For many years Duncan was bassist and sometime vocalist for one of the most underrated Pop/Punk bands on the planet called The Boys and last year stepped out on his lonesome to begin a new journey in his life. His first album 'Little Big Head' has just recently been released.
S4L: So, you have a new album out called 'Little Big Head', is this your first as a solo artist?
DR: Yes. I never imagined that I would make a solo record. I was
always committed to The Boys and never had the confidence to say "I'm
going to make a record of my own". It was only because other people said
to me "you should make a solo record" that I did it, people like ex
Boys drummer Vom Ritchie and Honest John Plain.
S4L: It appears that
various members of The Boys have been putting music out under their own names
for many years now, how come it's taken you so long to do finally get an album
out of your own material?
DR: I didn't have any songs for a start! I was never a major
songwriter for The Boys. I tried to write songs when I was younger but found it
really hard. It never entered my head to try until John Plain, who was making a
solo record which eventually became The Mattless Boys album, asked me to write
a few songs.
I loved the writing so much and found it so easy that, after
that album, I just kept on going.
S4L: After so many years in the business do you
still find joy when it comes to having to sit down and write a bunch of new
songs and then go into the studio to record them? What songs in particular from
the new album are you particularly proud of?
DR: I love it. When a new song comes together and I get it
recorded for the first time I can't stop listening to it. It's like having a
new baby that you can't stop staring at. Drives my wife and daughter mad!
I'm so proud of the whole album that its hard to pick one
song out. The song which closes the album, Rolling On, is special because its
about my whole life in 3 minutes. It's also one of the songs I play piano on which
I'm still amazed I can do.
S4L: Listening to the album there is still a bit
of a Boys feel to it, was that a concious thing or is that just the sound you
enjoy the most, that kind of poppy punk type sound?
DR: I'm pretty sure that one of the reasons I suddenly found it
easy to write songs is that I stopped worrying about what is fashionable or
what other people might think. In other words I started writing just for myself
and writing the kind of music I like, about subjects I wanted to write about.
And the music I like most are songs with a good tune, rocking guitars and
plenty of backing vocals and harmonies. I've tried to go for a different sound
to The Boys on the album but there's bound to be a big Boys influence because I
think The Boys are great and I love the records.
S4L: Did you get a band together for the album and is that the same crowd
who are going out to a few live dates with you next month?
DR: I wanted to make the album very personal and so took the
decision to play most of it myself. I play just about everything: guitar, bass,
keyboards, lead vocal, backing vocals. Vom Ritchie plays drums and there are
the odd guest appearances from James Stevenson (Chelsea, Generation X, Gene
Loves Jezebel etc) who plays some great guitar on a couple of tracks, Big Nigel
Banks who adds some slide guitar and the producer Tony Barber who put a little
bit of guitar on a couple of tracks when I wasn't looking ;).
I've put a band, The Big Heads, together since and that's
who are playing live with me now.
S4L: Do you feel anxious
at all about how your solo material will be received and about how those live
dates will go? Also, do you still get a kick out of playing live? You've been
doing it for many years now, does it every get stale for you or is every show
an adventure you look forward to?
DR: Before the record came out I was really anxious but now I'm
not at all because the reaction has just been so overwhelmingly good. It's so
great getting everyone's feedback from all over the world and really exciting
to see the cds going out and the number of video hits going up on You Tube. (Check out the video for 'Montevideo' by clicking this link")
I love playing live as well. It's something I've always
found easy to do. I become a different person on stage. This big headed show
off comes out from goodness knows where and I have no idea what I'm doing or
any control over it. At its best, when they know the songs, it's almost as if I
can play the audience like a musical instrument. It's all I want really, just
the ability and wherewithal to play.
S4L: The poster for your
up and coming tour says "former frontman of UK punk legends The Boys"
- am I reading too much into that or have you set yourself apart from The Boys
and now focusing on your solo career?
DR: I left The Boys a year ago just before I started recording
the album. The last concert was in Osaka, Japan so, yes, it's all about
spreading the word for Little Big Head now.
S4L: You recently played
in Germany? How did that go? You seem to be well liked over there? Does it
excite you that people still come out to see you?
DR: We've played two tours of Germany, a couple of London shows
including the 100 Club and Leafest. The reaction has been great. The new songs
have gone down so well, I've played a couple of Mattless Boys songs and, of
course, it's always great playing some old Boys classics.
I'm really lucky that The Boys' name gives me the ability to
play live but I sense that it's really going to build with a new following in
the future. I'm really, really grateful to everyone who comes along.
S4L: The Boys released
some brilliant singles and albums back in the late 70's, why on earth do you
think that the band were not bigger and more known? You always seemed to hit
some bad luck with your record companies, did that dishearten you or did that
just spur you on to do the best that you could do when you had the opporunity
to play live?
DR: I think there were a number of reasons why The Boys were not
as big as they should have been. There was certainly bad luck involved like
Elvis Presley dying when we had the same distributor and our album had just
been released. Part of it was down to ourselves though. Drinking and the search
for a good time was always high on the list of priorities for The Boys.
S4L: Are you amazed at how
the music of The Boys has stood the test of time and is being discovered by
younger audiences and spoken of as being an influence of some of the bands who
are currently in the limelight? Did you ever imagine when you first put out 'I Don't
Care/Sick on You' that people would still be listening 35 years later?
DR: When we recorded our first album I imagined that we would be
bigger than The Rolling Stones so I'm not at all surprised that those early
records are still being listened to.
When The Boys got back together in 1999
after an 18 year break, though, I was amazed that there was this following all
around the world, From Japan to South America, Germany, Italy, Spain, the USA
etc.
I really like hearing the bands, big and small, all over the
world covering the songs. It's flattering to hear groups like Green Day using
riffs and chord changes taken directly from Boys songs. There's nothing wrong
with borrowing musically. Anyone who's any good has done it from year dot.
S4L:Do you have a
favourite moment/record/gig from those early days of The Boys?
DR: It's quite hazy to be honest. Touring with The Ramones was
great because they meant so much to me. I remember a festival at Mont de Marsan
in France where The Clash, Damned, Jam, Police, Dr Feelgood and we were
playing. Heady days. Captain Sensible fell off the stage and was carried off on
a stretcher. He sat up halfway to the ambulance, jumped off and ran away from
the chasing ambulance men.
S4L: Do you have a
favourite artist and album/song that has been part of your soundtrack4life down
through the years?
DR: If there was just one record to take to a desert island it
would be The Ramones second album 'Leave Home'. Hard choice between that and The Beatles 'White Album' though.
S4L: After years in the
music business if you were given the opportunity to share three things with up
and coming bands that will help them in their journey what would those three
things be?
DR: Don't crap on people. Good manners and consideration are
free. It's easy to get bigheaded when everyone's saying you're great.
Try to be as good as you can be.
Try to enjoy it.
S4L: Lastly, if Duncan
Reid of 2012 managed to find a time machine and went back to 1977, what would
he say to Duncan Reid as he is just starting out his recording career as a
piece of sound advice?
DR: Don't sign to NEMS record label because Polydor are going to
come along in a few weeks wanting to sign you and when they can't they will
sign The Jam instead! Other than that there's nothing I could change so I
wouldn't bother.
photos courtesy of Duncan Reid
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