TERMINUS INTERVIEW : 'REVOLT' Fanzine
Terminus Interview for: Ivan Toromanoski, Zine Revolt, SKOPJE, Macedonia
Answered by Mark. 1996/1997?
HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Mark: The people who started Terminus were friends who were into 'punk' music and the attitudes that went with it, so it seemed natural to start a
band.
HAS THE STAFF OF YOUR BAND BEEN EVER CHANGING? Mark: Oh aye! This band has been through loads of different line-ups. I'm the only original member left now though.
HOW MANY MEMBERS HAVE YOU GOT IN THE BAND RIGHT NOW? Mark: Four. Me on vocals and guitar, Paddy on Bass, Leigh on lead guitar and Towie on Drums.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER? Mark: This version has been 'together' for a couple of years - if that is what you can call it, because, other than the new single, we have not done anything really - but the band started as long ago as 1983 - first demo tape in 1984, first record in 1987.
DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE PLAYING IN OTHER BANDS BESIDES TERMINUS? Mark: Not really, some of my mates pratted about before we started Terminus but it wasn't anything serious.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO FOR A LIVING? Mark: I suppose that I'm an industrial paint sprayer, although I've just finished a job as a building labourer and can now drive a forklift truck.
Whatever it takes.
WHO WRITES THE LYRICS AND THE MUSIC? Mark: I write the lyrics and we all chip-in with the music, although I used to write most of it at one time.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN THEMES? Mark: Political control, the cynical manipulation of people for political purposes... anger, hatred, pessimism.... topped off with a thin coating of hope... did I say "hope"? What’s that?
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A MUSICAL EDUCATION? Mark; HA HA HA! Not to my knowledge, no. Towie’s a bloody good drummer though, in fact they are all decent musicians, except for me!
WHAT ARE YOUR (MUSICAL) INFLUENCES? Mark: I would say that there are too many to mention, many being unconscious influences, but music and bands that I think have influenced my writing would include; The Damned, Badfinger, Roky Erikson and the Aliens, Lords of the New Church, the Residents, most early punk stuff.
HAVE YOU EVER TOURED? Mark: No, to our shame.
DO YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE POLICE? Mark; Do the band have problems with the police personally? No.(Although I am in Court for non payment of poll tax in February). Do the people of this country have problems with the police? Then, yes. The police are getting more
powers all the time under the pretext of "defending us from crime", while the real crooks rule the country from Parliament and sell off our assets, drive people into poverty with their taxes and shite low paid jobs. Their only answer to poverty created increases in criminal behaviour is to build more prisons! They don't give a damn about the causes because it is their greed that IS the cause! And the police are used to stamp on any protests. You can hardly walk anywhere in Scunthorpe town centre without a close circuit TV camera filming you... now that's what I call freedom! Load of bollocks.
WHERE DO YOU PRACTICE? Mark: We practice in a small lock up that is rented by a friend of the bands. It is right bang next to a "Budgie Hotel", yeah, that's right, a place where budgies go when their owners go on holiday... all I can say is that there must be a bloody lot of deaf and traumatized budgies in Scunthorpe!
WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO EXCEPT PLAY IN THE BAND? Mark: Other than try and find meaningful well paid work (some hope!), I enjoy a drink or five, read lots of things about religion and politics, read the odd comic (for light relief), support Bolton Wanderers football team(although I go to more Scunthorpe matches for obvious reasons),and listen to music - although not as much as I did once. Paddy just spends his days getting wasted... ha ha ha.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD? Mark: If it was just the end of humanity and everything else got left in peace then I'd think; fine. The human race probably deserves oblivion for all the shit they've committed. But we're more likely to take everything out
with us when we go. there are a lot of people getting obsessed with the End Of The World because of the millennium, and all the prophesies that say "the end of the world is nigh" etc., but they've been said before - the last thousand years - and nothing happened. In the end it'll be a lot of fuss about nothing. If its the end of anything, then lets us make it the End of the ruling classes reign on earth!
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ALIENS IF THEY GET TO EARTH? Mark; I'd say, Get the fuck out of here while you still can! Seriously though, I sometimes think that our so-called leaders have already been replaced by aliens - the amount of humanity that they show towards there fellow earthlings seems particularly lacking. What do you think?
DO YOU DRINK BEER A LOT? Mark; Yes. Too much than is good for me. I'm trying to cut down before my liver packs up. But then again, what the hell.
WHEN WAS YOUR LAST GIG AND HOW WAS IT? Mark; Our last gig was early last year and I seem to think it went alright... that's how idle we've been since recording our fifth single.
