TERMINUS Interview: MUNDUREK Fanzine
This interview was for Polish fanzine 'Mundurek', and sent to us by its editor Rafał Jacubowski, from Mogilno, Poland, and posted to us 30 January 1992. Mundurek issued at least two issues in 1991, but I am not sure that the third, which this was for, ever made it into print. The band line-up at the time was Mark, Chris, Paddy and Steve.
Q1/ HOW DID YOU GATHER YOUR BAND? WHAT DOES YOUR BANDS NAME MEAN? WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START PLAYING MUSIC?
Mark: The original band line-up got together because we were friends, liked similar music and hung around the same pub as each other. The name came from a book by Gene Wolfe "Shadow of the Torturer", and was the name given to the protagonists executioners sword - "Terminus Est", which means something like, "It is over” in Latin. But equally it could have come from the "Cafe Terminus" in Paris that a French anarchist bombed... it just means the ”end of the line" to me... which sums up the lyrical content of a lot of our stuff. I was inspired to play by boredom and wanting to play music I liked... I looked at some of the punk bands around at the time we started (1983) and thought that if they could do it then so could I!
Q2/ WHAT DO YOUR LYRICS TALK ABOUT? WHAT SONG ARE YOU SATISFIED MOST WITH? AND WEAT IS THE REACTION OF PEOPLE TO YOUR MUSIC, LYRICS... DO YOU THINK YOUR MUSIC HAS ANY INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE?
Mark: The lyrics are about all sorts of things, a lot of politics, & not because I LIKE politics, but because I abhor it and the people who use it to meddle in other peoples lives and line their own pockets. Other songs cover subjects such as militarism, war, religion, fascism... and my awful pessimism! I don't know peoples reaction to the music and lyrics - I suppose they either like it or don't - that's up to them... I hope it makes people Think sometimes, that's the most important thing, that people actually start to think for themselves and make their own minds up about things. If we can We have to get ideas across to people that Governments would otherwise like suppressing so that people CAN make up their own minds - I and not just follow one-sided government/ capitalist propaganda. I haven't really got a favorite song, thought 'The Wheel Turns' from the next LP is a close runner!
Q3/ WHAT'S THE POINT OF THE BAND?
Paddy: The point of the band is to write what we consider to be original music. Obviously, we are influenced by other bands and it rubs of in our music, but we try to avoid playing what we've heard before!
Mark: I just wanted to make records and be a pop star! Ha, ha, ha! Just joking. I think "Stars" like Phil Collins who make millions singing about the
plight of the homeless while doing nothing, ought to be shot.
Chris: The point of the band to me is writing good music and lyrics and playing to get our message across to others.
Q4/ HOW MANY CONCERTS HAVE YOU PLAYED SO FAR, THE BEST AND THE WORST ONE? WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE AND THE ATMOSPHERE LIKE AT YOUR GIGS?
Mark: We've played 52 gigs so far (13th May '92) which is pretty pitiful. My worst gig was our 2nd gig (1985) when I was too pissed to remember the name of the band, let alone the songs! Never again. One of the best was in Scunthorpe last year at the Queens Hotel, we did some new stuff and the mix was really good, for a change. The atmosphere is usually pretty good - we played in Lincoln with Sofahead last year and that had a good atmosphere, whereas when we played in Huddersfield a couple of years earlier it was shite.
Paddy: My favorite gig so far (out of 12) was last year in December at the Queens Hotel in Scunny. We hadn't played half the songs in Scunthorpe before, so we didn't really know how it would go down... but it went really well. The worst gig has to be in Barton (near Scunthorpe) last year. The opening band were very metal and basically embarrassing to watch, never mind about playing after them.
Chris: The best gig I can't remember, the best gigs we‘ve probably done have been at the Queens Hotel (Scunthorpe), but I also enjoyed a recent 2nd gig in London. There's to many bad gigs to count, the Barton gig, as Paddy said, was pretty had, also Bradford 1 in 12 I seem to remember as not being too good.
Q5/ WHAT BANDS DO YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO BEST. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS AND TRACKS?
Paddy: Babes in Toyland, Swans, Butthole Surfers, Jesus Lizard, Big Black, Swervedriver, Stiff Little Fingers, Chelsea, Damned (most late '70's punk), Deadspot, Leatherface, Ramones. Fave LP‘s: Babes in Toyland -
“Spanking Machine" : Nirvana - ”Bleach" : Swans - "Children of God".
