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| JOHNNY PANIC What was the hardest thing about making the decision to stop playing live with the band? There was no difficulty really, the paintings I'm working on now really kinda dictated it for me. There was a programme on the T.V. where Tracey Emin asked Maggi Hambling if she regretted never having any children (meaning had she sacrificed this for her art) her reply was if her painting was crying out in one room and a child in the other, she probably would go to the child. My point is that you can have many things, but only one great thing at a time. What's you favourite band you played with? I'm still listening a lot to Color of Fire's Pearl Necklace, I really like this record, its sad there won't be anymore. The last track is a moment of near prefection. We did a couple of gigs with Rachael Stamp who were so sleazy cool and great to watch and it was a great honor playing with the Hanoi Rocks at Rock in Castle Scarborough, even though they were a bit crap that gig! Mike Monroe is king though. Ariel X are always good lads they lent us their van once perhaps not again though. What do you think you'll miss most about performing? Invincibility! you know, that feeling when you're out pissed with your mates, you can do anything. What was your most memorable gig? The Bierkeller Bristol for playing to 0 peoples, Nirvana club Wigan for thousands of peoples, mostly spitting kids (and the foam party!) got married that night.....but lost her number, Villa de Mouras Portugal for supporting Nightwish Ha! and the Marquee, very aptly a legendary JP gig, the photo of Rob stukaring the crowd from the rafters is in the VD sleeve notes. What has been your favourite hair style? I always wanted a slicked Elvis cut. despite belief, I can't get away with absolutely everything. What's the song you'lll miss playing most? I'm actually sick to shit of playing all of them. But I'm gonna be jealous of not playing the new ones. What's been the funniest moment with JP? Stumbing into a jamaican mafia smoking den with Matt and Jonny and attempting the hottest curry at 4am in order to blend with the locals (unsuccessfully) while a 101 year old rasta spun afro pop records. The tension nearly cracked as I unwittingly sat on a fold out paper knap-kinned party table with my red stripe can that was designated "the Don's area". We hastily exited without being knifed, but attached to Gollum, the homeless bloke with an acoustic who guided us to safety and sang bob Dylan all the way to the taxi rank. He then launched into the "raging terror" of Johnny Shock cunt shit want (repeat), when we gave him money for kit kats but no prospect of sharing our already shared travelodge. Can't remember where this happened exactly, but Cheers lads for a good night. Will you always rememeber your fans? err what? I do have the worst memory, which is ironic as the whole point of making any kind of art is to be remembered. ART What type of art do you do the most? Mostly i'll be doing Francis Bacon pissed type. What is it about art that attracted you away from your music career? Music as an expression, is not all encompassing or difinitive. The band is going on to write some of their best material but we're both still learning. I always painted and "made stuff" and there's something just nagging at me to be completely selfish and concentrate on my personal ideas. da Viinci was a painter, sculptor, engineer, architect. Warhol a designer, painter, film maker, producer. I realised these people were God, but for me trying stuff is the human way. I also happen to believe my painting is pretty good. The word "artist" smears into many things you've just gotta be confidant enough to write artist as your occupation on your passport!, think mines still stock replenisher though! What inspires you? For ages I was just painting car parks, multi storey and underground NCP's, I love painting concrete. I don't see much flowers, or meadows and I don't paint people, just concrete. After Michael Landy destroyed everything he owned in C@A at Oxford Street. He went on to draw simple pictures of weeds that he found growing in pavement cracks around his old estate. It was his therapy after reaching the bottom. We he fed and nurtured them in good soil, they died, but amongst the concrete and rubbish they grew strong with vitality. My concrete pictures are kinda the same, sometimes its drenched in east end piss and kebabs all sorry, but its always strong, the foundation of usefull construction. Human "nature painting". What are you working on at the moment? more pissey car parks and KFC and Mcdonalds in sick on a friday night. I've also got an idea to paint cash points from the homesless in a sleeping bag perspective. There's this young girl that begs dirty and freezing in a blanket waiting all hours for change outside my local tesco, the store that gives you everything!!! she must have super hero resolve to look through that window all day hungry. a guy in a suit asked her what she wanted from inside once and she asked for cigarettes like a dying soldier in the films. (thanks to people who helped with questions) |