Auntie Pus, real name Julian
Isaacs, was an aspiring Syd Barrett-influenced singer/songwriter, who, who
already had the nickname of Auntie in his home locale of Wimbledon before
the advent of the long hot summer of '76 and the strengthening gusts in the
sirocco of change that was about to rip through the dust bowl of the UK
music industry. Auntie worked solo: long priased or his quirky, obscure
esoteric lyrics, his contemporaries found his idiosyncratic concepts of
timing and tuning too untenable for collaboration.
Pus got added to Auntie around February 1977, when Auntie was filling out
his entry form for that Years melody maker Folk/Rock competition along with
a work mate: "We didn't really know much about Punk, just that most of the
artistes' stage names were either offensive, disgusting or both. I'd read
the famous Caroline Coon article about the '76 punk festival in the South Of
France, and knew that my old chum Chris Millar was now Rat Scabies of the
Damned, and me and my mate just started chucking names into the air to
couple with Auntie. After rejecting things like 'shit', piss', 'spunk',
etc., we finally settled on Pus. "The entry form for the competition was
duly completed, and the London heats were successfully fought and lost, with
the support of Auntie's manager, a larger than life antiques and American
car dealer from Brighton who had recently turned musical entrepreneur. |
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Fast forward to July 1977, when david Scott was promoting weekly punk gigs
at the Hastings Pier Ballroom. After the coincidence of David Scott being
about to put The Damned on for the second time and Auntie's links with Rat
Scabies emerged, Auntie was placed on the bill between the yet to be Nazi
band Skrewdriver and The Damned themselves. Not sure what he should wear on
stage for his punk premiere, Auntie did a little research in fanzines and
decided that his old junior public school uniform and cap were not
inappropriate, in conjunction with the big quiff and long sideburns of the
rockabilly rebel that he also sported. the Hastings gig led to both a
favourable review in the Record Mirror and an introduction to Nick Leigh,
then The Damned agent Derek Block, who also booked the acts for the Vortex.
It also inspired the front page headline "Public School Punk Rocks" in
Auntie's local rag, the Wimbledon News. Auntie went on to support The Ants
and Siouxsie & The Banshees at The Vortex on Halloween night that year
(solo), & Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers there three weeks later (with
Rat Scabies on drums and Jim Payne on bass) |
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After that,
Auntie's aspiring parallel careers in shoplifting and drug misuse took
priority until approximately a year later when, with the financial backing
of David Scott, and the musical backing of Rat Scabies plus Robin Bibi
(school friend and musical collaborator of Auntie's to thus day) on lead
guitar and Jim Payne on bass, Auntie entered the renowned Pathway Studios
in North London to record two of his most popular and enduring
compositions: "Halfway to Venezuela" and Marmalade Freak, as a double
A-side single. The two tracks were produced by Dick Taylor, lead guitarist
of the Pretty Things, producer of the first Hawkwind album, and a former
neighbour of Aunties in Wimbledon Village. Unfortunately, theft and drugs
once more took precedence over rock'n'roll, and the masters gathered dust
until summer 1980 when Auntie was being looked after by The Ruts's
manager, Andy Dayman, who successfully negotiated a national distribution
deal with Spartan. The record duly emerged blinking on the by the New wave
headlights, and was awarded single of the week in Sounds.
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Halfway to Venezuela /
Marmalade Freak (Septic Records 1980) |
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El Capitano!
Image Mick Mercer |
Late
'78-late'80 saw Aunty survive, against most known odds, four Damned tours,
3 Ruts tours, and some of a Splodgenessabounds tour (some because he was
unceremoniously escorted off the agenda by the PA Co) as compare, support
act and general wind up merchant.
Captain
Sensible remembers...Raving
mad! We'd park up outside a music shop. I'd go in to get some guitar
strings and afterwards we'd be sitting there in the van with the engine
running saying "Where's Puss". Suddenly you'd turn round and see some
worker from Woolworths holding the shop door open and Puss would come out
holding a whole load of stuff, electric kettle's, toasters, this and that.
He'd bung 'em into the van saying "Drive off quick I've nicked 'em". We'd
be saying "Well how the hell did you get away with that. They held the
door open for ya". He'd say "Look if you come out with so much stuff. They
don't believe your nicking it". He was actually a brilliant thief. He used
to go up and down the queue of people outside the gig, selling toasters
and stuff. It was absolutely brilliant.
http://freeradicalsounds.com/captain/senstwo.htm
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1981 Auntie Puss had matured - or decomposed, according to your
viewpoint, into Auntie & The Men From Uncle, featuring Robin Bibi
and Dick Taylor on twin lead guitars, and Arturo and Esso from the
Lurkers on bass, drums and kebab consumption. Halfway to Venezuela
was re-recorded with some new verses and released on a private
limited edition CD by Auntie in 1999, accompanied by Robin Bibi,
with Segs from The Ruts on Bass and The Flying Dutchman, Hans Ferrao,
on drums. the CD also included a dance remix by Ashley Wales of
Spring Heel Jack, and a re-issue of the original 1978 recording.
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Above article
courtesy of Julian Isaacs aka Auntie Pus
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