Mark: The best bands I've seen live have to be The Damned, Lords of the New Church, Leatherface, the Blaggers ITA, the ABS and the Herb Garden... all pretty shit hot. I listen to a wide range of stuff, again most early punk, Roky Erickson, Chrome, Residents, Art Bears, Leonard Cohen, Love, Misfits... too many to bore you with!
Chris: Leatherface, Fugazi, Soulside, Descendants. RDF, Ozric Tentacles, many bands, too many to mention. Lots of '70's punk, also Hawkwind and all that hippy shit!
Q6/ WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN NOT PLAYING? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LIVING IN THE UK? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE POLL TAX? AND THE SITUATION IN ULSTER/ NORTHER IRELAND?
Paddy: Hobbies: Not practicing enough. Spending all my money before I've got it! Abusing my health. Living in the UK? Nothing special, but as I've never lived anywhere else but England and Scotland, it's hard to say.
Mark; When I'm not playing or rehearsing (which is quite a lot), I read, draw, and drink more than is good for me. I try not to think about living in the UK as just thinking about the shits that run this country (and the world) makes me bloody angry. People say that if you don't like living here (i.e., "England”) then you should go live some place else: I say; why the fuck should I? I'm not the one screwing the country! Regardless of how better this place is than elsewhere, WE should do our best to make it better, and that means getting rid of the bosses and all the parasitic shits on top that live on the work of the common people... and we should be trying to do that wherever we live: Poll tax? They've replaced it with something else, that will also turn out crap. Ireland? Troops out. Its for the Irish to sort out their problems - and the British are a big part of that problem. The IRA? I see the IRA as Nationalists... and as an anarchist I can't support them, though I can see why they came into existence... I don't support a lot of their methods, bombing civilian people can only be counter productive because your alienating people who you are supposed to be fighting to liberate. That said, I cheered when they blew up the Brighton Hotel where all the Tories were staying - shame they missed Thatcher though... THEY are the targets they should be hitting. The real enemy: government and big business.
Chris: Music is my main hobby, if that's what you want to call it. I really enjoy playing guitar, trying to learn new things all the time. I really enjoy reading. Travelling, seeing new places. The UK is aright, its Just that everything is geared towards money here and I suppose it's much the same everywhere you go. I don't think about the Poll Tax cause I haven't paid, can't pay, won't pay! I think the Poll Tax really sucks, its .another scam to make the poor poorer, but there are many other things wrong with the country.
Q7/ HAVE YOU ANY PROBLEMS WITH UNEMPLOYMENT, POLICE, CENSORSHIP, ARMY?
Paddy: I am unemployed: The Police are Fascist wankers (Yes, even in Scunthorpe)!
Mark: Unemployment is "officially" under three million, though in reality nearer
four million, after all their fiddling of the figures. The employers use the unemployed as a threat to those in work to keep wages down, so even when your out of work the bastards are still exploiting you! Why work to support this system of exploitation and privilege anyway? Its like voting, your only encouraging them to carry on screwing everyone! Better to find ways to fight back, however small. The censorship in this country is pretty subtle, the wealthy control the media, newspapers, TV, even to the supposedly 'unbiased' BBC, which is hamstrung by Tory threats over funding, etc, and is governed by Tories! Many films that are seen uncut abroad, only get into this country cut to shreds by the censors... but people seem oblivious to it because they are rarely confronted by it. As for the Police, they have been used systematically over the last 12 years to kick the working class down whenever we've fought back... and I can only hope that people won‘t forget what these bastards have done, from the Miners, Steel and Print Strikes, to student demo's and the battle of Trafalgar Square in Landon where the Cops got the hiding they deserved. Cops are the same the world over.
Chris: I have no problem with unemployment, it's okay. I feel sorry for people who really want to work and they can't get jobs. The Police are bastards.
Q8/ DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POLAND? MUSIC, ARTS, CULTURE, LITERATURE, AND THE HC PUNK SCENE IN POLAND? WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY IN POLAND?
Mark: I don't know that much about Poland really, only bits from the War I learnt at school. Obviously I've read about Solidarity, though Walesa and Co. look like a pack of sell outs to me... I've got a few records by Polish bands, LP's by DEZERTER and ARMIA and over half a dozen singles by bands like TZN XENNA, SMIERC KLINICZNA, TILT, MADE IN POLAND, & DEZERTER... would we like to play in Poland? Yeah! Sounds great.
Q9/ WHO PRODUCES YOUR MUSIC, WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONS LIKE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PRODUCERS?
