Interview with Penny and Steve of Crass with tracks from Penis Envy – 30 minutes of rare chat!
Interesting Radio 1 interview with Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud of Crass aired and recorded way back in May 1981.
Crass did not do too many interviews with radio stations, so sit back and enjoy what they had to say to the nation that were listening on that Saturday afternoon when this was originally aired.
Gee artwork above from the Crass magazine ‘International Anthem’ issue 2.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
back2front
February 4, 2009 at 4:27 pmI ‘enjoyed’ that Alistair, a good snapshot of Mrs Thatcher’s economic sins and a reminder of what’s going on across the land as redundancy ensues in the wake of recession. And you’re right, where’s the light at the end of the tunnel in all this with some economic forecasters predicting massive slumps to come and a period of decades before stability returns? Yes punk/DiY is about possibility but a lot of people don’t feel empowered in a culture that provides for their every whim. It is about being a participant rather than a spectator. But we do wake up a little when this stuff comes through our front doors and I hope it will create a catalyst of some sort that might move us in better directions. Demanding the impossible is always an option.
back2front
February 4, 2009 at 4:43 pmSteve is a sound bloke. I talked to him after Feeding and he was very down to earth and had no pretensions so I’m not suggesting he’s ‘sold-out’ or indeed that he should be anywhere near the Geldof/Bono bracket. If he wants to earn a few quid he’s hardly going to do it doing one gig a year anyway but in some respects it does seem he’s lost sight of things. What about a squatted one-nighter somewhere full of campaigns stalls and info booths?
Someone mentioned Conflict’s event this April and seemed to suggest (correct me if I picked this up wong) that it was somehow similar to what Steve was doing. Colin contacted me recently and told me about the event and how the emphasis will be on benefits and stalls, prices will be low and the venue is less restrictive. While he may have got things wrong in the past at least he’s trying to put some momentum back into things and to raise the issues. He’s also trying to put on a bill that will attract people from beyond the punk scene too. Events like this create far more potential than a few drinks and a toe tap to a few old songs.
Jay Vee
February 4, 2009 at 6:40 pmI agree with you there back2front about mixing different scenes at the same event with info stalls etc. to encourage integration of potential resistance from the government in the future, like how passionate the Punk scene was in the early 1980’s, but why limit to Punk scene indeed, I’m sure there’ll be some form of techno DJ’ing going on even at that event in April of Colin’s, and fairplay, for a 12 hour event that’s plenty of time to go off and do your own thing if a type of music is on that’s not an individuals cup o’ tea. I wasn’t suggesting that what Colin has planned for April is in anyway similar to what Steve Ignorant is doing at Durham in September, or indeed the Feeding event he organised himself in November 2007, I’m sure Steve would be the first to put his hand up and say that it was purely a form of nostalgia that he would want for the most part recognised as his undying commitment to a passion once shared with followers of Crass in the early 1980’s. Colin Jerwood and Steve Ignorant were always close friends however, and still are unless I’m mistaken, that gig that ended in some form of riot back in 1986 when they performed shoulder to shoulder was the kind of brotherly love that maybe Steve was hinting at in his promoting of the Feeding event, a kind of healing of the past in a sentimental way to usher in perhaps Colin’s spark of ignition for future events, and I’m sure Steve will be at the Coronet in April 2009 for the ‘Gathering Of The Thousands’, if not performing, just as a friend among friends…
baron von zubb
February 4, 2009 at 6:42 pm“I worked in the Engineering Department of a big business – the London Rubber Company (Durex condoms, Marigold rubber gloves). In all that time I never could work out how [Zounds/Subvert] I could “be an agent and work for revolution” in the place of my employment”
How wrong you are, Al me olde fruit.
We had this very discussion round the table in Westbere Rd kitchen.
And you came to the conclusion that the solution was a safety pin.
And we all agreed xxx
And BTW poor old Steve. All he wanted was a bit of a grope after a gig.
Is it a crime?
Probably…
No the thing is, it wasnt him, it was me – or my mate – who looked like him wot dunnit.
