Interview from January 2010. Its one of my favourites!
HELLBASTARD! what else to say, crust punk/metal crossover legends!
Here's three punk rock questions with founding member Scruff Lewty...
1: Some people have 'ironic' names, like short people being called lofty or fat people being called ribs etc, yet there's no irony to your moniker at all, you fucking tramp! if Hellbastard are to have descriptive names, maybe your drummer should be called '70's Muff face' or something?! seriously though, i read your blog 'As bad as it gets' about getting an electric shock in the shower, sure it was an electric shock and not an anaphylactic one?! you've kept your crustiness over the years, i saw deviated instink a while back and they shined like a new penny, have they sold out?!
“SINCE WHEN DID HYGIENE (and , or, wearing clothes that are not shiny in dirt or covered in black and white patches) CONSTITUTE ‘SELLING OUT’…. “ ?....
1) SCRUFF – Dear Mr. Fraser, I am an absolute bastard to live with, being famously militaristic and fastidious about cleanliness and tidiness. The Irony in the fact that I am called ‘Scruff’ is only known by those people that know me closely. My deceased older brother ‘Big Toot’ named me ‘Scruff’ for two reasons, 1) He was fed up of me writing ‘toot’ or ‘tewty’/’tooty’ on walls as a kid, and people thinking it was him that did that,… hence the schoolyard nicknames of ‘Big Toot’ and ‘Little Toot’…. and 2) I spilled some porridge down my jumper when I was messing about eating breakfast one day, something like that. Our other guitarist (Danny Guy/Hellbastard) is actually called ‘Boo Boo Bear’, he does have a beard but he doesn’t really look like a bear, neither does his temper resemble a bear, either. Our last drummer (Kristjan B. Heidarsson) was known as ‘The Icelandic Hammer’, but he doesn’t resemble a hammer as such, his actions on the drums may have done, but he didn’t have a head or body like a hammer, he did have a big fuckoff Viking beard though, that was impressive. Our Bassist Gianluca is known as ‘The Bodyguard’ (and he lives up to that name, I can tell you as I have witnessed him ‘bodyguarding’ myself ! He is also known as ‘Pasta Face’ but strangely his face doesn’t resemble pasta at all, not even one little bit. I may actually be a little unkempt at times in my appearance, but that has nothing to do with how I LIKE my immediate surroundings to be. I am impressed when someone knocks at your door and proceeds to take off their shoes/boots BEFORE entering your abode. I am impressed when someone ASKS if it is ‘ok’ to smoke inside your house/flat/garden shed instead of just assuming it is ok to spark one up. I am even more impressed when someone ‘stays over’ and leaves the place EXACTLY as they found it. Domesticity aside, I have never thought it was a ‘cool’ thing about being poor and not being able to afford decent food or decent clothing. IT IS NOT COOL. It is NOT cool to have nowhere to live, it is NOT cool to wonder where your next meal is coming from. It is not cool to want basic things in life, we should ALL have food, clothing and a place to live. All these so-called fucking ‘crusties’ ought to try and tell the people of HAITI that. I have starved before on numerous occasions. I have lived in a house as a child and watched how ‘a man’ had come and cut the gas off,… then the electricity. All of a sudden all the furnishings disappear as well, not cool and not funny.
As for Deviated Instinct and ‘have they sold out’? Well, It really is not for me to say, is it? I had the good fortune to bump into Mid recently in New York City and it was the first time I had seen him in ages, a lovely bloke, and he always was. I am assuming from your question that there is a ‘guideline’ to adhere to within the boundaries of our music culture, well I say FUCK THAT ! That is one of my main gripes about the whole ‘punk rock’ thing in general : UNIFORMITY. What a drag. I always thought that the liberated (so-called) belief of punk rock was ANTI-FASHION,…you know, break down the barriers and all that. That is where I am coming from. Does anybody REALLY give a fuck what CLOTHES people wear ? Does anybody REALLY give a fuck about how someone looks ? I don’t. I always try to judge someone’s merits on their honesty and intelligence. I am constantly amazed by the sheer insouciance of individuals that come along and ask dumb questions. As for being called a ‘FUCKING TRAMP’, I don’t really mind. I am usually very easy going and respectful of other people’s character, but if I was a different kind of bloke and you called me said title, I’d probably punch you right in the fucking throat and put you on your back.....
2: You used to be in the Apostles, a far cry from what Hellbastard do, do you think if they spent less time chasing the cock and more time buying distortion pedals they'd have been a better band? the apostles were an enigma really and always seemed so utterly serious, were they a good laugh to hang around with, getting drunk and lighting their farts n that? or were they really that morose and bitterly serious maan? ....
“THE TROUBLE WITH ASSUMPTION IS THAT THE ASSUMER IS USUALLY A MILLION MILES AWAY FORM THE TRUTH, AT ALL TIMES….ALWAYS….”....
