News that Poison Idea were going to be
visiting the UK once again, this time hot on the heels of their excellent new
album, ‘Confuse & Conquer’, was very much welcomed in this household. It
has been 11 years since their last appearance in London, and during that time, there have been
some significant changes. They recorded the ‘Latest Will & Testament’ album
in 2005, but before it was even released, original member Tom ‘Pig Champion’
Roberts was found dead in his apartment, aged only 47. The band honoured his
wishes for the album to be released as planned, but it was obviously a major
blow, even though Tom had not been playing live with the band for some time.
Over the next few years, Poison Idea only emerged sporadically, until embarking
on a lengthy European tour in 2012 which, unfortunately on this occasion,
omitted the UK.
But thereafter, the current line-up began to gel and, with an offer from
Southern Lord records on the table, a new album was planned and delivered,
finding the band once again at their very best.
With their London date fast approaching, I arranged to meet and interview Jerry A before the gig (thanks Lauren !) and rushed down to the venue at the arranged time, only to find the band still outside, having problems parking and loading-in. As it turned out, they seemed to be having ongoing hassles with the tour dates. People had already been commenting that The Borderline seemed way too small and inappropriate for a Poison Idea gig (indeed, there were a large number of people still outside by the time the band played who couldn’t get in to the sold-out show.) But on top of this, many arrangements that had been promised just hadn’t been set-up (we even had to direct Jerry to a local off-license because no cider had been provided in the dressing room !) Anyway, once they’re able to park the van close enough to the venue, everyone helps the load-in and once Jerry is ready, we head up to the pub next door for some drinks and conversation… Finding himself faced with a choice at the bar, Jerry asked, ‘what’s the difference between English and Irish cider ?’ ‘The advertising’, I tell him…
With their London date fast approaching, I arranged to meet and interview Jerry A before the gig (thanks Lauren !) and rushed down to the venue at the arranged time, only to find the band still outside, having problems parking and loading-in. As it turned out, they seemed to be having ongoing hassles with the tour dates. People had already been commenting that The Borderline seemed way too small and inappropriate for a Poison Idea gig (indeed, there were a large number of people still outside by the time the band played who couldn’t get in to the sold-out show.) But on top of this, many arrangements that had been promised just hadn’t been set-up (we even had to direct Jerry to a local off-license because no cider had been provided in the dressing room !) Anyway, once they’re able to park the van close enough to the venue, everyone helps the load-in and once Jerry is ready, we head up to the pub next door for some drinks and conversation… Finding himself faced with a choice at the bar, Jerry asked, ‘what’s the difference between English and Irish cider ?’ ‘The advertising’, I tell him…
Anyway, once settled, I begin by talking about the long gap between ‘Latest Will & Testament’ and ‘Confuse & Conquer’. As there had been several line-up changes since the last album, had Jerry been waiting for the right line-up to come together ?
‘You mean, did I wait until I got the right combination of people to make this record ? Noooo ! I just got rid of some other people and these guys filled their places. We could’ve made this record five years ago but we didn’t need to…In all honesty, one of the reasons we did this now was because we wanted to come over here to tour and they said that we needed a new record to tour with. So we went into the studio last October and wrote the whole thing in about a month. But all that being said, I think it’s got a really good sound. We spent some money on it and took our time. I mean, we used to go in the studio and blast it all in one day… this time we took, like, five days ! For us, that’s an epic, it’s our version of ‘Tommy’ ! ‘
Certainly compared to ‘Latest Will & Testament’, this sounds like a full, complete album…
‘Well, ‘Latest Will & Testament’ was really just a demo tape. We never finished that properly, even though the songs are pretty good.’
I liked that album because it was really raw, but at the same time I was thinking, it didn’t really have the production and arrangement it deserved. The other thing about it was that it was quite difficult to find copies in the usual shops over here…
‘Yeah, things just didn’t work out with that record. There are these Swedish guys who want to repress it, but the German label keep telling them it’s still in print even though no-one can buy it from them. We talked to the pressing plant and they told us that they’d pressed 12,000 copies of it. Does that mean they sold all of the 12,000 copies, even though no-one could find it ? If so, who has them… they’re not in the warehouse because if that was the case they’d still be trying to sell them. We just don’t know what’s happened. We’ll just have to see how many of this album Southern Lord can sell for us.’
‘You mean, did I wait until I got the right combination of people to make this record ? Noooo ! I just got rid of some other people and these guys filled their places. We could’ve made this record five years ago but we didn’t need to…In all honesty, one of the reasons we did this now was because we wanted to come over here to tour and they said that we needed a new record to tour with. So we went into the studio last October and wrote the whole thing in about a month. But all that being said, I think it’s got a really good sound. We spent some money on it and took our time. I mean, we used to go in the studio and blast it all in one day… this time we took, like, five days ! For us, that’s an epic, it’s our version of ‘Tommy’ ! ‘
Certainly compared to ‘Latest Will & Testament’, this sounds like a full, complete album…
‘Well, ‘Latest Will & Testament’ was really just a demo tape. We never finished that properly, even though the songs are pretty good.’
I liked that album because it was really raw, but at the same time I was thinking, it didn’t really have the production and arrangement it deserved. The other thing about it was that it was quite difficult to find copies in the usual shops over here…
‘Yeah, things just didn’t work out with that record. There are these Swedish guys who want to repress it, but the German label keep telling them it’s still in print even though no-one can buy it from them. We talked to the pressing plant and they told us that they’d pressed 12,000 copies of it. Does that mean they sold all of the 12,000 copies, even though no-one could find it ? If so, who has them… they’re not in the warehouse because if that was the case they’d still be trying to sell them. We just don’t know what’s happened. We’ll just have to see how many of this album Southern Lord can sell for us.’
