Do you think that Rock Against Racism and your own music reach a lot of people who are otherwise untouched hy left propaganda:
Apparently almost half the mail RAR pets comes from Tom Robinson Band leaflets, concerts and bulletins. RAR acts as an eye-opener to them: that the police are racist, that more than just the NF is racist, and it makes them think twice about Irish jokes.
It's a good starting point; a means by which people committed to the left can militate against the right, and in an entirely natural way through music.
There's been talk recently of a new wave of youth radicalisation. Do you sense of that as you move THATS around the country?
No. frankly, Most of it is fashion. You have to be brutally honest about how much a band can achieve. If you think of yourself as a martyr bigtime campaigner then blown it alteady. yourself up. You have to be cynic about what you can do, but not of the audience.
It's casy to fall into the business cliche of patronising the audience. calling them teenyboppers, looking down on ansone who's fourteen and female received one leller from a girl who put me straight. She said: Tread your Well, a lot of my there and pathetic! Don't be so patronising... even 14-year-olds can think'. E wrote her an apology You have to be optimistic about the audience. You couldn't even begin to talk about socialism National Front.
more.
Also: Just back in print postage.
gay.
like it they can fuck off.
And comparison, TRB has an we work a mi all agree on. I do will.
I think you have to down and simplif talked about al TRB to work.
together so each TESTS were enefit then 1 say OK.
wh like Belfas unless you The Other Bookshop thought that people had the integuty ATTTEIEMAICE IO BELEIICCTICI own destiny. But being a socialist rock perfume manufactirer.
You're makinu a consumer produci then if you do pet somewhere all we and good. A few bands like Henr Cow and Jam Today do avoid the system and their integrity is fantastic. But they miss a lot of people because they steer clear of the mass media. In Ine say new hot reaches nas the for interple to hate de closet I'm doing the opposite — saying. Yes, I'm gay, hut there's a whole lor 1 feel shabby by especially called a pay crusader when actually the Peaches are doing it a whole lot 'Glad to be Gay' Is the gay song you're Tamous for; but do you find if easy to write songs about being gay in other ways, like being in love with a man, songs, that are not for the band and haven't seen the light of day, but they concentrate for a band like can lot long as we ai flexible to needs CLIE other members of the band certainly are to mine, and if they don't want to do a If there was omething that I wanted to do which they didn't then l'd do it on my and I want to go and play. But if the 01 226 0571 YOU band didn't want to go then I would and would bire musicians.. I'd have to be honest to my own convictions. 1 doubt it would come to that, though.
political direction as you?
They came into the band musicians. But I look Danny to the St George's Day March against the THIS STENCE, IS NOT MEANT FOR SPRAYING ON WHIC PROLENTY!!!
Have you had any adverse criticise about your having "sold out'?
Yes, and it burts, Obe letter totally fucked me up for two weeks including gigs. It's anorber dilemma. Some criticisin is good, like the girl 1 mentioned before, pay attention. Other stuff is totally negative, like the time we wer zapped beration Front lebana over Righ on Sister" play patronising The One of them came up to the front of the stage and shouted you just give up?", which was the sump of her message to me, Why should 1especially wben women from as far awaras Japan are writing to say that the same song has positively helped them?
When it happens at a gie and you ge Faires, plies, pek or here eas since pensics, putts. stop the show, pur the lights on, and tell the audience to decide. We go oft stage for a while and it's up to them.
It's important to turn it over to them and leave them with the decision. If the majority didn't want us to play then we'd pack up. As you saw from accounts it difference (TRB is [13,000 in debt).
What do you think of the organised left?
I wish they'd be the same only more 50. 1 mean. judgement on them? There's cough people doing that to me.
at 1 guess do get wored. al had a dilemms •Better decide which side you're on to the album. It's the bluntest sang; the most directly effective.
side you're on -But so many and you liberated just , which they thought wa •Why don't Africa OCTS COU past auto-da-fes.
wouldn't make any HITE there struggling who am I lo sit in to bring Charge, whether political, and the least *If left is right then right i wrong/You'd better decide which people automatically equate left with repressive regimes, such as the Soviet bloc. I went to East Berlin recently and 1 bave to admit I found a lot of my certainties shaken. Those people certainly didn't seem TRB was invited to play at the World Youth Festival in Cuba bur at that point we drew the line The first thing that Castro did or corning to power was to send ever queen in sight to Homosexuals cop it the world over and repression is still repression. be it Spain, the USSR or Sout the band's establishment critics are at pains to point out that the directness of mo Iyries would never be countenanced in any existing 'Communist regime.
But that's like sayinte of Nazareth was full af shit because of the various atrocities that organised Christianity has committed during the 2000 years in bis Crusades the Inquisition, all that stuff though have heer personally shaker I'm glad we sake comrades who support the band actively committed TO building a genuine socialist alterna I wish them well.
For every TRB and Clash are a bundred bands on next to notbing music to small audiences*,.in Under Revien shortly, the life and times of who don't have a contract with BMI, SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 25 May 1978 page 15
----- pull-quotes -----
anton They don't compromise at all. Sirietly gay and if people don't