My Life in Punk Rock - The End

My involvement with the band wavered a bit towards the end. Rat and I did some stuff with Keith Allen for a Comic Strip Presents... show. Unfortunately, nothing came of it. The producers gave the job to Trevor Horn, and the show bombed. Back in Damnedland, Rat wanted an extra track for the album, but I couldn't turn up on the day. This pissed Rat off, so he got Glen Matlock to record it. This pissed me off. Then Glen and I both turned up on the same day to do overdubs and stuff. This pissed me off more. Ratty and I had a chat, and then I went home. When Dave heard Glen's stuff he got pissed off. He felt it wasn't very good and I was inclined to agree. Fortunately we're all adults, so we forgot the whole thing. I replaced some of the stuff Glen did, which I doubt pissed Glen off at all. We decided to tour again. Rat had got his own studio under Kew Bridge, so we went there to rehearse.

As Alan had gone, we needed a Hammond player. James was up for it, but unfortunately, beret wearing, red wine sipping, goatee'd halfwits in beatnik stripy sweaters still needed the jazz fix, so thanks to his management, James was out. Rat stuck an ad in the trade rags and we waited for calls. We got just one, and Dave Grunfeld (not Dave Greenfield, nor indeed a German version of him) was that one. He was a patents officer for Glaxo. He had a van with a Hammond in it, and he arrived with quantities of quality beer. He played, we were po-faced. He asked if we'd seen many people, we lied. He played more, we ummed and aahed. He decided he'd blown it, but he was great from the start. We said we'd let him know. Once he'd packed his gear, Rat told him he was in. For our next excursion, we toured civic halls and council run venues, which was posh. Big riders, good hotels, same punters. Then we did some toilets around the place and eventually ran out of steam in mid-1995. I'd left London by then, and the animosity between senior members was returning. Rat wanted credibility and career, Dave needed money as he was going through a divorce. Rat lost out, Dave pissed off with the Captain to do the cabaret circuit, without the Damned name for legal reasons. Eventually Rat let them have the name, which he was sole owner of, following previous splits in the line up.

Some time later, Dave contacted me after Paul Gray pulled out of a tour. Nothing ever came of it. Dave realised that if he got his girlfriend in on bass, they could keep more of the money. Patricia Morrison had previously appeared with Gun Club and The Sisters of Mercy. It was fun while it lasted, I made money, but was never inspired by the new songs. There were a few better ones, but there were shit ones too. Where's the inspiration to come up with bass parts and harmonies and guitar riffs round two chords and some crass lyrics? Dolli felt the same way. Rat, bless him, had faith in it all, but it didn't happen and he quit. For four years we fooled some of them some of the time, and it was a laugh. I don't regret it at all. Playing the old stuff was brilliant. Long live The Damned, whoever they may be these days.