Interview with Dick Venom from ‘Dick Venom and the Terrortones’. Already well known in the Nottingham area, Venom and his sidekicks are set to take the gigging world by storm. If you’ve never been to see them, you should! They are a very entertaining bunch…
What first got you interested in starting a band?
A long standing love affair with whisky, women and all things bad for you.
Your band is interesting and formed of people of different ages - how did you choose your bandmates?
Wrex St.Clair and SugarBeats are a pair of well greased cream machines that I played with before, they had those swampstompin gatorgroomin grooves that just seemed to fit. Vicky Twist came outta nowhre, she just shot in like a hotrod on a comet tail and landed on us like a ten tonne lump hammer. Between us…. well, you seen what fresh kinda hell an havoc we make.
You are already well known in Nottingham and branching out, where do you see yourself in 5 years? The band must be a huge part of your life as we know you have your band name tattoo’ed on your back.
Leatherclad and dangerous. Two steps from rehab and a father of 50. Most of our gigs are outta town now, we’re playing more and more gigs in different cities, getting asked to play at festivals like Glasonbudget and DV8, we only been going for just over a year and things are gettin good quick. 5 years time? Hell, I wanna run rings around the rings ‘round Saturn, I wanna be the first man in stockings on the moon, the first band on Mars. InterStellar LadyRaidin brought to you from Outer Space. And yeah I gotta band tat – three weeks after we got together.
What is the most exciting gig you’ve ever done?
Rescue Rooms was hell of a date, a nice big stage to run ‘round on, the venue pretty much at capacity. 12Bar in Soho stands out- things were going badly, an hour late on stage, the venue was getting empty, but just as soon as we started to play the place got filled by the best kinda people. Legs to look up, dresses to chow down on, girders t hang from, everyone just wanted t dance an play. Awesome.
If you could gig anywhere, where would it be and why?
The Moon man, get come shedevil craterbabys rockin to the ‘Tones and get it sent back to Earth via some kinda satellite. CBGBs in it’s hayday. Give us a set of white horses t ride in on and we’d have been there. If you could stick me in a line up with Raw Power era Stooges, Standells, Johnny Cash and The Cramps I’d play just about anywhere.
When did you first get into tattoo’s?
Best part of a year ago, startin’ with one on mah hip.
Do they all have a meaning?
The Dick Venom & the Terrortones logo means a heap, I got the RKO symbol because they made a bunch of shit kickin’ films like King Kong and It’s A Wonderful Life, aint seen em? Watch em! ‘Specially Wonderful Life. An I guess I’m a sucker for ol’ sci-fis so the The Day The day The Earth Stood Still just stood out as a pice of 50’s awesomeness. ‘At’s the tat in the pic.
Do you think there is a relationship between tattoos and music?
I think there’s a something that connects a permanent mark on your skin to a passion. Mine’s music and sci-fi so that’s what I got.
And finally, tell us a random fact about yourself you would like people to know.
I got six nipples an awl of ‘em are tinglin’.
