An interview with Neil Crud, fanzine writer, DJ, website owner and blogger, known also for the shortest tour of the US of A, having being turned back by the US Border Control. Currently he is the vocalist/guitarist for Spam Javelin. These are just a few of his interests. We have a chat with him about where his journey started, how he got involved, what drives him etc.
DLW: You're obviously quite well known in the N Wales punk/ alternative scene, what was life like growing up as a young Mr Crud? Where were you born and what are your favourite childhood memories?
NEIL: I was born in Llanelwy and brought up in the outback on the edge of the Denbigh Moors… It was a lonely existence, I went to a Welsh language village school but came from an English speaking family, so I understood very little during lessons as the only subject they didn’t teach was actual Welsh. For this reason I barely got a grasp on the language. It wasn’t until my late teens when I discovered the Welsh language punk band Anhrefn that I ‘got’ Welsh. Our family moved to Denbigh in my early teens, the town was a punk enclave. Everyone was too young and/or too poor to travel to see gigs, but I was fortunate to see The Clash, The Damned, The Jam and Anti-Nowhere League during those formative years. My punk rock was obtained by mail order and my paper-round money funded hundreds of records direct from labels like No Future, Riot City, Rot Records, Clay, Xsentrik Noise as well as from bands themselves..
DLW: Anhrefn! That's a blast from the past! I remember seeing them many moons ago at The Castle pub in Birkenhead. They were with another Welsh band called U Thant, I remember buying the U Thant album and one member of the band kindly translated the song titles into English for me. I too was like you in my younger days. I literally had every vinyl ever released on the No Future label. So you discovered punk at an early age, when did you decide to pick up the guitar and start or join a band and what was your incentive for doing that?
NEIL: I always loved Anhrefn gigs… They became mates (or at least they tolerated us) and my group of friends would follow them around the country. Rhys (Anhrefn) inspired people to form bands, and their manifesto was to encourage youngsters to do so and get out and play. I eventually (decades later) sang and played in a group called Welsh Rebel Outpost with Rhys and we toured Anhrefn’s first album ‘Defaid, Skateboards a Wellies.’ U Thant were also great fun, madcap antics, on and off stage. Encouraged by both Rhys and also John Robb (Membranes), I began promoting bands in Colwyn Bay in early 1987 alongside my little fanzine called Crud… I didn’t really want to be in a band myself on account of having no musical ability at all.. However, after months of being cajoled I eventually conceded and agreed to form a punk band with a drummer called Paul Puke… We were called 4Q and were utter shit, Wayne The Bastard played bass (he couldn’t play), I couldn’t play guitar and Edi Flmstar was the slapstick Jello Biafra-like frontman. Despite having no ability, what I was good at was getting gigs… We played everywhere, and caused chaos in our wake… Members came and went and we did around 70 gigs in two years.. That number would have been a lot higher had we not been banned from so many places.
DLW: So apart from following bands around, was your magazine 'Crud' the first inroad you made into being involved in the punk music scene? Did you manage to get any interviews with big named bands and if so, which bands did you interview or review etc?
NEIL: I guess Crud fanzine was my first foray from being a punter to being active in the scene. I had long loved the work of Winston Smith (Dead Kennedys artist) and kept scrapbooks as a teenager of hundreds of newspaper collages and cartoons. Crud was a combination of those scrapbooks and our childish rants and cartoons. I wasn’t keen on the seriousness of a lot of punk fanzines of the time; anarchists dictating what you could and couldn’t do. I guess as far as scoops were concerned; I interviewed John Peel, also Chumbawamba and a few others, but the zine concentrated more on pissing the authorities off. This worked a treat when the Home Office launched an investigation into Crud and I (and various record shop owners in Wales and North West) was arrested and charged on three counts of the Obscene Publications Act.
DLW: Wow, it must have been some magazine if it drew the attention of the Home Office. I bet it was an honour and a privilege to interview the late, great John Peel. When you formed your band 4Q, what other Welsh bands, if any, were gigging in the N Wales area?
