Interview with SIR KILLALOT

Interview took place on 11/7/99 and appeared in NOSEBLEED 19

Sir Killalot suffer from what world wide punk refers to as emo syndrome. Although the views of other people are of little consequence seeing as ALL the people are shit, developing a strategy for a barage of releases means that public opinion does matter to the band....... if that's not the case then they're obviously gonna be using copies of their HAPPY TIMES IN GORGEOUSLAND CD as coasters for endless cups of tea when we all go for gossip mornings in Richie Egan's mother's house. Whether or not Sir killalot are entirely convinced by reaction to them, it seems that their pescription for the feckless common lot is Degrassi re-runs, Street Justice, SHOWS and wuss factor..... a strange mix perhaps?????

This interview was conducted with ......
Andrew Bushe ( Drummer thing )
Liam Mulhall ( Rise Above record thing )
Richard Egan ( Stan Laurel meets Planet Of The Apes )
at Noiseland Rehearsal on 11/7/99..........

NB - As a starter, give us a vague idea of what you thought of the gig in Ballymore Eustace?
Andy - Complete pile-o-shite..
Richie - I honestly thought it was hilarious.
Liam - It was great when we were playing but before and after was complete crap.
Richie - I think there was good intentions there.
Andy - Apart from a snare stand.... and a drum stool... I played sitting on a turned over barrel.
Richie - it's a pity because they did some of it really well and they tried really hard and then it was a disaster.... it looked like they made a stage and...
NB - It didn't look like it, you were standing on it... So Ballymore Eustace was a stinker?
Liam - The weather had a lot to do with it being crap.
Richie - If the weather had been good and the bands started playing at the right time it would have been good... there were too many drunken fucking knobs.
NB - Did you have to invest in scabies cream afterwards????
Richie - No, but I did a very antisocial affair... I just sat in Liam's car, because it was sunny that morning if you remember and I had no fucking jacket or anything.
Andy - we were like the T-shirt brigade.... I particularly liked when you poured water onto the plugboard... I thought that was fantastic.
Richie - Almost killing the entire crusty population.

NB - No other out of town gigs yet?
Liam - We're going to england in about 3 weeks... Wakefield and Leeds.
NB - How did that happen?
Liam - I went to Pylon's website and just asked them could we come over... and they said yeah, and they'd come over here, but last week they cancelled.
Richie - they organise gigs.
Liam - Which is pretty crap.... they had to do something stupid like work or something...
Richie - and there's apparently gigs in the pipeline for Waterford.
Liam - and we're doing the festival in Belfast....... and we have something that's being organised for the states next summer but it's very ropey at the moment.....
NB - I know you have a barrage of CD's on the way... what's the game plan there?
Liam - Just keep getting everything out.... as soon as we record something... put it out.. we'll probably wait to get 13 or 14 songs for the next one because there's only 6 on this one.... we might do a 7" in between as well.
NB - Are these more Czech Republic specials? - Does that mean you have to go through the whole shit of trying to avoid the vat again???
Liam - We don't avoid it.
Andy - but it's still cheap
Liam - I don't mind paying for it.... with all the stuff we are doing it could be traced up in the end... and then we'd have to pay big money for it.
Richie - They do an OK job as well..... apart from the fact that they fucked up our back cover.
Liam - yeah, well... if you go and get it done in Dublin it's going to cost you £1500...... the mastering and the recording included this cost about £900 for 595.
Andy - And like you heard it yourself.... it sounds decent.
NB - I see a reference here to Degrassi Junior High.... who's the Degrassi freak?
Andy - Me.
Richie - Andy's the main one.
NB - Who's your favourite Degrassi?
Richie - Don't get him talking about it.
Andy - I don't know.... I like Spike and Joey Jeremiah......
NB - Was that the fat cunt with the glasses?
Andy - No... Joey Jeremiah..... he was the one with the cap and the little... he was sort of the mad lad... he was in the band.
Richie - Who was Broomhead?
Andy - Broomhead was the fat young fella.
Richie - call Andy Broomhead...
Andy - Yeah... that's what people call me as a result of the Degrassi thing.........
NB - ......Tell me more about Degrassi.... it's more interesting than your band....
Richie - There used to be punks in Degrassi...
Andy - Yeah, remember Spike was the punk... Spike's friend had the Chelsea haircut.
NB - Skanking Pickle wrote a song about them.
Liam - Yeah.... "I'M IN LOVE WITH A GIRL NAMED SPIKE"
Andy - They don't make programme's like that any more... it was a kind of new wave programme... a programme with new wave haircuts and dodgy new wave music...... remember the band.... they sang this song "EVERYBODY WANT'S SOMETHING"... and they only had one song and they used to play gigs with one song and no drummer... all bands should be like that..... and then Degrassi Junior high burnt down in the end!
Richie - Do you know that there was a programme after it...
Andy - Yeah, Degrassi High....
Richie - And there was one before it as well
NB - The kids of Degrassi Street
Andy - That was cool because it started off when they were all about 6 and they couldn't act... it just followed them for years....
Richie - A bit like Biker Grove..... Biker Grove is a rip off...
Andy - BikerGrove is good but it's not another Degrassi Junior high though.... they're missing the New Wave music and the dodgy haircuts.