This is the first album you’ve made since Tom / Pig Champion died. Did you feel that you owed it to him to make another great Poison Idea album ?
‘Yeah. Definitely, definitely… It’s a tribute. In fact, ‘Dead Cowboy’ is probably the oldest song on this album, and I even played that to Tom right before he died. I had that song in the can all the way back then. I have all these tapes and I call them ‘sperm’ because they’re waiting to be brought to life. That’s what I write on the boxes, ‘sperm’…
That’s also a good ploy in case someone breaks into your house… if they see a pile of boxes marked ‘sperm’ they’re probably not going to take them…
‘Yeah, right, ha ha ha ! But anyway, that was one of those songs and I was able to play it for Tom. While he was listening to it, his eyes actually welled-up and he started telling me it was the most beautiful song he’d ever heard. I was saying, Really, you like it that much ? But he just said, ‘Yeah, it’s fantastic !’ Of all the songs in my ‘sperm-bank’, that’s the one I brought back and we recorded, because I thought I owed it to him, in that sense. So, yeah, the whole album is really a tribute to him and I think he would have dug it. I even managed to put his voice in the song ‘Hypnotic’, that’s him talking on there. He’s talking about being high and getting turned on to Punk Rock, you know… ‘I always liked rock’n’roll but then punk rock came along and my head just screwed into it !’ So that’s Tom, he’s on the record ! But we won’t be giving him any royalties…’
I guess he’d only waste them…
‘Right ! Although, actually, you know Pantera did that version of ‘The Badge’ for ‘The Crow’ soundtrack, so we still get residuals from that every once in a while. And, in fact, it’s due to be pressed on vinyl at last, because it was never on vinyl originally. I mean, I actually got a Gold CD for the sales of that album, but it has never been on vinyl before now. They’re just doing it now because suddenly vinyl is so fucking trendy… but anyway, Tom still gets residual money from it every three months or so, and it goes to the Feral Cat Foundation on his behalf.’
The other thing about the new album is that it covers a lot of different styles, from the full-on hardcore through to more melodic punk and even the twisted blues of ‘Dead Cowboy’. Did you set out to make a mix of all these styles ?
‘I think it was when we got Eric back in the band, and having him write several of the songs. That’s his style. He’s not one of those people who has to try to write a song in the way that he thinks Poison Idea should sound because this is just what he does. And our other guitarist, Brandon, he’s still a young kid but he grew up as a child listening to and playing Poison Idea. When he came along to audition, he already knew the songs and he plays with that heavy down-stroke, just like Tom. So he fit right-in. When we got Eric back in the band, that was perfect. He’d played with us before and he even wrote stuff like the ‘Filthkick’ EP and ‘Getting The Fear’… So I think that’s why we ended up with the different styles on the record and I think that’s what people would expect. I mean, I wouldn’t want to put out a record that was just ten songs like ‘Dead Cowboy’… Well, actually, I’d love to do that, though probably not as Poison Idea… But every record we’ve made, we’ve always liked to throw weird shit in there. I’ve always listened to all sorts of music, so when we did a song like ‘Feel The Darkness’, to me, we were trying to be like Sisters of Mercy or something like that. That’s where that was coming from, with maybe a little bit of the Gun Club in there as well. Yeah, a cross between Sisters of Mercy and The Gun Club !’
The title of the album, ‘Confuse and Conquer’, does that refer to anything in particular ?
‘It’s just a saying that’s been around for a couple of years. It’s kind of a motto that I like to live by. Along with, ‘Everything in moderation, including moderation !’
‘Yeah. Definitely, definitely… It’s a tribute. In fact, ‘Dead Cowboy’ is probably the oldest song on this album, and I even played that to Tom right before he died. I had that song in the can all the way back then. I have all these tapes and I call them ‘sperm’ because they’re waiting to be brought to life. That’s what I write on the boxes, ‘sperm’…
That’s also a good ploy in case someone breaks into your house… if they see a pile of boxes marked ‘sperm’ they’re probably not going to take them…
‘Yeah, right, ha ha ha ! But anyway, that was one of those songs and I was able to play it for Tom. While he was listening to it, his eyes actually welled-up and he started telling me it was the most beautiful song he’d ever heard. I was saying, Really, you like it that much ? But he just said, ‘Yeah, it’s fantastic !’ Of all the songs in my ‘sperm-bank’, that’s the one I brought back and we recorded, because I thought I owed it to him, in that sense. So, yeah, the whole album is really a tribute to him and I think he would have dug it. I even managed to put his voice in the song ‘Hypnotic’, that’s him talking on there. He’s talking about being high and getting turned on to Punk Rock, you know… ‘I always liked rock’n’roll but then punk rock came along and my head just screwed into it !’ So that’s Tom, he’s on the record ! But we won’t be giving him any royalties…’
I guess he’d only waste them…
‘Right ! Although, actually, you know Pantera did that version of ‘The Badge’ for ‘The Crow’ soundtrack, so we still get residuals from that every once in a while. And, in fact, it’s due to be pressed on vinyl at last, because it was never on vinyl originally. I mean, I actually got a Gold CD for the sales of that album, but it has never been on vinyl before now. They’re just doing it now because suddenly vinyl is so fucking trendy… but anyway, Tom still gets residual money from it every three months or so, and it goes to the Feral Cat Foundation on his behalf.’
