Flipped Out And Flippant !!
(or not ?)

Bimble Meets Captain Sensible
(Part Two)
(Interview cira 1998, updated & improved March 2007)

 

We pick up the action with Captain giving us an acapella version of his (almost) hit single
'Come On Down'

[C] (Sings the tune)la-la-la-la Yeah great and I like that video a lot. That's probably the best of
the lot, not the greatest song....

[B] I saw a gig you did around the time of 'Come On Down'. It was at Queen Mary College,
London.
[C] That was the last gig I did before I had my extremely heavy nervous breakdown. Yep I
was having one at the time.

[B] Yeah right 'cause you didn't play much guitar at that and somebody told me it was
because you were ill. You had Dave Berk (from Johnny Moped) on drums?
[C] Yeah and Clive Gates doing keyboards who was from the band New Musik, he's a
legend. Dave Berk now works for the Gas Board. I think Clive does as well actually.
There both into computers. They design software and run whole departments.

[B] Tell me about Auntie Pus. The lunatic that used to accompany The Damned on tour.
[C] Raving mad! We'd park up outside a music shop. I'd go in to get some guitar strings and
afterwards we'd be sitting there in the van with the engine running saying "Where's Puss".
Suddenly you'd turn round and see some worker from Woolworth's holding the shop door
open and Puss would come out holding a whole load of stuff, electric kettle's, toasters, this
and that. He'd bung 'em into the van saying "Drive off quick I've nicked 'em". We'd be saying
"Well how the hell did you get away with that. They held the door open for ya". He'd say
"Look if you come out with so much stuff. They don't believe your nicking it". He was
actually a brilliant thief. He used to go up and down the queue of people outside the gig,
selling toasters and stuff. It was absolutely brilliant.

(Captain suddenly notices an old adversary's latest single playing in the background)

[C] How has he got away with it for so long. A man with very little talent and he can't play
guitar. The trouble is, with all other musicians, you know that their parents have said to
them "Fucking get rid of that guitar, turn the fucking noise down, get out there, fucking do
your work at school and get a fucking job! Don't be a cunt all your life, you're never gonna
make a fucking living out music!" Now there's one musician I can think of whose not like
that. Whose Dad said to him " Right take that guitar, go down, 'ave the lessons, learn how
to play and we might make a fucking packet of money!!" Now I'm not going to tell you
which musician that was, but his manager is called John Weller. (Much laughter).

[B] Since 'Happy Talk' you've done loads of single's and what, 6 albums? Have you a
favourite?
[C] Yeah 'The Universe Of Geoffrey Brown'. It's my 'Sergeant Pepper'. It's the most perfect
album I've ever done. It's a beautiful record and I listen to it sometimes, not often, but I
listen to it and I think wow! I've never ever matched this in my life. It is such a beautiful
record as it's got a lovely story. It's full of idealism and sadness about the world, sadness
about the boneheads who are running the planet and stuff like that. It's all done from a
really sort of hippie-dippy, cutesy point of view. Which is basically where I'm coming from
you know. I like it a lot. It's got actors in it as well, well drunks from Brighton. But yes it's a
great record. And it will be filmed one day! 'The Comic Strip' people came very close to
doing it as an hour long episode. It's a good story. It's about a bloke who works in the
Ministry Of Defence. He gets rid of his car and starts riding a bicycle, because err.. Because
he gets a message from aliens!! Ha, ha, ha but it's a lot deeper than that. But that's a kind
of scratchy outline.

[B] The spoken stuff's very professionally done it sounds very sort of Radio 2 is it or 3 ?
[C] (Sounding outraged)Radio 4!!!Get out of 'ere haven't you ever listened to 'The Archers!!

[B] No I haven't!! 'Meathead' is my favourite I love that album. Let me shake your hand for
that one.
[C] (Shaking hands meekly) Thank you, thank you Bimble.

[B] I read somewhere that you'd said you designed that 'as a headphone album for druggies'
Is that right?
[C] Yes

[B] But you're not really into drugs are you !!
[C] Ooh I am!!