Martin C
February 4, 2009 at 6:49 pmHi Jay, I doubt she’s even aware of this site – she told me this years ago, she found it amusing that I even wanted her tatty old copy of ‘Reality Asylum’ (she got into Prince in a big way in the early 80s and is completely un-punk, albeit very gobby) back around 1990 – she couldn’t believe I’d even heard of what, to her, was just some band who used to play down the Moonlight and Hope and Anchor 10-12 years before. But then there was next to no mention of Crass in the early 90s, unless you went looking for it.
Yes, I’ve no doubt stories get exagerrated and no, I don’t think it reflects on Steve Ignorant – I was just getting into the ridiculous accusations of ‘sell out!’ vibe. She’s got some story involving the Speedometers too, who I’ve never heard of. I will ask her again next time I see her, if I remember.
She also said the first time she saw them they were playing in front of an upside down cross. Can any old-timers back this up?
(Actually Penguin – could you please delete my post before this? It looks like I’m making some accusation, especially about someone I’ve never met, which really wasn’t the intention)
Jay Vee
February 4, 2009 at 6:49 pmOk, some folks are gonna find this difficult to believe but my Mum actually worked at London Rubber company too, at the East End plant back in the 1960’s, and she says that they used to make pin prick holes in the Durex condoms back then ‘for a laugh’, by the 1970’s she felt somewhat responsible for the ‘baby boom’ of the 1960’s – 1970’s.
So it’s funny how such a small world this is, in such a quick space of time too, and to back up Baron Von Zubb, but in no way trying to prove Alistair wrong meself, just an unconscious coincidence based on a factory full of giggly teenagers subverting against the system on an unconscious level, however I’m sure the Government were encouraging the increase of population anyway at those times…
Jay Vee
February 4, 2009 at 7:01 pmHi Martin, the only work I admired of ‘Prince’, was the ‘Sign Of The Times’ double album (well it was a gatefold sleeve at the time on vinyl, which I bought meself in the late 1980’s when I was bored. Since sold it, but if your sister is fit, at least I could probably hit first base with that one? LOL
(Unashamed sexist remark there, but then I’ve never seen the harm in ‘talk’ in that respect, unless the individual of the opposite sex has made it clear they don’t tolerate that kind of chat in the first place).
alistairliv
February 4, 2009 at 7:36 pmMore rubber fun… in my day the condom making and packaging process was automated and in theory they were all ‘electronically tested’ – but only batches which failed the Swedish Water Test were in practice. The Swedish Water Test involved filing a randomly sampled condom up with water and seeing if it leaked… it was the Swedish test since the Swedes had the highest condom quality standard.
Before my day the processes were more …manual. So before packaging the condoms had to be hand-rolled. This involved rows of women rolling the condoms on and off a ‘phallic’ former. When young lads first joined the firm they were given a guided tour – including the hand-rolling room where the ladies would indulge themselves with some very vigorous wrist action. This caused the young apprentices much embarassment and the ladies much laughter.
chris
February 4, 2009 at 8:01 pmPoor old Steve. Personally I always found the best part of being in a band was being beseiged by young ladies clamouring for your autograph and to be invited back to your hotel room after the show.
Not that there was much of that in the punk scene of my day where, alas, you were more likely to come off stage to be haranged by some cock having a go at you for wearing leather shoes, before lugging your gear back to a stinky squat.
John No Last Name
February 4, 2009 at 11:18 pmIt’s a funny old world some of us live in, where a man who attempted to coerce some of the richest economies in the world into forgiving third world debt, is slammed for having had a sucessful music career, all in defense of a guy that got onstage and sung songs about sexism while allegedly taking advantage of young and somewhat naive girls.
Was Steve Ignorant sexist? probably, but does anyone really care and does it in any way matter 25 years later? Crass set the bar impossibly high for themselves or any of the members of their cult to follow, oh well good ideas sometimes turn bad, it happens.
Were the Boomtown Rats musically awful? No question! Are Bono and Geldolf a*seh*les for trying to do something to help world hunger? Are you kidding me? Two guys that started out playing smoke filled pubs got to meet with world leaders and achieve more than anyone in history in terms of 3rd world debt relief. Silly me, they really deserve to be hated because you don’t like ‘I don’t like mondays’.
On 7 July the G8 leaders pledged to double 2004 levels of aid to poor nations from US$25 to US$50 billion by the year 2010. Half of the money was to go to Africa. 11 June 2005: G8 finance ministers agree to cancel the debt owed by 18 of the poorest countries. Look, hate the guy for naming his kid Fifi-Trixiebell or for his lame music, but he actually did one amazing thing in his life that will make a difference for generations to come.