The other thing about the new album is that it covers a lot of different styles, from the full-on hardcore through to more melodic punk and even the twisted blues of ‘Dead Cowboy’. Did you set out to make a mix of all these styles ?
‘I think it was when we got Eric back in the band, and having him write several of the songs. That’s his style. He’s not one of those people who has to try to write a song in the way that he thinks Poison Idea should sound because this is just what he does. And our other guitarist, Brandon, he’s still a young kid but he grew up as a child listening to and playing Poison Idea. When he came along to audition, he already knew the songs and he plays with that heavy down-stroke, just like Tom. So he fit right-in. When we got Eric back in the band, that was perfect. He’d played with us before and he even wrote stuff like the ‘Filthkick’ EP and ‘Getting The Fear’… So I think that’s why we ended up with the different styles on the record and I think that’s what people would expect. I mean, I wouldn’t want to put out a record that was just ten songs like ‘Dead Cowboy’… Well, actually, I’d love to do that, though probably not as Poison Idea… But every record we’ve made, we’ve always liked to throw weird shit in there. I’ve always listened to all sorts of music, so when we did a song like ‘Feel The Darkness’, to me, we were trying to be like Sisters of Mercy or something like that. That’s where that was coming from, with maybe a little bit of the Gun Club in there as well. Yeah, a cross between Sisters of Mercy and The Gun Club !’
The title of the album, ‘Confuse and Conquer’, does that refer to anything in particular ?
‘It’s just a saying that’s been around for a couple of years. It’s kind of a motto that I like to live by. Along with, ‘Everything in moderation, including moderation !’
There’s no lyric sheet with this album, so I wanted to ask what the story is behind the opening track, ‘Bog’…
‘I think every song is about the same sorta thing that we’ve always written about, you know, things that are happening around us, just stuff that’s going on. As I said, we recorded that record at the end of October and I wrote that one with Brandon. He had gotten drunk on Halloween and tried to steal some pumpkins. He had them in his leather jacket and he was out in these woods where he fell down this hill and ended up in a bog ! He almost drowned because he had these pumpkins in his jacket and they made him sink to the bottom. I asked him, how deep was it and apparently it was over his head ! So I thought about it and took it as a kinda metaphor for despair and depression and stuff. You know, that sinking feeling when you don’t know how to get back up. So I used his experience to write ‘Bog’. I just thought it was funny because he was sinking to the bottom and almost drowning because he was drunk and being stupid. But you could also put that spin on it and make some kinda statement.’
I also like the song ‘Hypnotic’ because after the first few songs, that kinda changes the pace and is almost Oi meets Naked Raygun…
‘Really ? Because the next song, ‘Tripwire’, has all those kinda ‘Woh-oh-oh-oh’ vocals and we even say in the song ‘heading back to Chicago’, because that was supposed to be our tribute to Naked Raygun. You’ve gotta listen to the clues, they’re all through the record !’
That’s why there should’ve been a lyric sheet !
‘Well, what happened was, when we were in the studio and I was doing one of the songs, the producer, Joel, just kept asking me to do it over and over, again and again. He kept saying this one part didn’t sound right, so I kept trying to sing it again until I was done with it. Then I just tore-up my lyrics and he says, What the Hell are you doing ? And I just said, I’m tearing up the lyrics because they’re meant to be heard and felt as an overall song. They’re not meant to be read and deciphered and taken apart. I mean, in the song ‘Cold Black Afternoon’, there’s a line where I say, ‘You never listened the first time, so why say it twice ?’ Actually, this is pretty unusual for me to be saying all of this, giving it all away… but that’s kinda how I feel about lyrics.’
One of the more aggressive songs on the album is ‘I Don’t Know You’. I was wondering if that was about anyone in particular ?
‘No, not really, it’s more just about that feeling of people coming back. Like this recent slew of people who have been bad-mouthing Punk for the last twenty years but ,now that it’s kinda got popular, they go along to things like Rebellion and Punk Rock Bowling and they’re claiming to be like elder statesmen and they’ve always been into it. But I’ve heard them talking shit about it for years, saying it was dead and that we ought to move on. So the song is about them and it’s also about these new little twots who wear their make-up and their Mohawks and say they’re punk rock but they’re really just a bunch of fucking little trustafarian pricks.’
You’ve already talked about the song ‘Dead Cowboy’. It’s probably the most unusual track on the record, but it fits in really nicely with the rest of the album and with the sort of approach that Poison Idea have always taken…
‘Well, I think that’s the whole thing with this album. There are different styles, but it still does the job as one complete thing… I really enjoy doing things like that and I’d even like to do a whole album, not exactly like that song, but some different stuff. It confuses people and that’s cool, man. You know, you can only run against the wall for so long before you’re a bloody mess, and you don’t need to just carry on for the sake of it. I mean, the most gangster-style shit is not by NWA, it’s songs like, ‘I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die…’ That’s exactly what I’m talking about… it doesn’t have to be about how you say it, it’s what you’re saying.’
