John Robb - Punk Rock: An Oral History

Punk was like we didnt have a map and we
didnt have an address. It was like someone
nicking a car and saying, Whos coming?
Jimmy Pursey, Sham 69

Escaping Blackpool suburbia care of punk rock, John Robb formed the Membranes in the punk wars. Fired by the DIY ethic of punk, he also edited his own fanzine, The Rox. He toured the world with the Membranes and put out several critically acclaimed albums. In the late Eighties he wrote for Sounds, the sadly defunct music paper, and was first to write about Nirvana and the upcoming Manchester scene, as well as inventing the word Britpop (sorry!). In the Nineties he put together Goldblade, who have toured the world several times with their incendiary live show and released yet more critically acclaimed albums. He has also appeared countless times on TV and films and has written bestselling books on the Stone Roses and Nineties pop culture.

Oliver Craske is a writer and editor specialising in music, photography and other illustrated books. He is the author of Rock Faces, a survey of rock music photography.

Punk Rock: An Oral History

John Robb

PM Press 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60486-005-4

LCCN: 2011939680

First published by Ebury Press in Great Britain 2006

Text John Robb 2006

Interviews with John Lydon, Mark Perry, and Nils Stevenson conducted by John Robb and reproduced by kind permission of UKTV and free@last TV. Siouxsie Sioux interviews conducted by Michael Bracewell and reproduced by kind permission. Keith Levene interview reproduced by kind permission of Perfect Sound Forever online music magazine (www.perfectsoundforever.com). Chrissie Hynde interviews reproduced by kind permission of Simon Price. All other interviews by John Robb.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

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Selected footnotes have been added throughout, where it was felt they would add to the overall picture without interrupting the flow of the text. This has necessarily been an arbitrary process - it would be impractical to footnote everything - but we considered that the book might be impenetrable without them.

All views expressed are those of the respective speaker. The author and editor have checked facts as much as possible, but all memories are subjective and fallible and time plays strange tricks, so it is to be expected that some readers may disagree with the accounts of certain incidents. As youll see, some contributors disagree about them too.

A brief description appears for each contributor the first time he or she appears in the book. Where the contributor appears again later in the book, it may help you to refer to the following list, which, for ease of use, provides the same information in alphabetical form. Most contributors have had long and complex careers and these descriptions do not purport to be comprehensive profiles, but rather attempt to present the most relevant information, such as the bands and instruments with which a musician is most closely associated or those most directly relevant to the period covered in this book.

Colin Abrahall (GBH: vocals)

Gaye Advert (The Adverts: bass guitar)

Chris Bailey (The Saints: vocals)

Arturo Bassick (The Lurkers: bass)

John Bentham (Film-maker, manager of Outl4w)

Beki Bondage (Vice Squad: vocals)

Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets: keyboards)

Billy Bragg (Riff Raff, then solo: vocals and guitar)

Michelle Brigandage (Brigandage: vocals)

Ian Brown (Stone Roses and solo: vocals)

Budgie (Big in Japan, the Slits, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Creatures: drums)

J. J. Burnel (The Stranglers: bass and vocals)

Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers: vocals)

Garry Bushell (Journalist. The Gonads: lead vocals)

J. C. Carroll (The Members: guitar)

Nick Cash (Kilburn and the High Roads, 999: guitar and vocals)

Robin Chapekar (Bazooka Joe)

Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke: vocals)

Pat Collier (The Vibrators: bass)

Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers: lead vocals and guitar)

Mick Crudge (The Fits: vocals)

Jeremy Cunningham (The Levellers: bass)

Andy Czezowski (Managed the Damned and Generation X. Ran the Roxy club)

Tony D (Editor, Ripped And Torn and Kill Your Pet Puppy fanzines)

Eric Debris (Metal Urbaine: vocals)

Deko (Dublin punk. Paranoid Visions: vocals)

Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks, Magazine: vocals)

Bob Dickinson (Journalist)

Jeremy Diggle (Student at St Martins College, London)

Steve Diggle (Buzzcocks: guitar)

Eddie (Real name Jonathan Edwards. Bazooka Joe roadie. The Vibrators: drums)

John Ellis (Bazooka Joe, the Vibrators and the Stranglers)

Micky Fitz (The Business: vocals)

Gavin Friday (Virgin Prunes: vocals)

David Gedge (Wedding Present: vocals)

Micky Geggus (Cockney Rejects: guitar)

Geordie (Real name Kevin Walker. Killing Joke: guitar)

Vic Godard (Subway Sect: vocals)

Charlie Harper (UK Subs: vocals)

Mark Helford (Clash fan club)

Paolo Hewitt (Writer, journalist)

Al Hillier (Punk fan; member of the Finchley Boys)

Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order: bass)

Mick Hucknall (Simply Red and solo: vocals)

Kevin Hunter (Epileptics, Flux of Pink Indians: guitar)

Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders: vocals)

Brian James (London SS, the Damned, Tanz Der Youth, Lords of the New Church: guitar)

Tony James (London SS, Chelsea, Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik: bass)

Richard Jobson (The Skids: vocals)

Watford John (Argy Bargy: vocals)

Wilko Johnson (Dr Feelgood, Ian Dury and the Blockheads: guitar)

Mick Jones (London SS, the Clash, Big Audio Dynamite: guitar and vocals)

Andy Kanonik (Demob: vocals)

Steve Kent (The Business: guitar)

Knox (The Vibrators: guitar and vocals)

Lemmy (Motorhead: bass and lead vocals)

Don Letts (Filmmaker, DJ at the Roxy. Big Audio Dynamite: effects and vocals)

Keith Levene (The Clash, Public Image Limited: guitar)

Rob Lloyd (The Prefects, the Nightingales: vocals)

John Lydon (The Sex Pistols, Public Image Limited: vocals)

Malcolm McLaren (Manager of the Sex Pistols)

Paul Madden (Photographer)

Noel Martin (Menace: drums)

Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols: bass. Rich Kids: bass and vocals.)

Mensi (Real name Thomas Mensforth. Angelic Upstarts: vocals)

Pauline Murray (Penetration, the Invisible Girls: vocals)

Colin Newman (Wire: vocals)

Gene October (Chelsea: vocals)

Damian ONeill (The Undertones: guitar)

John ONeill (The Undertones: guitar)

Mark Perry (Editor, Sniffin Glue fanzine. Alternative TV: vocals)

Marco Pirroni (Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Models, Rema Rema, Adam and the Ants: guitar)

Tessa Pollitt (The Slits: bass)

Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69: vocals)

Aki Qureshi (Southern Death Cult, Fun-Da-Mental: drums and producer)

Ranking Roger (The Beat: vocals)

Paul Research (The Scars: guitar)

Eugene Reynolds (The Rezillos: vocals)

Marc Riley (The Fall; BBC Radio 1 DJ Lard)

Penny Rimbaud (Crass: drums and ideology)