The best post on this thread was BVZ talking about how great it was that his nephew discovered how great and powerful music can be. Alright guys, now back to Crass, 3,2,1 go…..
Jay Vee
February 5, 2009 at 12:33 amI actually like the song ‘I don’t like Mondays’ by Boomtown Rats, I remember it well, was always on the radio at around the same time as ‘Video killed a radio star’ by ‘The Buggles’ – 1979?
Any road up, I’m done with slamming… on a Karma level, the whole world should give everything it’s got to Africa, since on a scientific level, if not spiritual level most agree all Human life has it’s roots in Africa, of the two, I have more respect for Bob Geldof ‘cos he get’s in there and does what he says he’ll do, or at least commits to the change he wants to see happen, but as much as I do like some of U2’s music, Bono disappoints. Midge Ure is a pretty sound guy…
Oh sorry John No Last Name, we is supposed to be continuing on with the discussion about Crass… er, “Punk dear chap what’s that?” At least they got David Beckham to wear their logo / symbol on his designer outfit whilst he was out on the town with Elton John!!!
Penny Rimbaud had more than his fair share of the groupie girls at Crass gigs he has mentioned in his own book ‘My Rotten life’ or whatever it was…
Back to the G8 leaders, and is there any proof that they have given the world debt relief that they agreed to, and will it be worth it if Africas own leaders continue to squander their own people, and divert the aid, steal it for their own leaders etc.? “1,2,3,4…we don’t want your f***ing war!”
G8 debate…GO!
Nic
February 5, 2009 at 9:49 amTalking about Crass on a thread under a post of a radio interview with Crass…how utterly inappropriate…
🙂
back2front
February 5, 2009 at 10:17 amThe thing that always got to me about the Geldof/Bono Axis of Ego was that they helped the corporate agenda by painting disasters, such as the Ethiopian famine, as being derived from natural causes and in doing so created a convenient smokescreen. The problem with Afrca is not that they have poor soil and can’t grow produce but one of continued exploitation of natural resources with dire consequences for people, animals and environment. In order to make poverty history throwing a few coins here or a token gesture over there merely perpetuates the root cause of continual oppression of Africa, while placating middle class guilt at the same time.
Indeed what funding is sent to Africa is often part of a sinister IMF/World Bank deal in which an economy will be buffered in return for legislation that ENSURES continual corporate domination of resources, and further the regimes in power in several countries often mean that such funding is kept within government infrastructure rather than going to where it might actually be needed.
Current western capitalist philosophy is hell-bent on free market economy and the globalaisation of resources. Central to this are the ideas of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics which states that only when capitalism is unhindered (for example by taxation, legislation or social justice campaigns) can it fully realise its potential and create the ultimate ‘trickle-down’ economy. This can only be achieved by a global free-market, and central to the strategy since WW2 is the control of major resources. Any form of socialism, left-wingery or the dreaded anarchism is anthema for it hinders the route of global econmics.
Examples of the complete failure of this system can be found from Nicaragua to Argentina, and from Russia to South Africa. In the UK under Thatcher the principle was the same – reduce social spending, remove any adversary to the agenda, increase the opportunity for business. In South America they used death squads, Thatcher reinvented the role of the police – the outcome is the same.
Hence when a multi-millionaire rock star whose career is on the wane promotes their concert to end poverty I find the qhole thing questionable. Possibly they may even have good intentions but their sanitised ‘protest’ is merely an acception of their defeat. When Bob and Bono put their millions into a campaign exposing the global agenda using their celebrity status to make an inroad into pop culture then I might go to the gig and give Bob my “fookin’ money’.
“State control and rock and roll are run by clever men…”
back2front
February 5, 2009 at 10:18 amI take it all of you who worked in the rubber factory had proper manual handling training? This is very important from a health and safety perspective after all!
Nic
February 5, 2009 at 10:40 amI really agree, back2front: “ Feeding gave young people the chance to hear Crass played live but in a situation stripped of its agit propaganda and social context.”
I’m not sure if – in this context – the ‘return’ of ‘Crass’ is indeed a ‘detournement’: if so, to what purpose?