‘I think every song is about the same sorta thing that we’ve always written about, you know, things that are happening around us, just stuff that’s going on. As I said, we recorded that record at the end of October and I wrote that one with Brandon. He had gotten drunk on Halloween and tried to steal some pumpkins. He had them in his leather jacket and he was out in these woods where he fell down this hill and ended up in a bog ! He almost drowned because he had these pumpkins in his jacket and they made him sink to the bottom. I asked him, how deep was it and apparently it was over his head ! So I thought about it and took it as a kinda metaphor for despair and depression and stuff. You know, that sinking feeling when you don’t know how to get back up. So I used his experience to write ‘Bog’. I just thought it was funny because he was sinking to the bottom and almost drowning because he was drunk and being stupid. But you could also put that spin on it and make some kinda statement.’
I also like the song ‘Hypnotic’ because after the first few songs, that kinda changes the pace and is almost Oi meets Naked Raygun…
‘Really ? Because the next song, ‘Tripwire’, has all those kinda ‘Woh-oh-oh-oh’ vocals and we even say in the song ‘heading back to Chicago’, because that was supposed to be our tribute to Naked Raygun. You’ve gotta listen to the clues, they’re all through the record !’
That’s why there should’ve been a lyric sheet !
‘Well, what happened was, when we were in the studio and I was doing one of the songs, the producer, Joel, just kept asking me to do it over and over, again and again. He kept saying this one part didn’t sound right, so I kept trying to sing it again until I was done with it. Then I just tore-up my lyrics and he says, What the Hell are you doing ? And I just said, I’m tearing up the lyrics because they’re meant to be heard and felt as an overall song. They’re not meant to be read and deciphered and taken apart. I mean, in the song ‘Cold Black Afternoon’, there’s a line where I say, ‘You never listened the first time, so why say it twice ?’ Actually, this is pretty unusual for me to be saying all of this, giving it all away… but that’s kinda how I feel about lyrics.’
One of the more aggressive songs on the album is ‘I Don’t Know You’. I was wondering if that was about anyone in particular ?
‘No, not really, it’s more just about that feeling of people coming back. Like this recent slew of people who have been bad-mouthing Punk for the last twenty years but ,now that it’s kinda got popular, they go along to things like Rebellion and Punk Rock Bowling and they’re claiming to be like elder statesmen and they’ve always been into it. But I’ve heard them talking shit about it for years, saying it was dead and that we ought to move on. So the song is about them and it’s also about these new little twots who wear their make-up and their Mohawks and say they’re punk rock but they’re really just a bunch of fucking little trustafarian pricks.’
You’ve already talked about the song ‘Dead Cowboy’. It’s probably the most unusual track on the record, but it fits in really nicely with the rest of the album and with the sort of approach that Poison Idea have always taken…
‘Well, I think that’s the whole thing with this album. There are different styles, but it still does the job as one complete thing… I really enjoy doing things like that and I’d even like to do a whole album, not exactly like that song, but some different stuff. It confuses people and that’s cool, man. You know, you can only run against the wall for so long before you’re a bloody mess, and you don’t need to just carry on for the sake of it. I mean, the most gangster-style shit is not by NWA, it’s songs like, ‘I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die…’ That’s exactly what I’m talking about… it doesn’t have to be about how you say it, it’s what you’re saying.’
I first heard the new album as a download and was impressed with it, but when I heard the vinyl version, it really blew me away. I’m guessing that you’ve always been a vinyl fan…
‘Actually, after talking to a bunch of audiophiles, and talking to Brad Boatright, who mastered the album, I know a lot more about the whole thing. Brad showed me a lot about the cutting process and the lathes and explained how the sound is really condensed on a download or a CD. I mean, there have been people writing on the internet saying the production sounds like a transistor radio or something, but they’re always the ones who have only heard a download. Go buy the vinyl ! I’ve always liked vinyl a lot… even mono vinyl sounds better than a download. It’s funny, you remember when CDs first came out and they were saying, this new technology is going to make everything else redundant. But it was like the Emperor’s new clothes… why aren’t people listening to the two things together and hearing that CDs are naked ? Isn’t anybody going to say anything ? It was total misinformation and now it’s CDs that are being killed by downloads. I mean, for us, I dig it because the new record sounds better on vinyl, it looks cool… the cover looks like a piece of Art, you could hang it on your wall. And that’s part of the confusion thing, too. It’s not what people would expect and that’s great. It looks like a punk rock Cocteau Twins album !’
One of the things that I think a lot of people have often missed with Poison Idea is the sense of humour. It may be a dark sense of humour, but it’s always been there…
‘Yeah, I always thought Punk Rock had been that way, with everybody… I mean, maybe not The Clash, but I certainly thought the Pistols were funny. Then you think of bands like The Ramones or The Rezillos, all of that stuff was fun. You can sing about serious stuff, but if that is what is actually going on around you, as it was for us, then you have to try to keep a sense of humour. I mean, it’s like all the flak we got about the ‘Ian Mackaye’ record, the one with the asshole on the front cover… We never set out to call that record ‘Ian Mackaye’ just to piss somebody off. We already had that photo and initially we were going to call the record ‘Dinner is Served’. But then we just started fooling around with other titles, you know, What about this ? What about that ? And suddenly, Tom just said, ‘What about ‘Ian Mackaye’ ?’ and the rest of us said, ‘Why not ?’ That was just our sense of humour, it was just meant to be funny. We weren’t taking the piss, it didn’t mean that we hated the guy, because I never did at all… It was never meant to be serious and we thought that would be obvious. And I’m a little bit sorry that he doesn’t like that record, but I think the problem is that he always gets asked about it by people who are drunken assholes. I mean, about every six months we’ll get somebody write to us and they’ll say, Ian Mackaye was at a movie premier, answering questions from the audience, so I stood up and asked, What about that Poison Idea record ? And he was like, Why can’t they just leave me alone ! Please stop, it’s been 25 years ! So, I think it’s those kinda people who drive him crazy. As far as I’m concerned, that whole thing was over a long time ago. But, you know, I did a whole lot of fucked-up shit when I was a kid and people still talk about it. That bums me out, because I was only 16 when I did that and I was lucky I didn’t go to jail, maybe, but yeah, I did it and big deal, you know ?’
