An Interview with the Authour...
What inspired you to write your autobiography, and why now?
Well, I didn’t set out to write an autobiography, and to be fair, it’s not an autobiography. The first couple of chapters talk about my early life and how I got involved in music, but I, on purpose, left a lot out about my personal life. I felt that, by telling a bit about my younger years, it was important to set up the story of The Deadly Romantics. We are not a famous band, far from it, and nobody gives a shit about all the other bands I have been in. I just wanted to detail the history of the band, well, from my perspective at least. I think I started writing the book in October of 2023 and we had a UK Tour booked for the April of 2024. I didn’t know what the future of the band was going to be passed the UK Tour. The UK Tour we did in 2022 was a disaster and for all I knew, things could have gone horribly wrong in 2024. Thank God they didn’t. 2025 is also going to be the 20th Anniversary of the band, so, again, I thought it would be a nice touch to have a book.
How did you approach telling your story, balancing personal reflection with the band’s history? Were there any stories or details you struggled to include? How did you decide what to share?
Retelling the bands history is my personal reflection. I didn’t set out to slag anyone off. There have been over 40 people involved in the band since 2005 and, aside from one person, I really hold no ill-will towards any of them. They may hold some ill-will towards me, but that really isn’t my problem. Of course, some past members made stupid decisions and life choices, but that’s not up to me to broadcast, that’s their story, not mine. Most of the stupid stuff that I was personally involved in was my own fault, and, believe it or not, I can be quite a self-deprecating person. I’m not an angry drunk, I just do stupid things, so looking back, I find a lot of my antics quite funny. There really was nothing that I didn’t want to share.
How did writing about your life and career help you reflect on your experiences?
I’m not a writer and I’m not very good with words. I was all gung-ho in the beginning, then got bored, very quickly, but once I got into a rhythm of writing a few pages a day, it all came together quite quickly. I was constantly going back, reading what I had written, trying to make sure that I wasn’t repeating myself, so by the time the book was finished, I had a pretty good idea what I had written about, so when it came to the Epilogue, I could reflect a little bit on my past, musical, life. I have been very lucky and I have managed to surround myself with some great people. To my own detriment, I am almost never happy, and always seem to want more. For me, the grass is almost always greener on the other side, but I think that is a family trait.
Did you face any challenges in revisiting difficult or emotional moments from your past?
Again, I have been so lucky in my life that I haven’t really experienced many difficult or emotional moments. Both of my parents are dead, and I have lost a couple of family pets, so of course, those times were tough, but “challenges”? No, I tend to just face any problems head on and whatever happens happens.
Can you describe the early days of the band? What were the initial goals and aspirations?
To be rock stars of course! What else is there? It is really tough putting a band together as you really don’t know the people you are getting involved with. Everyone gets into the first rehearsal and it is like a first date, you’re just getting to know each other. You hang out a couple of times a week, you get a gig every now and then, but just like a girlfriend, you each start to figure each other out, very rarely do you end up with a happy marriage where everyone gets along for the next twenty years. If you are lucky, you find someone you can tolerate and will put up with your bullshit, but more often than not, cracks begin to show and the shit falls apart. There were a couple of guys in the first incarnation of the band that I knew would not be in it for the long haul. Talks were constantly going on about kicking this guy out or getting this guy in, and that shit went on for twenty years. The 2016 line up with Christian, Matty, Stevie and Mark was the best line up we ever had, but even then there were internal problems, and not always with me! One of the best guys I ever played with was Gary, but he had his own personal demons to deal with. It’s difficult to say what aspirations I had because this band was always one step forward, two steps back. We would get a great opportunity and then someone would quit and set us back six months, if not a couple of years, and whenever we would get back to gigging, we would be at the starting line again.
How did the band’s music and image evolve over time, and what influenced these changes?
