. Then punk came along and literally anyone could join a band and make music (regardless of whether they could play or not). Hell, the first band I was in, Extraction, didn’t even have an instrument! Actually, that’s not strictly true, Iggy told us she has a guitar she found in her mother’s catalog, but I’ve never seen it…
Please introduce us to you and your musical history.
Johnny: The first band I was in was Extraction, where (as we learned) instruments were kind of a luxury item. I then joined the Chaos Brothers with Tim Briceno, later of All About Eve and Sisters of Mercy, with him guesting on bass and his brother Toby on guitar. Miff Smiff played percussion before setting off to become a full-time professional cat burglar. Then I joined a band that was doing a weird mix of prog and funk, and I hated it.
Then I got itchy feet and moved on to smoke in search of fame and fortune. I watched “Fame” on TV and it was a partial success because it cost a lot of money! I’m Revenge Inspired by Generation London was interesting. I rubbed shoulders with cool people. The Clash was a regular at local bars and spoke regularly with Joe Strummer and Cosmo Vinyl. I still don’t know what Cosmo did for Crash, but it seemed like he was their manager or something. Since I was a crush after Mick, I didn’t know much about the other members apart from Paul Simonon. I had never talked to Paul before, but I thought he was a little scary! We knew Mickey Foote well, he produced the first Clash album and it was at his mate’s studio that we recorded the demo.
Mickey Finn the T-Rex must have lived locally and we often met up and bought him a drink or two. We lived right next to Westbourne Grove, which has a strong punk history, so there seemed to be musicians and artists on every street corner, and I had an American friend, Mick Lexington, who was kind of Now a producer, he used to carry around movies from big-name movies, but he had a habit of meeting famous people, charming them and inviting them to the pub. That’s how we got to know Mickey Finn. He also introduced me to Hugh Lloyd Langton, formerly of Hawkwind, who must have lived locally, and I saw him around the neighborhood all the time, and he was a really nice guy.
Andy: It was after that that Johnny and I returned to Yorkshire and got together to write music. I was in a few bands and playing at the Huddersfield Friendly & Trades Club, a famous local punk venue. The first band we played together was the Isolationists, who played pop-up gigs here and there. After a short hiatus, he got together with Mick Stead, who was previously in the Luddites with his brother Dave Stead (later of Beautiful South). The Luddites had some success and even did a session with John Peel. The quartet was completed with drunkard Martin ‘Psycho’ Sykes playing maniacally on the drums at Crown Green Bowl.
Johnny: We had a great sound and energy, so we thought we could continue to dominate the world. The plan was to move to LA and do some gigs and ride around on vintage Triumph bikes like the Twenty Flight Rockers we had. We met in London. It was then that Andy made the bombshell that he had decided to move to Bristol to learn how to become a dentist. Dentist for shit! At that point I effectively retired from music and went back to university to become a car designer. But you can’t keep good musicians down. I came out of retirement, took my Les Paul out of the cupboard, and started making music again. I was in Crankhouse for a while before I formed the Kaiser Killers with Andy and Styx (MacIntosh, drummer).
What was your life like before you started making music?
(Johnny) I don’t remember much before music started, but music was always in my life and I joined my first band when I was still in school… (Andy) Yes, music… It was always there, really. My older brother was very interested in his music, so I inherited or borrowed a lot of records and things from him when I was little. Since then, I have been collecting music in various formats. (Johnny) That’s right, the floor of Andy’s apartment had to be reinforced with steel beams to prevent Andy’s record collection from falling onto the floor below! (both laugh)
What was the first song you heard that introduced you to music?
(Johnny) When I listen to it, it’s probably the Beatles, but when I think about being able to create my own music, it’s probably the Buzzcocks’ Spiral Scratch EP. They recorded and released records on their own label. , which was unprecedented and made me think that maybe I could do the same thing. As for the songs, “Boredom” from that EP.
(Andy) The Beatles again, for me, and T. Rex, then Get It On?
Where do you think you are in the music industry right now?
I’m exhausted and still trying to get down the first step!
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from others in the industry?
Joe Strummer taught me to be a good person, to relate to people who love my music, and to have great empathy for my followers. He was a good guy, Joe. I miss him so much.
Tell me two truths and one lie about yourself.
(Johnny) I designed the seat fabric used in London’s black taxis. I am deaf in one ear. I won a set of Cracker Jack pencils (one for a teenager there…) (Andy) John He had met Peel and had his photo taken with him. I gave Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses a filling in one of his premolars. I still own an outdated digital audio tape player.
If you could wish for one thing to help your career, what would it be?
(Johnny) Free Rickenbacker bass (quite please). (Andy) What a lucky chance!
Have you ever worried about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
(Andy) We support equality and fairness for all, but there are critical questions about whether it is possible to talk openly about some subjects without someone being unduly offended. (Johnny) And the gate is buzzing as well!
Do you agree with conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
(Johnny) So you didn’t actually land on the moon, but on a movie set? No, but Lee Harvey Oswald and the JFK assassination don’t quite match up. However, this is not a conspiracy theory, but an observation based on fact. Andy, on the other hand, is a major purveyor of conspiracy theories of all kinds, especially medical conspiracy theories. Or how the state tries to control us, or countless other topics. I think it was actually Andy who made these things up and spread them like a virus on the internet… (At this point Andy twists around, gasping for air)
What is your worst experience on stage?
(Johnny) For me, I always forget the lyrics, usually to songs I actually wrote! I would be happy if the live show became more like karaoke!
Tell us something you think people would be surprised about about you or each member.
(Johnny) I think people would be surprised to know that Andy likes to stick his fingers in people’s mouths! (New Andy) Or that Johnny is never happier than when he’s drawing with felt-tip pens. People may be surprised to learn that (Johnny) Sticks is a famous international jewel thief.
What is the next step to reach the next level as a band?
We have to get on the road sooner or later and I think that’s the priority. In addition, a new album was released on vinyl. However, that may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and the tipping point where Andy’s record collection plummets through the floor. The neighbors downstairs were surprised and disappointed.
What do you think about Elon Musk’s contribution to the world?
A very strange man with a very strange name. His Cybertruck looks like it was drawn by a 5-year-old using a school geometry set. And he trolled Twitter. I would be so happy if he would take a one-way trip on a rocket.
I heard you have new music, could you tell me about it?
Our new single “Gun Crazy” will be released on Friday, March 22nd. This song came about when I (Johnny) visited a girl in Connecticut and asked her about crime in that quiet New England state near New York. She said it was definitely creeping in and that “just last week, a man was found dead in the trunk of a car near a shopping mall.” That’s the first poem.
What was the recording process like?
We often start with a guide guitar and guide vocal and then layer in various guitar tracks and vocal harmonies before the mixing engineer does his magic and makes it unrecognizable as the garbage we just put down. It’s really simple.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing new songs?
There was quite a learning curve when it came to mixing. This song took a very long conceptualization period, but we just couldn’t get the mix right.I think it’s probably the best release we’ve ever had in terms of quality since we introduced external ears
Now that it’s complete, do you want to change anything?
Johnny: My socks.
Andy: I bring the guitar playing to the forefront so that Johnny’s singing can’t be heard.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Peace and Love (© Mr. R Star). All you need is love (although shelter, food and warmth are very useful, there are many people for whom some or all of them are not enough)
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