I first heard about Professor And The Madman some time ago, reading an article that Rat Scabies was recording with ex-members of the Adolescents and DI. It certainly sounded like an interesting proposition, but I didn’t hear anything else it until a year ago, when the band announced their forthcoming third LP ‘Disintegrate Me’, via the Pledge site. In addition to Rat, the line-up for this project was also going to include his former Damned band-mate Paul Gray, on bass, making it a very exciting prospect.
The founding members of the band, Alfie Elliott and Sean Agnew, had first got to know each other in the early 1990’s when they both played as members of Californian punk band DI. Alfie had also been a member of the Adolescents, so they both came from a more melodic punk rock tradition. Sean had continued to play music in various bands over the following years while Alfie had quit to follow his University career, eventually attaining a professorship at Cal-State, Fullerton. It wasn’t until 2014 that the two friends re-united to start writing new songs, which is where the roots of Professor And The Madman emerged. They began recording demos, but it wasn’t until a year later, whilst playing a gig with The Critens (a band that Sean originally formed in the Eighties which still play occasional gigs to this day) that they met Rat Scabies. He had been brought to the show by friends and ended-up guesting on their encore, a version of ‘Smash It Up’. They enjoyed the evening and got along well, so they arranged for Rat to hear their demos. He was suitably impressed and offered to play on their forthcoming recordings, resulting in the release of the debut album, ‘Good Evening, Sir !’ and its’ follow-up, ‘Election’, both in 2016. But for their third album, Sean and Alfie decided to up the ante and contacted Paul Gray, to suggest that he join the project. Similarly impressed with their demos, he promptly agreed. Obviously, the distance between participants prevented everyone spending time in the studio together, but with the possibilities that the internet now offers, it was no longer a major problem and the results emerged as a very remarkable album. ‘Disintegrate Me’ was released in early 2018 and proved to be very popular with pretty-much everyone who heard it. The rhythm section is instantly recognisable but effectively edged towards Sean and Alfies’ songwriting-style. If you want to put it into a ‘Damned’ perspective (I hope Sean and Alfie are fine with this, it’s only meant as an indicator for anyone not familiar with PATM) think of the psychedelic elements that infused the ‘Strawberries’ album, but then add influences from The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Peppers’ and ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ records, as well as hints of the first Pink Floyd LP and the classic pop highlights of The Monkees. There are moments where it (punk) rocks out, some that are almost dreamy, others that get spacey, but each and every song has a great tune and memorable hooks. If you can’t find at least something to love about this album, you’re just not listening properly !
Due to the aforementioned distances involved, it seemed unlikely that this line-up would be able to play live together (although a modified version of the group played a few ‘record-release’ gigs in California) but earlier this year it was announced that a one-off performance would be taking place at the 100 Club in London. Sean and Alfie would fly-over, rehearse with Rat and Paul, and then play the show. Needless to say, there was a lot of interest.
The founding members of the band, Alfie Elliott and Sean Agnew, had first got to know each other in the early 1990’s when they both played as members of Californian punk band DI. Alfie had also been a member of the Adolescents, so they both came from a more melodic punk rock tradition. Sean had continued to play music in various bands over the following years while Alfie had quit to follow his University career, eventually attaining a professorship at Cal-State, Fullerton. It wasn’t until 2014 that the two friends re-united to start writing new songs, which is where the roots of Professor And The Madman emerged. They began recording demos, but it wasn’t until a year later, whilst playing a gig with The Critens (a band that Sean originally formed in the Eighties which still play occasional gigs to this day) that they met Rat Scabies. He had been brought to the show by friends and ended-up guesting on their encore, a version of ‘Smash It Up’. They enjoyed the evening and got along well, so they arranged for Rat to hear their demos. He was suitably impressed and offered to play on their forthcoming recordings, resulting in the release of the debut album, ‘Good Evening, Sir !’ and its’ follow-up, ‘Election’, both in 2016. But for their third album, Sean and Alfie decided to up the ante and contacted Paul Gray, to suggest that he join the project. Similarly impressed with their demos, he promptly agreed. Obviously, the distance between participants prevented everyone spending time in the studio together, but with the possibilities that the internet now offers, it was no longer a major problem and the results emerged as a very remarkable album. ‘Disintegrate Me’ was released in early 2018 and proved to be very popular with pretty-much everyone who heard it. The rhythm section is instantly recognisable but effectively edged towards Sean and Alfies’ songwriting-style. If you want to put it into a ‘Damned’ perspective (I hope Sean and Alfie are fine with this, it’s only meant as an indicator for anyone not familiar with PATM) think of the psychedelic elements that infused the ‘Strawberries’ album, but then add influences from The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Peppers’ and ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ records, as well as hints of the first Pink Floyd LP and the classic pop highlights of The Monkees. There are moments where it (punk) rocks out, some that are almost dreamy, others that get spacey, but each and every song has a great tune and memorable hooks. If you can’t find at least something to love about this album, you’re just not listening properly !
Due to the aforementioned distances involved, it seemed unlikely that this line-up would be able to play live together (although a modified version of the group played a few ‘record-release’ gigs in California) but earlier this year it was announced that a one-off performance would be taking place at the 100 Club in London. Sean and Alfie would fly-over, rehearse with Rat and Paul, and then play the show. Needless to say, there was a lot of interest.
I decided an interview had to be done and arranged it though a mutual friend who then promptly forgot to mention it to the band (cheers, Kev !) but nonetheless, a quick word with Sean at the soundcheck ensured that it would all go ahead. After waiting around for a short time, Sean calls me into the dressing room and we get down to the chat…
Firstly, I wanted to ask about his background. Although most people in the UK have only heard about the band through the new album, both you and Alfie have been involved with music for a long time. When did you first start to get involved with music ?
