SIMON
CHAINSAW: PASSIONATE PUNK TROUBADOUR
Singer-guitarist
Simon Chainsaw remains one of Australian music's most enduring and interesting
figures. As leader of Sydney's Vanilla Chainsaws throughout the second half
of the 1980s, he staked a claim as a talented writer of hard-edged yet melodic
rock-pop. The Chainsaws were voted RAM magazine's best unsigned group
just four months into their life, went on to join Phantom records' diverse roster
and produce an Australian indie chart-topper in "T.S. (Was It Really You?)"
and a string of power-laden records. Successful in Europe where they (or the
band core of Simon and guitarist Mark Alexander) lived for two years, they eventually
returned home and faded away in ther early '90s after management and personnel
turmoil arguably contributed to their "could have been contenders"status.
Simon retired for a while to travel the world but eventually found his way back
into music, embarking on a hectic string of projects here and overseas. The
Greg Brady Overdrive was one such project (running parallel to the Chainsaws)
and staked a claim to notoriety as one of Sydney's best "dodgy song"
cover bands. Under the Gun was another similar idea. Chernonbyl Babies was a
promising but shortlived venture, bringing together Trilobites, New Christs
and a future You Am I member. The Chainsaw Men - a collaboration with San Diego
native and Noise for Heroes zine publisher Steve Gardner (also of the Gamma
Men) - produced a fantastic one-off album, "Electric JuJu".
More recently, an album with Brazillian punks, "Simon Chainsaw and
the Forgotten Boys", another with ex-New Christ Al Creed and Sonny Vincent's
German rhythm section ("Fire Down Below" as Simon Chainsaw's Baddass
Roadshow) and a three-track single with Marky Ramone's backing band and a magnificent
double CD retrospective of Vanilla Chainsaws material ("When Liberty Smiles")
are out, or are about to hit the shelves. His new band, Simon Chainsaw and the
Hippy Killers, are currently hitting stages in South America.
Simon currently lives in South America where he works as a guitar technician
to touring bands. His cv lately includes stints with Marky Ramone and the Intruders,
the Dead Kennedys and The Exploited. He spoke to JOHN
McPHARLIN and THE BARMAN from Santiago,
Chile, soon after arriving late in 2000.
I-94:
How did the "When Liberty Smiles" compilation come about?
S: "When Liberty Smiles" compilation
came out in Brazil on Tronador Records.
Tronador is run by an Australian guy, "Marsho" (aka Ian Marshall.)
He's been living in San Paulo for some time, importing Australian bands. And
Australian music, selling it through surf stores and record shops. His plan
was always to get a label up and running and release the best of the best Aussie
bands.
Before ours came about he'd released a couple of Celibate Rifles and Spy vs
Spy records. Spies are still very popular here. We (Vanilla Chainsaws) were
known here in Brazil via surf videos. A couple of surf videos that were sold
quite extensively here had some tracks from our "Red Lights" CD. As
a consequence, he was importing a lot of "Red Lights" CDs and selling
them here. So I guess it was a natural progression that he would do a Vanilla
Chainsaws compilation.
But other bands that he's released, or is in the proces of releasing, include
the Riptides, the Chevelles, Shock Poets, Natural Mystics, ganGajang, the Vogue.
I-94: What about a domestic release?
S: That is really up to Tronador. His release is called the Surf Series,
one through to 20. He's approached labels in Australia and wants to release
them as a series rather than one-offs. I'm leaving it to Tronador at the moment.
He's also looking to the US, Canada and Europe to licnece this series.
I-94: What are the chances of some sort of reformation?
S: We just have to wait and see. The old expression "never say never".
On the one hand, while I'm cautious about going backwards and treading in old
footsteps, nothing's out of the question. Certainly in Brazil, we're talking
about some sort of a tour at some stage which I'd be more than keen to do. Australia's
a different matter but if it was easy, I'd say it was a possibility. Not looking
for any headaches at this stage. I have enough of my own new stuff and new plans
and stuff I'm working on to devote to
something that's basically history. But who knows?
I-94: Listening to the album, you have to admit there were some dodgy '80s
drum sounds on some of those recordings -
S: Well, a lot of them were recorded in the dodgy '80s. Nothing you can do
about that. People go for the sound at the time - especially engineers.
I-94:
Yeah, even looking back on those recordings, besides the fact you were amazingly
consistent, is it fair to say you were consciously trying to sound contemporary
and commercial?
S: There's an old expression I like to use about the Chainsaws - I don't know
if we were a sign of the times or a victim of them. There are times I listen
back to the stuff and we were right there with what was happening then. There
are other times I listen and we were way ahead of what was happening then.
