INTERVIEW        Previous        Next

Date: 1985
Questions by: Luc
Appeared in: UNITE AND WIN #3 (BEL)

Here's an interview with The Dirty Scums. They haven't any records out but have tracks on some compilation tapes and have recorded 3-4 tracks for the new Punk Etc. compilation, which should be out soon. The Dirty Scums are definitely a live band, everybody's having fun when they're on stage and off stage, great guys.

01. Brief history of the band ? Actual line-up ?
02. What do you think about the Belgian scene ? Is it good ? Could it be better ?
03. How did you get the idea to play a cover version of "Zorba" ?
04. Tell us a bit about your 'zine ? Price, how many issues, contents … ?
05. Do you practice a lot ?
06. How many gigs, all in Belgium ? Crowd reaction ?
07. What do you sing about ?
08. What are the problems that you consider most important ?
09. What do you hope to achieve with the band ?
10. Favorite bands ?
11. Do you agree when I say your music is fun ?
12. Any plans for touring outside Belgium ?
13. Anything else to add ?

01. Brief history of the band ? Actual line-up ?

The idea to form a band dates from the end of 1981, and we gave our first gig in March 1982. Up to now, we’ve already done over 50 gigs. In the beginning we’ve done many gigs out of the real punkscene, but now our gigs are almost always with other punkbands and with a real punkpublic. This is perhaps because the new scene in Belgium only started in 1985 or so, and another reason is that the region where we live isn’t involved in the punkscene at all. The actual line-up dates from october 1984 and is as follows: PIK (guitar/vocals) - ZJANTIE (drums) - JENZ (bass/vocals).

02. What do you think about the Belgian scene ? Is it good ? Could it be better ?

We think the Belgian scene is for the moment very good. Many ‘zines, many gigs, everybody knows each other at the gigs, … We think that’s a great advantage of the smallness of Belgium. On the other hand, the scene doesn’t become better, just because it are always the same people who come to gigs. Another thing that perhaps could be better is the organisation in the bands itself. For instance why do so many bands break up after some months. But that is personal critic, the Belgian scene is in fact very good.

03. How did you get the idea to play a cover version of "Zorba" ?

We have to say our rehearsals are sometimes a bit mixed up, between the songs we always play other things or we’re making jokes or so. So one time, Pik started to play the bassnotes of "Zorba’s dance" and after a while Zjantie started the companiement. That sounded nice in the ears, so Jenz played the bassnotes on his bass (of course) and then Pik could play the melody on guitar. After the melody was played, you have then the part where they start to accelerate, but oh, that part we couldn’t play, but we quickly found a hardcore-thing based on three chords. It all sounded very good, so we decided to use it as a song. However we didn’t expect such a great succes when we played it live. We like to play covers. We’ve already played six or so songs from the Sex Pistols, we’ve played a song from the first record of Red Zebra, we even have raped "Jinglebells" and "Nights in white satin". Other covers were "Sex and Violence" from Exploited, "Religion" from P.I.L., "Pogo pogo" from Plastic Bertrand, … At the moment we play "Borstal Breakout" from Sham 69, and in the future we’ll play "I’m Stranded" from the Saints, and also a punkversion from "The House of the Rising Sun".

04. Tell us a bit about your 'zine ? Price, how many issues, contents, … ?

The price is 25 BF and #3 came out begin April. The title is (translated): The Truth is Revolutionary. We try to do it fifty-fifty for what concerns politix and music. In #3 we’ve translated a pamphlet from the terrorist group CCC and there’s also an interview with someone who has written a booklet about the terrorist group RAF. We’re no terrorists at all, but no one can say the CCC isn’t very actual for the moment in Belgium. There’s also an article about the British mineworkers and an interview with the man behind Punk Etc. It came out on 150 issues.

05. Do you practice a lot ?

Our aim is to rehearse two times a week, but mostly it’s only once, due to things like gigs or members who are busy with other things or so. We also only have the occasion to practice during the weekends. Sometimes we give two rehearsels in the same day, with only a small hour between it, but those rehearsals are really hard then.

06. How many gigs, all in Belgium ? Crowd reaction ?

As already said, in three years, we’ve had a bit more than 50 gigs (there has to be taken notice we’ve sometimes had to stop some months due to modifications in the line-up). They were indeed all in Belgium, but also all over Belgium. When we play for a punkpublic, there’s always some reaxion, sometimes heavily, sometimes less, but it’s always funny.

07. What do you sing about ?

When Jenz has joined the band, he took a great part of the lyrixs for him and they’ve become better and more important. We sing about things we’ve experienced ourselves, for instance with the cops or whith other people. We’ve also anti-militarist and political lyrix, and also some fun-lyrix (in the early days it were for a great part fun-lyrix). We’ve even a love song, its called "I love you".

08. What are the problems that you consider the most important ?

For the moment, we believe that’s the Belgian political situation. The country is no more democratic, important decisions are made by the government instead of the parliament, the police-repression is very great and will still become bigger, the press works together with the right political wing and tells lies, much people become racist and have basic-fascist ideas due to the so-said crisis, the social security shall decrease, the intolerance among people also increases (e.g. against punx and people who are unemployed etc. ...).

09. What do you hope to achieve with the band ?

Apart from our music and the fun we have with it, we think it’s also a challenge to try to get along with a couple of friends in the good and the bad. The friendship in the band has almost the same value of the music we play. It’s also an advantage to develop the humanity and the tolerance between each other when you’re playing in a band. We hope one day we can all live together in the same house or the same street or so (of course with our girlfriends).

10. Favorite bands ?

ZJANTIE: the music between 1965 and 1975 like CCR, the Hollies, the Troggs, …, from '77 particularly the Sex Pistols, Sham 69, …, but you can’t continue to listen to that old music, so from the actual bands I like Zyklome A, and some other Belgian bands.
PIK : Sex Pistols, Sham 69, mostly all bands from '77, Zyklome A, Sponky Business, also bands from the sixties like Tommy James or from the seventies like Sweet, and even rock’n’roll like the Pirates and so.
JENZ : in Belgium especially Xcreta, Sponky Business, Zyklome A, and ourselves. Much from '77 like Sex Pistols, Sham 69, the Saints, …, and good old rock’n’roll.

11. Do you agree when I say your music is fun?

Yeah ! At least that’s the intention. We start from the idea people come to gigs to have a lot of fun and not to be serious.

12. Any plans for touring outside Belgium ?

Several people already have promised us some gigs in Holland but up to now we still haven't played there. At the moment, someone has again promised us a concert in Maastricht and in Heerlen.

13. Anything else to add ?

Santé !