‘I started playing when I was probably about six years old. My uncle had a drum kit, so I learned how to play drums first… I think most kids just want to bang on shit, you know ? My brothers also played music and the songs that we’d play together were mostly surf music, as that’s what we were getting into, things like Dick Dale and The Surfaris… I really loved the way Dick Dale played. In fact, my first job was in Newport when I was about 8 or 9, working at the parking lot for Balbao Market. My brother had given me a guitar to occupy my time while I sat out there and it turned out that Dick Dale was living nearby at that time. He used to go there to shop so when I saw him, I’d ask him to show me new chords. So he’d teach me things like that, which was very cool ! But as I got older and listened to other things, the only music I started to love more than Dick Dale’s guitar sound were the punk records that I started to hear. Once I realised that it was louder and heavier, that’s when I got into Punk Rock... Although the first band that I really liked was the Dead Kennedys, perhaps because East Bay Ray always had that twangy, surf sound on his guitar as well. But they were faster and Jello’s voice was so in-your-face, how could you not think that was great ? I used to listen to a radio station called KROQ, which is huge now, but back then was a lot more underground. Rodney Bingemheimer had his show and would play so many great records, even during the daytime… It was also around the same time that I heard The Damned for the first time, as one of my friends had the ‘Live at Shepperton’ album. I thought that was amazing, but then I heard ‘The Black Album which really blew me away. Then I started checking out all their other records and I loved all of them… It was because of all this new stuff I was suddenly hearing that I decided to start a band, who were called The Critens. That was in 1982 and, in fact, we still play shows to this day, as we’re all still friends. And, oddly enough, it was at one of those shows where we met Rat for the first time… But originally, we were probably quite awful… we were playing covers of Dead Kennedys songs, Damned songs and other stuff… we were still learning to play, really. My first serious band were called Mind Over Four, who were more hard rock, sort of like Soundgarden or Janes Addiction, but before they were around. I played with them for a while but then DI recruited me to go on tour with them. I actually turned them down at first but they were persistent and I ended-up playing with them from about 1988 through to 1994, I think, which was where I first became good friends with Alfie…’
Firstly, I wanted to ask about his background. Although most people in the UK have only heard about the band through the new album, both you and Alfie have been involved with music for a long time. When did you first start to get involved with music ?
‘I started playing when I was probably about six years old. My uncle had a drum kit, so I learned how to play drums first… I think most kids just want to bang on shit, you know ? My brothers also played music and the songs that we’d play together were mostly surf music, as that’s what we were getting into, things like Dick Dale and The Surfaris… I really loved the way Dick Dale played. In fact, my first job was in Newport when I was about 8 or 9, working at the parking lot for Balbao Market. My brother had given me a guitar to occupy my time while I sat out there and it turned out that Dick Dale was living nearby at that time. He used to go there to shop so when I saw him, I’d ask him to show me new chords. So he’d teach me things like that, which was very cool ! But as I got older and listened to other things, the only music I started to love more than Dick Dale’s guitar sound were the punk records that I started to hear. Once I realised that it was louder and heavier, that’s when I got into Punk Rock... Although the first band that I really liked was the Dead Kennedys, perhaps because East Bay Ray always had that twangy, surf sound on his guitar as well. But they were faster and Jello’s voice was so in-your-face, how could you not think that was great ? I used to listen to a radio station called KROQ, which is huge now, but back then was a lot more underground. Rodney Bingemheimer had his show and would play so many great records, even during the daytime… It was also around the same time that I heard The Damned for the first time, as one of my friends had the ‘Live at Shepperton’ album. I thought that was amazing, but then I heard ‘The Black Album which really blew me away. Then I started checking out all their other records and I loved all of them… It was because of all this new stuff I was suddenly hearing that I decided to start a band, who were called The Critens. That was in 1982 and, in fact, we still play shows to this day, as we’re all still friends. And, oddly enough, it was at one of those shows where we met Rat for the first time… But originally, we were probably quite awful… we were playing covers of Dead Kennedys songs, Damned songs and other stuff… we were still learning to play, really. My first serious band were called Mind Over Four, who were more hard rock, sort of like Soundgarden or Janes Addiction, but before they were around. I played with them for a while but then DI recruited me to go on tour with them. I actually turned them down at first but they were persistent and I ended-up playing with them from about 1988 through to 1994, I think, which was where I first became good friends with Alfie…’
When you think of the music that DI played, and the music that Alfie was playing in the Adolescents, it may have been coming from a hardcore background but it always had strong melodies. I think that’s one aspect that you’ve certainly maintained with what you’re now doing in Professor And The Madman. It’s a pretty natural progression in a lot of ways, even if the songs sound quite different…
‘Yeah, I think so. I mean, not everything that DI did was fast and hardcore and, for me, some of the songs that really stand out are the ones that were a bit different. But as I was saying about The Damned, they were a big influence for us, even more so than bands like The Ramones. So many of the bands from that early-Eighties era in California were influenced by The Damned and if they say they weren’t, then they’re probably not very relevant… they’re either lying or just not worth a shit, because all the good bands that did come out of that area were huge Damned fans. I think DI took as much from them as the early hardcore scene. It was just that idea that you could be fast and loud and also be very melodic. You also didn’t have to stick to doing just one thing. When you think of The Damned, their first five albums were all very different from each other, but still sounded great ! It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about them, that they always changed from one record to the next, but did it in a way that the fans could change with them. There may have been a few times when I’ve heard one of their new records for the first time and I’ve thought, well, this ain’t so great. But by the end of the week, I’ve listened to it a few more times and I’ll be loving it ! I think that’s why they’ve been a huge influence on so many different bands in America. They were a huge influence on DI… one of our songs ‘Johnny’s Got a Problem’ was a complete rip-off of ‘Neat Neat Neat’ !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ZSxDdENPA
It’s that idea of being able to experiment with the sound of your songs is what we’ve been trying to do in this band. When you look at a song like ‘Nightmare’, it’s a very Orange County-style punk rock song, but we decided to see what it would be like if we added a pipe-organ to it ?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNi8sr2H1-k
That gave it a completely different sound. I always liked psychedelic bands and Sixties Pop… I always loved The Monkees’ records and I liked Pink Floyd, although at first, I was more of a fan of David Gilmour… it wasn’t until a bit later on that I went back and heard the stuff they did with Syd Barrett and that really blew me away ! I think Alfie and I were both kind of lucky that we had older brothers, because that meant those records were already kicking around and we’d get to hear them. It was never a case that we had to go back and start listening to that kind of stuff because it had always been around us. That’s why our influences are all over the place. We wanted to bring all of these different things into what we were doing, but not do it in some sort of retro way. We wanted to write songs that had those things in them but still sounded new. I think you can really hear that in the song ‘Space Walrus’…. You can hear a David Bowie influence and, obviously, an influence from ‘I Am The Walrus’ but I think it’s still very much our own thing…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDfxjYC-fEo
Some people have said that some of our songs remind them of XTC, but I don’t think it’s so much an influence but rather that our influences are running parallel with them, as they clearly had a big thing about The Beatles and psychedelia. I think that’s why there mat be a few similarities in what we do. But for me, I’d have to admit that the two bands that still influence me when I think about writing songs, are The Beatles and The Damned.’