[B] Oh you are!
[C] Oh yeah!! I can't handle pot because it's a little close to err.. It's a head trip!! and it
unfortunately belts me straight back into my acid days. I actually used to do acid every
day for about six months. And I think once you've had a couple of breakdowns and
your a bit on the edge of society anyway, as I am. I think most people who feel anxious
and not quite there would say "you wouldn't catch me taking acid or even grass or
anything, I can't do it" But I absolutely love drugs I think it's brilliant. The problem with
society is that people drink to much of this fucking stuff!! And then they go home and
beat their wives up. So to me if your gonna ban something ban fags and booze, but
then again I don't wanna ban anything. But society does ban drugs and I can't see the
point in banning cannabis which is relatively safe doesn't do anybody any harm. It
doesn't cause people to beat other people up. Whereas this stuff, in the wrong hands
obviously does cause those things. In the wrong hands it can turn a normal person
into a thug. So err..FUCK OFF CUNT!!!

[B] There must be a humorous Captain Sensible story about his days on acid.
[C] Yeah I did do a lot of acid and it was all done in Brighton, funnily enough. Just
before I joined The Damned. I was eventually run out of town by the fuzz. I went to
court and I got away with it 'cause I had a lawyer who lied. I sat there in the dock
and she said to the court (Putting on posh voice) "If my client is found guilty he will
lose an opportunity that he has to start a life on the right side of society. Having
procured a job at Barclays Bank blah, blah". I said to her afterwards "Who were
you talking about there? I ain't..." and she said "Shut up". I thought that was
absolutely brilliant.

[B] So your LSD tinged brain is responsible for your love of psychedelic? 'Cause you
love all that stuff don't you?
[C] Oh yeah absolutely and I like some of this psychedelic-techno/trance stuff. I think
that's absolutely brilliant and I quite like a great game called 'Wipeout' on the
playstation. That's full of trance type music.

[B] You've got your own psychedelic band haven't you?
[C] Yeah called 'The Space Toad Experience' How that happened was that we used
to have jam sessions down at one of the local pubs. One of them's (Spacetoad) is a
train driver, one's a psychiatric nurse (Monty Oxymoron), I'm unemployed and DR
Space Toad's a busker. The drummer is whoever we can find on the night. We do it
cause we love the psychedelic stuff. We all used to go to festivals in the early
seventies. At Wheelie, Bumpton, The Isle of Wight etc. We're just trying to recreate
that psychedelic groove. Funnily enough we get invited to the festivals to play.
Somebody said about us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You sound like all the psychedelic bands from the early seventies, all wrapped into one".

[C] It was the bloke that books all the bands for the green stage at Glastonbury that said
that to us. I thought that was really nice of him. We always play Glastonbury, right up the
top of the hill. It's less muddy up there as well.

[B] Have space toad experience released anything?
[C] Yeah we recorded an album called 'Time Machine' Which is a pretty cosmic
record. It's out at the moment on 'Blueprint' from County Durham. It's a very
psychedelic record. Its very good and we outdo The Floyd on 'Set The Controls
For The Heart Of The Sun'. We do a ten minute version of it. They were actually
a good band 'Floyd', in the early days. You wouldn't believe that now, listening
to the turgid old shit that they come out with now. But we do a marvelous
version of it, very flipped out.

[B] Naz Nomad and the Nightmares. What did you think of that?
[C] I thought lovely, yeah, great record. We got very into the sixties garage band punk
revival albums. 'The Great British Psychedelic Trip' is my favourite, but there's a whole
series of them 'Pebbles' and 'Nuggets'. We heard these records and thought bloody hell
this is fantastic. I had no knowledge of garage music at all. When The Damned started
we were trying to play our very best, but we sounded punky cause we were like sort of
well..we were. But listening to stuff that had been done ten years before by bands like
'The Seeds', 'The Chocolate Watch Band', 'The Electric Prunes' I couldn't believe it.
We started getting into this and just decided to... well they decided to record a covers
album, while I was out recording 'Happy Talk' and the rest of my solo stuff. So that was
their way of getting in the studio and doing something while they were waiting for me.

