1. Could you introduce yourself please. How did you acquire the nickname 'Mid', & how long have you had it?
Hello I am a confused and deluded fellow muddling through life on a staple diet of art and punk rock. Why 'Mid' ?…why not. But a lot of folk just know me as plain ol' Rob these days. To anyone who knows my full name it all becomes apparent and unfortunately dull.
2. How old were you when you first got into Punk/Hardcore and what was it about the music that grabbed your attention? What kind of stuff are you listening to nowadays? What are your opinions the British Punk/Hardcore scenes of today? Have any of your political opinions changed as you've grown older?
When I bought my first punk 7" ("something else" by the Sex Pistols) I was a mere nipper at 12 years old, and this I decided was my passport to happy oblivion. Of course I only bought it because of the notoriety "Frigging in the rigging" on the B-side had gained in school. The kid I was buying it from was only selling it because his parents had banned it from his house, and oddly enough that is the same reaction it got from my parents…oh yes indeed, these were the days when swearing in songs was still very much big, clever and pure rebellion. And so here I am, a scary 21 years later…is it still punk to say "arse" to old (errr, I mean "older") people ? Yesiree bob.
Nowadays I listen to something different everyday, right across the punk/hardcore spectrum depending on my mood…, er, whats the noises of today ?, lots of dischoradant chaos like Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, Coalesce , Nora etc. But then again I still have a huge soft spot for the far mellower sounds of Sense Field…or maybe somewhere in between..i.e By a Thread or Judas factor…or…..or….it goes on and on and on.
The British scene is blossoming, it still gives me such a buzz..theres so much great stuff out there. Personal live faves of late include Abjure, Medulla Nocte, Imbalance, charger and a million others.
Politically, I dunno…I really don't think of myself as political, I'm a terrible cynic, but politics of all kinds (punk politics included) bore the fuck out of me. Is that to say I don't care ? I don't think so, my basic values haven't altered, but my perspectives have. I do sometimes feel slack and I think I should take time out to re-educate myself. It'd be easy to say…"oh yeah, fuck this..fuck that. " etc to gain a few cred punk points, but I'm not gonna make a lot of noise unless it's sincere and informed.3. I know that you used to play for Norfolk's Celtic Frost influenced grinders Deviated Instinct, but were you in any bands before that? Did you have any particular aims when the band was formed? Are any of the releases you did still available? (if you know anyone who's got a copy of the 'Definitive Instinct' CD that they're willing to sell, then I'm desperate to get my hands on it because I now really regret selling my vinyl!!) Are you still in touch with the other guys (Snapa, Tom, Lego, Charlie etc) who used to be in the band?
Like most people I was in various half arsed bands at school and stuff. First band I was in were called DEGRADE, I played drums and we were hopeless, then in 81-83 I was in a band called CAUTIOUS APPROACH as vocalist, Simon of GOOBER PATROL was the guitarist, we used to do a wicked cover of Chron-Gens "lies"…oooh them were the days.
When D.I formed in 84 we were all heavily involved in the Anarcho-punk scene, there was a lot of demos and direct action and stuff going on. I guess politics was the main aim, we had hundreds of backdrops and used to do great rambling handouts for each gig etc, we were one of a million little crass's about at the time. We were vegan, straight-edge, living in a squat… Then we sold our souls to metal and alchohol and won gold awards at being a shambles…but it was fun. Regarding past members, there were about 11 or 12 people in D.I over the years, what happened to most of them is anyones guess. I've pretty much lost touch with most of them years ago. Snapa is still my best mate though, and we're still doing music together with BAIT. Charlie now drums for local Ska-punkers THE STEPTONES so I bump into him from time to time. I havn't seen Leggo in 6 or 7 years though I'd like to think our paths might cross again sometime, it would be good to catch up with the ugly old git and see what he's up to.4. Even though I've now been SxE for a few years I still remember DI's old slogans like Terminal Filth Stenchcore & Drink Ye Flaggons Dribble & Die, but who came up with these & what are your opinions on the SxE movement?
The "stenchcore" thing was a collective choice and was purely as a joke, it was in response to all the ludicrous "core`s" going about at the time. This was about 86 and we used to play at the legendary Birmingham Mermaid about once a month, and we had a bit of a reputation for being a bit..errr…scummy, so we just made a joke out of it. But people took the whole thing far too seriously and before you knew it there was this big "Stenchcore" and "Crust" thing with people rubbing marg on their trousers, soaking their t-shirts in old tea and burying them in the garden etc….it was quite laughable. Drink ye flaggons was a t-shirt design I came up with, well, we were a bunch of drunkards by now and highly proud of it..homebrew and scrumpy was the order of the day and a gig wasn't a gig if you didn't end up vomiting and comatose…we knew how to have fun I can tell you, ha ha.