It could well be true (as a few posts have suggested) that concerts such as these act as a form of inspiration beyond the entertainment value’, that they open people up to other avenues for exploration…but I personally am more inclined to agree with back2front that this doesn’t seem to be happening – does the context mean that a celebratory event becomes just another concert, another piece of empty product, an exercise in nostalgic hero-worship wrapped around a few pints of rotten lager with kebab meat and chips for afters…But after the gig…
The conflation of what would seem to be somewhat differing approaches is very noticeable across the world of blogs (as slyme noted): in that context, it does indeed seem to be the case that ‘Punk’ becomes denuded of any depth in terms of what it hopes to convey – which seems a shame…Perhaps it is naïve to think it was ever anything more than that for the majority of people, but I’m sure it wasn’t for many of us: it had that sense of potential that the Baron mentioned…
That isn’t to say that there can’t be a sense of celebration and enjoyment in all this: my thoughts on the ‘Anarcho’ concerts which I attended always return to a sense of excitement, of positive energy, of smiling…’Politics’ and ‘pleasure’ are not mutually exclusive…
But, as Al noted, “The difficulty is how to turn despair into action – that another world really is possible, is achievable.”
Thinking of ‘product’: one has to accept that it will occur, and it can serve a number of positive purposes (such as the widespread dissemination of information): I suppose the area in which it becomes problematic is the way in which it interacts with a wider belief structure and its potential ability to stultify and anaesthetise within the context of that environment…
I’m not even going to enter the fray of the Bono / Geldof arena: I can see back2front’s points, but I can also see John’s…
having said that, it seems like many people who take a ‘hard line’ stance on issues around politics have a tendency to view the world in polarised extremes, neglecting the fact that human beings thoughts and actions constantly oscillate between points somewhere in-between those poles, doing ‘good’ in one area and ‘bad’ in the other…
The ‘Crasstafarian’ idea of trying to think about one’s actions seems to address this more fruitfully (even if it largely seems like a manifestation of Christian ‘4 Gospel’ values 🙂 )…
Al: The economic experiment (of a free market which reaches natural equilibrium and consequently benefits everyone) initiated by Thatcher at the end of the 1970’s does indeed seem to have been founded on a fallacy. It’s basis in ‘Game Theory’ (an idea which was damned from its beginning when the Rand Institute tested the theory, received completely the opposite results to those which they anticipated, and promptly continued to expound it blaming the people involved in the testing as ‘unfit subjects’) would seem to be as bankrupt as the tenets of the political and economic approach it has produced…
After all that…
I’m quite interested in knowing more about the Skins attempts to ‘slur’ that Jay Vee mentioned: a Skinhead ‘Honey Trap’? What a doss idea…
🙂
Martin C: “Rabies adverts” – haha, a cultural touchstone…Remember ‘The Mad Death’?
(And I always loved the ‘out of tune’ guitar on that Clockwork Criminals track – it sounded like a battery operated record player running out of steam)
Just for the record, Chris: I wrote the lyrics, wrote almost half of the music, played bass and ‘sang’ vocals on that recording, and the ‘kudos’ of being on that recording is mirrored by the way in which those songs are still the most popular played by the group…
I do agree about the potential to donate the money, and it is something I return to and consider, but one has to make the decision that seems to be correct for oneself…
Nic
February 5, 2009 at 10:41 amOn a Rock ‘n’ Roll note…
R.I.P. Lux Interior…
“One half Hillbilly and one half Punk”
🙁
Jay Vee
February 5, 2009 at 2:06 pm‘Honey Traps’ do happen Nic, seeing is believing, and I can only comment on past experience, not of myself – but seeing it happen to others, by yes, Skins. I know that’s bold of me to generalise in that way, but hey – I’m sure the majority of Skinheads won’t be offended anyway.
