Over the years many people have asked where the name 'Skip Rats' came from, well we can reveal how the name evolved, unexotic as it may be.
In 1987, as the band emerged with a list of songs and the promise of a few gigs, the lads got their heads together to think of a name.
Once under pressure they found it remarkably difficult to think of names, never mind decide on one.
After some time, Col piped up with a story about some guys he once worked with at a building supplies yard. In this yard was a rubble skip which was used to dispose of waste and damaged building materials. It was also used occasionaly by builders who would offload any old rubbish from their trucks.
Once the builders had finished their task, two workers from the yard would jump into the skip and root around for any old treasures.
On one occasion, another worker shouted out to them 'Get outa that skip, you're just like a couple of rats' and his workmate quipped 'Yeah, it's the skip rats!'.
Whilst they were all having a good laugh, Col enthused 'Hey, that'd make a great name for a band - the Skip Rats', the rest they say, is history.
Ian, the very talented guitar picker of the Skip Rats, once took the old showbiz saying 'Break a leg' quite literally.
Whilst in the midst of a fairly hefty touring schedule, Ian decided to go out on the town during a free weekend. After a few beers, he agreed to go on to a club with some friends. When they finished off their night and decided to leave the club, Ian, who lived close by, set off to walk home. Whilst crossing the road outside of the club, a car suddenly appeared from nowhere, sending Ian into an acrobatic somersault and flat out onto the tarmac. In the accident he suffered serious injuries to his arms and legs and was detained in hospital for several weeks.
Metal rods and plates were used to rebuild Ian's shattered bones. His guitar playing career looked to be in jeopardy.
But, Ian was determined to play on, so once at home, he strapped on his guitar and was delighted to find he still had full use of his fingers, although he was in extreme discomfort. Ignoring the pain, Ian decided he wanted to hit the stage again without delay. So the stage backline was rearranged to include a chair, as Ian was unable to stand. Even with his disability, Ian soldiered on and as usual gave great performances every time.
In the years since Ian's misfortune, he has come to terms with his permanent scarring and mis-shapen bones to excel in his guitar playing and will only refrain from playing once the pain becomes unbearable.
The most unlucky member of the Skip Rats has got to be Mickie, for he and cars just do not mix. Here is brief outline of Mickie's unfortunate auto experiences.
FORD ZODIAC Mk2 (1958)- This car was the envy of a lot of people on the rockin' scene in the mid Eighties. It was grey and white and had a luggage rack on the trunk.
Mickie drove thousands of miles in this car and over that time noticed that the engine had become much noisier than when he first bought it. But Mickie, being the master spanner wielding mechanic he is, kept on driving regardless.
During one hot summer, Mickie and his wife Jean, decided to tour the Lake District with the car packed to the gunnels with luggage. As the engine grew louder, so did the music from the car radio and they bumbled along merrily.
On his return home, Mickie had the car checked out, only to discover that the big end bearings had worn out long ago and the engine was beyond repair.
Mickie did what he thought best and laid the car to rest in his garage, where it rotted happily ever after.
OLDSMOBILE STARFIRE 98 (1958)- This was a huge chunk of metal, chrome and V8 engine, a real head turner, but Mickie tried to run this car on a tight budget. He would only put a gallon of petrol in at a time and at 8 miles per gallon, meant Mickie spent more time outside of the car than in it.
At the end of it's life, the car developed a gearbox problem which was never rectified and quickly became a local landmark outside of Mickie's house in Sunderland.
The Oldsmobile was eventually sold on to a new owner, who to Mickie's horror, had the car cut into two and hung on a theme pub wall for decor What a waste!!
MINI 850 (1973) - After the Oldsmobile, Mickie decided to go for something a little more economical, so opted for a Mini 850cc.
On his first gig with this car, Mickie tied his double bass to the roof of the Mini and turned up to the pub, parked outside and went in. A few moments later some guy came in the pub and quipped 'There's a double bass on roller skates outside!'
As well as tying his bass to the roof, Mickie had to remove the front passenger seat to accomodate his amplifier.
The Mini was economical on fuel and certainly economical on space.
Mickie loved this little car until the day he discovered he had been cheated out of 15 miles an hour.
On one of the many jaunts across country to Lancaster, Col and Ian were following behind Mickie's Mini at a steady pace of 55mph. On reaching the destination, Mickie commented on the Mini's performance cruising at70mph.
Oh dear, needless to say, Mickie ditched the Mini soon after.