‘Yeah, I think so. I mean, not everything that DI did was fast and hardcore and, for me, some of the songs that really stand out are the ones that were a bit different. But as I was saying about The Damned, they were a big influence for us, even more so than bands like The Ramones. So many of the bands from that early-Eighties era in California were influenced by The Damned and if they say they weren’t, then they’re probably not very relevant… they’re either lying or just not worth a shit, because all the good bands that did come out of that area were huge Damned fans. I think DI took as much from them as the early hardcore scene. It was just that idea that you could be fast and loud and also be very melodic. You also didn’t have to stick to doing just one thing. When you think of The Damned, their first five albums were all very different from each other, but still sounded great ! It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about them, that they always changed from one record to the next, but did it in a way that the fans could change with them. There may have been a few times when I’ve heard one of their new records for the first time and I’ve thought, well, this ain’t so great. But by the end of the week, I’ve listened to it a few more times and I’ll be loving it ! I think that’s why they’ve been a huge influence on so many different bands in America. They were a huge influence on DI… one of our songs ‘Johnny’s Got a Problem’ was a complete rip-off of ‘Neat Neat Neat’ !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ZSxDdENPA
It’s that idea of being able to experiment with the sound of your songs is what we’ve been trying to do in this band. When you look at a song like ‘Nightmare’, it’s a very Orange County-style punk rock song, but we decided to see what it would be like if we added a pipe-organ to it ?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNi8sr2H1-k
That gave it a completely different sound. I always liked psychedelic bands and Sixties Pop… I always loved The Monkees’ records and I liked Pink Floyd, although at first, I was more of a fan of David Gilmour… it wasn’t until a bit later on that I went back and heard the stuff they did with Syd Barrett and that really blew me away ! I think Alfie and I were both kind of lucky that we had older brothers, because that meant those records were already kicking around and we’d get to hear them. It was never a case that we had to go back and start listening to that kind of stuff because it had always been around us. That’s why our influences are all over the place. We wanted to bring all of these different things into what we were doing, but not do it in some sort of retro way. We wanted to write songs that had those things in them but still sounded new. I think you can really hear that in the song ‘Space Walrus’…. You can hear a David Bowie influence and, obviously, an influence from ‘I Am The Walrus’ but I think it’s still very much our own thing…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDfxjYC-fEo
Some people have said that some of our songs remind them of XTC, but I don’t think it’s so much an influence but rather that our influences are running parallel with them, as they clearly had a big thing about The Beatles and psychedelia. I think that’s why there mat be a few similarities in what we do. But for me, I’d have to admit that the two bands that still influence me when I think about writing songs, are The Beatles and The Damned.’
The involvement of both Rat and Paul on the latest album has also added further elements to the overall sound, as well as helping to bring it to the attention of a much wider audience…
‘Well, Rat has actually played on all three albums, although this is the first time Paul has been involved. But, yeah, they’ve really added different things that me and Alfie wouldn’t have come up with on our own. They’ve added their own take to it and that takes it even further. We’d write the songs the way that we perceived them, but when Rat and Paul recorded their parts, they’d work them out in the way that they saw them… We never set-out to tell them, this is what we want, do it this way… that would have been such a waste of their talents and I don’t think they would have wanted to be involved with something like that, anyway. We all just trusted each other to come-up with something that would be best for each song as a whole. And I think that’s one of the things which has been really successful on this album. Even though we were thousands of miles apart, we all came together with a real vision for the way it should sound.’
I’d agree with that… you may not have all been in the same studio together, but the songs sound very focused and organic…
‘I think the secret to why the recordings came together so well is that, although everything was recorded to a click-track, we all ignored it when we were recording ! Me and Alfie always just play along together, but when we sent the recordings to Rat and Paul we left the click-tracks there to help them. But I think they both just used the click-track for the count-in and then played along to what they were hearing, which made it sound a lot more natural. For me, that’s what shows what a great rhythm section they are. Paul recorded his parts in Wales while Rat recorded in London, but when the tapes all came back to California, we lined them up to play and everything sounded so amazing. It sounds as if we were all recording in the same room at the same time and I think we have to attribute a big chunk of that to the fact that those guys really know how to play together. This was one of the things I saw while we were rehearsing for this show… Rat and Paul hardly seem to pay attention to each other but they sound so great and it has to be down to the way that they really understand each other, musically. We’re so lucky to have had them involved with this album and, for two kids like us… or the two kids that we were… who both loved ‘The Black Album’, it’s totally amazing to have that rhythm section playing with us now. I don’t want to sound big-headed, but I really love ‘Disintegrate Me’ and I can listen to it a lot because, with those guys playing on it, I’ll listen to their parts and it almost sounds as if it’s someone elses’ record ! I’m really proud of the way it’s come out.’