Well Ivan, cheers for the interview, thanks for taking an interest and good luck with the zine and comp tapes.
Answered by Mark. 1996/1997?
HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Mark: The people who started Terminus were friends who were into 'punk' music and the attitudes that went with it, so it seemed natural to start a
band.
HAS THE STAFF OF YOUR BAND BEEN EVER CHANGING? Mark: Oh aye! This band has been through loads of different line-ups. I'm the only original member left now though.
HOW MANY MEMBERS HAVE YOU GOT IN THE BAND RIGHT NOW? Mark: Four. Me on vocals and guitar, Paddy on Bass, Leigh on lead guitar and Towie on Drums.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER? Mark: This version has been 'together' for a couple of years - if that is what you can call it, because, other than the new single, we have not done anything really - but the band started as long ago as 1983 - first demo tape in 1984, first record in 1987.
DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE PLAYING IN OTHER BANDS BESIDES TERMINUS? Mark: Not really, some of my mates pratted about before we started Terminus but it wasn't anything serious.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO FOR A LIVING? Mark: I suppose that I'm an industrial paint sprayer, although I've just finished a job as a building labourer and can now drive a forklift truck.
Whatever it takes.
WHO WRITES THE LYRICS AND THE MUSIC? Mark: I write the lyrics and we all chip-in with the music, although I used to write most of it at one time.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN THEMES? Mark: Political control, the cynical manipulation of people for political purposes... anger, hatred, pessimism.... topped off with a thin coating of hope... did I say "hope"? What’s that?
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A MUSICAL EDUCATION? Mark; HA HA HA! Not to my knowledge, no. Towie’s a bloody good drummer though, in fact they are all decent musicians, except for me!
WHAT ARE YOUR (MUSICAL) INFLUENCES? Mark: I would say that there are too many to mention, many being unconscious influences, but music and bands that I think have influenced my writing would include; The Damned, Badfinger, Roky Erikson and the Aliens, Lords of the New Church, the Residents, most early punk stuff.
HAVE YOU EVER TOURED? Mark: No, to our shame.
DO YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE POLICE? Mark; Do the band have problems with the police personally? No.(Although I am in Court for non payment of poll tax in February). Do the people of this country have problems with the police? Then, yes. The police are getting more
powers all the time under the pretext of "defending us from crime", while the real crooks rule the country from Parliament and sell off our assets, drive people into poverty with their taxes and shite low paid jobs. Their only answer to poverty created increases in criminal behaviour is to build more prisons! They don't give a damn about the causes because it is their greed that IS the cause! And the police are used to stamp on any protests. You can hardly walk anywhere in Scunthorpe town centre without a close circuit TV camera filming you... now that's what I call freedom! Load of bollocks.
WHERE DO YOU PRACTICE? Mark: We practice in a small lock up that is rented by a friend of the bands. It is right bang next to a "Budgie Hotel", yeah, that's right, a place where budgies go when their owners go on holiday... all I can say is that there must be a bloody lot of deaf and traumatized budgies in Scunthorpe!
WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO EXCEPT PLAY IN THE BAND? Mark: Other than try and find meaningful well paid work (some hope!), I enjoy a drink or five, read lots of things about religion and politics, read the odd comic (for light relief), support Bolton Wanderers football team(although I go to more Scunthorpe matches for obvious reasons),and listen to music - although not as much as I did once. Paddy just spends his days getting wasted... ha ha ha.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD? Mark: If it was just the end of humanity and everything else got left in peace then I'd think; fine. The human race probably deserves oblivion for all the shit they've committed. But we're more likely to take everything out
with us when we go. there are a lot of people getting obsessed with the End Of The World because of the millennium, and all the prophesies that say "the end of the world is nigh" etc., but they've been said before - the last thousand years - and nothing happened. In the end it'll be a lot of fuss about nothing. If its the end of anything, then lets us make it the End of the ruling classes reign on earth!
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ALIENS IF THEY GET TO EARTH? Mark; I'd say, Get the fuck out of here while you still can! Seriously though, I sometimes think that our so-called leaders have already been replaced by aliens - the amount of humanity that they show towards there fellow earthlings seems particularly lacking. What do you think?
DO YOU DRINK BEER A LOT? Mark; Yes. Too much than is good for me. I'm trying to cut down before my liver packs up. But then again, what the hell.
WHEN WAS YOUR LAST GIG AND HOW WAS IT? Mark; Our last gig was early last year and I seem to think it went alright... that's how idle we've been since recording our fifth single.
Well Ivan, cheers for the interview, thanks for taking an interest and good luck with the zine and comp tapes.