Here's an interview with Dave vocalist with punk-popsters GAN which was conducted via Postman Pat. Due to Mr Clarke's infamous promptness for reply, some of these questions may seem a tad out of date. Never-the-less it was certainly worth the wait and we managed to raise a few heckles in the process... hee, hee!
For those who haven't heard of Gan gives us some background?
Well, Gan are a loose outfit of friends who sometimes play instruments together when they have nothing better to do. Actually they all have much better things to do it's just that the last 5 years have be en hard and we can get a few grand out of splitting up every few months and playing a re-union at Wembley! Seriously we just like what we do `cos it's fun. If we'd just formed to get a deal and get rich we'd probably have given it up years ago. We play poppy/punky guitar driven music and we fucking hate Brit Pop except Warty who likes SUPERGRASS !(so do I -Ed) He lives down south though so what do you expect...
Having recently toured with the likes of Sloppy Seconds and the Doughboys is their any on the road laughs or dirty closet secrets you can divulge?
Ooher, let me think - Warty spent more time with Sloppy, he went to Europe with them twice. The first time Sloppy came over, Bo(the Bass player) went to the toilet at Sean's (Wat Tyler) house and there was no bog roll so he wiped his ass on his kegs and flushed them away - Punk Rock! We played Harlow Square with them which was a riot, there's a video of this punk rock orgy somewhere but it's probably better it never sees the light of day. Bo, again, played with no trousers on and some big sweaty woman threw her pants at him (is he one of Tom Jones' love childs ? -Ed) and he ate them! As far as I know Doughboys are all nice clean-living individuals so no smut on that count I'm afraid.
At a recent gig I saw you eating puke and threatening to take a crap on stage, is this due to a great love of GG Allin and Jim Rose or just the new look fuck you Punk rock shocker Gan?
Hmm, yes that. Well the signer out of Kung Fu Joe (fucking great H/ C band that played before us) was pissed, I think and spewed up his dinner on-stage. I had to try and top him but I'd had no food to bring up so I thought I'd try some of his! I didn't swallow it though as I'm vegetarian and he wasn't. I did threaten to do a poo for the audience but that was just in case they hadn't enjoyed the spew-nibbling turn. Gan have never been shocking at all and we sound more like Take That than GG Allin. Maybe Fake Twat could have got more publicity over the Robbie-split if he'd taken a dump on-stage or threatened to kill himself or something! We like to have fun when we play but I'll try and restrain my urges in future.
Tell us about these singles that are coming out, why the delays?
Well, there's two waiting to come out and things are looking good. The oldest stuff is the Blink 7" which will be out on Pop Kid Records from the US, sometime soon. I wrote to the guy recently and the records are being pressed, 500 on yellow vinyl and 500 black, I'm sending the artwork today so things are going nicely on that at last. It's a fairly new label and the poor guy has been saving up his money to do our record for ages. It's got 4 songs including a remix of the "Blink" track off Save Our Sabs compilation MC on Smile & Be Happy (Dave, bribe money is in the post Ed) and 2 other new songs and a cover of Bad Religion's "Yesterday". The other record is called Water Powered Teenies and it's another 4 track 7" EP coming out on Vinyl Japan Records of Tokyo/London. They'll be 1000 pressed, with distribution split between here and Japan, where we're quite popular apparently. That one's on the back burner until the Japanese guy is ready to do it but all the artwork and everything else is ready so it will all happen quite fast when Tetsuya say the word. It has 3 new songs and a cover of Klamydia's "I Love You" sung with a stupid Finnish accent! I'll be getting 250 of the Blink 7", so I'll be able to sell them for £2 post paid as for the other one, I think we'll only be getting 25 so it will be better to go to Rough Trade or Rugger Bugger for it I guess.
You cover Bad Religion's "Yesterday" in your live set, what are your feelings on the Mr Brett split and Bad Religions signing to Sony, do you think that they have sold out ?
We cover "Yesterday" because we think it's a good song - people never bring up the fact that punk bands cover major-label stuff all the time. lust look at Snuff !! Bad Religion signed because they wanted to, Mr Brett split because he wanted to and bloody good luck to him and well l done for finally taking a stance. There's far worse things in the world than bands signing to major labels and selling out. I'm sorry but there'd be no fucking difference if they did or not, the majors would make their money somewhere else. The capitalist system is here to stay and you can't do ANYTHING to change it. Sure you can refuse to be a part of it as much as you can which is a good step to take I think. But as far as dreams of creating some anarchist utopia of the world go FORGET IT! We have already lost, and they are far too powerful for us. People talk alot about the capitalist conspiracy to take over the world, I don't think it's anything nearly as sinister. The fact is that the majority of people in the west (sadly the only significant area of the world if you're talking global politics) are quite happy to accept a nice safe capitalist/ consumerist society. I wonder if so-called Anarchists really think the Government considers them a real threat? They might be subjected to surveillance or whatever but that's only `cos the Government doesn't want them to blow up Parliament or something. I don't support the motives and the methods of the ruling classes in any way but I'm afraid I just don't accept that people like us have any hope in hell of successfully bringing about a significant and lasting change overall. Yeah, set up a records label, do a fanzine, start a band, run your own business - LIVE YOUR LIFE YOUR WAY BY YOUR RULES, but don't be arrogant enough to assume that every other bastard wants the same thing. If people lose sight of that and move into the mainstream that's their choice and you have to respect that. So, to answer you question. Yes, I do think Bad Religion sold out. `Nub said, I won't be buying any of their records in future but I'll copy them if the music's any good. (Yeah, go for it-I don Y know how Bad Religion 's fun and games struck a nerve but it sure made for a great rant!-Ed)
What was the last book you read and the last record you bought?
The last record I bought was Bad Religion's "Stranger than Fiction" limited edition black plastic CD boxed set (oh, mine was ltd white vinyl with window acetate insert-Ed) along with a £ 15 T-shirt, cap and shorts so I can look cool down at the skate park. Or maybe NOT. I'm just reading "UFO Crash Retrievals" by Jenny Randles which is excellent. We are NOT alone.
What question should I have asked you and how would you have replied?
Well, you should not have asked question 5 and then I wouldn't have gone on about all the depressing shite I was spouting(oh no, interviews are loads better when they stir your true thoughts-Ed). Maybe you could have just gone for something like "Do you like masturbating?", to which I would have replied "Yes".
The plug time and anything to add, bit at the end ?
Yeah, thanks for waiting so patiently for this Rick and keep it up, matey (ooh-err!!). Best wishes to you and Sam. GAN have a few copies of our debut LP, vinyl only now at £5 postpaid in UKI£6 Europel£8 World. The GAN/ LITHIUM JOE split 7" on Pigdog Records of Hull is available from me for £2 post paid UK/£2.50 Europe $3.50 World. Cheques to D.Clarke. We are ALWAYS open to offers for gigs. But weekends only really at the moment I'm afraid.
Write to me at:
GAN
14 Lincoln Drive,
CAISTOR,
LINCS
LN7 6PA.