2) SCRUFF – I was so young when I joined in on the sheer heavyweight experiences and goals of The Apostles. We always had such a laugh. I’d hang out with Dave Fanning a lot and we used to get up to some crazy things I can tell you. Whether it was in Newcastle Upon Tyne OR London. I’d rather not comment on specific individuals and their sexuality, besides, it has fuck all to do with me and I don’t care anyway. I really do not give a huge massive stinking shit at all. If I am to be friends with someone it is because I like them and they are on my wavelength, gay or not I really don’t care. I remember this one time in particular we went out drinking on the River Lea near Hackney, oh shit we were all plastered. I was and have never been a big drinker of the ale, but I’ll always remember that particular night because I was so damn drunk. Me and Dave and Martin ‘manners’ Ryan (Sons Of Badbreath/Screamer) once gave a surprise visit to Crass at their lovely ‘Dial House’ home in Epping. On the way there and on the way back we had such a hoot. Erm, Andy Martincan kick it with the rest of them and then some. I seem to remember inadvertently taking some acid with a (now deceased) friend of mine (Simo – the first Hellbastard Bassplayer), and Andy put this sound effects record on and began making a physical/mimick connection to the sounds on the LP. We were literally rolling about laughing to the point of vomiting. It was so fucking funny.
I went to stay with Chris Low in Scotland once, It took me almost two fucking days to get up there from the North East. We did an impromptu Apostles set at an Oi-Polloi/A.O.A gig somewhere. It was fucking freezing. I still have a photo of that show somewhere. Me and chris going through ‘MOB VIOLENCE’ on guitar and drums only and what have you, I was wearing a Venom t-shirt for Christ sakes, hahahaaha. We went selling the ‘Class War’paper in Princes Street, that was a hoot I can tell you, I think it was issue number one or two, I can’t remember now. I am king of lighting farts, I can do it really well. I think Dave may have done that a few times too, especially when in the company of the Hackney Hell Crew and ourselves. We are all only human, and ‘having a laugh’ is one of the things most sane and ‘normal’ people do. In retrospect, yes, The Apostles were great to ‘have a laugh’ with. I learnt a hell of a lot from Andy & Dave, and their assorted compadres. It was a great experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world. We all recently completed the ‘Class War’ album… (double CD) It is on sale now. It features Ian Bone and the complete back catalogue of his old band ‘The Living Legends’ and also ‘UJ’ and Andy Martin from ‘UNIT’ and myself and the Cardiacs/Knifeworld/Guapo guitarist Kavus Torabi. ....
3: You've been hammering it out in one form or another for years now, you think you'd have found that fourth chord by now!, is it easier now with the nostalgia and renewed interest with the publication of Ian Glaspers new book (Trapped in a scene)? i see you have a big US tour coming up? lucrative is it? i heard the Amebix made a fucking killing out there despite saying they were one of the few bands to have the dignity not to reform when i interviewed him a year or so ago!
“YOUR BUSINESS IS YOUR BUSINESS, MY BUSINESS IS MY BUSINESS, PEOPLE SHOULD GET ON WITH ‘THEIR OWN BUSINESS’ AND NOT TRY TO BE A NOSY CUNT FOR THE SAKE OF BEING NOSY…”
3) SCRUFF – I don’t think being in a book has made it ‘easier’ for HELLBASTARD as a band. On the contrary, it takes a lot of perserverance and patience to achieve results within a band, especially these days! Anybody that understands this will be nodding their heads in agreement I am sure. Last year Hellbastard visited the following countries – Italy, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Copenhagen, France, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic etc etc and, although it was an excellent touring schedule it never seemed to amaze me at how many people night after night kept showing up at our shows and giving support to the band. We toured the USA extensively last year as well, and it was amazing. We are returning this year because it was so good. Outside of the UK bands are treat like bands and not like a bunch of fucking animals, (bar a few venues and promoters).
As for Amebix ‘making a killing’ in the USA,… I don’t know how much was charged for their guarantees per show,… but that is their business, is it not ? They now reside in Essex, Los Angeles and Scotland. For a band to reform and do what they do, you have to give them credit, surely. Take into account the costs of organizing a big USA tour and put everything in a list and you have a huge assembly of payouts that NEED to be done on a frequent basis, it is not easy touring the USA and covering the WHOLE country, it has FIVE different fucking time zones for christ sake ! I must say I am rather glad AMEBIX chose to reform, I do enjoy their material immensely and they have been a big inspiration to the earlier HELLBASTARD material. Well, in closing I have to say that was a pleasure to answer your three punk rock questions. I do not know what you look like so I am going to try and guess your nickname, is it ‘pisser’, or ‘farthead’ ? Maybe it is ‘wankchops’ or ‘dildo nose’ ? Is it ‘mammary gland’ or ‘ben dover’ ? Perhaps it is ‘cuntneck’ or ‘shitty tits’ ? It could be ‘nappy rash’ or ‘gary bushell’s arse’ ? I just do not know. Whatever, it has been a pleasure and I hope that you are well, Fraser. Cheers and all the best to you.....
There it is then, thanks to Scruff for taking the time out to do that, and he's right,
i am known as shitty tits, its one of those 'ironic' names though,
as my tits are infact fucking superb!
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