‘Actually, after talking to a bunch of audiophiles, and talking to Brad Boatright, who mastered the album, I know a lot more about the whole thing. Brad showed me a lot about the cutting process and the lathes and explained how the sound is really condensed on a download or a CD. I mean, there have been people writing on the internet saying the production sounds like a transistor radio or something, but they’re always the ones who have only heard a download. Go buy the vinyl ! I’ve always liked vinyl a lot… even mono vinyl sounds better than a download. It’s funny, you remember when CDs first came out and they were saying, this new technology is going to make everything else redundant. But it was like the Emperor’s new clothes… why aren’t people listening to the two things together and hearing that CDs are naked ? Isn’t anybody going to say anything ? It was total misinformation and now it’s CDs that are being killed by downloads. I mean, for us, I dig it because the new record sounds better on vinyl, it looks cool… the cover looks like a piece of Art, you could hang it on your wall. And that’s part of the confusion thing, too. It’s not what people would expect and that’s great. It looks like a punk rock Cocteau Twins album !’
One of the things that I think a lot of people have often missed with Poison Idea is the sense of humour. It may be a dark sense of humour, but it’s always been there…
‘Yeah, I always thought Punk Rock had been that way, with everybody… I mean, maybe not The Clash, but I certainly thought the Pistols were funny. Then you think of bands like The Ramones or The Rezillos, all of that stuff was fun. You can sing about serious stuff, but if that is what is actually going on around you, as it was for us, then you have to try to keep a sense of humour. I mean, it’s like all the flak we got about the ‘Ian Mackaye’ record, the one with the asshole on the front cover… We never set out to call that record ‘Ian Mackaye’ just to piss somebody off. We already had that photo and initially we were going to call the record ‘Dinner is Served’. But then we just started fooling around with other titles, you know, What about this ? What about that ? And suddenly, Tom just said, ‘What about ‘Ian Mackaye’ ?’ and the rest of us said, ‘Why not ?’ That was just our sense of humour, it was just meant to be funny. We weren’t taking the piss, it didn’t mean that we hated the guy, because I never did at all… It was never meant to be serious and we thought that would be obvious. And I’m a little bit sorry that he doesn’t like that record, but I think the problem is that he always gets asked about it by people who are drunken assholes. I mean, about every six months we’ll get somebody write to us and they’ll say, Ian Mackaye was at a movie premier, answering questions from the audience, so I stood up and asked, What about that Poison Idea record ? And he was like, Why can’t they just leave me alone ! Please stop, it’s been 25 years ! So, I think it’s those kinda people who drive him crazy. As far as I’m concerned, that whole thing was over a long time ago. But, you know, I did a whole lot of fucked-up shit when I was a kid and people still talk about it. That bums me out, because I was only 16 when I did that and I was lucky I didn’t go to jail, maybe, but yeah, I did it and big deal, you know ?’
It’s 25 years since the first time Poison Idea played in the UK and, although there have been gaps, you always seem to come back here whenever you can. Do you particularly enjoy playing in the UK ?
‘Oh yeah, it’s always been great. I’ve always had a good time when I’ve been here, like when I used to stay at Rob (Tennant’s) house in Islington. I loved that place, it was a beautiful building. Although I heard that the place has now been converted into yuppie apartments, which seems to be happening all over the world. It’s certainly happening in Portland… they’re tearing down all the old, cool stuff and replacing it with all this ugly new shit. But so much of the music I like comes from here, whether it be the old Punk bands or the new shit that’s just coming out. Obviously, we missed the first and second waves of Punk, but by the first time and second times we came here, things like Suede were coming out and I really loved them - I already dug The Smiths and shit like that. And then, later on when we came over again, The Darkness were happening and they were hilarious ! I just thought, Wow, who are these guys ! I loved them cos they were so funny. It was great at first but when people started to take them seriously it really wasn’t fun anymore.’
