‘ELLO DOUG, SORRY ITS TAKING ME A WHILE TO GET BACK TO YA MATE, BUT HERES YOUR INTERVIEW, I HOPE YOU CAN MAKE USE OF IT................

WELL, A BIT ABOUT THE BANDS I WAS IN BEFORE THE ANTI HEROS........... I WAS IN THE GLORY FROM ‘85 TO ‘88, RECORDED TWO ALBUMS, AND BECAME PISSED OFF AT THE FACT THAT WE HAD AN INCOMPETENT AND UNRELIABLE RHYTHM SECTION, AND ALSO AT ONE POINT, LINK RECORDS CALLED US "THE" SKINHEAD BAND!!! VERY NICE OF THEM, BUT I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING WE JUST COULDN'T LIVE UP WITH TWO PLONKERS IN THE BAND!!

SO THE FRUSTRATION TOOK ME TO CONDEMNED ‘84 IN ‘88. I WAS REALLY ONLY A STAND IN WITH THEM UNTIL KEV COULD FIND A PERMANENT GUITAR PLAYER, WHICH I KINDA REGRET AS I REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH THEM. BUT I COULDN'T REALLY COMMIT TO C ‘84, AS I HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO MOVE TO THE STATES AFTER SEEING THE MUSIC SCENE WAS FAR MORE HAPPENING OVER THERE.

IN ‘91 , I STARTED JACK THE LAD, WITH SNED AND GARY , BOTH EX MOONSTOMP. WE ACTUALLY PLAYED A SHITLOAD OF GIGS, AND BUILT UP A HUGE FOLLOWING IN ATLANTA, AND RELEASED A COUPLE OF E.P.S. AFTER TWO YEARS , DRUGS AND ALCOHOL TOOK ITS TOLL AND I COULDN'T STAND THE PRESSURE ANYMORE, SO WE SPLIT IN ‘93.

ANYWAY, ‘94 ROLLED AROUND AND I WASN'T REALLY PLAYING WITH ANYONE, WHEN , MARK NOAH CALLED ME UP SAYING THAT THE ANTI HEROS HAD A TOUR OF EUROPE, BUT , NO GUITARIST!!!! COULD I HELP OUT?.....WELL A HUGE SUM OF MONEY CHANGED HANDS AND I SAID YES!! I HAD TWO REHEARSALS WITH THE BAND AND OFF WE WENT TO EUROPE!!! (BY THE WAY I WAS NEVER IN MOONSTOMP,SORRY!) WELL, THE TOUR WAS FUCKING AWESOME!! MUCH BETTER THAN I WAS EXPECTING. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE ANTI HEROS HAD SUCH A FOLLOWING OUTSIDE THE STATES!! AFTER THE TOUR , MARK ASKED ME IF I WOULD WORK ON A NEW ALBUM WITH HIM, AND THAT IF I WANTED TO STAY ON FULL TIME I WAS WELCOME. WELL, I FIGURED I HAD SOME GOOD IDEAS FOR THE NEW ALBUM, SO, WHY NOT? SO I OFFICIALLY JOINED THE BAND IN THE SPRING OF ‘94! WE STARTED WORKING ON NEW SONGS RIGHT AWAY, ALSO , PLAYING TOURS ON THE EAST COAST.

THE SUMMER OF ‘95 SAW THE FIRST RELEASE OF THE NEW LINE UP, THE " MURDER ONE " E.P. THE FOLLOWING SUMMER,‘96, SAW OUR NEW ALBUM, ‘AMERICAN PIE" RELEASED TO NOTHING BUT GREAT REVIEWS!!! AND OUR FIRST TOUR OF THE WEST COAST!! THE WEST COAST HAD ALWAYS BEEN HARD TO CRACK, BECAUSE THEY SEEMED SO OBSESSED WITH THAT FUCKIN‘ SKATE PUNK!!, BUT WE DID IT!! A FEW SHOWS WERE LOST DUE TO SOME IDIOTS STARTING RIOTS, ONE OF WHICH WAS AT THE FAMOUS "WHISKEY A GO GO", BUT APART FROM THAT , ALL THE OTHER SHOWS WERE GREAT!!! IT WAS AT THE END OF THIS TOUR THAT WE LOST OUR DRUMMER, PHIL, DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE CONSTANTLY TOOK THE PISS OUT OF HIS HUGE CHIN, AND HE MISSED HIS BOYFRIEND!!!!...WELL WE HAD THIS NEW KID PLAYING DRUMS FOR A FEW MONTHS , BUT THE LESS SAID ABOUT HIM THE BETTER!! (DRUMMERS ARE A STRANGE BREED!!) ANYWAY, WE THEN HAD CHIP HARRIS OF PATRIOT AS A STAND IN FOR ANOTHER (EVEN BETTER) TOUR OF THE WEST COAST!! HE ALSO RECORDED TWO SEVEN INCHES WITH US, THE FIRST BEING" TRUCK STOP TOILET", WHICH WAS RECORDED WITH TOUR CO- HEADLINERS , BLANKS ‘77 ON THE OTHER SIDE, WHICH WAS A SUGGESTION OF TAANG!! RECORDS TO PROMOTE THE TOUR. THE SECOND ONE WAS " RICH PEOPLE DON'T GO TO JAIL" ON T.K.O. RECORDS WITH DROPKICK MURPHYS (A GREAT BAND!) A GOOD IDEA TO PUSH TWO BANDS AT THE SAME TIME!! WELL CHIP HAD TO GO BACK TO PATRIOT, EVEN THOUGH THE JOB WAS OFFERED TO HIM, AND A FEW MONTHS LATER WE SECURED OUR PRESENT DRUMMER , DON SHUMATE, FORMERLY OF TIMEBOMB ‘77.