Was never excited or felt any positive energy by your old band Napalm Death, and like Chris, can’t believe for one second that you’ve ever been offered £100,000 to return to the band in any form whatsoever, you say that £100,000 offer is a reflection on supposedly how much more of an influence Napalm Death was than Crass, if that be true Nic, shouldn’t that be more the reason to pick up where you left off on your own ideal agendas, whether that be correct for oneself or not, the apathy and aloofness and delusion of such a claim to fame is a shame… 🙁
Nic
February 5, 2009 at 2:31 pmI don’t care if Napalm Death were or are exciting or positive for you, Jay – it’s obviously not for you, and that’s fine…
Chris asked some questions – I replied: simple as that…I gave a personal example for no other reason than I wished to put into context what might seem like an abstract concept…
You also know nothing, I’m afraid, about the fees that have been offered for a Side 1 line-up of Napalm Death reunion – from Brazil, Japan, America and elsewhere…
As for ‘returning to the band’, they asked me to play with them last Saturday at the release of their new album and after I had spent the afternoon doing interviews with them (because they are friends and asked me to). They have also asked me to come and record vocals with them on their last 3 albums…delusionary? You know nothing of which you speak – now you do…
And where exactly did I write that Napalm Death had ‘more of an influence’ than Crass? You’re making things up now – or having trouble reading…
I continue to write music and collaborate with others on a regular basis because I enjoy being creative and interacting with other people: to give you concrete examples, I’m involved in a 5 day writing and recording session with 7 other people in 2 weeks time, followed by concerts in Prague and elsewhere – far from apathetic (or – for that matter – aloof)…
As for a ‘claim to fame’ – that’s your perception again: for me, it’s part of my life and that is important in itself…
You really do need to get that chip about me (which seems to relate to something on this board that has got your knickers in a twist) off your shoulder, because if you have a problem, the problem is you….
Or if not, why bother making comments (as I don’t on your posts, unless I can think of something positive)…
Jay Vee
February 5, 2009 at 2:44 pmSo you’re denying ever making negative comments about responses I’ve put on this site? Yeah you’re right, I’m having trouble reading – I’m blinded by your holy light Nic.
John Serpico
February 5, 2009 at 2:51 pmTaking off my punk rock anorak and closing my notebook for a moment (sorry, Penguin, Nic), I think people should remember that Crass were a group and not just one lead vocalist with a backing band. If after all these years Steve wants to play a gig singing some of his songs then fair play to him. There’s nothing wrong with it, in my eyes. Crass as a group or as an organization or what ever you want to call them are not reforming.
Did Steve Lake get knocked for playing gigs as Zounds a few years ago? Does Dick Lucas get knocked for playing Subhumans gigs? Would people moan if Mark Mob played a few of his songs again? Are Amebix going to get a slagging for reforming? Would Nic be accused of selling out if he did Napalm Death again? I know that none of these bands are Crass but we’re talking about one member – Steve – not the whole band. It’s personal choice.
I think it was Eve Libertine who said to Penny regarding the Shepherd’s Bush event that they give all kinds of people the go-ahead to use Crass songs (Jeffrey Lewis, for example), so why not Steve, the person who actually wrote a load of them?
The last time I saw Crass play live, I thought I could easily walk out now because I knew exactly what the gig was going to be like. They were no longer saying or doing anything that they had not already said or done. They had become a formula. They knew it themselves. They had to move on but in which direction? Bomb-throwing? I believe they even discussed this? One of their pamphlets passed out at that last time I saw them was asking basically ‘What now? Where now?’ It came as no surprise that a couple of weeks later they played their final gig.
There were plenty of people who viewed Crass simply as a good punk rock band. They were, but to many others (Penny Rimbaud being one) they were also something a lot more. When first starting out, however, never in a million years did they expect to one day find themselves in such a powerful and influential position. There was never any kind of grand, ten-point program. Crass, just like everyone else were learning all the time and however much it might have seemed, really didn’t know or have all the answers to everything. The problem with them finishing when they did was that they became cast in stone.
In as much as they confounded people’s expectations of them by releasing Penis Envy (if you listen to the Rock On interview, Penny talks about this) there was nothing to suggest that they might not have confounded expectations again in the future. Perhaps they might have denounced pacifism absolutely? By stopping as a band the development of their ideas came to a halt too and as I said, they became cast in stone.
Steve is absolutely entitled to sing his songs. The songs are no longer attached to Crass as part of a movement for social change. They are no longer bound up with the times. Things have moved on. He is no longer in a position to ‘sell-out’. It’s not relevant to the times.
