How did you get into music?
It was always around my house when growing up. My mum was a huge Dylan/Springsteen fan, and my dad was more in to Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. I first started to learn the guitar properly in 5th year of high school, and that’s when I formed my first band. It lasted till around 2003 until we broke up and I went ‘solo’. Have been doing that ever since. Gig 200 is in December in Dundee, can’t wait.
What’s next for your band?
We’ve got a few things planned. A cut down version of the band will see the year out with a support slot with The Wonder Stuff on 27th of October, and then with Chris T-T/Franz Nicolay in December in Glasgow. We’re waiting for our drummer to finish drum tech duties with Uriah Heap before we can really push the band. Have recordings and gigs planned, so hopefully folk will hear a lot more from us in 2012.
When did you get your first tattoo?
I got my first tattoo quite late, on my birthday of last year. 2nd July 2010. It was my Mischief Brew tattoo “May all we do be all for our delight”. I had the band up to Dundee to play a gig at Deacon Brodies and afterwards they all stayed at my flat here (I live up here now). In the morning, my drummer’s wife, Steph, had her tattoo gear with her and did it for me (all hygienically I should add!). She’s done a lot of my friends tattoos around Greenock and Glasgow. She also did my other one a few months later.
What made you choose lyrics?
I’m a lyrics type of person, most of my favourite songs are very heavily based on the lyrics. I’m not really a fan of instrumental music. And, I kind of see myself as a songwriter rather than a singer of songs (although, I do that too), so just decided that my first tattoos would be lyrics.
Why those lyrics in particular?
“May all we do be all for our delight” is kind of my motto, it’s from a Mischief Brew song called “Ain’t That The Life”, and I also used it in the first few pages of my Phd Thesis. The other one is the lyrics “If I should fall behind, wait for me”, which is from a Springsteen Song. My wife and I had it as a reading during our wedding, so it seemed fitting to have that as a tattoo. The marriage and my phd are two of my big ‘adult’ milestones in my life.
Any other tattoos planned?
I’m planning on getting a couple more. Only once I’ve really decided on is the guitar logo that my drummer, Woody, came up with for the band. It’s the simple line-art thing that can be seen on the front of my new album. Again, going with the milestone things, this was the first album I’ve released through a label, after 10 years of doing it all myself! I’ll no doubt ask Steph to do this one aswell.
