the Damned - RAT SCABIES ... Video Louis Elovitz ... punk rock

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Rat Scabies

"PRETTY COOL"

by kiki b moretti

PRETTY COOL, AND THAT"S THE WAY HE IS. RATT SCABIES, THE DRUMMER FOR

THE DAMNED. WE CONDUCTED OUR CHAT ONE EARLY AT THE INTERNATIONALLY

KNOWN TROPICANA IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA.

[ NOTE- THIS INTERVIEW WAS PERFORMED IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES]

[kiki] So Ratt, How long have you been with the DAMNED?

[ratt] Eight years. I found the Captain cleaning toilets in a concert hall. He was a guitarist and we found Dave Vanian. We have gone through good changes though. We actually formed the DAMNED in 1975 in London.

[kiki] Let's talk about the original line-up.

[ratt] Well myself, Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible and Brian were the originals. We were established by 1976. A very rapid rise to fame. I think we are more famous in England, but that's changing. We are becoming quite famous here in America as well. You should see how people, like cab drivers, and those who work in record stores that have heard of me, react when we meet! So back then, Brian James threw in the name "THE DAMNED". Things went well until we split-up, then reformed. We might as well keep the name that we already had. It really seems to fit us well. Although there is a lot of publicity against us- people say that we all hate each other, that we do not get along together at all. But that's the farthest from the truth as you can get.

[kiki] Explain, in your opinion, the controversy over the Sex Pistols Tour.

[ratt] Well, basically we cared more for the audience than the Sex Pistols did. They were very much after the cheap publicity. There was a lot of major forcing in their campaigns, on their rise to stardom and that was the way you acted. We actually did not care about being famous. We were more interested in the people who paid to come and see our group and we were prepared to please those people. The Sex Pistols just did not like it very much and we left.

[kiki] Do you feel that much of the years controversy has diminished now?

[ratt] Yes, definately! We have come to the point now, were the police ring us up and ask us to cooperate with them, which is quite funny, because 5 years ago the very same people would not let us play. After all the riots in England, they decided to do something for the unemployed. So, the local government decided to give a series of free concerts to the unemployed. They asked us to play and we said we would. So, you have the same people that would not let us play in their halls before asking us to cooperate with them- to get them out of trouble, which was a shock to all of us!

[kiki] Whilst touring, what are some of your favorite places?

[ratt] I find America very strange! It has something absolutely incredibily mind-blowing, truly brilliant, you could not get anywhere except America! Amazing things like phenomenal cars and beautiful country, a lot of really good things here, but at the same time, there is a lot of of really dumb things like having to carry an I.D. all of the time. But, I like L.A. I never saw palm trees until I came to L.A. - Finland was the oddest place I have ever been. Very strange. People there have 23 hour days. But, they were allowed to drink at the Summer Festival we played. It was a big stage and huge lights in the middle of this beautiful countryside. We were watching 4000 people who were completely mindless on alcohol.

[kiki] Ratt, if you had one wish, what would it be?

[ratt] To play with JIMI HENRIX. I met Keith Moon. One week before he died, we had a long talk about times. He was great. I'm really sorry he's gone.

[kiki] In closing, do you have anything else to say?

[ratt] Yes, BUY MORE DAMNED RECORDS!