NB - Ok.... back to reality what's that place in Kells like & why record there???
Andy - it's a cool studio and it's cheap
Richie - We took a bit of a gamble actually..... we saw it on the internet and I was a bit apprehensive about going down but I was in the wrong because it's a fucking cool place... the only problem is getting down there... We went down and wanted to get the songs done that we did and they said...
"Oh' It'll take about 2 days"...
Liam - Yeah... we had 2 days and they said at the most we'd get 4 songs done and we got 7 done on the first day.
Andy - I don't think they'd probably ever seen a band go in and play live before.
Richie - it's a good buzz to go down there.... it's as good as track mix and it's a lot cheaper.... that's the place out in Clonsilla where the Black Belt Jones thing was done.

NB - So you've got this Stalinist one year plan... what do you hope to achieve with it??
Richie - just keep putting stuff out
Liam - Getting out of Dublin a bit
Andy - Play gigs, have fun.... play wherever you can... and when it's not fun anymore I won't do it... the End.
NB - It's good to see you're not calling them shows anymore.
Andy - Yeah... that was me... and I remember Richie got slagged in a Black Belt Jones interview... you can blame me for that one...
NB - What about you Richie.... got that out of your system?
Richie - I think I probably still do it.
Liam - The more stuff you have out the more chance you have of people getting you gigs in other places..... like going away on little holidays and all that.... at the end of the day it's just a hobby... the same way that someone goes out and plays football on a Sunday morning or something.
Richie - the way I look at it is, the only reason I'm in a band is because I like making music... I'm not doing it to try and get anywhere... if you try and do that then you're just going fuck it up... I think I've fairly much accepted that I'm not going to be able to make a living out of music...
NB - Yeah, but do you not think that's more a case of geography than anything else?
Richie - Yeah,I do.
Liam - Yeah, definitely... but it's seen as an advantage as well.... all these compilation CD's coming out in the states.... we're on about 4 or 5 of them.... you see the list of bands.... they're all from America and then Sir Killalot from ireland.... It stands out immediately.
NB - There's no doubt that it's incredibly cool to be Irish at the moment.
Richie - It would be cool if Ireland was in America.... because then you could be from Ireland but still have access to everything.
Andy - because the scene over here will never sustain a musician.... I mean, you could tour Ireland in around 4 days.
Liam - it's because people can't make a living off it that they just loose interest
Andy - yeah, but like...... you still play to 40 people even though you know that there's a couple of hundred people out there that go to gigs... they just come at separate times.
Richie - And also what we're trying to do is keep enthusiasm for music because it's very easy to become jaded if you're playing around and playing to nobody ..... and gigs like that crusty festival. It's important to maintain enthusiasm.
Andy - Yeah.... that made me like, never want to play music again.
Richie - There was no bass and there was two crusties fighting on the stage when we were playing and then some bloke thought it would be funny to keep unplugging the guitar.
Andy - how many times did we start the first song... about 4 times... and the second we get into it someone comes along and falls into the drums... and then there was blokes fighting with other blokes to try and put the drums back up.... we got electrocuted a couple of times.
Richie - Yeah... when I was holding my guitar my face started going all funny....
Andy - I just felt like I wasn't one of those people because we were playing to all these crusties and I was wearing this 50's sweater top... we were all looking like these 50's blokes....
Richie - Just 'cos we weren't drunk.... I wasn't drinking that day and I just felt totally out of place
NB - it's almost like lack of hygiene as a fashion statement.
Andy - Yeah, exactly... you know when you look at people any you go " These are meant to be who I am but I'm not one of these people "...
Richie - but it is fun to play music
Andy - yeah, it it fun to go out on stage and play like... a 20 minute set.
Liam - And saying like that you have to get out of Dublin... that's not saying that Dublin's a bad place...
NB - Would you not like to just play Slattery's for the rest of your life???
Andy - That's actually my dream.

NB - I was listening back to the tape I was given... one thing I would comment on is the heavy wuss factor...
Richie - Yeah, I know....
NB - Who's responsible... is that your fault?
Richie - Well we all are responsible for the lyrics but the reason why there's a heavy wuss factor is cos they're all kinda old songs...they were all written as soon as Black Belt Jones split up and they're kind of sad... sad in a pathetic way rather than in an unhappy way... it's good to get that out of your system, but our new stuff is different.
Andy - the new stuff... you could even go as far as saying that it's progressed from what's come out on the CD.