Mark: We usually mix everything ourselves with the assistance of whoever is
engineering the session (so we have only ourselves to blame for bad mixes!), and we've always got on okay with everyone. Karl, of 'Words of Warning Records' has released our last two records and will be releasing our 2nd LP later this year, is a nice guy and easy to get on with.
Q10/ WHAT HAS EXERTED THE STRONGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?
Paddy: LSD and hypocrites.
Mark: God knows... punk Rock, Bill Burroughs, Anarchism and all my fucked up relationships!
Q11/ WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH MUSIC AND ARTS, WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE POET, POETRY, BOOKS, AUTHOR, FILMS, ACTOR...?
Mark: Phew! Er, I can't remember my first contact with music, etc... but favourites? Poets: Shelley. Aleister Crowley has done some good poetry. Author: Burroughs, Crowley, Moorcock. Books: Burroughs 'Place of Dead Roads'. Umberto Eco 'Foucault's Pendulum', Christi & Meltzer 'Floodgates of Anarchism', most Moorcock stuff... too much to mention. Films: 'Monty Pythons Life of Brian', 'Terminator', 'My Left Foot'. Romero's Zombie films and tackier stuff in a similar vain, Spaghetti westerns... Actors: George |Bush, the Pope, John Major...
Q12/ YOUR INTERESTING MAIL ART? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MAIL ART?
Mark: To be honest, I don't know anything about it!
Q13/ WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
Mark: The last new book that I read was Michael Moorcock's 'The Pearl Fortress', but I'm in the middle of Frasers 'The Golden Bough'. 'The Kabbalah Unveiled' and William Burroughs book "Exterminator' for the second time.
Q14/ YOU RELEASED A 7" EP CALLED "FEAR, DESPAIR & HATE" WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? I READ IN REVIEWS OF THIS RECORD THAT YOU PLAY VERY MELODIC PUNK ROCK?
Mark: It's not a bed description of that record, which I still think is one of the best we've done. We like to do a variety of songs, and that EP is a good example of that.
Q15/ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE MUSIC OF BANDS LIKE THE RAMONES, BASD RELIGION, TOY DOLLS, HDQ?
Mark: The Ramones are a favourite of mine. I've not heard Bad Religion, though I've been told I'd like them. Toy Dolls were 'fun' I suppose, and HDQ are great... I like noisy powerful stuff, I Just don't like to play it all the time!
Q16/ WHAT ARE HE BEST BANDS, ZINES AND LABELS IN THE UK?
Mark: Any band/ label/ zine that puts good constructive input into the scene while not ripping people off are good! It takes a lot of work to get any one of those things going. My favourite bands the moment are The Blaggers ITA... Leatherace, the ABS and One By One. I'm sure there's others I've forgotten for the rnoment (like the Herb Garden for instance!). Zines? UK Resist, HAGL, (Our Day Will Come (a football zine). Eat Shit, Bald Cactus, there's loads of 'zines and must have something worthwhile to say... Labels? Words of Warning (but I would say that wouldn't I!:), Alternative Tentacles always put good stuff out, and Loony Tunes. There is Campary Records and Resistance, but then they're not in the UK!
Q17/ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE HC SCENE IN THE UK, MAIL ART, ECOLOGY AND NAZISM IN YOUR COUNTRY?
Mark: I don't think that there is much or a scene here at the moment. Mail art? Eh?! Ecology? There's a variety or "Green" groups about fighting their respective corners, but the real solution to the problem is to remove the cause, i.e., Capitalism/ industrialism. So what we need is a revolution. Nazism? There Are Nazi groups in the UK such as the BNP, but because their are so many closet fascists in power in the Tory Party, this has weakened their support, but there is still a threat to be kicked down whenever it rears up, they're just not so blatant in this country yet as they are in ever growing parts of Europe.
Q18/ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT... TERMINUS?
Mark: l think Terminus are sadly underrated! Ha, ha, ha! Na, seriously, we've made a lot of mistakes and certainly not played as many gigs as we should have done (tor a variety or reasons), but we now have the best line-up so far, and the next album should he really good. I'm actually looking forward to getting out and doing things, for a change!
Q19/ FUTURE PLANS?
Mark: We plan to record our 2nd LP later this month for release on WOW sometime in the summer, the albums called "Back Among The Blind". We also should be doing something on Campary Records in Germany later this year and may also be recording an LP of acoustic based songs. We also hope to be playing all over the UK: this year and hope to make it over to Europe Spring next year.
