Pins & Skunks #2 - June 1998
E-mail: punksnskins@rocketmail.com
Pins & Skunks Homepage

First off, what material have you released so far? Where is it available, and what plans have you got for future releases?
Ok, here you are the Obnoxious! discography :
1991 : "Mummy is there life before death ?" First demo tape with 4 songs, 150 copies only, sold out.
1992/1993 : "Sickness" First EP contains 10 songs, blue wax, 500 copies, sold out.
1994 : "Punk (Puke) till death" 12" Picture disc, contains 28 songs, 500 copies, sold out.
1996 : "Last Vomit" 10" Yellow wax, contains 13 trax & a shit, 500 copies still available at DROP DEAD - 3, rue de Berne - 67000 Strasbourg - France for $7. It's up to you to convert money to £ and other...
"Sickness" EP is available in two different colors now, grey or marble red black & white with a new sleeve... Write to me for more infos... We don't know actually if we carry on with this band, maybe a new record for the end of 1998...

With the stuff I've heard from you, you seem to have a variety of influences - from discore to a more '77 style - but all very intense. What bands have influenced you?
A lot of influences... First, all about punk rock of the 80's like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks... But Exploited, Discharge, One Way System, Disorder was very important for me too... All these bands contributed to keep me alive... Yes, they saved myself...

I've not heard many other French bands, what is the scene like over there?
Just shit, i don't care about french scene just because most of the bands sucks, if think they're daddy's boys, this is alternative music for me, not punk... They killed punk... Fuck them...

It seems you sing your songs mainly in English? Is that to appeal to a wider audience or what?
Just because english speech sounds great, but it's right it's also to be an international band, not a country shitty band... Anyway, it's difficult to sing in french and to not seems stupid...

What sort of things are covered in your lyrics? You seem to have quite a political stance with your songs, do you think it is important to try and get a message across with your lyrics?
Most of my lyrics are personnal, they talk about my life and what i can't bear in this fucking life like everybody does in they lyrics i think... I don't sing to give lesson to people, i'm not god, just a guy who has a lot of difficulties to carry on living... Singing is a way to keep the pressure, to spend anger inside me, to evacuate sadness, just to let off steam...

How long have the band been around? How has the line-up changed over that time, and where have you played gigs?
The band doesn't really exist... One day, i decide to shout and play as faster as i can, i took a home studio recorder tape, a drum machine, i asked for a friend Ricky to play bass on Obnoxious! songs, the band was that... Nothing more... We never played gigs, dude!!! According to the story, i just wanna specify that the track "yugoslavia" is a false gig recording... Sorry, i was sure that people understood the swindle...

What other bands, if any, have the Obnoxious! members been in? Are you involved in any other projects (musical or non-musical)?
Ok, Ricky tried to make a new musical project vainly... He has a label called "Fight 45 rds" and has made a lot of records like Oi Polloi, Disorder...and Obnoxious! too. Ask him for his big distro list !!! I actually played and sing in a different band called Dead End. Our music is easier to listen than Obnoxious!. It's punk/pop/rock... Seb, our drummer who plays on the "last vomit" come from Dead End too. Visit our site & listen our trax : http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/1881/ Our album is coming soon... Maybe in june.

Do you tend to concentrate on French politics, or global issues that concern you?
Sometimes i do but i got a fed up about french politicians... They lies, i already knew that but i had some hopes... They don't keep their promises, i'm quickly disappointed so i give up... Now, just my circle of friends, family, girlfriend & my two cats are important... I don't give a shit about anything...

Your 'Sickness' e.p. was available in grey vinyl.... was there a deliberate meaning behind that (the concrete development of the world? the decay of society?) or did you just feel like it?
Oh nothing to do with it... Ricky asked to the records factory to make the wax black & white and they (bloody bastard) melt all & then it's grey... But our 3rd reissue is marble black, white and red...

So what gigs have you got planned? Are you planning to play here in the near future (UK)?
Hmmm... We will love it but i don't know if we could one day... Obnoxious! is not a perpetual band, it's a short-lived band... This band was just a rescue for my life, sometimes i need it, sometimes i burst it out... I don't know what to do with it... Wait & see...

Do you get involved in the UK, or european, DIY scene much, or is there enough to keep you going over there? I think it's great that there seems to be such a flow of ideas globally now within the punk scene - do you see this trend increasing?
Yes i'm agree with you but something bother me... I think most of the people who took part in all these actions became quickly a little bit extremist... "You don't have to eat meat, you don't need money if you play punk-rock, be a communard and shut up" ... To them i say fuck you... That's not the way a get my kick... 10 years ago, this scene wasn't like this... Do it yourself is do it yourself... That's all... I don't need these extremists to know what i have to do... I hope you too readers !!!

OK, thats it for now, anything else you'd like to mention that i've missed out? Any ranting or raving (argh!) you'd like to do?
Punk is a way of life, your way of life that YOU have decided to live... Not what your friends, parents or wankers decided for you... Thank you Steve and good luck for your zine... Thank you Bruce, you know who you are and thank you people who took pains to drop me a line or two... I don't forget you even if i didn't give you an answer yet... Idle

Wattie.