Jones goes One on One with Derwood from Generation X and Empire

 

 

Hi Derwood!
How’s your day?  

HOT AND SUNNY.

For the readers who don’t know you; Who the hell is Derwood?

 

THAT'S ME, BOB 'DERWOOD' ANDREWS. A GUITARIST FROM THE PUNK DAYS OF THE 70'S. A VOLUNTEER FOR GENERATION X.

What are you up to in 2007?

 

FINISHING MY FIRST SOLO ALBUM, I MAY BE QUITE SOME TIME.

Do you keep in touch with the other guys in Generation X?

 

NO. NOW AND AGAIN I WILL HEAR FROM LAFF.

Seems like we are seeing a lot of re-union of punk bands these days. What do you think about that? Will we ever see a reunited Gen X?

 

I THINK IT'S GOOD FOR FANS WHO DIDN'T SEE THE BANDS THE FIRST TIME ROUND. WE DID A SHOW IN 1993 AFTER A BILLY IDOL GIG. IT WAS FUN, BUT I DON'T SEE IT HAPPENING AGAIN. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO WOULD CARE, INCLUDING ME.

How did you meet the guys in Generation X?

 

I MET BILLY AT MY FIRST GIG WHEN I WAS 17, I JOINED GENERATION X THE NEXT WEEK.

What made you and Mark Laff leave the band in 1980?

 

I LEFT TWICE, ONCE IN MAY '79 AND CAME BACK TO TOUR JAPAN AND TRY AND FINISH THE THIRD ALBUM, AND FOR THE LAST TIME IN DECEMBER '79. THE 'LEADERS' OF THE BAND WERE HEADING SOMEWHERE I DIDN'T WANT TO FOLLOW. MY HUNCH WAS CONFIRMED 6 MONTHS LATER WHEN BILLY APPEARED ON TV IN HIGH HEELS AND STOCKINGS.
MARK WAS SACKED.

Did you have any problems playing Top of the Pops as one of the first punk
bands? What response did you get from other bands and fans?

 

I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT TO APPEAR ON A SHOW THAT I'D BEEN WATCHING SINCE I WAS VERY YOUNG. IT WAS A MILESTONE TO ME. WE WEREN'T VERY POPULAR WITH OTHER BANDS, WHICH WAS FINE. WE WERE THE FIRST, THAT'S ALL THAT COUNTS.

What do you remember from the 21 December at the Roxy? I keep hearing you were the first band to play this classic venue. What do you feel when looking back?

 

YES, WE WERE THE FIRST THERE ALSO. NOT THE CLASH AS WRITTEN. FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS IT WAS GREAT, SOMETHING NEW TO BE A PART OF. THEN IT GOT REAL OLD- REAL QUICK.


Tell me about how you came up with Empire? What were your influences? How do you feel about inspiring the whole DC punk scene?

 

BY THE TIME I HAD BEEN GIVEN MY EQUIPMENT BACK, MARK WAS FREE TO JOIN ME WITH IDEAS. WE WERE STILL ONLY 20 YEARS OLD AND IT WAS FUN TO BE IN CONTROL AND WRITING OUR OWN SONGS. WE PLAYED A SMALL NUMBER OF SHOWS AND RELEASED ONE ALBUM 'EXPENSIVE SOUND' IN 1981. IT FELL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT UNTIL 20 YEARS LATER I STARTED TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE FROM THE DC PUNK THING. THEY WERE SAYING WHAT A GREAT ALBUM IT WAS. I WAS VERY SHOCKED AND PLEASED THAT IT MEANT SOMETHING TO SOMEONE A WORLD AWAY, EVEN IF IT WAS YEARS LATER. VERY COOL.

Do you still get appreciation from those people?

 

YES, NOW AND AGAIN SOMEONE WILL SURPRISE ME.

Why didn’t you guys stick together?

 

WE WERE TOO SENSITIVE TO OTHER PEOPLES OPINIONS I GUESS. SOMETHING I'VE DEALT WITH SINCE.

What more bands have you been in?

 

I FORMED 'WESTWORLD' ABOUT '86. WE HAD A GOOD TIME WITH THAT AND THEN TEN YEARS LATER WE TRIED SOMETHING NEW AND FORMED MOONDOGG.

Tell me about your more recent musical projects!!

 

PLAYING GUITAR FOR VARIOUS PEOPLE, NOTHING TOO SERIOUS. AND WORKING ON A SOLO CD, AGAIN NOT TOO SERIOUS.

What are your proudest moment as a musician?

 

SHOWING MY FAMILY THAT I WASN'T SO USELESS, AND THERE SUPPORT WAS JUSTIFIED.

When did you move to the States? Where do you live?

 

I FIRST CAME TO LA IN '83 AND GOT MARRIED. THAT DIDN'T LAST BUT MY LOVE FOR AMERICA DID. I LIVE IN THE MOJAVI DESERT.

How do you like it there? What’s different from the UK?

 

I LOVE IT. IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF MISERY FROM THE UK!.......... KIDDING!

Is punk dead? When did it die?

 

NO, BUT ROCK'N'ROLL IS.

Who are your influences as a guitar player?

 

JIMI HENDRIX, PAUL KOSSOFF, BO DIDDLEY, WILKO JOHNSON, ROBIN TROWER, MARC BOLAN, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, HANK B MARVIN TO NAME A FEW.

When did you start playing?

 

ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD.

What guitars are you playing?

 

USUALLY OLD FENDER STRATS.

If it wasn’t for your music career, what would you do?

I WOULD OF BEEN A SPEEDWAY STAR, I DID IT UNTIL I WAS 16.

Do you have any formal education?

 

SELF TAUGHT REALLY. I LEFT SCHOOL AT 15.

Where do you see yourself in ten years Derwood?

 

HOPEFULLY RIGHT HERE, AND HEALTHY. LIKE AN OLD CACTUS AND MAYBE 1 INCH TALLER!

Ok mate thanks for your time. Have a nice day. Anything else you wanna add to the readers of Punkglobe Magazine...

 

THANKS FOR THE QUESTIONS.


Cheers
Jonesy Vigilante