INTERVIEW
Date:
198701. When and why have you started a
band ?
02. Have you any problems with police, money, rehearsal room, or
instruments ?
03. When you began, what were your real problems ?
04. Who were the first people in the band ?
05. Have you had any changes with people in the band ?
06. What do your songs talk about ?
07. First gigs and where ? How much gigs ? Trouble with police on
gigs ?
08. What are people talking about you ?
09. The best songs by your band ? Who writes the songs ?
10. Do you belong to any organisation in your state ?
11. What do you think about skinheads ?
12. What do you think about nazis, communists, socialists, and
fascists ?
13. Are there terrorist-organisations in Belgium ?
14. Do you believe in god or gods ?
15. What do you think about speedmetal ?
16. What do you think about TV, newspapers, police and law in your
country ?
17. Is your country member of any blocks like NATO ?
18. Are you vegetarians, do you drink alcohol, how much ?
19. Do you think that the look of punx is important ?
20. Do you wear clothes that don’t fit with the time of the
year ?
21. What is the best scene for you in the world ?
22. What are your favourite bands ?
23. What do you think about trashcore ?
24. Do you think that the post is important and how much postage and from
what part of the world do you receive it ?
25. What are your releases/records/tapes ?
26. Scene in your town/state ?
27. How much US-money is one paying to record an LP or EP ?
28. How old are the members of the band ?
29. Are you living rich or poor or average, your condition of
life ?
30. Plans for the future ? Any message ?
01. When and why have you started a band ?
When we had the idea, it was in the end of 1981, and we gave our first concert in March 1982. In fact we started the band because PIK had written some songs and he wanted to play them with a band.
02. Have you any problems with police, money, rehearsal room, or instruments ?
On gigs we regularly have problems with the police. Money is always a problem ! We had already a lot of rehearsal rooms, but since PIK lives together with his girlfriend, we now play in their garage. For what concerns the instruments, we all have one, but some could be better.
03. When you began, what were your real problems ?
We had to buy amplifiers and that wasn’t cheap. Up to now, we still haven’t a good one for the vocals.
04. Who were the first people in the band ?
PIK (guitar) - ANIMAL (drums) - HANZ (bass) - DUVEL (vocals).
05. Have you had any changes with people in the band ?
Yes we had. After the first people we had: PIK (guitar) - HANZ (bass) - ZJANTIE (drums) - BART (vocals). Then we had a female singer and the line-up was then: PIK (guitar) - ZJANTIE (drums) - JENZ (bass) - CLO (vocals). When CLO left the band, we didn’t replace her and today’s line-up is: PIK (vocals, guitar) - ZJANTIE (drums, backing vocals) - JENZ (bass, vocals).
06. What do your songs talk about ?
They talk about the Belgian political situation, antimilitarism, third world, fascism, girls, fun, pubs and beer …
07. First gigs and where ? How much gigs ? Trouble with the police on gigs ?
The first gigs were in Belgium and still are mostly. We have had more than 70 gigs up till now, and now and then coppers are spoiling the gigs: identity controls, taking people up, mostly psychological warfare.
08. What are people talking about you ?
Most people don’t understand us, the way we dress and so, they are hostile, or they laugh with us or stay indifferent.
09. The best songs by your band ? Who writes the songs ?
"Fascist cops don’t give a fuck", "Geen cent voor het leger", "It’s my life", "Punx not allowed", "Sale rasciste", "Martens jij ouwe rukker", "Martens you son of a bitch", …, in fact all songs ! Most of the songs are written by PIK, the others are in cooporation with JENZ and/or ZJANTIE. PIK or JENZ writes the lyrix.
10. Do you belong to any organisation in your state ?
JENZ and ZJANTIE are members of a trade union.
11. What do you think about skinheads ?
Lots of skins in Belgium are violently and are fascists, so we don’t like them at all. If they are on gigs with a lot, there’s always trouble.
12. What do you think about nazi's, communists, socialists, fascists ?
Nazi's and fascists are the same and are synonym for torture, a lack of freedom, war and death. In fact we are against every totalitarian government, no matter what political wing it is. We all believe in anarchism but it ‘s difficult to establish it.
13. Are there terrorist-organisations in Belgium ?
A short while ago, Belgium knew a series of bomoutrageous committed by the CCC, a terrorgroup, at least that’s what they say they were. At the same time, another terrorgroup, known as the gang of Nijvel, did a series of very bloody attempts on stores and supermarkets. The attempts have an extreme-right (fascist) character: an organised team (paratroopers ?) and many deads, 27 up till now. The consequence of this all is the use of a massive number of police and even paratroopers. Result: more control on the individual, a step closer to dictatorship.
14. Do you believe in god or gods ?
We believe in ourselves and the people we live with and make fun with. And that’s more important than believe in someone of whom you don’t even know if he exists or not. On the other hand, religious fanaticism can be dangerous too: it can be as dangerous as a dictatorship of political origin.