You also get the sense that everyone’s really enjoying being a part of this album. The arrangements are really inventive and interesting, but there’s also a very playful atmosphere to it…
‘I think so… but I don’t think any of us would have done it if we weren’t into the songs in that way. I think we’re lucky in the way that we write songs because it really places them in the right territory for Paul and Rat. I mean, if you had a band that had only been influenced by DI, for example, and they asked Rat or Paul to play on something with them, it probably wouldn’t work because I don’t think that basic, more aggressive punk rock style is what those guys are in to. They come from a background with a more Sixties and Seventies vibe to it and I think that’s where we cross over. We write more like that and we’re influenced by a lot of the same things, so it makes it a much better match. You’ll hear young bands now and too many of them will be influenced by bands like The Ramones or The Clash, which isn’t a bad thing, but that will be their only reference point. They won’t know or understand the things that influenced The Ramones or The Clash in the first place, so they’re only going to be influenced by one source rather than by all the other things that those bands brought together. That’s why so many new bands end-up sounding pretty one-dimensional. It’s that background knowledge that you need to really to get your sound. If you listen to rock music and then go and play rock music, it’s never going to sound all that special. You need to add something else to make it different.’
‘Well, Rat has actually played on all three albums, although this is the first time Paul has been involved. But, yeah, they’ve really added different things that me and Alfie wouldn’t have come up with on our own. They’ve added their own take to it and that takes it even further. We’d write the songs the way that we perceived them, but when Rat and Paul recorded their parts, they’d work them out in the way that they saw them… We never set-out to tell them, this is what we want, do it this way… that would have been such a waste of their talents and I don’t think they would have wanted to be involved with something like that, anyway. We all just trusted each other to come-up with something that would be best for each song as a whole. And I think that’s one of the things which has been really successful on this album. Even though we were thousands of miles apart, we all came together with a real vision for the way it should sound.’
I’d agree with that… you may not have all been in the same studio together, but the songs sound very focused and organic…
‘I think the secret to why the recordings came together so well is that, although everything was recorded to a click-track, we all ignored it when we were recording ! Me and Alfie always just play along together, but when we sent the recordings to Rat and Paul we left the click-tracks there to help them. But I think they both just used the click-track for the count-in and then played along to what they were hearing, which made it sound a lot more natural. For me, that’s what shows what a great rhythm section they are. Paul recorded his parts in Wales while Rat recorded in London, but when the tapes all came back to California, we lined them up to play and everything sounded so amazing. It sounds as if we were all recording in the same room at the same time and I think we have to attribute a big chunk of that to the fact that those guys really know how to play together. This was one of the things I saw while we were rehearsing for this show… Rat and Paul hardly seem to pay attention to each other but they sound so great and it has to be down to the way that they really understand each other, musically. We’re so lucky to have had them involved with this album and, for two kids like us… or the two kids that we were… who both loved ‘The Black Album’, it’s totally amazing to have that rhythm section playing with us now. I don’t want to sound big-headed, but I really love ‘Disintegrate Me’ and I can listen to it a lot because, with those guys playing on it, I’ll listen to their parts and it almost sounds as if it’s someone elses’ record ! I’m really proud of the way it’s come out.’
You also get the sense that everyone’s really enjoying being a part of this album. The arrangements are really inventive and interesting, but there’s also a very playful atmosphere to it…
‘I think so… but I don’t think any of us would have done it if we weren’t into the songs in that way. I think we’re lucky in the way that we write songs because it really places them in the right territory for Paul and Rat. I mean, if you had a band that had only been influenced by DI, for example, and they asked Rat or Paul to play on something with them, it probably wouldn’t work because I don’t think that basic, more aggressive punk rock style is what those guys are in to. They come from a background with a more Sixties and Seventies vibe to it and I think that’s where we cross over. We write more like that and we’re influenced by a lot of the same things, so it makes it a much better match. You’ll hear young bands now and too many of them will be influenced by bands like The Ramones or The Clash, which isn’t a bad thing, but that will be their only reference point. They won’t know or understand the things that influenced The Ramones or The Clash in the first place, so they’re only going to be influenced by one source rather than by all the other things that those bands brought together. That’s why so many new bands end-up sounding pretty one-dimensional. It’s that background knowledge that you need to really to get your sound. If you listen to rock music and then go and play rock music, it’s never going to sound all that special. You need to add something else to make it different.’
I assume the name of the band came from either the book by Simon Winchester, or the movie-adaptation, which has gained some notoriety due to the lengthy delays to its’ completion…
‘The name came from the book… the whole thing about it is that Alfie and I are very similar in many ways, but complete opposites in others. We’re almost like Jekyll and Hyde, but we didn’t want to go with that reference because that’s already been done by plenty of others. But Alfie’s wife had just been reading the book so she suggested that we call it ‘Professor And The Madman’… Alfie really is a Professor, so that makes me the Madman, but I can live with that… The funny thing was, at the time we didn’t even know that there was a movie being made, until we were just about to send out the press release for our first album, ‘Good Evening, Sir’. We had everything ready to go and then, at exactly the same time, the press releases started coming out for the movie ! We started getting worried that things might start to be a little awkward but as it turned-out, the movie has had various problems and, as far as I know, it still hasn’t been completed and has yet to be released. In the meantime, we’ve released three albums, so I think we’ve had a chance to establish our name and what we do well-enough by now.’
