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Hello Paul, Vic took some time on this
and Ive been on hols so here is his replies.
How did the band start and why the name?
We already existed as a group of people who looked different from the norm at
the time.Not all of these were in the group, but some of these people went and
formed their own groups in the local area (Richmond on Thames). We started trying to play the simplest things we could after buying cheap
guitars on the Sex Pistols gigs. The final thing that started it as a group was
the £85 drum kit from a Lewisham music store which we paid for on H.P. This idenfied who was in the band because the 4 of us were
committed to paying monthly
for it. Rob Simmons already had a guitar at this point and had already mastered the
major chords, but he was the only one who could play. Paul Packham the original
singer of the group was coerced into being drummer when he let it slip that he
had played once (when he was in the boy scouts) on the snare drum.
Subway Sect was the best name we could think of. It was either that or Numb
Hearts, so I am glad S.S won.'
What were the bands influences?
Expressionism, Dada, Goddard/Demy, Lou Reed, Jimmy Reed, Tom Verlaine+R.Hell,
Debussy+Satie, Sinatra+Bennett
How did you come involved in punk and why?
Rob Simmons was into English 60s bands like the Who (who the rest of us hated) Paul Myers and Paul Packham were soul boys who went to the same soul
clubs (like
Hunters and Crackers, Lacy Lady...Ilford etc). This is where they first saw the people who hung round with the Banshees-The
Bromley conspiracy or whatever they called themselves. I was into Rod Stewart
+The Faces, N.Y Dolls, Frank Sinatra and songs from musicals (which Packham and Myers also liked)
We were a real mixture, but we all stood apart from the current hippie derived
clothes style of the time. We"d grown up through the skinhead eras and all been into the
brouges, levis
crombies,2 tone, jungle greens, suedeheads, D.Ms etc. Just before punk started we
were frequenting Lloyd Johnsons stall in Kensington Market, where we could buy
original 2nd World War demob suits for a £5 a time-I remember wearing spats,
detachable collars and white silk scarf to go out in. We all formed bands who saw
the Sex Pistols in 76 You had to. McLaren picked us because we must have looked like a group
already at their gigs, but we weren't really outgoing. Wed never been able to get
into music through any other era than then.
You had a very Velvet
Underground sound.
Yes.We (or me+Rob) were and still are Velvet Underground fans and there was a big buzz about
Jonathan Richman in 76.When Road Runner came out that was the sound we aimed for because with
our awful equipment you couldn't get that lead rock sound.
Was 'Ambition' successful
and why did Subway Sect end before its release?
Ambition sold 20,000 very quickly, so it was very big for us. It enabled
Bernie Rhodes to
pay us £15 a week for a year. Then he sacked the group and kept me on as a song
writer for his stable of artists supposedly but that never really came off.
Still
I drew £50 a week wages so I wasn't moaning.
What was Malcolm
McClarens and Bernie Rhodes influence on the band?
Malcolm paid for us to rehearse because he needed support acts for the punk
festival of 76.Then he arranged for us to use Bernie Rhodes free (as long as the
Clash weren't using it) He didn't put anything into the bands musically but did once buy us all red
jumpers and he did some good art work for the sleeves. As for producer he did work very closely with Mickey Foote on all our tracks
during that time so I always credit them jointly as producer.
Did Bernie Rhodes try to
influence your image? You were not very punky in style and dress?
Our image was nothing to do with Bernie Rhodes. We went on stage in the clothes we wore
every day. We could only afford Oxfam (when Oxfam was affordable)Grey was our colour but it came from Eastern Europe in the postwar? era not
Bernie Rhodes.No we'd never got a look in any other era other than 76.It is impossible to
be too innovative-the punk scene was very exciting. In 76 and maybe even 77.After
that there wasn't one-it had more to do with status quo and heavy metal. My
favourite punk bands are still the same as they were then-Seeds, Shadows
elevators television talking heads heartbreakers vu modern lovers (but they were
never called punk-why is that?)I suppose this is because we never really looked like punks-we took punk to mean
yourself not read in the sun about dog collars and go and buy one. So punk couldn't
be made to look threatening very easily through showing photos of us.
You did not like
publicity?
Yes I still very consciously shy away from that aspect.
What was it like playing?
Reaction?
We were bottled in Le Mans by Hells Angels, but still carried on through the set
with no nut holding the strings in place on the bass. I think one of the Clash
even jumped up and tried to hold it there while played. We were spat at incessantly in England and the Scots went
wild. Most audiences
were there for the Clash and Barely tolerated us, but on some nights it all
gelled and we went down really good. Every time we played through something
different or unexpected happened because of our total inexperience and naivety.
How did you get on with
other bands?
We got on great with the Slits and the Clash looked after us like real
gentlemen. We never liked a lot of their stuff and they must of hated ours but
they never showed it and actually kept us alive. We'd die of malnutrition without them.
You seem to have a
similar world view to Devoto ?
Subject matter-we tried to get stranger, but although we saw Devoto's lyrics when
we supported the Buzzcocks and got to meet them. We'd already done most of
our early stuff by then.
What punk bands did you
rate?
Of all the punk groups our stuff would have been closest to the Buzzcocks. We
greatly admired Richard Hell and Television, so apart from Lou Reed they have
been our inspiration along with the books we used to read back in that era.
Why did you rework some
of the old songs?
Reworking old material happens constantly because records take so long to come
out that by the time a recorded piece comes out (usually 2 years at least after
it is recorded) it has evolved into something quite different.We only reworked the old tunes that never been released. I just thought some of
them too good to waste. Nowadays I've come to learn that a song isn't wasted even
if it never gets released. Only 10% of anybody's songs ever come out, so there are
bound to be some gems in the other 90% that you never hear.
Why the crooning?
The crooning was my reaction to how punk turned into the Status Quo orgy. I
mentioned earlier-I wanted to get as far away as possible with a bit of
razzmatazz.On our first tour( without support) we went round in Barry Bakers old transit van
and had control of the music we played. This had lots of pre and past(??)crooning
stuff-so it wasn't something new. Even Paul Simenon had gone to see Frank Sinatra
at the Albert Hall in the punk era. dressed in tuxedo and D.Ms and until a couple
of years ago was doing pub gigs with Pete Saunders band doing old Ellington and
other classic croony tunes. We did a gig, just the 2 of us, doing Cole Porter songs
at the Seala which was the last gig I did in London-so I'm still at the crooning
now and then.
How did Subway Sect end?
Subway Sect finished because of Bernie Rhodes decision to stop paying the rest of the
band and my decision to stay with him. Rather then leaving the name was resurrected
with new members but the new album I've just finished has input from
Rob Simmons and Nick Brown...one of our early cohorts, and will be billed as
Subway Sect.
Subway's Sect
contribution to punk?
We seem to get more recognised retrospectively as time goes on-I can tell by the
consistency of the re-issues of Ambition among others.
What have you
been up to since?
Since joining Royal Mail in 1986 I've had a long and varied musical time-but only
after a 6 year sojourn.I effectively stopped from 1984-90 and got back into it through 4 track
recording. I've played with so many groups since 1990 that it would take another
interview to explain, but as its not really punk related in the main it should be
saved for another time, and this pen is running out. But I've got enough to say
that we (me & the Bitter Springs) went back and played at the 100 club with
ATV on
the20th anniversary of the punk festival. I do try to steer clear of the retro-punk
(cabaret) circuit though. Very Sad!
Faithfully
recorded from the pen of Vic Goddard by Keith Rillington September 2001
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