You know, people were calling the Chainsaws a "grunge band" back in
'87, '88. Before Nirvana. In fact, in '89 we were on a label in Germany, Glitterhouse,
that had Nirvana, Soundgarden, TAD, Mudhoney. All the SubPop and Amphetamine
Reptile bands. We were on this label before the big Nirvana-grunge explosion.
So I have to say we were ahead of the comercial times.
How serious were we going for mainstream success? There was one time when I
felt we were pushed more in that direction more than any other time, during
the "Wine Dark Sea" period, but I have to say that everything we did,
we did from the heart. We never did anything for mainstream success. When the
Red Hot Chilli Peppers became famous, there was this plethora of Chilli Pepper
soundalikes. When Nirvana broke, there were these grunge soundalikes. We didn't
follow any rules. We did what we wanted to do. When we wanted to do it. Which
is why the Chainsaws sit as a cult band, rather than a household name.
Having said that, we still have a lot of respect.
I-94: I know you did "Average Inadequacy" by the Machinations on the
Phantom Records Birthday disc. I know you were on the same label, but were
you guys fans?
S: I wouldn't say fans. They were around a bit before us. "Average/Inadequacy"
had been a big favourite of mine, so when the chance came along to do this record
I wanted to do that song. We also did the Dagoes' "Ten Years On" which
I always thought was classic pop, so we did a version of that as well. We were
limited by our recording so they didn't come out as I would have liked them
to. But these things happen.
[Former Phantom honcho Jules Normington reflects on his memories
of the Chainsaws and their time on the label here.]
I-94: So who were the contemporaries you were closest to?
S:
To be honest, I don't think we were close to any other bands. I think we were
doing our own thing. We played with other bands, but we were on our own wavelength.
We were doing our post-punk Husker Du-meets-Social Distortion-meets-the Skids
thing, whereas other bands were doing hardcore stuff, like the Hellmen and Massappeal...fuzz-pop
like the Hummingbirds and Ratcat and then you had pure pop bands masquerading
as alternative like Crash Politics. Then you had the plethora of Detroit-sounding
bands, like the Celibate Rifles and the Lime Spiders. All the Birdman legacy.
We weren't on that vibe. We were doing our own thing. A lot different sounding.
Maybe a lot more English-sounding. I don't think there was anyone doing what
we were doing that that time.
I-94: Is the live German show coming out?
S: As a matter of fact it is. It's been mastered and the artwork has been done.
It rocks. Like the Chainsaws rocked. It was recorded live to DAT. No overdubs.
It's got balls and blood, sweat and tears. There's even more unreleased songs
on it. It's going to be great for fans and new fans.
I-94: Sounds great! So here's a hard one...what's your fave cuts on "When
Liberty Smiles"?
S: I have to say every song has a different memory for me. I'd probably say
"Take Us Home" would be the pick and either "Burning Soul"
or "Close to the Edge". All previously unreleased songs. Real good
vibe to them and I guess because they're unreleased, I haven't heard them too
much and they sound
fresh to me.
In every band. You have the democratic situation and you have the label involved.
If you record a lot of songs, you only get a pinch of what was done released.
These songs, you know, I think should have been released. But there was a democratic
process to go through and thy never were. If I had to
pick one, I'd say "Take Us Home". The mix is a little dodgy, but it's
got the feel, it's got the vibe and it's got the good memories. It was a good
time.
I-94: The number of high quality tracks on this compilation raises the question,
what else is left in the cupboard?
S: Well, I gotta tell you, we stripped the cupboard bare with the best quality
stuff. We do have some sub-standard stuff. Different takes, different lyrics.
We could put that out at some stage but I'd rather leave
it in the cupboard. Maybe for diehard fans, but we'd just be scraping the bottom
of the barrel. What we've got here, in this set, is the definitive Chainsaws.
With the release of the live album, it should be laid to rest.
I-94: Left of field question: Were there any problems having two Peter Kellys
in the band?
S: Well the other Peter Kelly - the bassplayer - was never actually in the band.
He just came in for a recording session. He never actually played a show and
was never a real member of the band.
I-94: For the uninformed, can you take us through the various stages of the
band?
S: We started in '86. Released the first couple of singles in '87. Wine Dark
Sea LP in '88. Played in America. Went to England and played there and went
to Europe in '89 where we stayed for 18 months. Released the self-titled album
in Europe on Glitterhouse. Toured Europe several times. Released "Red Lights"
in '92. Signed with Polygram. Released the "Watching Me" EP
through ID in '93. Released "Worst Place in the World" through
Shock. In 1994 we recorded the "Doom Sessions", which was unreleased
but is on the new double CD.
Through all this time, the members were coming and going. Always changing members,
changing management. That sort of became the norm. We stopped playing a lot
of shows and pretty much got in new members whenever a tour came up.