15. What do you think about speedmetal ?
No one of us is really fond of speedmetal, but if the band is good we don’t dislike it just because they are a speedmetalband. Heavymetal we like more. Speedmetal is very in nowadays in the punkscene and it isn’t wrong that punx and headbangers become united but we think that headbangers don’t know what punk is all about, so if there are headbangers on our gigs, there’s a big chance that there’s trouble. The idea of a union between the two is good, but up till now no one has succeeded to unite water and fire, if you know what we mean. Maybe it’s just a matter of time?
16. What do you think about TV, newspapers, police and law in your country ?
TV in our country is under control of the state, so the information we get is mostly from one direction, just like the newspapers, one exception is a left independent paper that is almost bankrupt. Police and law serve those who have the power and are there to control the people and the opposition.
17. Is your country member of any blocks like NATO ?
Our country is member of the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) that is a purely economical trade. We are also member of the EG (the European Community). It started as an economical trade, but now it goes much further. And we are also members of NATO and that is purely military. It’s an organisation that is in fact a weight against the Warsaw pact and the leaders are Americans. The countries who are members are slaves of the USA. We are against NATO but also against Warsaw pact or any military organisation.
18. Are you vegetarians, do you drink alcohol, how much ?
We aren’t vegetarians, but some of our friends and girlfriends are. We drink alcohol and if you wanna know how much, you’ll have to go out once with us, and see for yourself if we drink a lot or not. A lot of people think we drink a lot, but as long if they aren’t sure it’s OK. (joke)
19. Do you think that the look of punx is important ?
We don’t know if it really matters what a punk wears, but we sure like it, everybody wants to look good each his own way. The idea of punk is, we think, more important.
20. Do you wear clothes that don’t fit with the time of the year ?
Sometimes, yes, boots in the summer, when we go out. What a funny question.
21. What is the best scene for you in the world ?
The only scene we know really well is the Belgian scene, and that scene is all right, the Dutch scene is also good. We think every scene is good, every action is good.
22. What are your favourite bands ?
The Dirty Scums, Eardamage (BEL), the Ramones (USA), Toxic Reasons (USA), Indirect (NLD), Frites Modern (NLD), Zyklome A (BEL), … , but also music of the sixties (Tommy James, the Troggs, …), glitter-music (Sweet, Slade, Garry Glitter, …), the old blues and rock’n’roll, early punk (Sham 69, Sex Pistols, Stiff Little Fingers, …).
23. What do you think about trashcore ?
Not much.
24. Do you think that the post is important and how much postage and from what part of the world do you receive it ?
To receive a lot of post is a confirmation that in what you’re doing, you aren’t alone. It’s also a stimulant to continue. During the year 1986 we sent about 250 letters, mostly answers to letters we received. Most of the post comes from Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Others but in a less degree: Spain, Brazil, Italy, Great Britain, Yugoslavia, Poland, America, …
25. What are your releases/records/tapes ?
Records: DIRTY SONGS (1985) - LP - 12,5 DM / MARTENS-single (1986)
- 4 DM / FULL SPEED AHEAD ! (1987) - LP
- 15 DM (post and package costs about 7,5 DM)
Tapes: a lot of compilation-tapes we appeared on. We have to make a summary one
day.
26. Scene in your town/state ?
In our town there are three punkbands namely THE DIRTY SCUMS, NO NUMBERS (hardcore/speedmetal) and THE REPULSIVES (punk/hardcore with (speed) metal influences). No Numbers have a tape: "Where do we go from here". But that tape isn’t representative for what they are doing at the moment.
In our country:
- Heibel (hardcore + trash) - LP:
"Everything’s great"
- XCRETA (speedmetal + trash) - LP:
"Patronizing the Heterodox"
- SPONKY BUSINESS (punk) - LP:
"So what?"
- CAPITAL SCUM (hardcore) - EP:
"Clutch the flag"
- EARDAMAGE, HATECREW, DEVIANT GEDRAG, VERDOMDE IDIOTEN, etc.
Most of the bands in Belgium are hardcorebands. Al these records are available through us.
27. How much US-money is one paying to record an LP or EP ?
Our first LP costed about 3000 US dollars. Our second costs a bit more but we haven’t yet received everything we have to pay.
28. How old are the members of the band ?
PIK: 25 - ZJANTIE: 22 - JENZ: 21.
29. Are you living rich or poor or average, your condition of life ?
We live average. We earn enough money to buy food, to pay the rent, … but we don’t live in luxury. Pik lives with his girlfriend in a little house, JENZ does the same with his girlfriend, and ZJANTIE lives alone with his father.
30. Plans for the future ? Any message ?
We hope to make very regularly an LP, and to do a lot of gigs and to have a lot of fun. We hope the same for you.