Tombstone Rock!

Sir Bald Diddley aka Hipbone Slim is one of the most hard working people in rock ‘n’ roll scene. He is most famous for his rockin’ trio Hipbone Slim & The Kneetremblers, but also plays in other bands, such as The Kneejerk Reactions, Sir Bald Diddley & The Ripcurls to name a few. The drummer of The Kneetremblers is Bruce “Bash” Brand who started his career in the legendary garage rock outfit The(e) Milkshakes with Wild Billy Childish. The bass slapper is Gez Gerrard who also plays with Sir Bald and Bruce in The Kneejerk Reactions.

I met Hipbone Slim when we shared the bill together at Trash & Burn. He was there with his bands, me as a DJ. It was a day after Brexit. He played the night before as Hipbone Slim and The Kneetremblers. We talked about everything, politics, food, but mostly about music of course. The energy was right and very soon we discussed the option of releasing some of his songs on Martin's Garage. I was even more determined about it when I saw his second performance the very next day. It was wild!

Sir Bald visited Slovenia some weeks later and we proceeded with long talks about the music we love and bored everyone around us. Sometimes we really did take a break from discussing music, but only to plan our new vinyl release.

This interview was made two months later when everything was ready to go to the pressing plant.

MG: You have a number of bands and it seems to me like you're always around the scene.

Do you remember your first steps into music and how did it happen?

HS: My first musical memories are my dad playing me Duane Eddy, Johnny & the Hurricanes, The Piltdown Men (»Brontosaurus Stomp«) ... popular instrumental rock tunes... I guess I was five or six years old.

MG: When did you decide to put your first band together?

HS: As a kid, 12 or 13 years old, me and my friends would just make a din! My friend played a guitar and I jumped around and shouted and at various points played (of sorts) drums, electric bass or rhythm guitar... we played sort of rockabilly, psychobilly, Link Wray's , The Trashmen's covers and some songs I wrote.

MG: Do you still play with these guys? What's the name of your first band and what kind of music did you play?

HS: No. Long gone. The band changed name every week. We were The Trash Cats, The Warthogs, The Monsters, The Flintstones, The Screaming End, Dig That Grave & Peanuts.. It changed each gig. All on Hipbone records now! We played some kind of primitive rock (Ooga Booga Rock were originally written at these times). We played stuff like »Surfin’ Bird«, »Batman«, »Fatback«, »Rumble«, »Steady With Betty«, »Domino«, »Honey Hush« some Meteors, Guana Batz. I started writing then ... I kinda sang and switched between rhythm guitar and bass, learned double bass at 18, guitar ''properly« when I was 22 or 23 as I couldn’t find anyone to play as I needed. Then started Sir Bald Diddley soon after. It was autumn 1990.

MG: So, if I understand it right, Sir Bald Diddley was the name of your first »proper/official« band?

HS: Well, I had a band at university called 'The Hepileptics' . We played a mix of rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, blues and psychobilly. A couple of tracks were released on various compilations.

MG: Are any of these still available?

HS: No idea. »Rockin' At The Take Two«, maybe?

MG: »Rockin' At The Take Two« was released on Anagram. The big act on Anagram was The Meteors. So it seems like a big deal to be a small band on a "big" label. How did that happen?

HS: Not sure. I used to promote gigs in Nottingham as a student, The Deltas, Frantic Flintstones, The Coffin Nails etc., guess we got asked after that. We did supports. Raucous showed some interest in us, but I wasn’t happy with recordings. We did the original »Fire's Still Burnin'« and some others that I later cut as Hipbone Slim and The Kneetremblers, also »Get Out Myself« and »Road Hog« (as Sir Bald later did). Some tunes were fine, but the recordings we did weren't good enough by me.

MG: When I was doing research about you and the bands you played in I think I counted at least 12 bands (The Kneejerk Reactions, Hipbone Slim & The Kneetremblers, Sir Bald Diddley & His Wig Outs, Louie & The Louies, Sir Bald & The Crowntoppers, Sir Bald Diddley & His Right Honourable Big Wigs, Sir Bald Diddley & His Rip Curls, The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers, The Beat Seeking Missiles, The Snags, The Magnificent Escapades, The Legs ...)

HS: Yeah that’s most of ‘em!!!! After Big Wigs was Wigouts, but there was also »The Plus 4« with Nass Bouzida for a while and »The Great Googa Moogas” (a predecessor to The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers).

MG: The lyrics were always important to you. There's always a story you tell. How do you write a song?

HS: Usually I start with a riff or some chords, sometimes a title/theme occasionally lyrics first, and sometimes I rip off old records (Ha, ha). I keep a list of things people say or good idioms, expressions. E.g. »Pocket Pistol« I saw that on a wall in a bar, cut from an old dictionary. It's a »hip flask« so that's where that came from, but usually a riff on guitar, then put title/theme to it and then words ...

MG: When was the band Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers formed? Who were the original members?

HS: In 2002/2003. Bruce, John Gibbs (The »Real« Kaisers/ The Wildebeests/ The Masonics) and me. It was only meant to be a recording project, one LP!