I-94: What happened to the solo tracks you cut in Chicago a few years ago?
S: I recorded some tracks there. Acoustic stuff with guitar over the top. Some
of those tracks were absorbed into Badass Roadshow. The rest - I'm working on
another project that I can't talk much about. That's where the bulk of them
have gone. That'll see the light of day one day. They sort of turned out to
be demos. That wasn't how it was intended but that's how it turned out. It's
an evolutionary process. One minute, you think something's finished. Later you
realise it was just another stage in the process.
I-94:
Is there still going to be a second Chainsaw Men album?
S: I really want to do a second Chainsaw Men album. It was great working with
Steve. Great vibe with him and the studio in San Diego. It's fantastic working
with different people in different studios.
For this album ("Electric JuJu") , we both wrote some songs that were
never released. We swapped tapes and learned each other's songs. I arrived there
one afternoon and we jumped in his jeep, drove up to the bass player's place
- a car workshop - and practised the songs under a car hoist, under these Cadillacs
and Chevrolets. The next day we went into the studio and laid it down.
It was magic! That's the way rock and roll should be - totally spontaneous and
heartfelt. Instead of spending two months rehearsing songs and knowing them
note perfect. Just getting in, getting the vibe and laying 'em down. That's
how it should be. The second disc? I'm all for it. It's just a matter of getting
our schedules together and coming up with the tracks. I'd say it's definitely
going to happen. It's just a matter of time.
I-94:
So what's the latest on local and overseas releases for your various projects?
S: Simon Chainsaw and the Forgotten Boys (pictured right) is coming out
on Tronador. We'll be doing a filmclip for that in Brazil. Hopefully,
it will get shown in Australia.
The Badass Roadshow album "Fire Down Below" will be coming out on
Crankinhaus Records. There's been a hold-up due to unforseen circumstances.
It will be out soon.
The single I recorded with the guys from Marky Ramone and the Intruders...I've
had some interest but not exactly the right deal. I want 
something
that will do the single justice. I'm actually talking to someone
now, so hopefully that will see the light of day in the not too distant future.
There's been some new tracks done for a Bad Ass Roadshow release. What I'm looking
for that is a 10" vinyl record. Seven or eight tracks, including a killer
live one done earlier in 2001. As soon as I get back to Brazil, I'll be getting
the band together and we'll be laying down some more tracks for sure.
I-94: What advantages and disadvantages do think there are in doing so many
"hit and run" recordings?
S: Looking back at the days of the Chainsaws, when it was a band situation,
to my way of thinking I was really tied down. I couldn't do what I wanted to
do. You have this faux-democratic process: People who didn't write the songs,
who don't have any managerial or organisational things to do, just turn up and
play and disappear somehow have a say in every decision that gets made. Unworkable.
Totally unworkable. Especially when these guys drop in and out.
In the end was just me and Mark (Alexander - guitarist.) We were the band. The
other guys - we got 'em and we got rid of 'em. They came and left. A very difficult
situation to handle unless you have four guys on the same mission. And everyone
always has their own agendas. For me, that's problematic.
Now, I cruise around. I drop into town. Pull some guys together and record something.
Organise a release and I wanna do some shows. I put a band together and we do
some shows.
For me working this way - I love to be on the move and I love to travel. To
have a band, as such, at this stage of my life, I'd have to stay in the one
place - and that's not really on the cards for me at this stage.
What I do like about working with different people is you really get the best
vibe. Everyone has their own style, their own thing, and when you play with
a band you have the same person playing the same style and every record is basically
the same. With different people, you get totally different records. With a real
mix of styles and chemistry. Freshness. Spontaneity. That's the way it should
be.
My records aren't rehearsed to death. We learn the songs, we lay 'em down, and
they still have that real freshness that you need for a rock and roll records.
So for me, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
I-94: Tell us a little about working for Marky Ramone and the Exploited.
S: These are bands, and of course a few other punk bands, I grew up listening
to. They inspired me to play and, you know, made me who I am today. Just to
meet these guys, absolute living legends, was fantastic, but to actually work
with them was something else. Really nice guys. Really down to earth. These
guys have been around the scene for so long. Maybe they were a little wild at
one stage, but it's
plateau-ed out for them and they're just really down to earth, great guys.
I was living in Chicago for a while. Chicago's one of the homes of blues. You
go to these little bars and you find these 70-year-olds with guitars, singing
blues. These are guys who LIVE music. This is what they are. There's no pretence.
Seventy-years-old and they're still peeling off these licks in some shitty dive
and it doesn't matter to them because this is who they are. This is their heart
and soul.