As you said, ‘Disintegrate Me’ is actually your third album, but it’s the first that’s really come to the attention of a wider audience, particularly over here in the UK…
‘Well, it’s the first one where we’ve really tried to push it. We’ve had a publicist working on it, we released it on vinyl as well as CD and obviously we’ve come over here to play this show. This is something I’ve been really excited about and I think we all wanted to make it something special, something that’s going to be a lot of fun. Because we all live so far apart, it isn’t really possible for this line-up to do much more than a one-off show, so when the opportunity came up to do this, we all really wanted to do it. I think on the whole, we’re more interested in writing and recording rather than touring, as I think that could wear things out. This is something I think we’re doing more for ourselves than anything else. We’re not trying to write things for an audience, we’re writing them because there’s so much shit getting released these days and there’s not much out there now that I want to listen to. Most of the stuff we write, we do it because we can’t stand most of the music that comes out these days ! I can’t even listen to the radio anymore, because so much bullshit gets played on there. That’s why we wouldn’t want to make a record that just sounded like one of our old bands, DI or the Adolescents… we wouldn’t want to just recreate things that we’d already done, even though that might be what some people would want to hear. If you do things for those reasons, it’ll never be authentic and it won’t sound right. We’re not interested in that at all. We want to keep going forward and putting out the records the way we think they should be. I like albums that are all over the place and have lots of different things going on. I like when I hear an album and maybe there’s one track that I don’t get at first but then, I listen to it again and suddenly notice something that I really like, which I hadn’t noticed before… I always think it’s great when that happens to me and I hope that will happen for some people when they hear ‘Disintegrate Me’. You know, you hear something you didn’t get the first time, but you listen to it again and suddenly, you love it !’
‘The name came from the book… the whole thing about it is that Alfie and I are very similar in many ways, but complete opposites in others. We’re almost like Jekyll and Hyde, but we didn’t want to go with that reference because that’s already been done by plenty of others. But Alfie’s wife had just been reading the book so she suggested that we call it ‘Professor And The Madman’… Alfie really is a Professor, so that makes me the Madman, but I can live with that… The funny thing was, at the time we didn’t even know that there was a movie being made, until we were just about to send out the press release for our first album, ‘Good Evening, Sir’. We had everything ready to go and then, at exactly the same time, the press releases started coming out for the movie ! We started getting worried that things might start to be a little awkward but as it turned-out, the movie has had various problems and, as far as I know, it still hasn’t been completed and has yet to be released. In the meantime, we’ve released three albums, so I think we’ve had a chance to establish our name and what we do well-enough by now.’
As you said, ‘Disintegrate Me’ is actually your third album, but it’s the first that’s really come to the attention of a wider audience, particularly over here in the UK…
‘Well, it’s the first one where we’ve really tried to push it. We’ve had a publicist working on it, we released it on vinyl as well as CD and obviously we’ve come over here to play this show. This is something I’ve been really excited about and I think we all wanted to make it something special, something that’s going to be a lot of fun. Because we all live so far apart, it isn’t really possible for this line-up to do much more than a one-off show, so when the opportunity came up to do this, we all really wanted to do it. I think on the whole, we’re more interested in writing and recording rather than touring, as I think that could wear things out. This is something I think we’re doing more for ourselves than anything else. We’re not trying to write things for an audience, we’re writing them because there’s so much shit getting released these days and there’s not much out there now that I want to listen to. Most of the stuff we write, we do it because we can’t stand most of the music that comes out these days ! I can’t even listen to the radio anymore, because so much bullshit gets played on there. That’s why we wouldn’t want to make a record that just sounded like one of our old bands, DI or the Adolescents… we wouldn’t want to just recreate things that we’d already done, even though that might be what some people would want to hear. If you do things for those reasons, it’ll never be authentic and it won’t sound right. We’re not interested in that at all. We want to keep going forward and putting out the records the way we think they should be. I like albums that are all over the place and have lots of different things going on. I like when I hear an album and maybe there’s one track that I don’t get at first but then, I listen to it again and suddenly notice something that I really like, which I hadn’t noticed before… I always think it’s great when that happens to me and I hope that will happen for some people when they hear ‘Disintegrate Me’. You know, you hear something you didn’t get the first time, but you listen to it again and suddenly, you love it !’
You’ve played some recent shows in California with a different line-up. Have you been playing live since the first album was released ?
‘No, we’ve just played three record-release shows when ‘Disintegrate Me’ came out. Several places asked us to play, so we put a set together with a couple of our friends playing bass and drums. We played one show at The Viper Room, another one at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach and then at the Anchor Bar in Newport Beach, which is actually where we first met Rat. I think we will do more shows with that line-up back at home, but it will have to be the right shows. We wouldn’t want to do something just because it’s been offered, but we’ll see how it goes. At the moment we wouldn’t be able to play any shows in the States with Rat and Paul, so that would be the only way we would be able to do it. We’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to come over to London to play this one-off gig and there’s enough people interested in either the new album or our previous bands to make it viable. I mean, from my point of view as a music fan, if I saw there was a band playing who included former members of DI, the Adolescents and The Damned, I’d want to see them ! I know that there are a lot more fans coming to see Rat and Paul playing together again, but I have heard from some people who are coming because they never got a chance to see DI and that’s cool. I think Alfie and I are both just happy to be a part of it, even though, overall, we’ll be losing money on the trip. But, you know, for us it’s all about playing the music with these guys and we’d never forgive ourselves if we missed this opportunity. We’re not trying to be rock stars, we’re just here to play these songs the way we enjoy playing them. We’re also meeting a lot of friends, old and new, over here and that’s really great. We didn’t really know what to expect before we came over here, but so many people have been really supportive towards what we’re doing, so we really appreciate the UK audience.’
As you’ve had such a short time to rehearse with Rat and Paul, will you just be playing songs from ‘Disintegrate Me’ tonight, or will you be playing anything from the earlier albums ?
‘We’ll be playing songs from all three records, as well as three covers… We’ll be playing an Eddie & The Hot Rods songs, a song by The Detours that we also used to play in DI, and a song by a band called 20/20, who were from Hollywood in about 1980… I have to admit, we would have loved to have played a Damned song with Rat and Paul, but at the same time we thought it might be a bit too much. People are already noticing the latest record because Rat and Paul are playing on it, but this gig is really about our album and we don’t want to shift the attention away from that. I think playing a Damned song wouldn’t really be appropriate, even though I’m sure we’d enjoy it. But we did want to play something English while we were hear, so we asked Paul if he would mind us playing ‘Quit This Town’ and he was fine with that. I’ve always loved Eddie & The Hot Rods, those early albums are so good ! And Rat’s drumming on that song sounds great, so it was a perfect song to play.’