SO FAR WITH DON WE HAVE RECORDED A STORMING LIVE ALBUM WHICH SHOULD BE RELEASED ANY TIME SOON!! WE WILL BE GOING IN THE STUDIO IN APRIL TO START RECORDING A BRAND NEW ALBUM, THAT IS NOT GONNA SOUND LIKE AMERICAN PIE!! ALSO WE ARE PLANNING A FULL TOUR OF THE STATES THIS SUMMER , AND A EUROPEAN TOUR , PROBABLY IN MAY!! ALTHOUGH PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME, I JUST DONT HAVE TIME FOR ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE ANTI HEROS, BUT I DID PLAY ONE SHOW AS GUITAR PLAYER FOR THE DESPISED, LEGENDARY LOCAL HARD CORE HEROES!!! A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FOR ME, BUT IT WAS FUN!!! THE OI! \ PUNK SCENE IN AMERICA, ATLANTA IN PARTICULAR, IS REALLY GREAT. HOWEVER, THE OLD FORMULA THAT SOME OF THE BANDS ARE USING IS BECOMING A BIT TIRING, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS , LIKE THE DROPKICKS. THE SCENE IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE ENGLISH ONE OF THE EARLY EIGHTIES, PARTLY BECAUSE THE KIDS WANT TO ACTUALLY RE LIVE IT, SO IT SEEMS!!! I AINT GONNA COMPLAIN THOUGH BECAUSE AT LEAST THEY ARE ENTHUSIASTIC!! WHICH IS MORE THAN CAN GENERALLY BE SAID OF THE ENGLISH SCENE THESE DAYS!!!! WELL REGARDING THE LINK RECORDS SAGA, I PERSONALLY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST BRENNAN, AND I DONT KNOW HOW MUCH, IF ANYTHING, WAS EVER PAID IN ROYALTIES TO THE ANTI HEROS, BUT IT IS STRANGE THAT AFTER G.M.M. RE RELEASED THE FIRST TWO ALBUMS ON ONE C.D., AN ENGLISH LABEL DID THE SAME THING WITHOUT THE BANDS PERMISSION!! WELL THE CONTRACT WITH LINK HAD LONG SINCE EXPIRED, MEANING THEY NO LONGER HAD RIGHTS TO THE MATERIAL, SO HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT? MARK BRENNAN HAS NEVER BEEN AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT , SO YOU‘LL HAVE TO DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION ON THAT ONE I‘M AFRAID!! YEAH, I‘M VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE ACHEIVED MY OTHER AMBITION OF BECOMING A TATTOOIST. I‘VE BEEN AT IT FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW,AND BELIEVE ME IT CAN BE A LOT MORE STRESSFUL THAN SOME PEOPLE MIGHT LIKE TO THINK!!!...YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH SOME REAL CUNTS SOMETIMES!!!! GARY, EX MOONSTOMP AND JACK THE LAD , OPENED HIS OWN SHOP AND GAVE ME A JOB, FOR WHICH I‘M VERY GRATEFUL!!! OTHERWISE I MIGHT BE STUCK DOING SOME LAME SHIT LIKE OTHER POOR BASTARDS GET STUCK WITH!!!

BACK TO THE ANTI HEROS THEN,......

I GUESS I WOULD DESCRIBE OUR SOUND AS VERY HARD BUT MELODIC, WHICH I GUESS SETS US APART FROM A LOT OF OTHER BANDS WHO SEEM TO HAVE DIFFICULTY FINDING THEIR OWN SOUND, PARTLY BECAUSE THEY SEEM CONTENT TO JUST TRY AND COPY THE OLD OI! BANDS, WHICH IS A SHAME, BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE REAL POTENTIAL. I REALLY DON'T LIKE BEING CALLED A HARD CORE BAND, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE HARD CORE, BUT, THAT IS REALLY A WHOLE SCENE IN ITSELF. HOWEVER, A LOT OF HARD CORE KIDS ARE INTO US, WHICH IS FINE WITH ME, AS EVERYBODY IS WELCOME AT OUR SHOWS!!! REGARDING THE LYRICS, I REALLY DONT NEED TO POKE MY NOSE IN THAT DEPARTMENT AS MARK DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF THAT ON HIS OWN!!! I DO HOWEVER, COME UP WITH PRETTY MUCH ALL THE MUSIC, WITH THE LADS CHIPPING IN ON ARRANGEMENT. WERE LUCKY , BECAUSE WE ALL MAKE A GREAT SONG WRITING TEAM , AND THE STUFF THAT WERE WORKING ON NOW WILL BE EVEN BETTER, YOU SEE , WE DONT REALLY WANT TO DO TWO ALBUMS THAT SOUND THE SAME. WE DONT OUR WANT OUR FANS TO GET BORED WITH US, BECAUSE WE REALLY DO HAVE THE MOST LOYAL FANS , AND WE OWE IT TO THEM TO DO THE BEST WE CAN........ AS FAR AS TOURING, WE DO AT LEAST ONE GOOD SIZE TOUR A YEAR, SOMETIMES TWO, AND A BUNCH OF SINGLE SHOWS IN BETWEEN. ITS REALLY NOT HARD FOR US TO GET TOURS , JUST GETTING TIME OFF OUR DAY JOBS TO DO THEM!!!