[B] Apart from performing in character, Dave also seemed to invent a new voice for
Naz Nomad, didn't he? Did you notice?
[C] Yes, that's where he got his new voice from. Before that every thing Dave
Vanian did was kind of double tracked, kind of shouted and not brilliantly
sung(!). He actually developed a new voice, your absolutely right. And he's now
one of the best singers in the business. Whether people wanna hear that statement
or not, it is true. He's a fucking good singer because he puts a song over really well.
He's sort of like, a bit of an old fashioned crooner but with a wild tinge. I like writing songs for Dave and I
hope we can record a new album. He's a good voice to hang a song on. He can really put a song over.

[B] So how long have you been back with The Damned now?
[C] For about two years on and off. We've toured Japan twice, we did a month in Australia
which was brilliant. We played places like 'Willabong' and 'Byron Bay' lovely places that
nobody's ever heard of. I did actually go mad out there, madder than usual. I was going
on-stage wearing a schoolgirls uniform, for the last four or five songs in the set. And I
actually couldn't get out of character.

 

 

 

For three days I was a schoolgirl.

[C] It was really strange. It sounds like I'm joking but I couldn't get out of character. I'd get up
in the morning and I'd go (Girlie voice) Ooooh aah and I'd skip down the corridor to get me
breakfast. And I'd become really bashful you know, if someone said "I hope you don't do
blah blah tonight " I'd go "Oooh no". It was really well over the top. I thought for the first
couple of days that I went through this thing, I thought it was funny. But by the third day,
I couldn't sleep all night, I was really frightened, really scared. I put the schoolgirls
uniform away, zipped it up in a bag and didn't allow myself to wear it for the rest of the
tour... Are you laughing?

[B] Of course I'm laughing
[C] Ha, ha, why? It's true, it's a true story.

[B] I was just imagining you mincing around Japan in this schoolgirls uniform.
[C] No it was Australia, that's what made it worse. It was the month in Australia that I was
mincing round with the schoolgirls' uniform on. I got up in the morning and I didn't
wanna wear me men’s' clothes. I wanted to wear me schoolgirls uniform.

[B] You've never been frightened to wear woman's clothes though, have you?
[C] No I think it's great that people can express themselves in anyway they want. But I
was scared because I couldn't get out of character, that's what frightened me.

 

[B] You can chose to answer this or not. How did Patricia Morrison get
the job of playing bass in The Damned?
[C] She was the best bass player that we could find at the time. We
auditioned about two hundred people and she was just the best.
She got the job.

[B] Huh!! come on, I'm gonna be honest. When I saw you guys recently @
Guildford, the intro on 'Love Song', she fucking trashed it. She can't play!!

(Quiet, tense moment while he decides how to answer)

[B] He's gonna punch me now and we're gonna have to stop the interview.
[C] No she's brilliant and we are gonna rehearse. We don't actually rehearse that
much. I mean a lot of bands, you think oh they've really got an edge to them.
They're really sort of fast, really sort of punky, there really anarchic, they've
really got the vibe. But they all go in and do rehearsals three days a week. They're
standing there looking at each other, rehearsing. That's how you get good, that's
how you play perfectly. I don't fucking wanna play perfectly. I'd rather that we stood
for something. And I would rather that we stand for not rehearing ha, ha because it's
soul destroying. But yeah being honest, I have noticed, maybe we could do with a
bit more rehearsing but you know maybe we will maybe we won't. I think at the end
of the day what is really gonna make or break the Damned-mark seventeen or
whatever we are, is the new recording's. It's not the fact that maybe someone who
wasn't there when it was recorded the first time didn't play 'Love Song' properly.
'Cause we don't rehearse a lot and she a brilliant woman. She is a really nice
woman and I won't hear a word said against her. So shut yer fuckin' gob.