And lastly, thanks for taking an interest in writing for an interview with us, and thanks to everyone who has shown an interest in the bands projects up till now... here's hoping (and fighting) for a better world for all of us!
Mark: The original band line-up got together because we were friends, liked similar music and hung around the same pub as each other. The name came from a book by Gene Wolfe "Shadow of the Torturer", and was the name given to the protagonists executioners sword - "Terminus Est", which means something like, "It is over” in Latin. But equally it could have come from the "Cafe Terminus" in Paris that a French anarchist bombed... it just means the ”end of the line" to me... which sums up the lyrical content of a lot of our stuff. I was inspired to play by boredom and wanting to play music I liked... I looked at some of the punk bands around at the time we started (1983) and thought that if they could do it then so could I!
Q2/ WHAT DO YOUR LYRICS TALK ABOUT? WHAT SONG ARE YOU SATISFIED MOST WITH? AND WEAT IS THE REACTION OF PEOPLE TO YOUR MUSIC, LYRICS... DO YOU THINK YOUR MUSIC HAS ANY INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE?
Mark: The lyrics are about all sorts of things, a lot of politics, & not because I LIKE politics, but because I abhor it and the people who use it to meddle in other peoples lives and line their own pockets. Other songs cover subjects such as militarism, war, religion, fascism... and my awful pessimism! I don't know peoples reaction to the music and lyrics - I suppose they either like it or don't - that's up to them... I hope it makes people Think sometimes, that's the most important thing, that people actually start to think for themselves and make their own minds up about things. If we can We have to get ideas across to people that Governments would otherwise like suppressing so that people CAN make up their own minds - I and not just follow one-sided government/ capitalist propaganda. I haven't really got a favorite song, thought 'The Wheel Turns' from the next LP is a close runner!
Q3/ WHAT'S THE POINT OF THE BAND?
Paddy: The point of the band is to write what we consider to be original music. Obviously, we are influenced by other bands and it rubs of in our music, but we try to avoid playing what we've heard before!
Mark: I just wanted to make records and be a pop star! Ha, ha, ha! Just joking. I think "Stars" like Phil Collins who make millions singing about the
plight of the homeless while doing nothing, ought to be shot.
Chris: The point of the band to me is writing good music and lyrics and playing to get our message across to others.
Q4/ HOW MANY CONCERTS HAVE YOU PLAYED SO FAR, THE BEST AND THE WORST ONE? WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE AND THE ATMOSPHERE LIKE AT YOUR GIGS?
Mark: We've played 52 gigs so far (13th May '92) which is pretty pitiful. My worst gig was our 2nd gig (1985) when I was too pissed to remember the name of the band, let alone the songs! Never again. One of the best was in Scunthorpe last year at the Queens Hotel, we did some new stuff and the mix was really good, for a change. The atmosphere is usually pretty good - we played in Lincoln with Sofahead last year and that had a good atmosphere, whereas when we played in Huddersfield a couple of years earlier it was shite.
Paddy: My favorite gig so far (out of 12) was last year in December at the Queens Hotel in Scunny. We hadn't played half the songs in Scunthorpe before, so we didn't really know how it would go down... but it went really well. The worst gig has to be in Barton (near Scunthorpe) last year. The opening band were very metal and basically embarrassing to watch, never mind about playing after them.
Chris: The best gig I can't remember, the best gigs we‘ve probably done have been at the Queens Hotel (Scunthorpe), but I also enjoyed a recent 2nd gig in London. There's to many bad gigs to count, the Barton gig, as Paddy said, was pretty had, also Bradford 1 in 12 I seem to remember as not being too good.
Q5/ WHAT BANDS DO YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO BEST. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS AND TRACKS?
Paddy: Babes in Toyland, Swans, Butthole Surfers, Jesus Lizard, Big Black, Swervedriver, Stiff Little Fingers, Chelsea, Damned (most late '70's punk), Deadspot, Leatherface, Ramones. Fave LP‘s: Babes in Toyland -
“Spanking Machine" : Nirvana - ”Bleach" : Swans - "Children of God".
Mark: The best bands I've seen live have to be The Damned, Lords of the New Church, Leatherface, the Blaggers ITA, the ABS and the Herb Garden... all pretty shit hot. I listen to a wide range of stuff, again most early punk, Roky Erickson, Chrome, Residents, Art Bears, Leonard Cohen, Love, Misfits... too many to bore you with!
