Punk Globe Magazine and Tyler Vile bear no responsibility or liability for the opinions and comments made by Mr. Dave Parsons in this interview. ... Punk Globe felt it was only fair to interview Mr. Parsons,to get both versions to the dispute arising from two bands using the band name Sham 69 in the U.K....

The two bands calling themselves Sham 69 are locked in a bitter war of words. Both claim to be telling the truth about when the band started, who wrote which songs, and who stabbed who in the back. I've barely scratched the surface of what could be a book-length tale in the two interviews I've done. Talking to Dave Parsons has given me a radically different image of the band from the one presented by Tim V and Neil Harris. Who should you believe? Read both interviews and decide for yourself.

Hi Dave, thanks for doing this interview. What brought on your initial dispute with Jimmy Pursey and how did you resolve it?

The main problem I had at that time was Jimmy's lack of interest in touring, I was getting older and needed to to do some serious touring while I still could, and to play places I knew Jimmy would never go to. It was quite frustrating for me always hoping that "maybe next year we'd start getting on with it" and then finding nothing had changed. I've known Jimmy all my life, like any long term relationship you have arguments and you fall out now and again, but if the relationship is a strong one it's easy to pick up the pieces, forgive and move on - it takes a lot more than a bunch of idiots like Timothy Vance and Harris to break a bond like this.

What made you want to bring in Tim V to replace Jimmy Pursey as a lead singer?

Firstly let me make one thing clear, from the start I knew there was no replacement for Jimmy Pursey and there never will be,certainly not in the guise of a thug like Tim V, I simply needed a bunch of people (a pick up band if you like) to enable me to take the Pursey/Parsons catalog out on the road for some serious touring, playing a lot of places that would otherwise never have had the chance to see these songs being performed. It was always my intention to call the band 'Dave Parsons Sham 69' (in fact I still have the at work for it) so people would understand what they were seeing - it was my fault in the end that I allowed Tim V to ultimately twist and manipulate my control of the band, this was a serious and regrettable mistake on my behalf. After we'd spent a year touring, he black mailed me into getting rid of Rob our bass player (Rob was my friend and ally) - it was a case of either Rob goes or Tim goes - he knew full well that It wouldn't have been possible for me to get yet another singer in. So Rob was out and he bought in his mate Al on bass thus tipping the balance of power in his favor. Around this time he started trying to get me to sign contracts stating that we were a partnership or a company, I couldn't believe what he was trying to pull off and always made it perfectly clear to them that I would never sign such a document.

How long did that partnership last and what did the band gain or lose from it?

As I said, I never looked at this line up as anything more than a pick up band to enable me to play mine and Jimmy's songs. As time went on the situation got worse, it became for me everything I'd tried to avoid. We were even having AGM meetings once a year for crying out loud, which we then had to sign, if we wanted a holiday it had to be booked a year in advance, it became more like a 9 to 5 job than a 9 to 5 job. For me it was about the love of playing, for them it was all about making money, we were playing too much, covering too many miles to cram in too many gigs, it was making me ill apart from being in fear for my life, on some of the journeys we undertook without sleep and in terrible weather conditions etc. It was always my opinion that if people are paying their hard earned money to come and see you perform, you should be giving at the absolute worst 85%, they didn't give a shit - I'd look around at the drummer and he wasn't even giving 20% in fact if it was possible for him not to have to bring his own kit in he'd use anything in any condition, when he turned around at one gig and said 'they've got a kit I can use, it's worse than a kids Woolworths (Wall-mart) kit but who gives a shit it means we can get away faster - I could have killed the guy, especially after having driven for 18hrs through ice and snow to get to the gig.

Were songwriting credits an issue for the band during the recording of "Hollywood Hero?" What ended that line-up?

There were no issues as all the songs were written by me and Jimmy Pursey. The band became an us and them situation, regardless of my opinions they would just push on with their own addenda. The crux came when I refused to play one gig (the only gig in my life that I ever refused), I had booked a family holiday a year in advance (adhering to there rules) and it had been approved of by the band, about a week before my holiday a promoter decided to move the dates of a gig to smack bang in the middle of my holiday, they expected me to cancel my holiday! When I refused I received the most disgusting email you can imagine from Whitewood, finishing with the statement "YOU WILL NEVER PLAY IN SHAM 69 AGAIN". The last time I had seen Whitewood, just as he was leaving my house he produced what he said were the minuets to our last AGM and that I needed to sign it, I did and he left - it transpires that they were not minuets but in fact the dreaded 'Partnership legal papers' i had always refused to have anything to do with, so I had been duped into signing this against my will. I have since spoken to my lawyer who assures me they are worthless, 1. because I didn't know what I was signing 2. because there were no witnesses and 3. because I wasn't offered the chance to get legal advice.

How do you feel about Neil Harris' claim to have written early Sham songs like "Borstal Breakout?"