[B] So for all you people on the net / in Japan etc, that don't realise. This is a new
line up of The Damned with the welcome return of Mr Sensible but no Rat Scabies.
[C] It's the people in Japan that know, they've seen us twice. We've toured Japan twice
once with The Buzzcocks and once without. The Buzzcocks are brilliant a great band
to tour with. Really funny to see Steve Diggle and Pete Shelley who are both wonderful
people. But one of them is just a great all round geezer and womaniser. Who likes
drinking beer and playing loud guitar and the other one is ... not really what you would
call a womaniser, but he still drinks loads. He is what you would call an arty kind of ...
intellectual type. So I'll leave it to you to work out which one's which. But they don't get
on and that's such a shame cause they're both lovely blokes, its a real shame. I got on so
well with them all. We almost toured with The Buzzcocks in America and I hope we will
do. Ahh I'm going all luvvie, I love The Buzzcocks.

[B] What's your relationship like with Vanian these days ? 'Cause there was a time when
you didn't get on wasn't there?
[C] No I don't think so. I don't think there was ever a time that we didn't get on. No I've
never had any grievances with Dave ever. Only one thing really, once we came off stage
in Germany, it was a particularly grim gig where I was getting gobbed at and beer and
stuff chucked on me. And I came off stage and he still looked immaculate. I just couldn't
fucking believe it. Now that got to me a little bit. I mean if I wore a suit on-stage or even
if I wore a suit to walk down the road. At the end of the day I would look like a slob. I
just can't carry it off, but he can. But no I've got no problem with Dave at all, never have
had. He's a smashing bloke. He's what you call an old fashioned gentleman.

[B] What did you think of Carol Clarks Light At The end Of The Tunnel? The only Damned
Biography to date?
[C] All I can say is that Rat must have been a better shag than I was. That's all I'm saying
and you can draw whatever you want from that.... Well she put Rats point of view over
didn't she? He must've had a bigger knob than I have!!

[B] There's your old favourites playing on the jukebox (The Sex Pistols)
[C] I would have gone to see them (this year) but I was taking me dad on holiday in
Ibetha of all places. Dad's like seventy odd, he's got arthritis and I was taking him
on holiday 'cause it's good for his joint's and stuff. But I would have loved to have
seen The Pistols on that reunion tour. I'd have loved to have seen them.

[B] Lydon's voice was so different though wasn't it. It was like the lead singer of P.I.L.
singing Sex Pistols songs, which obviously it was.
[C] Yeah and it's gonna be even funnier when they have their next revival. When
they're sixty-five-seventy years old, as they will. Well, they're gonna need the money
aren't they. You don't get much on the pension.

[B] Having established yourself as a solo artist, why do you now do The Damned in
favour of your solo stuff?

(Thinks about it)

 

 

 

 

[C] I like standing behind the fucking singer, with me guitar, pulling faces at him. I
like trying to steal the glory off of the singer. I like writing songs and I like playing
the guitar but I've never ever enjoyed being the frontman. I'm never happy with it.
Which is why, I suppose, whenever I've done these TV programs. When they've
wanted me to be a celebrity or something like that. I've always gone on extremely
tanked up and made a fucking arse of myself. Because I'm not that sort of person.
I am not naturally funny. I'm funny by default because maybe err... I wear a funny
hat or something.

[B] Or because you're prepared to put girls knickers over your head in the middle of
a gig and stuff.
[C] Yeah.

[B] So you're not happy with being the centre of attention ?
[C] No not at all.

[B] You're much more into the band unit kind of thing?
[C} I never wanted to be the front man.

[B] Have you ever been accused of that within The Damned? Of wanting to steal the
limelight. 'cause there was a time when you were doing lots of vocals. Did anyone
within The Damned ever suggest that?
[C] No, no the people in The Damned know that I had to literally have me arm
twisted up me back to sing something. Never wanted to do it, never, still don't. Which
is why the 'Meathead' L.P has got hardly any vocals on it.

[B] You've done a lot of singing for a man who doesn't enjoy singing.
[C] Yeah I know, but I like instrumentals myself. I like some of these dance
instrumentals. I think they're great. Instrumentals are back and its brilliant.

[B] Are we ever likely to see a Captain Sensible solo tour
[C] (Tittering to himself) Nah no plans for that no. It'd be nice to get some recordings
together with old Drac (Vanian) and if that don't happen then I'll have to go out on
me own and do something, once again.