I think a lot of people are surprised that you’re playing such a small venue in London. It sold-out in advance just on the bands’ reputation, but with the reception the new album has been getting, I’m sure you could’ve been playing somewhere bigger…
‘Well, it’s just the way this tour has been set-up. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I was talking to one of the venue promoters a few days ago and I asked him, why are we playing in really small clubs and playing every night without a break ? It’s as if someone has gone out of their way to fuck with us. The guy told me, this is the way the agency asked us to arrange it… It’s like we’ve pissed somebody off and they’re trying to get back at us. So many things that we’ve asked for, they’ve just torpedoed it. Even something as simple as asking for cider in the dressing room, or a place to park the van. It’s just been one big fuck-you. We’ve been booked to play in these really small places, we arrive, we play, and then they just expect us to leave. It’s hard to be optimistic and keep going when people keep fucking with you. So… please put it in your magazine, we need a new promoter ! Just somebody who can get their fucking shit together…’
I assume it’s a total coincidence that you’re playing in London on the same day as the General Election. I have to say, Poison Idea is the perfect antidote to all that bullshit…
‘Oh, we planned it that way, we really did ! No, I mean, people say it’s as if the different parties are all the same these day, but I still always vote. I voted for Obama… you know, a lot of what they actually do in the States is pretty much the same and I don’t think that will really change unless there’s a viable third party. I mean, it’s like they said in ‘The Wire’… you’ve gotta watch where the money goes. Then you’ll find out who they’ve really made promises to. It’s like the Drug Companies… I just watched a documentary about the person who invented the safety needle, for giving injections. Every year, thousands of nurses catch Hepatitis C from getting stuck by regular needles, so this guy invented a safety needle to prevent so many accidents. But the Drug Manufacturers that supplied all the old-style needles were paying the DEA so much money that the DEA wouldn’t even consider approving the safety needles, even though they were clearly going to save people’s lives. So, you know, there are fucking criminals everywhere.’
‘Oh yeah, it’s always been great. I’ve always had a good time when I’ve been here, like when I used to stay at Rob (Tennant’s) house in Islington. I loved that place, it was a beautiful building. Although I heard that the place has now been converted into yuppie apartments, which seems to be happening all over the world. It’s certainly happening in Portland… they’re tearing down all the old, cool stuff and replacing it with all this ugly new shit. But so much of the music I like comes from here, whether it be the old Punk bands or the new shit that’s just coming out. Obviously, we missed the first and second waves of Punk, but by the first time and second times we came here, things like Suede were coming out and I really loved them - I already dug The Smiths and shit like that. And then, later on when we came over again, The Darkness were happening and they were hilarious ! I just thought, Wow, who are these guys ! I loved them cos they were so funny. It was great at first but when people started to take them seriously it really wasn’t fun anymore.’
I think a lot of people are surprised that you’re playing such a small venue in London. It sold-out in advance just on the bands’ reputation, but with the reception the new album has been getting, I’m sure you could’ve been playing somewhere bigger…
‘Well, it’s just the way this tour has been set-up. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I was talking to one of the venue promoters a few days ago and I asked him, why are we playing in really small clubs and playing every night without a break ? It’s as if someone has gone out of their way to fuck with us. The guy told me, this is the way the agency asked us to arrange it… It’s like we’ve pissed somebody off and they’re trying to get back at us. So many things that we’ve asked for, they’ve just torpedoed it. Even something as simple as asking for cider in the dressing room, or a place to park the van. It’s just been one big fuck-you. We’ve been booked to play in these really small places, we arrive, we play, and then they just expect us to leave. It’s hard to be optimistic and keep going when people keep fucking with you. So… please put it in your magazine, we need a new promoter ! Just somebody who can get their fucking shit together…’
I assume it’s a total coincidence that you’re playing in London on the same day as the General Election. I have to say, Poison Idea is the perfect antidote to all that bullshit…
‘Oh, we planned it that way, we really did ! No, I mean, people say it’s as if the different parties are all the same these day, but I still always vote. I voted for Obama… you know, a lot of what they actually do in the States is pretty much the same and I don’t think that will really change unless there’s a viable third party. I mean, it’s like they said in ‘The Wire’… you’ve gotta watch where the money goes. Then you’ll find out who they’ve really made promises to. It’s like the Drug Companies… I just watched a documentary about the person who invented the safety needle, for giving injections. Every year, thousands of nurses catch Hepatitis C from getting stuck by regular needles, so this guy invented a safety needle to prevent so many accidents. But the Drug Manufacturers that supplied all the old-style needles were paying the DEA so much money that the DEA wouldn’t even consider approving the safety needles, even though they were clearly going to save people’s lives. So, you know, there are fucking criminals everywhere.’
I wanted to ask about some of the former members of the band, Mondo, Myrtle and Slayer Hippy… I’ve heard some rumours, but do you know what those guys are up to these days…
‘Mondo is actually pretty conservative these days. But I actually just played in another band with Myrtle. It was just a Punk Rock cover band, playing all these old Portland songs from the Seventies, you know, The Wipers and stuff like that. It was just a one-off show for this guys’ birthday, but it was a pretty big show. And Slayer is still in prison… He actually ended-up on the News and stuff ! He’d robbed one place with a gun, got a lot of stuff and he got really fucked up. Then he went to another little place with a knife, but it was kinda like that Crocodile Dundee thing, ‘That’s not a knife ! This is a knife !’ The guy basically faced him down and refused to give him anything, so he went home and came back an hour later with a gun. When they saw that, they said, Okay, here’s the stuff… He was really brazen, but when you get that fucked-up, you really don’t know what you’re doing and that’s the sorta thing that you’ll do. But I think he’ll be getting out in about a year, maybe. Perhaps he’ll come over here with us again, next time ! He’s sober now, he’s in prison but he’s still making music and I think that’s good for him.’
When Pig Champion died, did you ever think that would be the end for Poison Idea ?
‘We were still playing right up until the time he died, but Tom never really wanted to play. He just didn’t want to get off drugs or whatever and he didn’t want to do anything. But I’d still hang out with him and, in fact, I went over to his house that morning, to drive him to his methadone clinic and it was when he didn’t answer the door that I knew something was wrong, because he had to be there at a certain time. But, you know, he did what he wanted to and that’s the way he went out. At the time, I wanted Poison Idea to carry on because I hadn’t really been happy with the last record we made (‘Latest Will & Testament.’) I’d actually be a lot happier to quit now, because we’ve put this new record out and it’s really good. But I didn’t want to quit after the last one because I didn’t want to leave that as our legacy.’