NEIL; 4Q were based in Colwyn Bay, which was stained with dull blues and rock bands, over in Bangor there was a vibrant scene spearheaded by Anhrefn, Ffaps, Lungs, Paraletics and more and we kind of latched and networked with them. I’d like to think that 4Q inspired others to form bands as we took several under our wings as time moved on like, Blacklisted, Total Mind Fuck and Dam Yankee.
DLW: I'd say about 10 to 15 years ago there was a fairly vibrant scene that played in and around N Wales quite a lot at venues like the Dudley Arms in Rhyl. Bands like Out of Use, Alien Matter, Global Parasite, Seize The Day and of course Wayne and Stuntface. How would you describe the local scene now? All the above bands have sadly vanished into thin air, are there many bands active in N Wales?
NEIL: There was an incredible scene in North Wales during that period - particularly in Rhyl - centered around The Breeding Ground, The Dudley Arms and Bar Blu... The Dudley had it's punk nights - usually monthly and also the annual Dirty Weekend Festival and Bar Blu was more alternative-indie every Wed night, which drew a good crowd... I covered hundreds of the gigs on my website link2wales, all reviews are archived there. Of those bands you mentioned, none are going anymore - the scene isn't what it used to be - it's a generational thing, kids grow up and have kids of their own etc... Active bands in North Wales (pre-Covid) - Spam Javelin, Emissaries Of Syn, Rabo De Toro, White Ether, Skinflick, Chugga. Mark of Emissaries promotes a lot of gigs in North Wales, as does James Phillips over in Bangor.
DLW: Chugga is Steve Brutes band isn't it? Yeah I remember the Dudley nights very well. Loved playing there, great little pub, pity it's no longer going. I remember playing one night and the PA stack started to fall on me, I held it up by leaning on it whilst playing the bass. I think Dave Cox eventually straightened it up. The Dirty Weekenders were ace, loads of good bands played. Did you ever get involved in promoting gigs? It's good also that Spam Javelin and the other bands mentioned are keeping the scene alive. Another question Re: The Dudley, were you involved in the short TV report about it?
NEIL: Ha, I was there, but my command of Welsh meant I was too nervous to go on national TV and talk about our exploits... It is a shame that parts of the Welsh media pretend that other languages don't exist as the TV report, although fun to watch wasn't informative enough due to S4C interviewing only Welsh speakers. I rarely promote gigs, it stresses me out too much. People who do them deserve medals... I guess I help promote them via the website and radio show. What band were you in when you played The Dudley?
DLW: I recall seeing it and it was all Welsh speaking but I'm sure the clip I saw had English subtitles. The band I played in at the time was Instant Agony.
NEIL: Ahh of course....
DLW: Played there about 3 or 4 times. We did quite a few gigs in Llandudno as well, we also played that coffee bar place in Colwyn Bay [Speakers Corner]. Who was the guy who owned a rehearsal place in Llandudno and played drums?
NEIL: That's Cumi Pants - or Al as he prefers.
DLW: That's the one! What band was he in? We used to rehearse there when Tinman was playing drums for us.
NEIL: He was 4Q's vocalist - then he learnt to play drums - good solid drummer - one of my best mates - see the twat nearly every day!! He was in Alien Matter, Sons Of Selina (with me), The Affliction, Frank's Dad and Courteous Thief. A drum whore! Oh, and Downward Spiral.
DLW: I think it was Alien Matter I remember him in. What ever happened to Pete Alien? Is he still alive? I actually rehearsed once with Alien Matter, we had Dave Cox on drums, I think Pete was trying to revive the band.
NEIL: Yeah Pete is still around - last I heard, he was living in Caernarfon... Alien Matter were such a great band.
DLW: They were a great band, different but good, had a copy of their CD somewhere.
NEIL: Yeah - it's in my notebook to re-release their stuff one day - I also produced a session for them on BBC Radio Wales - so would put the 2 of them out.
DLW: So going back to a previous point I can imagine that promoting is a thankless task but one that bands truly appreciate. With reference to your website and the gig reviews, I have to say it's quite extensive, informative and a fantastic history of gigs past. Is it literally all your own work or have other people donated to the writing?