At this particular moment in time I don't really drink at all, I wouldn't go as far to say I am straightedge, but for now I'm really not interested in drinking. I guess I'm more health conscious now, plus I like the idea of being clear headed and coherant for a change. Plus I have to say having an 8 year old daughter kinda puts it into perspective, she is sooooo unimpressed when I'm grouching about the house nursing a hangover…and rightly so. My views on the Straightedge movement ? Well, do what ever you want, but I would question whether it's really worth making a big song and dance about, if that's how you choose to live your life…more power to you, but a lot of the macho postering and x'd up hands seems nothing more than a fashion statement from some quarters. I doubt some peoples sincerity, but I guess it's the same with any tribal thing.5. After Deviated Instinct split you did some stuff as Spine Wrench, which was on a more Industrial basis? Why did you choose to do this instead of Punk? What all did you release as Spine Wrench and did you prefer SW's work to DI's?
Spine Wrench lasted from 92 - 96, the music just reflected a lot of what I was listening to at the time. I still felt in spirit it was still a punk band, but I was very much into a lot of stuff like Godflesh, Ministry, Foetus, Skinny puppy etc at the time. I was very happy with how it all sounded at the time but It's not something I could really get into now. We released a split album with SIN (ex-Born Against/Nausea from New York), plus five 7"s and a c.d e.p. I don't think many people really understood it, plus we didn't gig that much which is why I still have a house full of boxes of unsold records..ha ha. I don't think either D.I or Spine Wrench have really lasted the course, they both sound so horrid and dated now. It was all okay for then, but I can't really listen to any of that stuff now without cringing.
6. You have a very unique and distinctive form of artwork, but how long have you been doing work like this. When did you first realise that you had this talent? What kind of subject(s) influence you?
I really have no idea how long I've been doing this…forever I guess, it's just always been a passion. To be honest I don't have much choice about what to do…it's such a part of me, I HAVE to do it. It what I do and who I am. As regards influences, well everything influences me, just the whole world around me. I`m constantly thinking about what's coming next and I get ideas from all sorts of places, just from my environment and experiences as well as constantly looking at the work of others, plus I have a huge collection of odds and ends, bits of junk, bones, magazine and newspaper cuttings, I'm always taking photographs of stuff I see that inspires me…it's a never ending quest.
7. You did the covers for the Deviated Instinct albums ("Rock 'N' Roll Conformity" & "Guttural Breath") and later went on to do work for Napalm Death. How did the chance to do the Napalm work come about? Would you ever consider doing work for a major label/label artist, or do you stay within the Punk/Hardcore scenes?
I've obviously known the Napalm boys since the old days…countless Mermaid gigs etc. I think I got into doing their art by drunkenly hassling Barney once at a D.I, Doom and Paradise Lost gig in Brum. Although I do get a lot of bands coming straight to me I do still get jobs just by chatting to bands at gigs, that's how I scored the Medulla Nocte stuff…it's always really cool to end up doing stuff for bands I really dig.
Regarding the whole Major Label thing, I really don't know…I won't say a direct no, it would depend on many factors…what label, what band, what sort of stuff they wanted, blah, blah..I cetainly wouldn't dismiss it out of hand. But to be honest I think it's all very hypothetical, I can't see it happening. A few years back I did do quite a bit of work for bigger indies like Earache, Nuclear blast etc…whereas now I seem to do most of my stuff for much, much smaller D.I.Y labels…I don't get half as much for the work but they are MUCH cooler to do stuff for. I did a series of covers for Strange Fruit records about 10 years ago for 3 double albums compiling all the peel session stuff. One had stuff like Jimi Hendrix, Queen , T-rex etc on, and another was full of indie stuff like Happy Mondays, inspiral carpets etc. I just couldn't relate to what I was doing…I couldn't put any feel into it. Punk, hardcore, metal etc is what I understand….I'm really not intersted in doing corporate shit, it's meaningless and I don't want to prostitute myself.8. Staying on the subject of cover art - you've most recently done the artwork for the covers of the Subhumans tribute CD ("Still Can't Hear The Words") & the Cro Mags tribute CD ("Ushering In A New Age Of Quarrel"), both on Ian Glasper's Blackfish label. How did Ian come to contact you to do the work for him? Have you heard the finished releases & if so, what do you think of them? Again, how did you get your ideas for what the covers should portray?
Well I've done both album covers for Stampin' Ground, though I can't remember how that came about, but I've known Ian for years..D.i and his old band Decadence Within have toured together and stuff. Anyway when he was thinking about setting up Blackfish he gave me a call and asked whther I'd be intersted in doing regular covers for him…and that was that. Hurrah. Regarding the two tribute albums, he was fairly specific about what he wanted..obviously they are meant to represent the feel and atmosphere of the bands and the era from which they came. I think they're both great releases…we (BAIT) have a track on the Subhumans one which was a lot of fun to do.
9. Some of the work that you've also done has been along the lines of photography - the Medulla Nocte/Freebase split MCD on Blackfish for example. How did you get in to this medium & what are the advantages over pen based drawing? What kind of things do you use in your photos & how long does it normally take to turn into your warped images? Do you prefer drawing or photography?