‘No, we’ve just played three record-release shows when ‘Disintegrate Me’ came out. Several places asked us to play, so we put a set together with a couple of our friends playing bass and drums. We played one show at The Viper Room, another one at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach and then at the Anchor Bar in Newport Beach, which is actually where we first met Rat. I think we will do more shows with that line-up back at home, but it will have to be the right shows. We wouldn’t want to do something just because it’s been offered, but we’ll see how it goes. At the moment we wouldn’t be able to play any shows in the States with Rat and Paul, so that would be the only way we would be able to do it. We’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to come over to London to play this one-off gig and there’s enough people interested in either the new album or our previous bands to make it viable. I mean, from my point of view as a music fan, if I saw there was a band playing who included former members of DI, the Adolescents and The Damned, I’d want to see them ! I know that there are a lot more fans coming to see Rat and Paul playing together again, but I have heard from some people who are coming because they never got a chance to see DI and that’s cool. I think Alfie and I are both just happy to be a part of it, even though, overall, we’ll be losing money on the trip. But, you know, for us it’s all about playing the music with these guys and we’d never forgive ourselves if we missed this opportunity. We’re not trying to be rock stars, we’re just here to play these songs the way we enjoy playing them. We’re also meeting a lot of friends, old and new, over here and that’s really great. We didn’t really know what to expect before we came over here, but so many people have been really supportive towards what we’re doing, so we really appreciate the UK audience.’
As you’ve had such a short time to rehearse with Rat and Paul, will you just be playing songs from ‘Disintegrate Me’ tonight, or will you be playing anything from the earlier albums ?
‘We’ll be playing songs from all three records, as well as three covers… We’ll be playing an Eddie & The Hot Rods songs, a song by The Detours that we also used to play in DI, and a song by a band called 20/20, who were from Hollywood in about 1980… I have to admit, we would have loved to have played a Damned song with Rat and Paul, but at the same time we thought it might be a bit too much. People are already noticing the latest record because Rat and Paul are playing on it, but this gig is really about our album and we don’t want to shift the attention away from that. I think playing a Damned song wouldn’t really be appropriate, even though I’m sure we’d enjoy it. But we did want to play something English while we were hear, so we asked Paul if he would mind us playing ‘Quit This Town’ and he was fine with that. I’ve always loved Eddie & The Hot Rods, those early albums are so good ! And Rat’s drumming on that song sounds great, so it was a perfect song to play.’
The response to ‘Disintegrate Me’ has been really positive… Have you got plans to work on a follow-up to it, yet ?
‘Oh, yeah. Once we get home, we’ll be working on the recording of tonights’ show to get that ready for release as soon as possible. But once that’s done, we’ll definitely be starting work on our next album straight away. We already have ideas for it, so we want to get the songs ready to record as soon as we can. At the moment, it looks as if Rat and Paul will be onboard for it, although it depends on if their plans change along the way. If everything goes the way we want it to go, we’d like to try and release it by next Summer. Me and Alfie work together really fast and, once the songs are ready to go, both Rat and Paul have been very good at getting their parts completed quickly. It just depends on how busy they are with other things when the tracks are ready for them. But once they agree to do something, they make sure it gets done. The thing that seems to take the longest with this band is the mixing. With ‘Disintegrate Me’, it was down to Alfie and I having to argue with the engineer to get Rats’ drum-sound right and Paul’s bass-sound right. The problem was that he wasn’t familiar with the way they play so he was setting it up and it was sounding like mush. But their stuff has got to be upfront just as much as everything else and we had to make him work really hard to make sure that everything could be heard.’
I know you’ve said that distance and logistics make it difficult, but do you think there’s a chance that this line-up will play live again after this show ?
‘I hope so, although at this moment it seems unlikely. We’ve set-up this show pretty-much as a one-off because, realistically, it’s just not practical for us to play live. We all live so far away from each other and we all have other commitments, so actually getting together to rehearse and play live just isn’t practical. Nowadays, because of the internet, it is possible to record an album without everyone being in the same studio, or even the same country, but we all have to be there to play live. But I think we’d all like to do it again, so who knows ? Perhaps something could be organised again when the next album comes out ?’
‘Oh, yeah. Once we get home, we’ll be working on the recording of tonights’ show to get that ready for release as soon as possible. But once that’s done, we’ll definitely be starting work on our next album straight away. We already have ideas for it, so we want to get the songs ready to record as soon as we can. At the moment, it looks as if Rat and Paul will be onboard for it, although it depends on if their plans change along the way. If everything goes the way we want it to go, we’d like to try and release it by next Summer. Me and Alfie work together really fast and, once the songs are ready to go, both Rat and Paul have been very good at getting their parts completed quickly. It just depends on how busy they are with other things when the tracks are ready for them. But once they agree to do something, they make sure it gets done. The thing that seems to take the longest with this band is the mixing. With ‘Disintegrate Me’, it was down to Alfie and I having to argue with the engineer to get Rats’ drum-sound right and Paul’s bass-sound right. The problem was that he wasn’t familiar with the way they play so he was setting it up and it was sounding like mush. But their stuff has got to be upfront just as much as everything else and we had to make him work really hard to make sure that everything could be heard.’
I know you’ve said that distance and logistics make it difficult, but do you think there’s a chance that this line-up will play live again after this show ?
‘I hope so, although at this moment it seems unlikely. We’ve set-up this show pretty-much as a one-off because, realistically, it’s just not practical for us to play live. We all live so far away from each other and we all have other commitments, so actually getting together to rehearse and play live just isn’t practical. Nowadays, because of the internet, it is possible to record an album without everyone being in the same studio, or even the same country, but we all have to be there to play live. But I think we’d all like to do it again, so who knows ? Perhaps something could be organised again when the next album comes out ?’