[B] So are there plans afoot to do recordings with The Damned?
[C] With Drac yeah. There's a lot of songs being chucked about. I've sent him a load
of my ideas and he's sent me some of his and two other people in the band are
writing songs as well, so everybody's going for it.

[B] Ever thought about writing your autobiography?
[C] Yeah I spoke to a bloke in Australia who was gonna do it with me. But
unfortunately he lives in Australia so it didn't happen. I'd like to do it but I'd wanna do
it properly. 'Cause people don't really know what I've actually been through. They
don't know about my upbringing. That my mum was crazy and attacked me, burnt bible's
in the dustbin etc., etc. They don't know about my nervous breakdowns. They don't know
that underneath this sort of flippant lunatic exterior. I am actually a deeply sensitive person.
Who really would like to change the world you know. So yeah I would like to do my
autobiography and I would like to spill the beans on some of the shit-cunts that I've met over
the years in show-business. Especially when I think they need a kick up the fucking arse. So
yeah I'd like to do it but I haven't met anyone with the wit and the ins to the publishers, so far.
It would have to be the right person cause it would need a lot of work doing on it. I mean I
wouldn't do it like I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol (Glen Matlocks book) or something like that. I
would really wanna like tell the story. Because in some ways I am a glorious kind of shining
survivor and in other ways I am a complete disaster of a victim. So it would be an interesting
book to read. And a lot of interesting people, I have brushed shoulders with, during my years
in showbiz. Paul Daniels for one.

[B] Tell us about Paul Daniels.
[C] No, Wait for the book.

[B] What would it take to get Sensible, Vanian and Scabies back on-stage together?
[C] Rat to pay me the money the money he owes me.

 
[B] End of subject?
[C] Well if you want I'll tell you why ? It's very tedious but I'll encapsulate it in the
shortest possible time. Stiff Records released the first two studio albums and a
live album called 'Not The Captains Birthday Party'. Now when stiff went bust Rat
bought the rights to these three albums. He licenses these albums to other record
labels around the world and I don't receive any royalties. You have to pay the people who
played on the records, the royalties. But Rat doesn't seem to think that he needs to pay me. I
can't work with someone who's done that to me.

[B] Do you have any inclination as to his angle on it?
[C] Yeah I know exactly what his angle is "Get yourself a good lawyer Captain, cause I've got the
best in the business" that's the attitude. I don't think it's a case of doing things by the book, it's a
case of "I have received certain remuneration and if you want to receive your share you're gonna have to
play dirty, the same as I am". I can't do that and he knows that I can't

[B] Yours and Rat's friendship is such an integral part of The Damned.
[C] It was, yeah.

[B] And it goes all the way through.
[C] Yeah.

[B] On the live video 'The Final Damnation'. Where Rat pats you on the back as you leave the stage together.
It looks like, there they are 'old mates' again' and it seemed to signify that it was all gonna be healed.
[C] But at the time he still owed me I don't know how many thousands of pounds. Now I don't know whether
you would work with someone on that basis but I certainly can't. I have an aversion to being shit on,
especially by people who say they are my friends. I can not do it, I may be strange but there you go. I've got
a lot of time for Rat. He's witty, he can be charming, he's certainly got a brain in his head, but unfortunately
his brain is greedy, he's too greedy for his own good.

[B] Do you think he still holds any grudges ?
[C] I don't think there's any grudges between me and Rat at all. I don't think he dislikes me.

[B] What are you immediate plans for the future?
[C] I'm going to America to record an album with this dodgy band called 'Sonny Vincent's Rat Race
Choir'. It's an unfortunate name, but there you go. I did an album with them in Nashville about four
or five months ago. I'll be anywhere anytime, if someone sends me a plane ticket. 'cause I just love
travelling. So if anyone wants to put Captain up for a couple of weeks in... I don't know somewhere
like New Zealand which I particularly like, or San Francisco or Argentina, Japan I like as well. If
anyone wants to put me up then, there you go. Just send me a plane ticket. In return I'll teach them
a bunch of Damned songs. I'll entertain them in the pub and well, you can't ask for better than that
can you. But I will be anywhere, anytime for a plane ticket, I love it. Travelling's brilliant and the
beers of the world, you know, tantalise the taste buds.