When you think about Tom now, is there anything in particular that you always remember ?
‘I just really miss going on tour with him and stuff like that. We’d sit in the van talking about Punk shit and stuff. He was a great guy like that. I mean, there are so many stories about him, but I just really miss talking about music with him. You know, I’d be able to ask him stuff like, Who was the guitar player in the Killjoys ? I’d be thinking about them, and I’d know that the singer was Kevin Rowland, and the girl was in Girlschool later on, but it would be bugging me about the other guy, so I’d always be able to call Tom and ask him. But now, if I’m thinking about shit like that, I’ll go to call him and suddenly realise, Oh fuck, I can’t do that anymore… It was just great that we could always talk about music, listen to music and buy every single that came out… Or read every music magazine and fanzine. He knew all of that stuff. So in a lot of ways, that’s what I miss the most. I miss him as a friend and it was such a waste that he abused his life and died.’
‘Mondo is actually pretty conservative these days. But I actually just played in another band with Myrtle. It was just a Punk Rock cover band, playing all these old Portland songs from the Seventies, you know, The Wipers and stuff like that. It was just a one-off show for this guys’ birthday, but it was a pretty big show. And Slayer is still in prison… He actually ended-up on the News and stuff ! He’d robbed one place with a gun, got a lot of stuff and he got really fucked up. Then he went to another little place with a knife, but it was kinda like that Crocodile Dundee thing, ‘That’s not a knife ! This is a knife !’ The guy basically faced him down and refused to give him anything, so he went home and came back an hour later with a gun. When they saw that, they said, Okay, here’s the stuff… He was really brazen, but when you get that fucked-up, you really don’t know what you’re doing and that’s the sorta thing that you’ll do. But I think he’ll be getting out in about a year, maybe. Perhaps he’ll come over here with us again, next time ! He’s sober now, he’s in prison but he’s still making music and I think that’s good for him.’
When Pig Champion died, did you ever think that would be the end for Poison Idea ?
‘We were still playing right up until the time he died, but Tom never really wanted to play. He just didn’t want to get off drugs or whatever and he didn’t want to do anything. But I’d still hang out with him and, in fact, I went over to his house that morning, to drive him to his methadone clinic and it was when he didn’t answer the door that I knew something was wrong, because he had to be there at a certain time. But, you know, he did what he wanted to and that’s the way he went out. At the time, I wanted Poison Idea to carry on because I hadn’t really been happy with the last record we made (‘Latest Will & Testament.’) I’d actually be a lot happier to quit now, because we’ve put this new record out and it’s really good. But I didn’t want to quit after the last one because I didn’t want to leave that as our legacy.’
When you think about Tom now, is there anything in particular that you always remember ?
‘I just really miss going on tour with him and stuff like that. We’d sit in the van talking about Punk shit and stuff. He was a great guy like that. I mean, there are so many stories about him, but I just really miss talking about music with him. You know, I’d be able to ask him stuff like, Who was the guitar player in the Killjoys ? I’d be thinking about them, and I’d know that the singer was Kevin Rowland, and the girl was in Girlschool later on, but it would be bugging me about the other guy, so I’d always be able to call Tom and ask him. But now, if I’m thinking about shit like that, I’ll go to call him and suddenly realise, Oh fuck, I can’t do that anymore… It was just great that we could always talk about music, listen to music and buy every single that came out… Or read every music magazine and fanzine. He knew all of that stuff. So in a lot of ways, that’s what I miss the most. I miss him as a friend and it was such a waste that he abused his life and died.’
One of the nastiest things after Toms’ death was all that shit that Jim Goad (Answer Me magazine etc) wrote online about him…
‘What happened was, Jim had been going out with this crazy girl and he ended up beating the shit out of her with some kinda instrument, I’m not sure what it was but he beat her up really bad and put her in hospital. Then he ran, so the police came around asking questions. Everyone they talked to told them, yeah, it was Jim, he beat up the girl. When he eventually got arrested, he saw the evidence sheets and saw who the police had talked to, so,he tried to use that to claim that Tom was a police informant. But all that he’d done was to answer some questions about a woman-beater who’d really injured this girl. I mean, if that makes you a police informant, then I guess I must be one as well, because I would have done the same thing. What he did was crossing the line and I don’t think anyone would cover him for that. He doesn’t seem to be in Portland anymore, but I’ll see him some day and then maybe I’ll end up calling people police informants, because I’ll be in prison for beating his fucking ass, ha ha ha !’
Okay, to end on a Cultural note… Morrissey published his autobiography a couple of years ago, but there seems to have been more than a few omissions… Where you upset that you weren’t mentioned in the book ?
‘Well, I must admit I was a little upset. We had a very close relationship when I was a kid, but he has an image to uphold. And considering the way I turned-out, he probably doesn’t want to say too much about it. We all do crazy stuff when we’re young. Me and Steven was something very special but, personally, I like to just keep it between us. It was an experimental phase, but I’ll stand by it and I’m proud of it. I love that guy and I always will !’