NB - What happens when you progress from a wuss factor.... where do you end up???
Andy - IN A HARD FACTOR!
Richie - Street justice...
Andy - we're gonna get all these tattoos and administer street justice!
Liam - when you see us playing the songs, we still rock out as hard as everyone else.
NB - I'm not doubting that for a minute...
Andy - it's wuss in a Dag Nasty sort of way...
Richie - No, I agree with you Boz.... and I have to say I am kind of embarrassed about some of the songs on the CD, but I'm happy that they're out there cos they're how I felt at a specific time
NB - you mentioned Dag Nasty... do you think Dave Smalley's responsible and should be brought to trial?
Andy - I think Dave Smalley should be smacked for having a straight edge tattoo and drinking..... he has like this fist with an x on it.
NB - What a fucking moran
Andy - tell it like it is Boz, tell it like it is...
NB - Someone's gonna pick up this CD and look at it and see a pair of national health glasses on the front... and some song titles are names of girls.... that's a no-go for some people.
Andy - Could we say now on tape that they're not my glasses... could every fucker who sees it please not go " Are they your glasses? ".... they"re just glasses.... they're just clip art glasses.... they don't look like my glasses...
NB - well they kinda do..... by power of association... people will look at that and look at the people in the band...
Richie - But you know, the funny thing is, right, that we were nerds....
NB - Why is that funny?
Richie - Well, I don't think I'm a nerd any more... but I was a nerd and there's nothing wrong with being a nerd... fuck that shit...
Liam - how do you think we ended up here?
Richie - Yeah, exactly........

NB- People will take the point of view that there's all these lonely moran songs about girls would you not just get it over with and pay a prostitute???
Andy - I say they should come to our gig and be administered some street justice.
NB - Administered what?
Andy - Administered street justice.
NB - What the fuck is street justice?
Richie - Ask 2000 Strong....
Andy - They know what it is......
NB - What is is?
Andy - It's when you beat people down with your crew in alleys.
Liam - ...on the way to a show in the Fall...
Andy - I'm actually from Crumlin so I live in East Central... well I used to live in East Central so don't get smart with me....
Richie - Yeah.... nerds are cool...
NB - Why?
Richie - Because nerds have a shit life....
Andy - And they're not skangers.
Richie - And then suddenly they realise, " Well, I have to be myself "...
Andy - Think about it Boz.... did you fit in perfectly in school.... so technically you're a nerd to all these skangery people and all these junkie assholes, so it's not a bad thing to be...
Richie - Popular people are fucking assholes...
Andy -Where are they now?... half my class are on heroin now.
Richie - when you see them now they're just loosers... they all have kids and they're fucking going around the place with shit jobs... going out with their auld fella's at the weekend getting drunk.... fuck that shit.
NB - There was also the small incident which you may be able to slip past any old prick... but what was the story with the white shirts and ties... That's another Dave Smalley thing
Liam - Well that was just a one off for a gig.
Richie - It was our homage to the dead Kennedys
Andy - Remember they accepted an award from the LA music institute dressed like that....
NB - But people look at that and they're not going to think Dead Kennedys, they're going to think Dave Smalley...
Andy - He never wore one of them, did he?
NB - Yeah... I have a press picture of Down By Law and they're all wearing that exact get-up
Andy - ( leaning towards the tape recorder ) It's a homage to the Dead Kennedys....... we're not emo... we're not emo....
Richie - We don't have emotions.
NB - You know what's going to happen.... when you send this CD into places to get fucking reviewed, it's just going to be Emo this, Emo that...
Richie - ... it can't be...
Andy - I don't care because I have a girlfriend now..... I'll never write lyrics about that again.
NB - Is that the problem... is that what it all comes down to..... not getting it?
Richie - Yeah, I think it it actually! It's also being honest enough to admit it..... like, you know for a fact that all them bands that sing about beating people up..... that comes down to the fact that they're not getting any.
Andy - you don't beat people up 'cos you're happy and you're getting some
NB - Tell us why "Only Rock can Set You Free"...
Richie - I knew you'd ask this...
NB - You're gonna be asked this by other people who'll take the piss so just get it out of your system.
Richie - Oh... do you remember when we were at the bus stop and we were talking about it... yeah, that's how we came up with it... we were at the bus stop going, ......."Imagine calling a song 'Only Rock Can Set You Free'"... It was goofy, it's like 7 Seconds " Walk Together, Rock Together "....
NB - No, it's more like Whitesnake...... or Loverboy...
Richie - It's ironic...
NB - Only rock can set you free....What about money...
Richie - money doesn't set you free.
NB - or a parole officer???
Andy - Yeah, exactly....... if you're in prison and someone lets you out.
NB -If you're in prison and you want to get out, rock's not going to help you.
Richie - ...maybe A rock......
Andy - I don't know... it's just about stupid little kids... sort of central bank kids who just follow whatever..
Liam - Here today, gone tomorrow...