NEIL: I'd say 80% is mine. Mark Watson-Jones (Emissaries Of Syn) has contributed since the start. It's just a weird thing I love doing... And it turns out at the age of 21 it's one of the longest running blogs (or whatever you call them) in the world..! Ha!
DLW: Congratulations! Has it been going that long? Must confess it's been a while since I've checked the site out. So drawing from your vast number of gigs you've been to and the hundreds of bands you've seen. What would you say are your best and worst gigs?
NEIL: I do try to encourage people to contribute - recently there's been really interesting Guest Columns that have sparked further interest in the site - but the whole thing is very narrow, subject wise.
DLW: That's kind of how I started at Last Stop. I was asked to write a brief review of MRI and Last Stop liked what I wrote so I got invited to join.
NEIL: Being an archivist I keep records! I've seen 3114 bands! (Instant Agony 7 times) Best gig? Phew..! There's so many that stand out... Seeing Alien Matter at The Dudley when the packed room sang all the words. Lots of gigs have lots of moments - both good and bad.
DLW: So many great bands are only a 3 piece....
NEIL: I agree - I think as a 3 piece there's nowhere to hide - you have to push yourselves...
DLW: Of course! I'm a shit bassist but I got two guitars to hide behind.
NEIL: Ha, pretty similar with Spam - no Tracey on bass, no Llion on drums would equate to no Spam Javelin - I've never played with such talent before.
DLW: It's so nice when you get that right mix of musicians who just gel. Very rare.
NEIL: Plus we all write songs or throw ideas at each other.
DLW: Have you ever been to a gig, really looked forward to seeing the band then walking out after feeling disappointed as they were crap or a let down?
NEIL: Yeah, went to see Drenge last year at The Ritz in Mcr - not what I was expecting, had it in my head that they were some great psyche band... Walked out after 20mins...
DLW: Toyah was like that. Sheer dirge! Was so bored..... Moving onto radio.... you host your own show and I've tuned in a few times and liked what I've heard. How did you find yourself hosting a radio show?
NEIL: I used to do a podcast (over 200 shows) about 15yrs ago - we get drunk and play music - and lots of banter, usually very un-PC in today's climate. I just decided about 4 years ago I wanted to do a live radio show as there was so much good stuff out there that needed a wider audience - so I sought a local FM station...
DLW: How did you find the skills, technical capabilities etc to run a radio show? Did it not daunt you in any way?
NEIL: Yeah at first. I did 3 shows on BBC Radio Wales in about 2003, I was stiff as a board.. They didn't ask me back!!
DLW: At least you never gave up though. How long does it take you to prepare one of your shows?
NEIL: All week, I keep a notebook and if I hear something good I jot it down and get on it. I have regular contributors too...
DLW: Do you do feature albums or bands?
NEIL: Not usually,,, normally it's a 3 song session preferably live before lockdown but at the moment pre-recorded sessions but there are no rules.
DLW: Yeah lockdown is a pain in the tits! I know you've got a new album coming out in January (previously reviewed by Last Stop). Was that all recorded during lockdown and do you find yourself writing more and more lately?
NEIL: The album was recorded just before and during lockdown with 4 or 5 of the songs written with lockdown in mind and I found we actually did less writing during these apocalyptic times!!
DLW: There is one particular song on the album that I'd like to look at in more detail, God Bless America. We all know what it's about but can you give a full account of what actually happened? And how many dates did you have lined up, who with and what cities?
NEIL: It’s one of the most surreal things to have ever happened to me / us..! We had a 5 date mini-tour arranged with rapper Coolzey playing in Minneapolis, Osh Kosh, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Being a shitty punk band, applying for proper working visas was not an option for these reasons. They take too long to come through, there’s still no guarantee they’ll let you in anyway, They cost far too much for a band who are only getting paid expenses. We took out standard visitor visas and booked the flights, cheapest was via Iceland. We had rooms booked and places to stay and Coolzey had hired a van and we were using all his gear. Other bands have historically played in the US covertly by this method. We were told not to even take a plectrum with us! We got to Minneapolis Airport and before we even got to passport control the three of us were pulled out of the queue by armed Homeland Security and taken for interrogation. They knew everything about Spam Javelin, where we were playing, who with etc. A computer algorithm picked Tracey, Llion and myself as being affiliated with Spam Javelin; so Big Brother most definitely is watching you. At first I tried to blag it, and they got angry and said if they didn’t turn this around within the hour that we’d be spending the night in jail. We were put back on the plane to Iceland - our tour of the States lasted 45 minutes. That flight back was silent, we were stunned, I thought it was the end of the band. To make things worse there was no connecting flight back to Manchester for two days and the prices in Iceland were horrendously high to stay over. We found a flight to Copenhagen and then back to Manchester. Fuck the USA...