I suppose it might also work out if you could tie-in a few dates with an appearance at one of the festivals, like Rebellion or Punk Rock Bowling…
‘I’m not sure if I’d want to play at Punk Rock Bowling… I think we’d rather play things like this, in a smaller club. I don’t think there are any ‘punk’ festivals in the States that I’d want to play right now, because so much of that stuff has become so political and I think a lot of what American punk has become is bullshit. So much of it is just like a bandwagon… I mean, I don’t particularly like Trump, but it seems that every new punk rock band is just singing ‘Fuck Trump, Fuck Trump’, and it’s as if that’s all they can think to say. And the music is the same, it’s not very imaginative or interesting. There are different ways to say how you feel about things and I certainly couldn’t write songs that way, just so that we’d fit-in. I’d have no problem opening for other bands or playing a festival, but it would have to be in a more open-minded situation. I think Rebellion, over here, would probably be much- more suitable for us to play, because they seem to have a much broader view of which bands or music can be included. That’s what I like about the UK, the audiences don’t seem to pigeon-hole different bands as much as it happens in America. People will listen to something and decide for themselves if they think it’s good or if it sucks, whatever style they play or whatever they’re singing about. It’s like the line-up tonight… none of the three bands sound alike but they fit together on the bill because we’ve all got the same attitude and just want to play great music. I love that, but over in the States it seems that if you go to see a band like Pennywise, you’ll just get an opening band who sound like Pennywise… What’s the point of seeing a band who sound like a not-so-good version of the headline band ? Why would you want to spend three hours listening to the same chord progressions and the same vocal style ? I want to see and hear things that come from the heart and when you’re just trying to imitate someone else, that’s not going to happen. I can get behind something, whatever it sounds like, if I can see it’s from the heart. But there’s just too much shit out there now which clearly isn’t. So anyway, getting back to the question, we’d definitely consider playing with this line-up again but it would have to be something special, like this show, because this isn’t something that we’d want to do on a long tour or anything like that. There isn’t anything in the plans right now, but we’ll just have to see if something interesting comes up… If it’s meant to be, then it’ll probably happen. But from this point on, the plan is to start working on the next set of songs. For us, it’s more about getting the music out there rather than playing live and it’s great if other people enjoy it, because I know there are people who are just as tired of all the shit out there as we are.’
‘I’m not sure if I’d want to play at Punk Rock Bowling… I think we’d rather play things like this, in a smaller club. I don’t think there are any ‘punk’ festivals in the States that I’d want to play right now, because so much of that stuff has become so political and I think a lot of what American punk has become is bullshit. So much of it is just like a bandwagon… I mean, I don’t particularly like Trump, but it seems that every new punk rock band is just singing ‘Fuck Trump, Fuck Trump’, and it’s as if that’s all they can think to say. And the music is the same, it’s not very imaginative or interesting. There are different ways to say how you feel about things and I certainly couldn’t write songs that way, just so that we’d fit-in. I’d have no problem opening for other bands or playing a festival, but it would have to be in a more open-minded situation. I think Rebellion, over here, would probably be much- more suitable for us to play, because they seem to have a much broader view of which bands or music can be included. That’s what I like about the UK, the audiences don’t seem to pigeon-hole different bands as much as it happens in America. People will listen to something and decide for themselves if they think it’s good or if it sucks, whatever style they play or whatever they’re singing about. It’s like the line-up tonight… none of the three bands sound alike but they fit together on the bill because we’ve all got the same attitude and just want to play great music. I love that, but over in the States it seems that if you go to see a band like Pennywise, you’ll just get an opening band who sound like Pennywise… What’s the point of seeing a band who sound like a not-so-good version of the headline band ? Why would you want to spend three hours listening to the same chord progressions and the same vocal style ? I want to see and hear things that come from the heart and when you’re just trying to imitate someone else, that’s not going to happen. I can get behind something, whatever it sounds like, if I can see it’s from the heart. But there’s just too much shit out there now which clearly isn’t. So anyway, getting back to the question, we’d definitely consider playing with this line-up again but it would have to be something special, like this show, because this isn’t something that we’d want to do on a long tour or anything like that. There isn’t anything in the plans right now, but we’ll just have to see if something interesting comes up… If it’s meant to be, then it’ll probably happen. But from this point on, the plan is to start working on the next set of songs. For us, it’s more about getting the music out there rather than playing live and it’s great if other people enjoy it, because I know there are people who are just as tired of all the shit out there as we are.’
The first band are ready to play and with the volume just about to get too noisy for comfortable conversation, we end at this point.
I’ve seen The Weird Things a few times over the last year or so and they’ve steadily developed into a really entertaining band. Playing a mix of punk, garage , glam and even a hint of psychedelia, they present a really solid set of songs that bristle with individuality and enthusiasm. They’ve been steadily perfecting their sound and style and, by now, I think they’re just about ready to make an album that will really put them on the map. Be sure to hear them soon.