NB - Seeing as the '90s is coming to a close, and it's kind of topical for this issue.... tell me what you think some of the defining record releases of the '90s were???
Liam - NEVERMIND ... definitely....
Richie - Yeah....NEVERMIND turned loads of kids onto punk, it has to be said.... a lot of people who were into punk before NEVERMIND probably saw NEVERMIND as a mad thing... but I know I wasn't.... it turned so many people onto listening to a different style of music and then a lot of people made the fucking effort and got into cool bands out of it.... and a lot of people didn't... a lot of people treated it as another Guns'n'Roses or whatever.
Liam - Like most of the people in Dublin that are our age heard NEVERMIND and then they'd read all these magazines, Nirvana saying they listened to bands on Dischord and SST and all that and you'd just go out and buy them and it progresses from there.
Andy - REPEATER came out in the '90s didn't it... that's a great album... that's the first Fugazi album I heard... I remember being into Minor Threat since I was about 12 and I heard that and I hated it but...
Liam - NOFX ... "White Trash" as well...
Andy -The H2O album is amazing... the first album.... the Shellac records... they seem to have gone off in a new direction and a lot of people seem to have latched onto that... even the way the covers are made on the Shellac records... every second band did that..... any of the Shellac 7"s are amazing....
Liam - I think "Dookie" as well...
Andy - Yeah, "Dookie" was a great record......
Liam - I mean there's not many bands that we'd still be listening to now that did open doors.... most of it has to be on a major label I suppose to get it heard by so many people... like the Offspring as well....
Richie - You'd wonder how many albums were made that no one ever hears that were as good as that...
Liam - it's not even saying they're great albums, but they did change things.
NB - That's probably the problem with CDs being so accessible... there's too
much music and no quality control.
Richie - If I ever see a CD that's on CDR, it just turns me fucking straight off....
Liam - Yeah, if you're gonna do it, do it properly.
Richie - It's sad.... don't do CDR demos.... people should go back to doing cassette demos because nobody does them anymore.

NB - What do you make of the music circles you are involved in in dublin at the moment??? is it healthy or is it bollox????
Richie - The one with Sir Killalot is not too healthy.... and I think the one with the Redneck Manifesto is healthier... I know you fucking hate all that shit Boz, but it seems like there's more people doing stuff for themselves in that kind of area than the punk thing.
Liam - Yeah, with the punk thing, a lot of people are relying on a very small amount of people.... if you look at the last few gigs in Slattery's, we put them on or Mero put them on and there's no one else.... a lot of people are very lazy....
Andy - And then a lot of people who are doing it on a total fashion thing..... there are an awful lot of people who will just tag onto it and they'll show up for a few shows...
Liam - Most of the bands that are doing anything, the people who are in them were in bands 4 or 5 years ago.... like there's not many new people.

NB - It dawned on me that you are 3 highly unscandalised people... is that any way to be in a rock band????
Andy - I'm a squeaky clean bastard... my only scandal was Sonic birth... people used to hate that.
NB - There's got to be more dirt than that....
Andy - There is no dirt... all I can tell you is that I'm a Bhuddist.... is that dirt..... I've got me statues and me beads and stuff.
Richie - and he has a tattoo.
Andy - It's a purification chant...
NB - Betchya it's not... betchya it's your order down your local chipper.
Andy - Yeah, that's it... I go into them..... after a hard night's drinking... like... look at that..... there you go, that's my thing that nobody knew but now everyone knows so there you go..... Yeah, I don't like people who drink and I think they should all be beaten up and stabbed in the face...
NB - This is getting good...... ok, Liamo, scandal?
Liam - Underfoot.... Holemasters...... that's the biggest scandal I can think of.
NB - Fair enough... OK Richie...
Richie - my turn for scandal... I spend too much money on toys... Jesus, Boz, This is like a mad self realising interview..... I just realised I have a shit boring life... I have nothing interesting to offer the world.
NB - Why don't you get some of that rock and make it set you free?
Andy - yeah... play some nice music.
Richie - Yeah... here's my scandal Boz, I was never into metal... everybody's having these cool conversations about Kind Diamond and Metallica and I'd just be sitting there... I was just into pop music, that was my whole buzz.... Aha.... I fucking loved Aha.

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