Chris: Leatherface, Fugazi, Soulside, Descendants. RDF, Ozric Tentacles, many bands, too many to mention. Lots of '70's punk, also Hawkwind and all that hippy shit!
Q6/ WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN NOT PLAYING? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LIVING IN THE UK? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE POLL TAX? AND THE SITUATION IN ULSTER/ NORTHER IRELAND?
Paddy: Hobbies: Not practicing enough. Spending all my money before I've got it! Abusing my health. Living in the UK? Nothing special, but as I've never lived anywhere else but England and Scotland, it's hard to say.
Mark; When I'm not playing or rehearsing (which is quite a lot), I read, draw, and drink more than is good for me. I try not to think about living in the UK as just thinking about the shits that run this country (and the world) makes me bloody angry. People say that if you don't like living here (i.e., "England”) then you should go live some place else: I say; why the fuck should I? I'm not the one screwing the country! Regardless of how better this place is than elsewhere, WE should do our best to make it better, and that means getting rid of the bosses and all the parasitic shits on top that live on the work of the common people... and we should be trying to do that wherever we live: Poll tax? They've replaced it with something else, that will also turn out crap. Ireland? Troops out. Its for the Irish to sort out their problems - and the British are a big part of that problem. The IRA? I see the IRA as Nationalists... and as an anarchist I can't support them, though I can see why they came into existence... I don't support a lot of their methods, bombing civilian people can only be counter productive because your alienating people who you are supposed to be fighting to liberate. That said, I cheered when they blew up the Brighton Hotel where all the Tories were staying - shame they missed Thatcher though... THEY are the targets they should be hitting. The real enemy: government and big business.
Chris: Music is my main hobby, if that's what you want to call it. I really enjoy playing guitar, trying to learn new things all the time. I really enjoy reading. Travelling, seeing new places. The UK is aright, its Just that everything is geared towards money here and I suppose it's much the same everywhere you go. I don't think about the Poll Tax cause I haven't paid, can't pay, won't pay! I think the Poll Tax really sucks, its .another scam to make the poor poorer, but there are many other things wrong with the country.
Q7/ HAVE YOU ANY PROBLEMS WITH UNEMPLOYMENT, POLICE, CENSORSHIP, ARMY?
Paddy: I am unemployed: The Police are Fascist wankers (Yes, even in Scunthorpe)!
Mark: Unemployment is "officially" under three million, though in reality nearer
four million, after all their fiddling of the figures. The employers use the unemployed as a threat to those in work to keep wages down, so even when your out of work the bastards are still exploiting you! Why work to support this system of exploitation and privilege anyway? Its like voting, your only encouraging them to carry on screwing everyone! Better to find ways to fight back, however small. The censorship in this country is pretty subtle, the wealthy control the media, newspapers, TV, even to the supposedly 'unbiased' BBC, which is hamstrung by Tory threats over funding, etc, and is governed by Tories! Many films that are seen uncut abroad, only get into this country cut to shreds by the censors... but people seem oblivious to it because they are rarely confronted by it. As for the Police, they have been used systematically over the last 12 years to kick the working class down whenever we've fought back... and I can only hope that people won‘t forget what these bastards have done, from the Miners, Steel and Print Strikes, to student demo's and the battle of Trafalgar Square in Landon where the Cops got the hiding they deserved. Cops are the same the world over.
Chris: I have no problem with unemployment, it's okay. I feel sorry for people who really want to work and they can't get jobs. The Police are bastards.
Q8/ DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POLAND? MUSIC, ARTS, CULTURE, LITERATURE, AND THE HC PUNK SCENE IN POLAND? WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY IN POLAND?
Mark: I don't know that much about Poland really, only bits from the War I learnt at school. Obviously I've read about Solidarity, though Walesa and Co. look like a pack of sell outs to me... I've got a few records by Polish bands, LP's by DEZERTER and ARMIA and over half a dozen singles by bands like TZN XENNA, SMIERC KLINICZNA, TILT, MADE IN POLAND, & DEZERTER... would we like to play in Poland? Yeah! Sounds great.
Q9/ WHO PRODUCES YOUR MUSIC, WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONS LIKE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PRODUCERS?
Mark: We usually mix everything ourselves with the assistance of whoever is
engineering the session (so we have only ourselves to blame for bad mixes!), and we've always got on okay with everyone. Karl, of 'Words of Warning Records' has released our last two records and will be releasing our 2nd LP later this year, is a nice guy and easy to get on with.
