This interview will be part of the second edition of the printed version of the P.A.M. Knarrenpunk Fanzine (it'll be out on April 15th).
Im 2tem Heft des P.A.M.s wird dieses Interview auf Deutsch drin sein. Also liebe nicht englischsprechende Bevoelkerung : KAUFEN!!!
Hi Charlie, is that right, that you got a new line-up now?
Are there any plans for a new record - the last records have been the Riot & the Quintessentials is that right?
Yes, that's right they were the last studio records. The next one will be a studio record, our record company has offered us thousands and thousands of dollars if we go into the studio and re-record some of our old classic songs.
And will you do it?
Yeah, we need the money.
You (U.K. SUBS) are now playing for 23 years now. How long will you do that? Isn't it boring to play every evening the same songs.
Well, we dont play the same songs every day, but we have got to play some of the songs that people want to hear from us. We try to make our show better than everybody elses show...... and we´re nowhere near that!!
When people talk of U.K.Subs, they talk of Charlie Harper. What do you think about it?
Well, I try very hard.... um... no I dont try really hard. I kind of like to do my own thing. So it is that I wrote lots of the songs, so thats why people thing that I am U.K. Subs.
Do you like any German punk bands?
I only know really few. The Toten Hosen of course, WIZO, Boskops, Rubbermaids, Oxymoron of course.
What do you think of the scene here in germany, is there a difference
between the scene over here and the scene in other countries?
Yeah, there is. If you are at a German club like this, you get the feeling that punk is very strong and will always be. It's a livestyle. In other countries its more a fashion, like in Holland for instance, they're so trendy. Punk one year... they come up with newspapers: Punk becomes more fashionable this year.
So we will not go to Holland for 3 years, until we´re fashionable again. *laughs*
Well, I live here and I don't think that punk is very big here
Well this is a small place. but it is great, brilliant. Look how it is in England. There are gigs in bars. Punkrock in bars is the best!!
Are there any new good british bands?
Zero Tolerance is one of my favourite bands, but theyre not new. I love the band called Pain, an old band called Subhumans, Citizen Fish. There are thousands of good British bands.
In this new "millenium" are there any things you want to do now, any plans?
We've never been to Japan, it is one of the biggest scenes. We´ve got lots and lots of Japanese Punks in London. They come there to see all bands, they pay all the airflights.
A japanese punk-scene? I thought it is such a straight-go-to-work country?!?!?!
Yeah, but they got a big revolution against that, Japan has got big social problems.
What do you think about the european union?
Its great for us, cause we dont need to show our passes when we go from one country to another. I always despised barriers. There's no need for barriers, were living on one planet. When there's a border between two countries, its barbaric. I cannot relate to that!
I think that the government wants to create the same situation like in the United States. One big borders around all those rich states, and no-one can cross them.
And what do you think about the situation in Austria? What
do you think about Joerg Haider?
umm... I was very suprised that a lot of countries actually
protested. Lets face it: Britain.... and Germany are in fact very
fascist countries, they spoke up against it. Switzerland, which is
an ultra fascist country protested too.
Austria has always been a very fascist country, but now with
Haider in the government, they build the way
for a new Hitler. Haider seems to be very peaceful and legal,
they dont have browncoats and everything. But this guy is the
same thing like Hitler...
For me it seems that the Austrians dont want to know that
he´s an ultra right wing nazi bastard.
It seems that 1933 is happening again.
Do you think punk = dogma?
hmm... well maybe. In the anarcho punk scene its a bit
dogmatic. Yesterday we played in Christiania (anarchist part of
Copenhagen), and there are some clubs were punk bands play, and
there is a special anarcho punk scene there, in their club only
small bands can play. They don't want to let old punk bands like
us play there.
So there is an anarcho scene in that anarchistic "state"?
Yes, sort of.
And our promoter had to tell the people that they should not
steal our equipment: "Hey, they're the UK Subs, they're here to
entertain you!"
Christiania is a really great thing. They're all so nice there.
Isn't it sort of a tourist attraction now?
Yeah, they got some really great restaurants and stuff,
its almost becoming mainstream. But i´d love to get a place like
this in London.