And no, I won’t be going to Durham myself but I will be coming over to England (along with a few thousand others I hope – particularly from Greece?) in April for the G20 summit protests. I would hope that a lot of people writing on this blog will also be there in London for those days?
chris
February 5, 2009 at 3:21 pmJOHN SERPICO: Steve is absolutely entitled to sing his songs. The songs are no longer attached to Crass as part of a movement for social change. They are no longer bound up with the times. Things have moved on. He is no longer in a position to ‘sell-out’. It’s not relevant to the times.
Exactly!
Though this may appear sacrilege to some, I was lucky enough to get a couple of feebies for the Shepherd’s Bush gig, went along with another poster on this site, met a load of old faces and had a good drink. It was a night of pure and utter entertainment, but where’s the evil in that? I got ‘the message’ over a quarter of a century ago so it’s not like i’d have been affected in any way HAD anything been different, and a tad condescending to what one could regard as the ‘G8 generation of punks’ suggest otherwise.
I also had brief chats with Phil Free and Gee at the show and really think if THEY don’t have a problem with what Steve is doing now anyone who does really needs to get their head out of their arse. Penny is is entitled to his opinion. He was a member of Crass. Anyone who wasn’t is frankly being sanctimonious in the extreme as it simply does not affect or impact on them in any way whatsoever.
Bob
February 5, 2009 at 4:40 pmDunno about selling out or not but Penny and Steve haven’t aged well in the above Photo…
Penny looks more like Patrick Moore and just how long has Steve been cross dressing anyway?
back2front
February 5, 2009 at 5:46 pmSteve Ignorant & Special Duties, for one night only, to play “Penis Envy” in it’s entirety…. pay no more than £50…. benefit for local chippy… please don’t spit on the bouncers or else…
It all gets a bit silly really – Steve actually selling out might entail regular touring with a raft of rip-off merchandise to prop up sub-standard records with compromised lyrics and dodgy managers, which is clearly not the case and most of what he does perform is written or partially written by him so I’ve no problem with him doing this. At Feeding he told me all members of Crass were there and gave their endorsement, as if he needed it, with the exception of Penny, and Eve who wanted to go but couldn’t make it. I went to Feeding and like Chris, enjoyed a good night out.
BUT I still empathise with what Penny puts forward in terms of ethos yet also appreciate that nothing was written in stone and nobody signed their Kropotkin books in blood. And yet, for myraid reasons many people have tried to keep the DiY flag flying and to an extent they feel that a pioneer like Steve is doing them a diservice by apparently stripping the ethos out of it all. Is that what he’s even doing?
This is 2009 ffs. But as I mentioned earlier what if rather than playing this latest event he organised, and there’s many would help, a squatted venue with emphasis on stalls, info shops, benefits etc to highlight issues which are very important and young people were exposed to it, and old uns like myself, were reminded of our pontential. What might such an event achieve? And it is within his gift to do so but you also have to appreciate why Crass disbanded, the problem of leadership and the problem of the limits of pacifism as protest.
The problem of leadership is that Crass were foisted onto thrones despite their protests while the original wave of peace punk and anarcho-bands are regarded almost as deities and there’s the rub. Those of us who want to agitate and are still motivated can clearly organise events which are centred around activism such as I described earlier without having ‘one of the adults’ to hold our hands.
You Suffer
February 5, 2009 at 6:02 pmSorry to have to burst your bubble Nic, but what you are saying isn’t entirely true. Whilst offers may have been made for a ND “Scum” reformation your inclusion has never been a condition of this. Additionally no concrete fee has ever been offered. It is tawdry and self aggrandizing to boast otherwise. You are not Lee or Justin so please get over yourself. You are beginning to come across as a bit of a Wally Nightingale.
andus
February 5, 2009 at 6:35 pmWell Nik was the original member of ND, as was a chap called Rat and Justin Broadrich. the went from 1982,to about 88-89, The Napalm death that came after them included no original members, so therefore they were NOT Napalm Death, just a bunch of parasites using someone elses name to SELF AGGRANDIZE themselves, If they had not kept the original name they would not have been big, so they have basically parasited off all the hard work Nik, Rat. and Justin had done before them. they are nothing more than usurpers, who could never have stood on their own two feet by changing their name, so they decided to leech it. WANKERS.