Photography is something I love. A lot of the warped stuff I do just comes out of happy accidents from experimenting in the darkroom. It's a very immediate medium, but the way I work with images…throwing different aspects together I approach in the same way as doing a drawing. I have to say that now most of the stuff I used to do in the darkroom I do on computer, infact most of everything I do at the moment is computer based. It's pretty much revolutionised my work over the past 6 months. But I do still include elements of drawing, painting, photography etc…but now I can bring them all together to create something wholly different. It's very exciting. I don't really prefer any one thing over another. At the mo I've got heaps of deadlines to get through and I've been sat in front of this monitor for weeks so as soon as I get a chance I will just take time out to draw and make a big mess…variety is the spice of life an all that.
10. Do you have a favourite piece of work that you've done for a band? Are there any bands/other artists that you'd like to work with? Whose work inspires you the most? Are there any other talented Punk artists out there that you really admire?
Favourite piece ?..err, I'm not sure. I do like the images on the latest NAPALM DEATH release.."Leaders not followers", which are photograph and manipulated photocopy based, mainly that's because it was just personal work that they ended up using. And I am fairly chuffed with the last STAMPIN GROUND cover. Generally though my illustration stuff that most people see is quite a lot different from my own personal work. My own work is often very big and I like using all kinds of messy stuff - plaster, wax, wood stainers, steel frames etc. As for inspiration…it's constantly changing. Travis Smith who does a lot of digital based cover art work (mostly for doom and death metal bands) is a groovy chap. Plus a relatively unknown young whippet from Seattle called Nathan who works under the moniker of Menglef inc…his drawings are mad as fuck and totally mindblowing. He ought to be famous one day if he doesn't drink himself stupid first or burn out from selling too many dildos to fat businessmen.
As for big ass real "fine artists" blaaaah….check out Joel Peter Witkin, Antoni Tapies, Anselm Kiefer, The Starn twins, Andre Serrano, Franko B…to name a few.11. Do you ever charge for doing any work, and if so, how do decide how much a particular piece of work will cost or do you do it as a past time?
Aha…the 500000 dollar question. Yes I do charge ("BOOO capitalist sell-out" call the punk police) I've been selling my work for about 15 years now although it has always been just a sort of passtime…but now it is a full time concern and I have sort of set up my own business "BONEHIVE DESIGNS" that doesn't mean I actually make a living out of it yet. But if through sweat and tears I can in the future then I certainly won't have a problem with that. Having spent most of my life being a scummy punk on the dole, or an impoverished student working nights in crappy warehouses to get by, if I can survive by doing what I really love…then hurrah. Well I'm gonna give it a go anyhow, so if I fail at least I tried. Pricing work is a nightmare..I hate it. Generally I think I sell myself short..somehow I've ended up charging about a third of what I did 5 years ago…and no one ever argues when I name a price…damn I must be doing something wrong. I'm very flexible, it all depends on the particular band or label, what they want, what kind of style…obviously full colour painting takes more time than black and white photography and so therefore costs more. Or if they have a set budget they want to keep within we negotiate….basically every job is completely different which is why I don't have a set price list of sorts.
12. Are you working on anything at the moment & if so are you at liberty to tell us what?!
It's all a bit crazy at the moment. I have NEVER been busier. I have just finished stuff for the Voorhees/Outcold split c.d, plus the new Medulla Nocte album. I am currently finishing off stuff for a Sharpeville l.p (a hardcore band from Finland) and the new Stampin Ground album. Next up I have an album cover to do for In the Shit (wales), Subvert (Norwich crossover stuff), Segue (U.S Crust), the new Napalm Death album, the Knuckledust album..and..errr…some other stuff that I've forgotten about. Plus I have 3 separate private comisions on for people wanting work for their houses etc…oh and a couple of web sites. Keeps me off the streets I suppose.
13. What are your plans for the future - are we ever going to see you in another band or are you going to concentrate on the artwork?
Plans…to work hard and play hard daddio.To stop being so slack and actually update my poor neglected website. Music wise…I am still actively involved in making noise. Me and Snapa (ex-D.I bassman) have been collaborating on a studio based project, BAIT, for the past few years..we've done a couple of demos…heavy duty, twisted metal-core kinda stuff. We did just get a drummer so that we could become a "real" band and get back into gigging, but he's proved very flaky so I guess we'll have to go back on another drummer quest. I'm itching to get back at it though..so keep your eyes to the skies.
14. If anyone connected to a band/zine was reading this & wanted you to do some work for them, would you do it? How can people get in touch with you?
I'm always open to offers however big or small….just give me a yell. My e-mail address is r.mid@ukgateway.net or alternatively send word by carrier pigeon to the following haunt 41 Waldeck Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7PG.
All my various scrawlings can be scrtutinised at the following… http://home.freeuk.net/bonehive15. Final words/thoughts please.
Many thanx to you Duncan for the interest and the chance to piffle on like this. Sorry I took so long to get the answers back…some things never change. Yippety-do-dah.
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