HA HA!! ALL THE WILD STUFF USUALLY GOES ON AFTER THE SHOWS.....I DON'T REALLY DO THE SHAGGING THING ANY MORE AS I HAVE A STEADY BIRD OF THREE YEARS....BUT WE DO LOVE TO FUCKING SMASH THE SHIT OUT OF HOTEL ROOMS!!!! YOU SHOULD TRY IT SOMETIME!!!! AND WE USUALLY LEAVE A FEW PILES OF SHIT WHERE THEY DON'T BELONG, JUST TO KEEP THE CLEANERS EXTRA BUSY!!!...... YEAH, THOSE POOR PEOPLE REALLY KNOW IT WHEN THE ANTI HEROS HAVE BEEN IN TOWN!!!!

I WOULD HAVE TO SAY TWO OF MY OWN BIGGEST INFLUENCES AS GUITAR PLAYERS ARE PROBABLY, MICK JONES AND, PAUL WELLER, ALTHOUGH YOU WONT HEAR IT IN MY PLAYING BECAUSE I DON'T TRY TO COPY!!!....HAVING SAID THAT I HATE THE SHIT THAT THEY BOTH PLAY THESE DAYS!!!!... I THINK THE LAST C.D. I GOT WAS EITHER THE TROUBLE, OR SHAM ‘69 ALBUM CALLED THE A FILES,WHICH I THINK APART FROM THE SHITTY MIX IS ACTUALLY A GREAT DISC. I THINK THE LAST GIG I SAW WAS THE UNITY THING WITH DOPKICKS AND AGNOSTIC FRONT,,,FUCKIN‘ AMAZING!!!!...I COULDN'T TELL YOU THE LAST RECORD I PLAYED AS I LISTEN TO MUSIC ALL THE TIME...I‘M ACTUALLY PLAYING CAPTAIN SENSIBLE RIGHT NOW...PROBABLY A BIT TOO STRANGE FOR YOU BUT WHO KNOWS?!!! OUR LIVE ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN ATLANTA IN THE SUMMER , AND IS VERY WELL RECORDED, AND I HOPE YOU WILL LIKE IT!!! WELL IT SEEMS OUR ALBUMS HAVE GOTTEN (HARDER) AND I LIKE TO THINK, BETTER, AS WE HAVE PROGRESSED AS MUSICIANS, ALTHOUGH OUR GOAL IS NOT REALLY TO SOUND " HARDER", AS YOU WILL SEE WHEN YOU HEAR OUR NEW MATERIAL, AS ITS NOT AS HARD AS "AMERICAN PIE"...........

ALCOHOL....OKAY FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT, NOT FOR ME ANY MORE I‘M AFRAID. I QUIT DRINKING A YEAR AGO AS IT WAS STARTING TO CAUSE ME A LOT OF PROBLEMS....I CANT SAY THE SAME FOR THE REST OF THE BAND THOUGH!!!

STRAIGHT EDGE IS FINE IF YOU CHOOSE THAT AS YOUR LIFESTYLE , BUT I DONT BELIEVE IN FORCING YOUR VIEWS ON OTHER PEOPLE AS SOME OF THE STRAIGHT EDGERS SEEM TO DO....

CIGARS...ARE SMASHING!!! WINSTON CHURCHILL SMOKED THEM , AND SO DOES MARK NOAH...PERSONALLY I LIKE TO SMOKE AS MANY CIGARETTES AS I CAN!!!!

SCOOTERS.......IF I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO OWN ONE I WOULD PROBABLY SMOKE A CIGAR WHILE I WAS RIDING IT!!!!! MARK HAS A SCOOTER, A VESPA, I THINK, BUT HE CANT RIDE IT BECAUSE HIS BEER GUT GETS IN THE WAY!!!

THE INTERNET IS A GODSEND, OBVIOUSLY, OTHERWISE I WOULDNT BE DOING THIS INTERVIEW WOULD I?!!

....FINALLY,LETS START HEARING SOME GOOD AUSSIE BANDS,I‘LL BE HONEST I‘M NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH ANY, BUT I KNOW THERE ARE SOME DOWN THERE!…OH, AND BE NICE TO KANGAROO‘S EH?