That's the funniest thing I've ever heard, who the hell is Neil Harris? What has he ever done in his life? absolutely nothing, the guy is a sad bitter and twisted nobody. He worked for me as a guitar roadie once but was sacked after two gigs because he couldn't even tune a guitar. This is probably just more of Tim Vs doing, don't forget Tim was a Union man (Post office) skilled in manipulation and the art of divide and rule, the only reason he got Harris in the band was to mistakenly try and give his band some sort of credibility in trying to fool people and themselves into thinking that they were Sham 69 - I think they all need to see a shrink as soon as possible. When Harris was playing with Jimmy the band was called 'Jimmy and The Ferrets' only changing the name to Sham 69 near the end. When I met Jimmy he was dissatisfied with his band as I was with mine, we decided to form a new band, Jimmy bought Albert with him on bass from his band and I came alone, we found a new drummer Mark Cain and this was the new band, we threw around idea's for a name but in the end decided to use Sham 69 as it was such a good name and belonged to Jimmy - there was no connection between the two bands. Harris's band was playing Shadows covers and songs like "Teenager In Love." When me and Jimmy formed Sham 69 we sat down and wrote an entirely new set, Jimmy may have brought with him some old lyrics from an odd song that he'd used previously but nothing more.

What kinds of issues do you run into with two Sham 69s touring and recording?

None, every one in this country including bands like the Rejects and Upstarts know there a joke, these people don't figure in my life.

Didn't you run into some trouble entering the US for the Punk Rock Bowling festival last year?

We were supposed to be coming over to the States last year but unfortunately Jimmy's Dad was diagnosed with Asbestosis and he just wanted to be here for his Dad for the short time he had left. I've always enjoyed touring the States and have made many good friends over the years so hopefully we will come back to play before too long.

Jimmy Pursey had serious allegations of sexual abuse leveled against him in the summer, do you know if those have been cleared?

This was just more lies put about from their lie factory. Timothy Vance was so obsessed with Jimmy that he spent most of his spare time on his lap top trying to find any dirt from any where to undermine Jimmy - Timothy Vance was desperate to be Jimmy Pursey. Jimmy won't stand up and defend himself because he has nothing to defend, if he was a sex offender neither me or Dave Treganna would be working with him, because Mr V has virtually no personality of his own he'll do anything to try and undermine Jimmy. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

What do fans get from seeing your line-up that they wouldn't from seeing Tim V's lineup?

They get the real thing, they get Sham 69 not a tribute band, they get honesty, personality, why would you want the fake when you can have the real thing.

What would you say to fans who prefer Tim V's line-up?

They're welcome to them, in fact they're doing us a favor,It was this tiny thug element that caused Sham to break up in 1981, it is now as far as I can see, that same element that follows Timothy Vance's band, we didn't want those people then and we don't want them now.

What are you most looking forward to doing with your line-up of Sham 69?

What we've been doing for the last eighteen months, playing to sell out audiences and giving 100%. We also start work on a new album very soon.I'm actually having fun being in a band again, every time I think back to Vs line up I shudder.

Do you have songs ready for the new Sham album? Even if they're in early stages, how do they sound?

Jimmy and I have quite a large back log of songs to draw on plus we've been writing a lot of new material, one thing we're not doing is putting ourselves under pressure to rush a new album out, this process has to be an enjoyable experience playing with a band that's really firing on all cylinders, when we're happy with an albums worth of songs we'll release it. I'm really pleased with the new songs so far and the lyrics Jimmy's come up with so far a great, if we didn't feel we had anything new to say we wouldn't be bothering. We start our first session next week and I can't wait to get stuck in.

How has your latest solo album factored into this whole situation?

Unstable is my second solo album the first being 'Reconcile' which was released in 1995, recording a solo album for me is a very different process to working with a band, on this album I've played and sung everything myself, somewhat self indulgent I suppose but then I knew exactly how I wanted the songs to sound and I could just get on with it whenever I felt the urge. Because I'm always writing, sometimes I have ideas I really like but at the same time they wouldn't be suitable for Sham, so the solo albums a great way to get them out.

The Tim V/Neill Harris line-up of Sham 69 is planning to make a Sham family tree as a pull-out poster to go with their next album.What do you think they should include about you?

They have nothing to do with Sham 69, Neil Harris probably thinks he is me, and Timothy thinks he's Jimmy, they can stick there little pull out poster up there collective arse, I have nothing to do with these people. When Neil Harris called up Albie (our original bass player) and told him what they were doing, Albie just said 'what a load of old bollocks' at which point Mr Harris threatened to break Albert's legs. These are the type of people we're discussing here.

Do you think that it's possible for the two Shams to reconcile? If you do, how might that happen?

When they announce what they truly are - A TRIBUTE BAND, Listen these people are no threat to us they're just a joke, they play the smallest pub circuit and have difficulty pulling people for that, in fact every-time they play a gig I get a load of emails from disappointed fans who have paid out good money thinking there coming to see us only to find a bunch of sad old wankers. It's basically fraud.

Thanks again for the interview, Dave! Do you have any words of wisdom for Punk Globe readers? Watch your back, there's always someone out there happy to stick a knife in it (as I can testify). In the end 'Know who you are, stand by the truth, be your own person and to quote a cliche' "Don't let the bastards drag you down".

My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/daveparsons69 and if any ones interested in my latest solo album 'Unstable' you can get it here www.daveparsons69.co.uk

Punk Globe would like to thank Dave Parson's for a fascinating and very candid interview.....