Before he left on tour Dan Volohov got a chance to speak with Big Paul Ferguson founding member and drummer for Killing Joke. In the interview, Paul talks about the legacy of Killing Joke and the LP “Fire Dances”. About recording in Berlin, About his new solo EP and his future future plans. Hope you all enjoy!
Punk Globe: This year Killing Joke celebrates 40 years with an anniversary tour. So how does it feel for you – to get on the stage thinking about all 40 years of your career ?
Big Paul: It's actually the anniversary of Jaz and I starting Killing Joke, so next year will be the 40th year anniversary of our first record and gigs. It’s really amazing that we’ve survived as a band. It took the loss of Paul Raven for us to reconvene the original line up. That was now 10 years ago. But it has been Forty years of Killing Joke creating and touring. Looking back it’s a huge achievement.
Punk Globe: You’ve began your career with the release of “Turn To Red”. Despite the popularity of punk and post-punk, you decided to go without a label and made a fully DIY-release. Why ?
Big Paul: It was a sign of the times to some degree. DIY. But also there were influences around. Joy Division’s Factory label and Rough Trade, independent small operations, and we thought that we and our friends, Brian Taylor (RIP), Adam Morris and others could do the same and created our label Malicious Damage. We tried to support other acts too but the money required was too much so when we got a major label offer we had to take it.
Punk Globe: And do you remember how John Peel got in touch with you ?
Big Paul: He didn’t. That was the persistence of Brian and Adam hanging outside the BBC studios and practically forcing our single on him! Thankfully he loved it.
Punk Globe: Killing Joke as a project started with Jaz and you. Later on, Geordie and Youth joined the band. What made you realize that these were the musicians with whom you’d like to create something with, to begin your career ?
Big Paul: Blind faith and a common sense of humor. Geordie had an off the wall look that I liked and his influences were similar to mine. Youth had an attitude, and he showed up. We knew who wasn’t right and then you just see where it takes you.
Punk Globe: Listening to the record I can feel the spirit of punk music, but it also has a metal sound. So in this connection, did this record form from each member’s personal tastes or after a searching for a sound you all liked?
Big Paul: It was what it was. We didn’t want to sound like anyone else but we didn’t deliberately say this is what it will sound like. That was how we liked drums, that was how we liked guitar, and we wanted menace.
Punk Globe: After your first (self-titled ) album came out, lots of musicians recognized it as one of the first industrial albums. Can you describe the album and it's success ?
Big Paul: The music was always meant to stir emotion otherwise it’s just wallpaper. Success is a relative term. There haven’t been any hits along the way so the success was that it kept us going and gave us a platform. Plus we were young, any kind of success went to our heads and made us feel invincible. It was a wonderful time and of course an emotional one.
Punk Globe: After Youth left the band Paul Raven became the bassist of the band. And you released “Fire Dances” which was different from your primary sound. Was this intentional?
Big Paul: It was another tumultuous time. Jaz and Geordie had split for Iceland and Malicious Damage had failed. Youth and I briefly did a project together called Brilliant but then Paul Raven joined and Jaz and I had unfinished business. So yes, we looked in a new direction.
Punk Globe: With your first album you were thinking about different social problems in your songs. Like “Tomorrow’s World”, “Follow The Leaders” and many others. So with this in mind, can you call “Fire Dances” a symbolic album? I personally think the name of the record as of a kind of socio-political criticism.
Big Paul: We have always been strongly influenced by the politics of the times and critical of the system. Fire Dance in particular was a critique and an idea of an alternative lifestyle.
Punk Globe: You were one of the first musicians to stress on the rhythm-group, bringing it to the forefront. Especially we can feel it, listening to “Love Like Blood”. When did you decided to move into that direction ?
Big Paul: Well I think that you’re mistaken about that, but thank you. I have never wanted to sit at the back of the sound and just keep time. Rhythm is a primal thing. It’s the first thing we respond to and I think that was the intention from the outset.
Punk Globe: You were recording in Germany working on “Night Time” and “Brighter Then A Thousand Suns”. Do you think Berlin made the tone and inner-mood of these records?
Big Paul: It had a profound effect. We recorded Revelations in Germany as well, but that was not in Berlin. Berlin had a very pronounced atmosphere before the Wall came down. Hansa Sound Studio was right next to the Wall. You could see the East German guards in their watch towers. They had to listen to us recording.
Punk Globe: “Absolute Dissent” became the first album you recorded with original members, after a hiatus. It sounds just like your early sound. Why at that moment did you decide to return to your roots?
Big Paul: We’d had a few years apart so it seemed natural that we’d choose a familiar sonic language. We tried to not think about it too much nor labor for perfect takes but just let it be fresh and I hope exciting.
Punk Globe: As a result MMXII and Pylon came out quite heavy. However, you didn’t stop talking about world problems in your lyrics. But, can you say that various socio-political changed or influenced the sound and the genre of your music in general ?
Big Paul: That’s far too broad a topic. I think you have to look at the lyrics and see exactly what we’re talking about. Obviously the technological changes since we started have been extraordinary. Population explosion, pollution, surveillance, war, war, cover ups, war .
Punk Globe: You recorded your new EP with a virtuoso guitarist - Mark Gemini Thwaite. How did this come about?
Big Paul: I’ve recorded lots of ideas over the years but always as a note for some future album I would probably never make or maybe as demos for Killing Joke. However recently I thought of recording more of the verse I’ve written. It was Marks input that really inspired me to the idea that this was something worth attention, he brought a new level of possibility. It kicked of when DJ Mont Sherar’s book of amazing photos, Twilight Of The Mortals was coming out. Mont asked for a track from each of us in Killing Joke and I’d already played him some of my stuff. I gave him The Great Motivator and he hooked me up with Mark who took it to a new level. I’m very grateful to them both.
Punk Globe: You started as a singer when Jaz moved to Iceland – to survive the end of the world. And you did the vocals for “Empire Song” on Top of The Pops. So why did you decide to release your solo-work now?
Big Paul: If not now, when, right?
Punk Globe: While listening I found that Mark’s chords sound like a good mix of industrial sound with blues. So was that one of the things you wanted to try?
Big Paul: I gave Mark drums, vocals, a bass line or two, a little keyboards, even a little guitar but where he went with it was up to him. If I liked it – cool. If not - he was happy to try something else.
Punk Globe: A bit banal question for an ending, but – will your EP be followed by a new LP?
Big Paul: : Killing Joke will be writing, recording and touring for the foreseeable future so I can but hope.