Q10/ WHAT HAS EXERTED THE STRONGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?
Paddy: LSD and hypocrites.
Mark: God knows... punk Rock, Bill Burroughs, Anarchism and all my fucked up relationships!
Q11/ WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH MUSIC AND ARTS, WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE POET, POETRY, BOOKS, AUTHOR, FILMS, ACTOR...?
Mark: Phew! Er, I can't remember my first contact with music, etc... but favourites? Poets: Shelley. Aleister Crowley has done some good poetry. Author: Burroughs, Crowley, Moorcock. Books: Burroughs 'Place of Dead Roads'. Umberto Eco 'Foucault's Pendulum', Christi & Meltzer 'Floodgates of Anarchism', most Moorcock stuff... too much to mention. Films: 'Monty Pythons Life of Brian', 'Terminator', 'My Left Foot'. Romero's Zombie films and tackier stuff in a similar vain, Spaghetti westerns... Actors: George |Bush, the Pope, John Major...
Q12/ YOUR INTERESTING MAIL ART? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MAIL ART?
Mark: To be honest, I don't know anything about it!
Q13/ WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
Mark: The last new book that I read was Michael Moorcock's 'The Pearl Fortress', but I'm in the middle of Frasers 'The Golden Bough'. 'The Kabbalah Unveiled' and William Burroughs book "Exterminator' for the second time.
Q14/ YOU RELEASED A 7" EP CALLED "FEAR, DESPAIR & HATE" WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? I READ IN REVIEWS OF THIS RECORD THAT YOU PLAY VERY MELODIC PUNK ROCK?
Mark: It's not a bed description of that record, which I still think is one of the best we've done. We like to do a variety of songs, and that EP is a good example of that.
Q15/ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE MUSIC OF BANDS LIKE THE RAMONES, BASD RELIGION, TOY DOLLS, HDQ?
Mark: The Ramones are a favourite of mine. I've not heard Bad Religion, though I've been told I'd like them. Toy Dolls were 'fun' I suppose, and HDQ are great... I like noisy powerful stuff, I Just don't like to play it all the time!
Q16/ WHAT ARE HE BEST BANDS, ZINES AND LABELS IN THE UK?
Mark: Any band/ label/ zine that puts good constructive input into the scene while not ripping people off are good! It takes a lot of work to get any one of those things going. My favourite bands the moment are The Blaggers ITA... Leatherace, the ABS and One By One. I'm sure there's others I've forgotten for the rnoment (like the Herb Garden for instance!). Zines? UK Resist, HAGL, (Our Day Will Come (a football zine). Eat Shit, Bald Cactus, there's loads of 'zines and must have something worthwhile to say... Labels? Words of Warning (but I would say that wouldn't I!:), Alternative Tentacles always put good stuff out, and Loony Tunes. There is Campary Records and Resistance, but then they're not in the UK!
Q17/ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE HC SCENE IN THE UK, MAIL ART, ECOLOGY AND NAZISM IN YOUR COUNTRY?
Mark: I don't think that there is much or a scene here at the moment. Mail art? Eh?! Ecology? There's a variety or "Green" groups about fighting their respective corners, but the real solution to the problem is to remove the cause, i.e., Capitalism/ industrialism. So what we need is a revolution. Nazism? There Are Nazi groups in the UK such as the BNP, but because their are so many closet fascists in power in the Tory Party, this has weakened their support, but there is still a threat to be kicked down whenever it rears up, they're just not so blatant in this country yet as they are in ever growing parts of Europe.
Q18/ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT... TERMINUS?
Mark: l think Terminus are sadly underrated! Ha, ha, ha! Na, seriously, we've made a lot of mistakes and certainly not played as many gigs as we should have done (tor a variety or reasons), but we now have the best line-up so far, and the next album should he really good. I'm actually looking forward to getting out and doing things, for a change!
Q19/ FUTURE PLANS?
Mark: We plan to record our 2nd LP later this month for release on WOW sometime in the summer, the albums called "Back Among The Blind". We also should be doing something on Campary Records in Germany later this year and may also be recording an LP of acoustic based songs. We also hope to be playing all over the UK: this year and hope to make it over to Europe Spring next year.
And lastly, thanks for taking an interest in writing for an interview with us, and thanks to everyone who has shown an interest in the bands projects up till now... here's hoping (and fighting) for a better world for all of us!
Needless to say that we never did get over to tour Europe, even though we had a good few offers.