[B] Lastly tell me about your latest record.
[C] Humbug/New millennium communications haven't actually made me a millionaire yet, but
recently they've put a compilation of mine out. It's compiled from the four albums we've done
together and I think it's out for a fiver. It's about an hours worth of music for a fiver. I chose all
the songs and it's a really good album. It's called 'A Slice Of Sensible' it's a great album.

[B] Occasionally though I've had some difficulty finding your stuff in the shops. So Humbug Records
sort out your distribution yeah !!
[C] Well they're just a small label. You can't fight the majors. I found that out when I was doing
Deltic Records on me own. Is that Paul Bloody Weller playing again? Come and do yer guitar
lessons son otherwise we're not gonna become millionaires.

[B] Right that's it. Any last message's for your multitudes out there captain ?
[C] Yeah send me plane tickets you bastards.

[B] Captain Sensible thank you very much.
[C] Thank you Bimble.

When we had finished our conversations, well when closing time at the Inn came, I accompanied the
good Captain on part of his train journey home. We had to change and wait for a connection so we
bimbled into a late night store. Whereupon I noticed a load of Spice Girls magazines and after his
earlier rant, I thought this might provoke an entertaining reaction, so I pointed them out to him. The
Captain seized one of the mags from the shelf. I feared he was about to do untold damage, when I
saw a glint in his eye. The offending article had a little dainty necklace attached to the front of it with
the words GIRL POWER engraved on it. This seemed to totally placate the good Captain and he went
swooning up to the counter, money in hand. Having completed his essential purchase we left the store
with Captain feverishly trying to detach his prize, discarding the unwanted mag. And on doing so,
bugger me if it wasn't too small to go over the Cap's bonce. He left me then, heading back towards his
train muttering something about a hardware store and a bath chain. Oh well old punks never die, they
just mellow out and take up knitting or some such thing. Anyway, must go now as I've got a cardigan to
finish.

Peace 'n' Love
Bimble (1998)

 

2009 Update
Hi Bimble 'ere;
Well it's now been almost ten years since this Happy Talking nite. It's also been about nine
years since I first put this interview online and it still gets a stupid number of hits per year.
If you google 'Captain Sensible' you get abouta million and a quarter hits and this interview
currently ranks 8th. With all this in mind and with the threat of the interview being included
in a forthcoming book on The Damned. I thought it was high time I sorted out some of the
dreadful typo's and made the thing look a bit nicer. Apologies to anyone whose photo I've
stolen (if you drop me a threatening enough email, I'll stick a credit under yer shot).

As for the Captain he's now been back in The Damned for over ten years, Rat Scabies still
doesn't figure in the line up, though he did do a Damned set with Brian James at the 100
Club in 2006 to celebrate 30 years of punk. Unfortunately D.V and Cap were not involved.
The Damned's current line up of D.V, Cap, Pinch and Monty has been the longest lasting
to date, with only one enforced permanent change when Stu West replaced Patrica
Morrison, after it was announced that P.M and D.V were having their first child (welcome
to the world Baby Vanian). The year 2001 saw the release of the well received 'Grave
Disorder', the first Damned album in years. 2005 saw the band embark on the M.G.E. 25
tour, to celebrate, you guessed it, 25 years since the wonderful Machine Gun Etiquette was
released. There's even a M.G.E 25 DVD available. Captain himself is keeping well busy
touring home and abroad with both The Damned and with the Dead Men Walking project
(with Mike Peters, Slim Jim Phantom & Kirk Brandon). Also he's even got his own Political
(Blah) Party together, click the link below for more info on that one. So the world keeps
spinning for the good old Cap and ain't we glad. Roll on M.G.E 50.
Peace out Bimble

PS Here's some more fab pics from the net that I couldn't fit anywhere else.

 

Check out these related links

OfficialDamned.com
For all the latest official Damned news.


Captains pad @ Myspace

 

Bimble's My Space Gaff

Bimble can be emailed at:

bimble@freeradicalsounds.com

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