19^th of November 2003

26 years on, how does it feels that it have gone so many years since punk came?

-Well as I say in the song 26 years from the new album its gone in a flash.

.Do you feel any older, what´s the best and what´s the worst of being older?

-I only feel older in my body, not my mind,the worst thing about being older is that the hangover from booze takes longer to get over , the best thing is nothing.

Is it more fun to play nowadays or was it more fun in the beginning?

-It’s just the same

Lurkers was never any dangerous band like Pistols was, but was any time you get stopped playing somewhere because of that you were a punkband?

-Yes of course , we played once in Lancaster England in 77 , and the DJ had the stage and we were told to play on the floor , he smashed Sex Pistols records before we played and they pulled the plugs after about 10 minutes

What does punk mean to you today, is it more important today or? Or is it only a word or is it a lifestyle?

-Well for me its been a lifestyle I don’t do normal work, or got married and have no kids , I’ve kept myself free , and that’s a hard thing for most people to do for many people punk is a fashion , they don’t have the heart or soul to really live it, they are part time punks .and they give it a bad name, and after a few years they just end up in boring jobs , which they hate, and become just like their parents.

Many members have been in the group, what does the old members doing nowadays? Isn it any of them who are playing music today?

-None of the old members play music anymore.

 How is the punk/musiclife in England right now?

-Like always the real scene is more underground than ever , of course the plastic kiddie punk from America has a high profile, but the british bands are still there keeping it real.

Is there any good bands there?

-Yes , the Crack , Argy Bargy,  Capo Regime,,  Slutch,  Crashed Out, Red Flag 77, and lots more.

Have you heard any swedish bands worth to mention?

-I heard Sator I don’t think they are still going , and Turbonegro , but I must say I’m quite ignorent of the swedish scene.

What do you know about Sweden?

-You’re all crazy vikings , and you like a sauna , no seriously, you have a high suicide rate , high taxes, maybe that’s the reason for the suicides , the sami live in the far north , and you are known as a quite liberal people.

Have you been and played here sometimes, if you haven´t when do you come?

-We haven’t been and I don’t know when we come.

If Ramones never have been around, how would you sound then?

-More like the New York Dolls I suppose.

When you play out , which audience do you have, is it only old people(like you and me) or is it very mixed audience and how does the average fan look like?

-Mainly older fans but some of them are young too, they all have arms and legs , some have more than others .

How is a good concert with Lurkers?

-When everyone pogos and has a good time.

You were in the group 1977 and then you went away, what happened and when did you come back in the group?

-I was in the band for 7 months in 77 , I left to form my own band called Pinpoint , we were around for 4 years and made 3 singles and 1 album called 3rd state, then I had a band for 6 years called the Blubbery Hell;Bellies a kind of mad punk country band we played about 200 gigs a year , then I got the Lurkers back together , after I met Campino from die Toten Hosen , he financed a comeback album , and I’ve been doing the band again since 1987

You only wrote Mass Media believer back then, why didn’t you do any other songs?

-Because the kind of songs I was writing didn’t really fit the Lurkers , that’s why I started Pinpoint to do my own stuff

Which of Lurkers old songs is your personal favourite, and then I don’t mean the songs you have been writing, I mean the whole Lurkers history?

-A song called Don’t seem right to me , by Pete Stride on the Ripped and Torn album from 1995

But you play the old songs also, I mean the ones that you haven’t done?

-Of course.

Which is the song the audience shout after the most?

-Now its a song I wrote called Go ahead punk make my day.

You have never been so political, isn’t it so that punk and politics goes hand in hand or?

-No not really , I write some songs that are anti politics and there are so many styles within punk rock that each band has different ideas what kind of punk band they wanna be.

Where do you stand politically?

-No where, all politics is bullshit to me, left or right its all the same , ego maniac arse holes who wanna run your life and tell you what to do and think.

How did you react when the terrorist attack was, with anger fear or what?

-The CIA blew up the twin towers , to justify a war for oil in the middle east, if you don’t think that Kennedy was assassinated , that lady Di wasn’t murdered, or that governments , run by the petrochemical satanists have been doing evil for centuries then you want to get a reality check, what do these madmen who own the multinationals care about people, they will even have their own people killed for their twisted goals.

Do you think anything will happen soon?

-Probably another so called terrorist attack, in which no one from the elite will be killed ,just ordiary folks

Now you´re on Captain Oi, it most the perfect label for your music?

-Yes indeedy.

How much does a group of your calibre sell nowadays?

-Between 3 and 10 000

Please rank your five favourite records, five best concerts you have been to and five most important things in life?

-This question is too difficult to answer , these things change all the time.

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?

-1st Underneath the arches , by Flanagan and Allen , last Jackie Leven , Fairytales for hardmen, most expensive  cant remember .

Weren’t you in 999 for a while too, are they still playing?

-I still am in 999 and have been for 14 years.

You don’t have any groups beside of Lurkers?

-Only 999

Please tell me about every member in the Lurkers, , family, age, interests and if you´re working with something and something bad about every one?

-I haven’t got a permanent guitarist at the moment but Nelly the drummer is a sicko pervert who likes carpets hammers and laybys, he also is totally bald so I say, he’s got a nohichan, not a mohichan.

If you could choose five bands to have a concert with, both existing bands and nonexistingbands which five bands would you choose?

-Tir na nog , Caravan, Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett, Johnny moped and the Ramones.

Which are the futureplans for the band?

-To carry on playing and recording.

.For yourself?

-Try not to die.  

Wisdomword?

-Too wit too woo

Something more to add?

-No , my one finger typing is really hurting so I’m gonna rest it now. cheers /Arturo Bassick the Lurkers and 999