Charlie: Yes, yes. How come Riot wasn't on LP?

Nicky: Cleopatra had the rights to Riot and my label had the rights to Quintessentials. We both did our own licensing deal in Europe. The licensing deal I did was when Charlie played on Jungle Records. He has a relationship with them. The licensing deal in the U.K. was with Cherry Red Records. They decided not to put out both albums. I'm sure Jungle [Records] lost money by putting the album out.

Craig: Who was the bass player you had playing with you here two years ago?

Nicky: That was the T-shirt girl. Alvin got very, very sick. Something called an autoimmune disease. Where the immune system attacks itself. It got to the point that Alvin could not even chew or swallow his food. He was on intravenous drips. He left initially not because he was sick, but because of a court case. You're in the middle of the tour and he's gone. It was totally disappointing, but the girl who sold T-shirts said she was a bass player and knew all the songs. I really don't like doing that. I don't like playing without the real lineup, but we could ill afford to cancel because we laid out money for the tour.

Nicky, are you actively writing material for the U.K. Subs right now?

Nicky: Actually, we have done an album of re-records of the most popular songs. We did a selection of B-sides from singles and the first five albums.

Will this be on your label, New Red Archives?

Nicky: No, it will be on Cleopatra. It is called Timewarp, it's all re-recorded.

Nicky: Probably early next year, February.

Charlie: Oh really, I thought it was going to come out while we were touring here.

Nicky: Then there is an EP on a French label, which is new stuff. It is halfway between a re-release and a demo. We are trying out some new stuff.

What is the title of this?

Charlie: Reclaim the Streets.

Nicky: No, Revolution's Here.

[Nicky and Charlie try to figure out the title for the EP]

Craig: Have you got the rest of the album titles figured out?

Nicky: No, not really. I think the new one should be called U.K. Subs. I think it would be hilarious, our 21st album.

[Nicky and Charlie go into a round of disagreeing on this one, too.]

Nicky: We really want to make a special studio album for the next album. We are really intent on making it. Charlie says the next two years or two studio albums have to be special.

What would Charlie be doing if he wasn't doing music and touring?

Charlie: Um, I would be catching sea bass and selling them to posh restaurants.

What is your feeling on the EU?

Charlie: Well, quite mixed really because I'm one of those people who could never get a job if I stayed in England. I'm kinda forced out of my own country to work. Like an immigrant worker, you know...migrant worker. Germany, Holland and several other countries have been very very good to me. I can't afford a common market. It's a little like the rest of the countries with reservation about it. Obviously it leads to a kinda, it embraces the New Order. Whenever you get something new, like the 'Net or a website, there's always going to be a flip side to it. There's going to be a great side to it, like it's changing the world as we speak, but like life it is a paradox. There is always going to be a bad or good side no matter what it is.

Nicky: I thought you said life is like a pair of socks. All this time you have been leading me astray.

[Laughs all around]

What will it take for the EU to work?

Charlie: Fair play. I mean, any kind off regime or whatever you want to call it that has a pyramid effect from the top down. All the richest are at the top and the people who are getting bread are on the bottom. It's sad in a way as you can see. I don't know if you were aware of this, but England almost went on strike because of the petrol crisis. Where the cost went up so high that people could not afford to work. If you were in England and paid the amount for petrol, you wouldn't believe it. It has such a stranglehold on every kind of industry. The farmers, the people who deliver the petrol and others went on strike.

All this brought the national conscientiousness to a standstill. The government said you can't do this. You can't hold this for ransom. The government was not sympathetic, the government has so much tax on petrol and energy and they have so much money, but they don't give it back to the people. It's the people's money. The government is very unsympathetic.

What do you think of the state and quality of music coming out nowadays?

Charlie: There is always going to be a lot of commercial emphasis and music made just for the buck. I don't hear that good of quality of music these days.

How did the Chaos Tour go last year?

Nicky: I loved it and had a great time.

Charlie: We had a great time.

Craig: What are you going to do after album "Z"?

How many kids do you have?

Charlie: I have two and a bit.

Do you have any grandkids?

Charlie: Yes, I have two. They are kinda reincarnations of my kids. It's kinda weird, their ages are spaced apart like my kids. The children are eight months apart and the grandchildren are about nine months apart.

Craig: Did your kids grow up to be like you?

Charlie: No, and my grandkids are going to be a real heavy shock to [their parents]. The grandkids are going to be more like me than my kids were.

Nicky: Your kids have gone through little phases where they had dyed hair.

Charlie: Well, when they were ten-twelve years old, because Animal from Anti-Nowhere League was a good mate and he came around the house a lot and had colored hair. Beki Bondage (Vice Squad) was a good friend who came around and Captain Sensible (The Damned) came around. It's funny: Everybody who came around the house was a cricket nut and all these people just loved my kids. The kids have all the albums. Their mother was a bit of a Clash fan. They went through things. One became a rave DJ, but he has got over it now and gone back to work.

On the web:
U.K. Subs
New Red Archives

Inside Earpollution:
Live review (05 October 2000, Seattle, WA)
Sub Mission album review