The Polecats were all quite young when you started out, can you describe what the early days were like?
It was pretty mad, but we were all very young, things snowballed and we just went with the flow....

Looking back, what was your best/most succesful period so far and is there any particular moment that sticks to mind?
With the Polecats it was 1981 - we had an album and three singles out, never sat still for 2 seconds.

Are you happy with what you've achieved so far with the Polecats?
Well, obviously I wish that the records had sold more! But I guess we didn't do too bad for a bunch of young upstarts from North London...

What are the Polecat's future plans?
Further shows and maybe some recording.

Which depends on what?
Obviously on timing and everyone's availability, writing some new tunes, and, and, and....

You play quite a lot of instruments, is there a particular one besides guitar that you use for developing songs?
Not really - I might pick up a different instrument or a guitar with a different tuning to get a different vibe, but it's mainly guitar.

Did you ever consider any other career options before you started doing music professionally?
No, not really... I couldn't really do anything else, it had to be something music related.

Are you currently involved in any other projects besides the Polecats and Morrissey?
Yes, Sophisticated Savage, a strange mixture of Lounge and all things Lo-Fi with the wondrous Juliene on vocals who was in "Eyes wide shut". I'm also trying to do some work with Cathal Smith on a TV Animation soundtrack, and with his band the Velvet Ghost. Then maybe a Swedish gig with the Deltas... I'm trying to get the Sonny George prison gig off the ground, then maybe some collaborations with Dave Barb - who came round for tea and cheesey toast today by the way. Then hopefully some European and LA shows with the Polecats, and lots of other things too.....

Do you have idols, and is there anyone you'd like to play with?
Yes, Marc Bolan... Too many heroes to name them.

Quite recently some 50ies accessories were adopted by mainstream fashion - would you welcome it if Rockabilly music and style became more popular?
Of course - anything is most welcome in those areas!

How did your work with Adam Ant come about and will there be any more in the future?
I worked with Marco (Pirronni, Adam Ant's songwriting partner) when I engineered at Chrysalis Records, and it was his idea. They just put out a box set that has a couple of my things on it - I'd love to do more, so who knows?

Do you keep an eye on current musical developments or bands? Do you care at all about what's going on in the charts?
I find it hard to find new stuff that I like. If I like a particular song by a new band and buy the album, it usually remains the only track I like on the whole record. Unfortunately I don't think there's much consistency in today's pop world.

Is your wife Lyn currently involved in any musical projects? (She's a pretty wicked bass player!)
She plays with me when we play with Sonny George, the ex-singer from the Planet Rockers. She's pretty busy but she does find the time. And then she got asked to go to Spain for some blues gigs the other night.

Has the appeal of playing live changed for you in the past 20odd years?
No, I absolutely love it! But I think I take a bit more care over presentation and rehearsals these days.

Do you notice any difference in the behaviour of audiences in different countries?
In the early days Europe was mad! The people never danced to bands in the UK but when we got over to the continent they went mad.... Our first trip to Germany was in 1979, we played the SO36 club in Berlin and the Top Twenty in Hamburg, then a festival in Eindhoven, Holland. Then later on, Finland was pretty crazy for us, and much later Japan welcomed us very warmly.

The Polecats recently had some of their stuff re-released on cd and quite a bit is out on Napster and such - I guess it means that your material is now available for a wider, "lazier" type of audience who wouldn't necessarily go out of their way to collect records. Do you notic any change in the kind of people you attract due to that (younger, more mainstream, etc.)?
Hm, not really but if it makes our music more available to a wider, unsuspecting audience surely that's not a bad thing. Nowadays we get some great chicano boys coming to see us in Los Angeles.

Is there any song in music history that you wish you'd written?
Hm - Happy birthday!