‘What happened was, Jim had been going out with this crazy girl and he ended up beating the shit out of her with some kinda instrument, I’m not sure what it was but he beat her up really bad and put her in hospital. Then he ran, so the police came around asking questions. Everyone they talked to told them, yeah, it was Jim, he beat up the girl. When he eventually got arrested, he saw the evidence sheets and saw who the police had talked to, so,he tried to use that to claim that Tom was a police informant. But all that he’d done was to answer some questions about a woman-beater who’d really injured this girl. I mean, if that makes you a police informant, then I guess I must be one as well, because I would have done the same thing. What he did was crossing the line and I don’t think anyone would cover him for that. He doesn’t seem to be in Portland anymore, but I’ll see him some day and then maybe I’ll end up calling people police informants, because I’ll be in prison for beating his fucking ass, ha ha ha !’
Okay, to end on a Cultural note… Morrissey published his autobiography a couple of years ago, but there seems to have been more than a few omissions… Where you upset that you weren’t mentioned in the book ?
‘Well, I must admit I was a little upset. We had a very close relationship when I was a kid, but he has an image to uphold. And considering the way I turned-out, he probably doesn’t want to say too much about it. We all do crazy stuff when we’re young. Me and Steven was something very special but, personally, I like to just keep it between us. It was an experimental phase, but I’ll stand by it and I’m proud of it. I love that guy and I always will !’
We end the interview there, as Jerry has
another interview to do, but with plenty of familiar faces turning up in the
pub, there’s lots of people to catch up with, including the legendary Rob
Tennant himself ! A couple of hours pass quickly and it’s soon time to go back
into the packed, sauna-like confines of the Borderline. Poison Idea crowd onto
the stage, get themselves ready and then launch into the set with a furious
pace that just doesn’t let-up for the next sixty minutes. They were really at
their best, playing a tight, powerful gig that very few bands could ever even
hope to match. So many great songs from their back catalogue, from ‘Hangover
Heartattack’ (‘this was written by my mother !’) to ‘Plastic Bomb’, and ‘Just
To Get Away’ through to ‘Taken By Surprise’. An excellent version of
‘Discontent’ is dedicated to Nigel Farage (‘Fuck the UKIP !’) and we even get
an unexpected cover of ‘Born to Lose’, before the set finally ends with blistering
versions of ‘Getting The Fear’ and ‘Motorhead’. Personally, I would have liked
to have heard a few more tracks from the new album (‘Bog’ proved to be the
highlight I expected it to be) but if that’s the only gripe, it’s not one that
I’d worry about too much. Poison Idea had returned and won over London once again,
leaving the audience gasping for more.
Afterwards, the club slowly empties and people are hanging out, so it’s a nice relaxed way to end the evening. But unfortunately, as Jerry had said earlier, the venue seem to want everyone out as soon as possible. Not a nice way to treat a band who have just packed-out your club, but that’s the way some of these people operate. Regardless, I get a chance to chat with Brandon and Eric for a while, have another drink with Jerry before helping with their loading-out.
Originally it had been planned that Poison Idea would be back in the UK later this Summer, to play at Rebellion and a few other dates, but it now looks as if they are on hold again while they sort out various ‘health issues and personal matters’. All I can say is, keep your fingers crossed that this doesn’t take too long because, musically, they were really at their best at this show and they deserve to be playing in front of much bigger audiences. I just hope they have to opportunity to achieve the recognition that this line-up so rightly deserves.
Afterwards, the club slowly empties and people are hanging out, so it’s a nice relaxed way to end the evening. But unfortunately, as Jerry had said earlier, the venue seem to want everyone out as soon as possible. Not a nice way to treat a band who have just packed-out your club, but that’s the way some of these people operate. Regardless, I get a chance to chat with Brandon and Eric for a while, have another drink with Jerry before helping with their loading-out.
Originally it had been planned that Poison Idea would be back in the UK later this Summer, to play at Rebellion and a few other dates, but it now looks as if they are on hold again while they sort out various ‘health issues and personal matters’. All I can say is, keep your fingers crossed that this doesn’t take too long because, musically, they were really at their best at this show and they deserve to be playing in front of much bigger audiences. I just hope they have to opportunity to achieve the recognition that this line-up so rightly deserves.
Official band photos by Jason Charles
More than a year after I originally published the above interview with Jerry A, I received an email from Jim Goad, wanting to put the record straight about comments that Jerry had made. For the sake of accuracy, I have decided to include part of his email here. Personally, I'm not sure if it changes the point that Jerry made - the incident that instigated this whole episode involved a vicious assault on a friend - but at least you can make up your own mind.
''Jerry A. got his facts wrong in that interview. I doubt that he's lying, only that he didn't know the incident I was referring to when I said Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts was a snitch.
The police report I first read in jail (and still have in a box of jail-related papers) involved Sky Ryan attacking Darcy Nolan with a wooden axe handle. The reason I came across the paperwork was because my lawyers had pulled all police reports involving Sky's name in order to help build our defense against her. Sky attacked Darcy because I'd slept with her. Tom was aghast that Sky had done that, and he spoke to the police about it. Tom knew all about that incident because he was Darcy's friend; he was also the one who'd set me up with Darcy. It really surprised me that he talked to the cops about this, and I'll never know why.
It had nothing to do with my crime, which happened at 5AM up in the hills above Portland. Tom knew nothing about that incident and would have no reason to talk to police about it.
In short, despite all his anti-cop songs, Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts ratted to the police about Sky Ryan smashing Darcy Nolan's head with an axe handle. I had nothing to do with that incident, so I never accused Tom of snitching on me, only of being a snitch.''