INTERVIEW WITH COCKNEY REJECTS
Dcember 2003
(QUESTIONS ASKED BY JOCKE FROM SKRAMMELBULJONG/ROCKMIX)

1. WHEN WAS THE BAND FORMED?

1978.

2. THE NAME COCKNEY REJECTS, WHY, CAN YOU TELL US THE REASON BEHIND THE NAME?

THE POSTMEN, JEFF TURNERS BAND WERE ORIGINALLY CALLED THE COCKNEY REJECTS BUT MICK NICKED THE NAME FROM THEM.

3. THE LINE UP OF THE BAND, HOW DOES IT LOOK TODAY?

MICK GEGGUS, JEFF TURNER, TONY VAN FRATER ON BASS AND LES COBB JR ON DRUMS.

4. LYRIC AND MUSIC. HOW DO YOU WORK IT OUT?

NORMALLY I’LL HAVE A FEW RIFFS GOING IN MY HEAD AND I WORK THEM OUT ACOUSTICALLY BEFORE ELECTRIC.

5. WHERE DOES THE IDEAS TO THE LYRICS CAME FROM?

MOST LYRICS NOWADAYS ARE WRITTEN BY JEFF.

6. WHAT KIND OF BAND WOULD YOU LIKE TO CALL COCKNEY REJECTS NOWADAYS? PUNK BAND OR HAS THERE BEEN A CHANGE?

ROCK PUNK!

7. THROUGH THE YEARS, ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL GIG THAT YOU REMEMBER AS THE BEST/WORST?

BIRMINGHAM GIGS WAS THE WORST FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, MOST GIGS NOWADAYS ARE GREAT.

8. THE AUDIENCE, IS IT THE SAME SORT OF PEOPLE NOWADAYS OR HAS IT CHANGED MUCH?

NO, LOTS OF KIDS ARE COMING THROUGH, RANCID FANS, SKATER PUNKS PLUS THE OLD SCHOOL. THEY ALL KNOW WE’RE THE BEST!

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SWEDISH ARTIST SNODDAS?

I’M AFRAID I HAVEN’T HEARD SNODDAS YET. MAYBE YOU COULD SEND ME A CD?

10. HAVE YOU GOT ANY SPECIAL INFLUENCES?

YEAH-FROM QUEEN, LED ZEPPELIN, NAZARETH, PISTOLS & THE CLASH AND RAMONES.

11. THE NEW PUNK/Oi! BANDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THEM?

THERE’S SOME GOOD BANDS OUT THERE.

12. DO YOU THINK THAT THERE ARE ANY INTERESTING SWEDISH BANDS?

I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE FROM THE SWEDISH SCENE.

13. HAVE YOU PLANNED TO RELEASE ANY NEW RECORDINGS?

A NEW ALBUM NEXT YEAR.

14. WHEN THE RECORD WILD ONES WAS RELEASED THE SOUND SUDDENLY CHANGED IN A DRAMATICALLY WAY, SO MUCH THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNOW STOPPED LISTENING TO COCKNEY REJECTS. WHAT DID HAPPEN THAT MADE THAT TOTALLY SOUND CHANGE?

WE HAD MADE 3 PUNK ALBUMS, AND WE FANCIED A ROCK ALBUM AS WE ALWAYS LOVED ROCK TOO, WE DON’T REGRET IT.

15. NOWADAYS HOW DOES COCKNEY REJECTS SOUND?

ROCK PUNK!

16. WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO SE/HEAR IF I GO TO A COCKNEY REJECTS GIG?

THE BEST, LOUDEST MOST FUN HOUR AND A HALF EVER!

17. HOW ABOUT TOURS, ANY PLANNED? IS THERE A CHANCE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PLAY IN SWEDEN?

WE WOULD LOVE TO PLAY IN SWEDEN. WE JUST NEED TO HEAR FROM SWEDISH PROMOTERS! SO FAR NONE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT.

18. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS PLAYING IN OTHER BANDS?

TONY VAN FRATER IS THE LEAD GUITARIST FOR SUNDERLAND’S RED ALERT.

19. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT COCKNEY REJECTS?

THAT WELL´ ALWAYS BE HONEST WITH YOU.

20. ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL THINGS YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT DOING MUSIC? (FOOTBALL, DRINKING, FLASHING OR OTHER INTERESTING HOBBIES)

I´M REALLY BORING! FOR TEN YEARS I HAVE BEEN WEIGHT TRAINING FOUR TIMES A WEEK, I CYCLE EVERY DAY AND I PLAY DARTS EVERY WEEKEND!

CHEERS.