Next onstage, those bastions of Londons’ punk-rock’n’roll scene, The Witchdoktors. I’ve been seeing this band on a fairly regular basis for nearly ten years, and they never disappoint. Equal parts Rocket From The Crypt, The Cramps, The Clash and Eddie Cochran, they just know what they’re doing and always throw it down. It bewilders me that bands like these guys, The Phobics and The DeRellas don’t get more coverage in certain magazines while vastly inferior bands get a totally disproportionate amount of publicity. But that’s the way it goes and folks that enjoy real talent will know the difference…
So, Professor And The Madman finally arrive onstage and there’s a real sense of anticipation. After all, we may be seeing something that never gets repeated… For me, it’s a double-whammy. Firstly, I’ll be watching the band perform songs from one of my favourite albums of the last 12 months and, secondly, I’m going to be seeing Rat Scabies and Paul Gray, one of my all-time favourite rhythm sections, playing together for the first time in maybe 25 years ! But tonight is really about Professor And The Madman themselves, the whole band. With Rat’s drumkit surrounded by perspex (presumably to protect Paul’s hearing in such a confined space) and Alfies’ keyboards set-up alongside his guitar equipment, the stage is looking a lot more crammed than usual, but as they launch into ‘Peace Bomb’, it certainly doesn’t seem to hold them back. I’m stuck at the side of the stage, with the audience so crowded it’s almost impossible to move anywhere else, so I’m perhaps not getting the best sound-mix but for the most part, it sounds good to me. I did hear a few gripes afterwards that the band weren’t as tight as they could have been, but with the fact being that they’d only had one days’ rehearsals together, I thought they did really well. After all, these weren’t songs with the simplest of arrangements ! Okay, so there was one false start and a couple of times when they were out of time, but surely the event was more important that details like that ? When they go into a stunning version of ‘Nightmare’, I’m already feeling that I’ve had my money’s worth ! Sean and Alfie share the vocal duties, while Rat and Paul hold things down with the effortless style that always made them such a great partnership in the first place. The first cover song comes early in the set, the aforementioned ’20/20’ song, ‘Nuclear Boy’. I kind of doubt that many in the audience realised that this was even a cover, let alone who played the original (I wouldn’t have known) but it certainly fitted-well with the rest of the set. The songs continue with several selections from both ‘Good Evening, Sir’ and ‘Election’, although the majority are from ‘Disintegrate Me’. ‘Space Walrus’ is a particular crowd-favourite, whilst ‘Machines’ and ‘Electroconvulsive Therapy’ are further highlights. The well-deserved encore provides further treats ; firstly, the band are joined onstage by Pauls’ former cohort from Eddie & The Hot Rods, Graeme Douglas, for a blistering version of ‘Quit This Town’. That was the perfect finale and even though the punters still want more, that has to be it… they’re all out of songs, but what a fine evening it’s been.
I’ve seen The Weird Things a few times over the last year or so and they’ve steadily developed into a really entertaining band. Playing a mix of punk, garage , glam and even a hint of psychedelia, they present a really solid set of songs that bristle with individuality and enthusiasm. They’ve been steadily perfecting their sound and style and, by now, I think they’re just about ready to make an album that will really put them on the map. Be sure to hear them soon.
Next onstage, those bastions of Londons’ punk-rock’n’roll scene, The Witchdoktors. I’ve been seeing this band on a fairly regular basis for nearly ten years, and they never disappoint. Equal parts Rocket From The Crypt, The Cramps, The Clash and Eddie Cochran, they just know what they’re doing and always throw it down. It bewilders me that bands like these guys, The Phobics and The DeRellas don’t get more coverage in certain magazines while vastly inferior bands get a totally disproportionate amount of publicity. But that’s the way it goes and folks that enjoy real talent will know the difference…
So, Professor And The Madman finally arrive onstage and there’s a real sense of anticipation. After all, we may be seeing something that never gets repeated… For me, it’s a double-whammy. Firstly, I’ll be watching the band perform songs from one of my favourite albums of the last 12 months and, secondly, I’m going to be seeing Rat Scabies and Paul Gray, one of my all-time favourite rhythm sections, playing together for the first time in maybe 25 years ! But tonight is really about Professor And The Madman themselves, the whole band. With Rat’s drumkit surrounded by perspex (presumably to protect Paul’s hearing in such a confined space) and Alfies’ keyboards set-up alongside his guitar equipment, the stage is looking a lot more crammed than usual, but as they launch into ‘Peace Bomb’, it certainly doesn’t seem to hold them back. I’m stuck at the side of the stage, with the audience so crowded it’s almost impossible to move anywhere else, so I’m perhaps not getting the best sound-mix but for the most part, it sounds good to me. I did hear a few gripes afterwards that the band weren’t as tight as they could have been, but with the fact being that they’d only had one days’ rehearsals together, I thought they did really well. After all, these weren’t songs with the simplest of arrangements ! Okay, so there was one false start and a couple of times when they were out of time, but surely the event was more important that details like that ? When they go into a stunning version of ‘Nightmare’, I’m already feeling that I’ve had my money’s worth ! Sean and Alfie share the vocal duties, while Rat and Paul hold things down with the effortless style that always made them such a great partnership in the first place. The first cover song comes early in the set, the aforementioned ’20/20’ song, ‘Nuclear Boy’. I kind of doubt that many in the audience realised that this was even a cover, let alone who played the original (I wouldn’t have known) but it certainly fitted-well with the rest of the set. The songs continue with several selections from both ‘Good Evening, Sir’ and ‘Election’, although the majority are from ‘Disintegrate Me’. ‘Space Walrus’ is a particular crowd-favourite, whilst ‘Machines’ and ‘Electroconvulsive Therapy’ are further highlights. The well-deserved encore provides further treats ; firstly, the band are joined onstage by Pauls’ former cohort from Eddie & The Hot Rods, Graeme Douglas, for a blistering version of ‘Quit This Town’. That was the perfect finale and even though the punters still want more, that has to be it… they’re all out of songs, but what a fine evening it’s been.
I have to say that opinion did seem to be divided after this gig and it seemed to be split between those who had already heard the band and those who had not. I can understand this to some degree ; if you had just gone along expecting a ‘punk supergroup’, then that’s not what you were going to get. Professor And The Madman are very much their own beast and you have to appreciate them as such. Perhaps seeing them live as your introduction to their music wasn’t an ideal setting, but all I can say is, you need to persevere. ‘Disintegrate Me’ is an album that sounds better and better every time you hear it. Everyone I spoke to who was already familiar with the album, totally enjoyed this gig. Make sure you hear it and pay attention ; this is a treat that doesn’t appear very often, a record with real depth and variety. Your efforts and persistence will be rewarded ! You have been told.