MG: Where did you first meet Bruce »Bash« Brand? I know that he also plays in The Kneejerk Reactions with you. Any other bands also?

HS: I met him in Toe Rag Studios, he was collecting drums as we recorded Big Wigs. It was in 1993/94 I guess. We met at gigs and stuff; he stood in on drums one time for Wig Outs and we became friends. Eventually when The(e) Headcoats ended he had time to do a band with me. He still plays in other bands The Masonics, Holly Golightly etc. and in The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers with me.

MG: Who's Hipbone Slim & The Kneetremblers now?

HS: Hipbone is me, Bruce & Jack Cheeseman (ex. The Riot Rockers, Mr. David Viner, The Blue Cats, Carlos & The Bandidos), although Gez Gerrard still plays bass on a lot of our recording sessions.

MG: In 2004 you recorded a single »What Do You Look Like?« a satire about hipsters. The female vocals were sang by Holly Golightly of Thee Headcoatees. How did that happen? Holly was brought in by Bruce?

HS: It's before hipsters! It’s just a story about a bad date, a girl that don't like Hawaiian shirts etc., Yeah, Holly was brought in by Bruce, I also played on couple of her records. There is also Mickey Hampshire (The(e) Milkshakes) on vocals and guitar and Eli »Paper Boy« Reed on piano!!!

MG: The first record of Hipbone Slim was released on Voodoo Rhythm, right? Did you release any records with other bands before that for Voodoo or was this the first one?

HS: No, that's the first one. We did 4 LPs and one split joint with Mama Rosin on Voodoo. The first one was »Snake Pit«. I must've met Reverend Beat Man when playing with Sir Bald, so we sent him the recordings. A very nice guy and of course quite a character.

MG: You're quite connected within the British garage rock scene which was reborn by Wild Billy Childish in the 80s. Have you met the man? Did you record anything together?

HS: I don't know Billy at all, but yes, I know a lot of guys and gals who played with him.

MG: Before you mentioned Link Wray as your inspiration. Didn't Bruce play with him, also on one of his records, right?

HS: Yeah, Link's definitely one of my favorites, Bruce did two albums with him in the eighties or nineties, »Apache« and »Wild Side Of The City Lights«. They were remixed and reissued as The Pathway Sessions on Ace.

MG: It seems to me that you guys are a magnet for guitar heroes. Didn't you almost record with Ike Turner?

HS: Yeah, I was working on an LP with Jimmy Thomas (he sang »Jack Rabbit«, he hated it!!) He was hoping to get Ike on the LP, but all fell apart eventually and didn't happen.

MG: That's a shame. Could have been a great record I guess. You also have your own record label Alopecia Records. Do you remember what was the first record you released, are there any other bands that you released?

HS: I started to release first Sir Bald's 45s. After that locked in comps, The Green Hornets, The Cyberrmen, The Wildebeests, The Waistcoats, The Surf Creatures etc.

MG: I first heard The Green Hornets in one of Mark Lammarr's radio shows God's Jukebox. Hipbone Slim & The Kneetremblers was there too, right?

HS: Yes, we did a session. Also with Louie and The Louies. Mark was on the rockin' scene for years. I guess he asked us onto the show, he played our records before, I always sent him tunes.

MG: You probably see a lot of contemporary bands on your tours. Is there anyone you would like to point out that you had the privilege to see lately?

HS: The Star Time Playboys are one of those for sure. I like Urban, he's different. He has own unique thing, odd yet effortless mix of styles, and it's about music for him not clothes and image. He's got a unique organic mix thing.

MG: What can you tell about your soon to be released EP »Tombstone Rock«?

HS: The title song is about a rock n roll singer, a guy who won't die and is determined to keep on rockin' and rollin'. Basically he jumps out of his coffin in his best suit and hat and screams and hollers out a death defying tune while strumming his guitar...

Four songs, quite rockabilly, were recorded at Gizzard in London which is cool, analogue studio. Recorded pretty much live with old mics, reel to reel, tape echo and massive old reverb plate. A proper one. Produced by Ed Deegan who also worked with Holly Golightly and Oh! Gunquit among others.

MG: The artwork for this record was done by Chris “Sick” Moore who also did »Beat From Badsville, vol. 3« cover. For how long do you know Chris?

HS: Hah, again, not sure. Must've met him years ago. He did two 45s for me. One for Sir Bald and one for Hipbone Slim & The Kneetremblers, plus the new one.

MG: Your discography is quite impressive. Do you know the number of albums and singles and songs that you recorded?

HS: No. I guess it's 30 LPs and 20 45s approx. and some compilations etc.

MG: What are the plans for the next tour? Are there any particular clubs you always love to come back to and play at?

HS: Well we hope to be in France, Spain, Croatia /Slovenia in 2017. Maybe USA dates?! Also we'll be in Germany, Holland, Belgium I guess. Bassy Berlin, Mondo Bizarro Rennes are amongst my favorites. Binic Festival, Cellar in Oxford, too.

MG: What's your favorite club that you like to hang out at when you're not playing?

HS: I guess Hipshakin in Oxford, once a month, Sixteen tons in Zurich is amazing, too amazing!

MG: Last words?

HS: Buy the record!!!