chris
February 5, 2009 at 8:50 pmAndus, this is all getting rather confusing and i’m sure Mr B will be along to clarify soon, but Justin Broadrich (was he the guy from Jesu?) wasn’t – to the best of my knowledge – an original member. As I recall it it was Nic, Miles (Rat) and a couple of other lads called Fin & Simon. Though i’m pretty sure one of them may have been a replacement for another former member who sold his guitar to buy a CB radio or something! It was during this period (1982) that I first started writing to and got to know Miles & Nic, and the Napalm Death back then had a very, very different sound to what I imagine folk know them as now. They sounded a bit like The Rondos or The Snipers and in my view were fucking brilliant, as well as being one of the most iconoclastic and out-spoken bands of the time. Unfortunately, I think about the only thing from that era that made it onto vinyl was a track on one of the Bullshit Detectors (‘crucifixion of posessions’ maybe?) which is a shame as IMO they had many songs a lot better than that one, which i expect was only chosen cos it was about the ‘punkiest’ sounding from their repertoir at the time.
Nic, apologies for my misinformation early, somehow i’d picked it up wrongly that you had only played bass on one side of that first ‘scum’ lp, taking it that you’d left the band during the recording, quid pro quo, that you hadn’t had anything to do with the rest of it. My mistake.
Oh, and i’ve found my cassette of that Nottingham gig which i’ll have to do you a copy of sometime. certainly brings back the memories of a pretty ‘memorable’ show!
Sam
February 5, 2009 at 9:21 pm“Well Nik was the original member of ND, as was a chap called Rat and Justin Broadrich. the went from 1982,to about 88-89, The Napalm death that came after them included no original members, so therefore they were NOT Napalm Death, just a bunch of parasites using someone elses name to SELF AGGRANDIZE themselves, If they had not kept the original name they would not have been big, so they have basically parasited off all the hard work Nik, Rat. and Justin had done before them. they are nothing more than usurpers, who could never have stood on their own two feet by changing their name, so they decided to leech it. WANKERS.”
EXACTLY like all the SELF AGGRANDIZING The Heretics wannabes that followed after the North London Jewish group of the same name.
Martin C
February 6, 2009 at 1:26 amJay – by weird coincidence, spoke to my sister this afternoon and did drop this in. She admitted that her and her mate from a nurse training course were trying to nick a banner from the stage. Though apparently Steve Ignorant was being a complete dick anyway and rude to certain people, which probably accounts more for the kicking than him playing boss cat and trying to grab her tits. Who knows – I don’t care really. I’m more pissed off that my mum actually made me wash my mouth out with soap and water after I called her a ‘fucking cow’ as a sprog. If you want a crack at her, she’s married, but anyway good luck, I’d advise some taking some mogodons beforehand.
I think you’re being way harsh on Napalm Death – I was only really familiar with ‘Scum’ and the late 80s stuff, but you remind me a bit of Marco Pirroni and all those Bromley bores sneering down their hooters at Crass etc cos they didn’t go down Louise’s in 1976, or whatever bullshit they come out with. I missed out on Crass etc cos I was only 5 in 1981, so hearing John Peel play “Prison Without Walls” and “You Suffer” when I was 11 was fucking incredible. There’s a fantastic ND Peel Session that starts off with a Holocaust survivor describing how she used to hide in the house in the Warsaw Ghetto (I THINK??) and it just explodes into a rage that me and loads of others were feeling at the time, especially watching my dad getting sacked off from work as soon as he developed arthritis and the complete barrage of right-wing, moralist propaganda that was going on at the time. Yeah, you had your stuff, we had ours. And on a 90s trip, I loved the Voodoo Queens and thought they were way better than Poison Girls….;)
Incidentally, if I didn’t dream that ND session, does anyone know if it’s ever been reissued? I’d love to hear it again…never bought the ‘sessions’ CD cos I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t on it.
Jay Vee
February 6, 2009 at 6:05 amI didn’t need any other graphically holocaustic record other than ‘WHY’ by Discharge in 1982 at the time of Napalm Death to dwell on the question of why humanity drops bombs on eachother and why seemingly innocent people were historically always the shear horror of it all.