I
see guys like Marky Ramone or Wattie from the Exploited and they're exactly
the same, only they're not playing blues, they're playing punk rock. This is
what rock and roll should be. It should be you are what you are and you do what
you do. You make no apologies. You just do it. Times change, fashions change,
people change. Fans are a fickle thing in music. The fact that there are guys
(from) bands like the Stooges, the MC5, Radio Birdman, the Exploited, UK Subs,
Marky Ramone....the fact that they're still making music, still inspired to
do this...there's heart and soul in rock and roll. It's all about being real.
Understanding who you are and being who you are.
Some many guys I've played with over the years aren't playing music now, have
no interest in music. I think they've never felt the music. I think they were
there because it was a bit of fun at the time and that was that.
I-94:
I noticed the cover you did with the guys from Marky Ramone's band of Razar's
"Stamp Out Disco". Did they know the song? Surely, you didn't have
a copy of the single with you to play to them! Or did they know it?
S: They didn't know it. I always travel around with a couple of cassettes of
old Aussie punk stuff. Everything from Lipstick Killers, Kelpies, Razar, Johnny
Dole and the Scabs, Sick Things, the Fun Things, the Scientists, Sputniks, Vacant
Lot, Young Identities, Skunks, just to name a few. These cassettes are packed
with stuff. Like I was saying earlier, this is the music I grew up with and
it inspired me to play. This Aussie stuff, this is really where I'm coming from.
I just keep these cassettes and listen to them for inspiration. They're fantastic.
The vibe from these recordings is pure, and when you look around the world
at how many bootlegs were made form this stuff - "Bloodstains Across Australia",
"Murder Punk" and "Where Birdmen Flew" - it just shows there
is something very special about that time and that music.
"Stamp Out Disco" was always one of my favourites. I always wanted
to do that song. These guys - out of Mark Ramone's band - you couldn't have
two better guys - and the drummer, a local guy, you couldn't find a better team
to do it. It keeps all the raw elements of the original but we put our own sort
of style into it as well.
I-94:
We hear a lot about fans in South America embracing band like the Ramones in
a way that never happened in their own countries. How strong is the music scene
there and how can you explain the success of Aussie bands like Spy vs Spy?
S: The music scene is big in South America, by virtue of the large population
in each country. Without being specifc...why did Died Pretty sell more records
in Italy than in Australia? Why did the Chainsaws sell more records in Germany?
Why did the Spys sell more records in Brazil? Why did the Rifles sell more records
in Europe? Who knows? It's a timing thing, it's an emotional thing. People getting
a vibe for a certain music at a certain time. Something in the Chainsaws struck
a chord in Germany. Likewise Died
Pretty in Italy.
To a certain extent, when you're at home you're part of the furniture. You're
just one band of many on the doorstep. If you're someone from Germany, you're
not going to know about all the (other) bands (back in Australia.) They hear
about one band, they latch onto them.
I-94: How did the Chernonbyl Babies side project come about?
S: There's not a great story behind this. I came back from Europe in '91 and
was looking for something different musically to do. Hooked up with Stymo from
the Trilobites, an old friend, a guy called Bevo from Rattlesnake Shake and
the Naked Lunch. Pulled in Tony Robertson from the New Christs and
Hitmen. Got in Andy Kent on lead guitar (he went on to play bass in You Am I.)
Rehearsed some songs, did a demo. Only ever did one gig - the legendary one
gig - but these things happen. It was a lot of fun doing that, but nothing ever
came of it.
I-94: How did you hook up with the Cosmic Psychos?
S: I first met Bill Walsh back in the early '80s when I working in public radio
in Sydney and he was in the band Spring Plains. Years later he was working in
public boradcasting and I was touring with the Chainsaws in Melbourne. Years
later, we were in Germany recording a mini LP, without a drummer. Bill was in
England. We got him over and laid down the record.
We've kept in touch over the years. When I was in Chicago, they were playijng
at the Double Door (one of the finest venues.) The Chainsaws had done a version
of (the Psychos') "Custom Credit" and he said 'Why don't you come
up and sing it'.
I-94: Out of interest, what occupation do you have on your passport application
these days?
S: I have "audio-visual technician".
I-94: Since we're in a Bar, what are you drinking?
S: Since I've left Australia, pretty soon I'm going to have a hankering for
Aussie beer, so I'll have a Carlton Genuine Draught from the tap at the Espy
Hotel in Melbourne. Cheers!
STOP PRESS:
"Here is the first official photo of my new crew SIMON CHAINSAW AND THE
HIPPY KILLERS and the band rocks like a motherfucker. They make the Simon Chainsaw
and the Forgotten Boys disc sound like the Wiggles (!!!) The big ugly guy in
front is the drummer and believe me, he drums like he looks!!!"
READ OUR REVIEW OF "WHEN
LIBERTY SMILES"
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CHAINSAW WEBSITE
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