DLW: Sounds like an absolute nightmare!!! Bet you guys were well pissed off?
NEIL: We guested at a gig the same day we got back.. It was the angriest we had ever done...
DLW: I can imagine it was! So obvious question, what do you enjoy more? Playing live, studio work, writing for your website or the radio shows?
NEIL: If I didn't enjoy doing it I wouldn't do any of it however I enjoy doing different bits at different times. I love having a flurry of activity on the website and spending a day or two updating it. I enjoy presenting the radio show and listening to the music I'm playing, love playing gigs, love going to gigs and really enjoy the results of the studio work we do. I don't think that answers your question does it?
DLW: Yes it does really, you obviously enjoy it all. Likewise I'm the same but for me playing gigs is most favourable. There is a question from one of the contributors of Last Stop and they want..... What's the story behind the (top) hat? How did you come about it?
NEIL: Ha ha, it's cos there's hundreds of punk bands with bald ageing band members in black t-shirts, so it's to make us a little more distinctive..
DLW: Talking about Spam Javelin, how would you describe your sound? To me, some of your stuff is very much in the same vein as Rudimentary Peni interjected with Macc Lad style vocals. Weird combination but that is how it sounds to me and it's by far not a criticism as I love RP.
NEIL: I shudder at the term Macc Lads ha ha! There's no intention to our sound, I love American hardcore, Tracey is into garage punk and Llion is a rocker!! We all contribute to the songwriting.
DLW: So the current scene then, which bands do you like? Are there any you follow and love watching live? And any you particularly dislike?
NEIL: It's been so long since I've been to a gig that it's hard to remember the bands! I do like the bands involved on the Society Of Losers roster but it'll be interesting, heart-breaking and hopefully heartwarming to see who or what emerges once all the covid shit is finished - to see who emerges on the other side once the Reset Button has been pressed.
DLW: A lot of the old bigger named bands from the late 70's and early 80's etc have reformed to play some of the bigger festivals, what are your opinions on big festivals and bands reforming, getting paid silly money and going through the motions?
NEIL: I know exactly what you mean about the bands reforming for big bucks - and I'd probably do the same if I was in that position. What annoys me is the 'punks' who go and watch them but don't support smaller bands or new bands... As if anything beyond 1978 never existed.. How can you die if you're already dead?
DLW: Very good point, I think it's very important to support your local scene. I had a similar discussion with Dave 'Fungalpunk' about this and he is in total agreeance. Without the local scene, the dedication of the bands with rehearsals, studio time, travelling miles and miles to play gigs for a couple of quid, sometimes running at a financial loss, it's imperative we keep the local music scene alive once we get through this crap scenario we find ourselves in. So to surmise and end the interview, if you were interviewing Neil Crud, what question would you ask him and for a bit of fun, if you were a professional wrestler, what would your nickname be?
NEIL: I'd ask Neil why the fuck does he spend endless hours updating his website and reviewing bands and doing radio shows just for the sake of doing it...? My nickname would be Neil Thud, for sure...
DLW: Cheers Neil and thanks for taking the time out to chat to us here at Last Stop Sounds. Stay safe and hopefully catch you at a gig in the not too distant future!
So there you have it folks! If you've not seen, heard or know anything about Spam Javelin, viewed the Link2Wales website or heard Neil's radio show, then I suggest you get off one's posterior and do it. You won't be disappointed.
Words: DLW, Images: RBY, Johnny, Adrian Wharton, Crud Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spamjavelinuk
Bandcamp: https://spamjavelin.bandcamp.com/
Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neilcrud/
Link2Wales: http://link2wales.co.uk/
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