So just to reiterate – after already exposing my fragile impressionable mind to Crass and their anti-war stance since 1980, by 1982 I had bought ‘WHY’ 12″ e.p. by Discharge as an extension to what i had already become very aware of and played it so much that it was enough for me to ‘get the message’, and for sure a lot of teenagers around the 1980’s era needed that kind of music to reflect their own angst and rage, since then there’s been hundreds of bands using imagery of war in such graphic detail, mixing samples of explosions from old footage of WWII and all the rest of it… from what I’ve heard of Napalm Death, it was just another extension of everything that went before it, my own naive viewpoint as Nic likes to say I’m naive, maybe so – but in my own defence I just don’t emotionally need to listen to every single band that emerged from 1982 onwards that made a name for themselves out of old War imagery. Dead Kennedys had enough Napalm in their lyrics too for my humble little brain, if we’re gonna be objective.
Nic was so keen to criticise Steve Ignorant for his appearances on stage, trying to make comparisons in terms of money he would be worth for an original band reformation, on a global scale, but because he feels it’s not ‘correct’ for him to do that, I just can’t see how expects the global fan base of Steve Ignorant to feel that it’s not ‘correct’ for Steve Ignorant to get on stage and rant out his own songs, albeit for less money, you pays ya money, ya makes your choice at the end of the day, doesn’t matter if you pay £17.50 to see Steve Ignorant or £17.50 to see one of Nic’s film productions, or whatever else it is he has his own version of creativity or artistic bent involvement these days, somewhere along the line if you get technical about it you’ll find you have made money out of your creativity Nic, whether that be more than what Steve has ever made personally or not, doesn’t matter cos you’ll still judge him for it, and yet he’s never personally judged you for what you’ve done or now do? Correct me if I’m wrong…
andus
February 6, 2009 at 12:04 pmChris. You are perfectly correct about Justin Broadrich, what I mean’t was he was in the original bunch. before Fin and Simon there was a chap called Graham and later someone called Bonesack who was in them for just a short period. Nik and Miles Ratlege were the 2 consistant members of that era, the period from 1985 to 88-89 was the Broadrich era, it was during this time they became big. Then Rat and Justin left, I think Rat first, Mickey Harris became their new drummer, and then Justin, and a little later Nik, and then ND were officially dead in my eyes, all that was left were these usurpers. I seem to remember it happening fairy quickly, so its not even a case to argue that they evolved.
I have a copy of their demo from 86-87 Hatred Surge, fucking brilliant,
Avante garde exceleence.
I interviewed Napalm Death shortly after Mickey Harris joined, still have it on tape, the only copy in existance. I have been intending to copy it for Nik for years.
After Napalm Death, Nik and Rat briefly did a band called The Mother Fuckers From Mars, got an interview with them as well. I seem to remember Broadrich being in Fall of Because, another brilliant unsung band.
andus
February 6, 2009 at 1:03 pmJust found this on wikipedia.
‘Miles Ratledge (Rat) is one of the founding members of Napalm Death, along with Nicholas Bullen (Nik Napalm). The duo had collaborated on fanzines and played together in a number of ‘bedroom’ bands from 1980 onwards, before forming the first line-up of Napalm Death in May 1981 (when they were 13 and 14 years old).
Ratledge left Napalm Death in December 1985 due to musical disagreements. He went on to form the group Aberration in early 1987, featuring the poet Andy Nunn on bass and Ian McCugo on vocals, Simon Holland on guitar.and the group Witch Hunt in late 1987 (which featured ex-Napalm Death members Finbarr Quinn and Graham Robertson).
Ratledge left England to travel the world in 1988 and effectively ceased to make music. He now lives with his family in Aarhus, Denmark where he runs a yoga school.’
I can’t believe Aberration get a mention, We never played any gigs or recorded anything. One problem. Rat didn’t form them, I did.
baron von zubb
February 6, 2009 at 1:14 pmYeah everthing that came after The Wanabes were heretics. I mean..
Serpico. When exactly is this G20 party and where can I find info.
And more importantly all you anarchos in the know, who are the current Monday Group?
Me, Im gonna go hit some old bill with me zimmer. The buggers, they just dont age like we do..
johnn
February 6, 2009 at 3:24 pmThe venue for the G20 summit seems to be being kept quiet for some reason.
something is planned to take place outside the bank of england from 12 noon on april 1st
http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/g20-summit-financial-fools-day-april-1st/
Zimmer on down.