I have said over the years that I do not consider myself to be a songwriter. I come up with ideas and then the band turns those ideas into songs. Pick any rock band you want, doesn’t matter if it is QUEEN or PINK FLOYD. “We Are The Champions” may have been written by Freddie Mercury, but Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor all left their imprint on it. Song writing “credit” is a bullshit legality and has been the cause of many band’s breakdowns. Sure, Gary Kempt wrote all the songs for Spandau Ballet, but they wouldn’t have sounded any good without Tony Hadley singing them! You can spilt the Deadly Romantics into eras, the first one from 2005 to 2007, which is when Johnny had the most influence, and we were a punky band. 2007 to around 2014, Gary played a huge roll in the band in the UK, and as he was a fan of British 70’s rock, we had more of a UFO/NWOBHM feel to the band, then we had Mark who brought a much more PowerPop feel to the band, Cheap Trick/Enuff Z’Nuff type thing. Who knows where we’ll be going next!!
What was your role in the creative process, both in songwriting and shaping the band’s sound?
Image has always been the most important part of the band for me. You can be a brilliant musician and be boring as Hell. With a great image, you can be a mediocre musician and make much more of an impact. I have been exceedingly luck to achieve all I have achieved as a mediocre musician and I am certainly no great singer! I have been able to surround myself with excellent musicians who buy into the image I am trying to
put forward. It’s not my image and it’s not original. I totally ripped off Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction for that! Not note for note (you can blame the Supersuckers for that!) but leather jacket for leather jacket! I wanted the dirtbag, greebo look and take the innuendo of AC/DC and just spit it out. Marketing was always my thing, much more than the music, I just figured that if I could get the band in front of the right people I would do OK, in hindsight, maybe Canada, and especially Toronto, was not the right place to be doing it!
Were there any pivotal moments or albums that defined the band’s career for you?
Touring Croatia in 2015 made me realize that this band could be something. I knew we would never be selling out stadiums, but when the Croatian guys brought us over, it showed me that other people believed in us and what we were doing. In 2016 we played the Breaking Bands Festival in the UK, and again, that was because someone believed in the band. Normally, when you book a gig, the bar owner or promoter doesn’t have a clue who you are and doesn’t give a shit who you are, they just want beer drinking bodies in the venue. So they’ll take a chance, usually sight unseen. If we get booked in the same venue again, then maybe they listened and they liked us, but more than not, it’s because we put bodies in the bar. On a festival level, these guys actually look at what and who they are booking, so it was good to have someone believe in you.
How did the dynamics within the band affect your music and performances?
The dynamics change all the time. As I said before, each new person brings something new to the mix. Usually, with each new person we are taking a step in the right direction, I would like to think that as someone comes in the band we are becoming a better band. The band that toured the UK in 2024 was the best the band had ever been, now, moving into 2025 with a third guitar player and a new drummer, we are even better still.
What was life like on tour? Can you share some of the most memorable experiences from the road?
Most bands at out level don’t get to tour. Let’s just pick on Hamilton. 50% of all rock bands in Hamilton will never play outside of Hamilton. 30% will make it to Toronto or London, 15% may tour Canada, and only 5% will tour internationally. So we are one of the few Hamilton bands that have made it outside of the country to play. That doesn’t guarantee us success; it just means we are crazy enough to travel. Touring will do its best to break a band. Most bands see each other once a week at rehearsals. Touring, you are in each other’s back pockets 24 hours a day for however long the tour it and in our case that’s 16 to 20 days at a time. You are going to piss each other off! I can tell you exactly what touring is like. You get off the plane absolutely shattered, and you are not going to rest until you get back home in two weeks! You get to the hotel, check in, and dump your stuff off in your room, that you are more than likely sharing with the one guy you didn’t want to share with. You go back to the van and drive to the venue where you load in the gear, wait around a bit and then sound check. You try and find something to eat, then hang around until show time. You play your show and then get back to the hotel, where you get up in the morning, and drive to the next town. Then rinse and repeat for the next 14 days. Whatever country you are in, you will see none of it! For me, the best thing about touring is meeting all the people. Whether it’s the other bands you are playing with, or the people in the venues, the ones that come to see your show, they are the people who make it all worthwhile.
Were there any cities or venues that were particularly special to you, and why?
Hamilton is special to me as it is my, adopted, hometown. I’ve never been fucked about by any of the promoters in Hamilton, and I would like to think I have a pretty good relationship with all of them. The Deadly Romantics don’t fit into any of the Hamilton Music Scene cliques, and, I think, because of that, no one treats us unfairly or with any disrespect. They only people that seem to have a problem with the band are ex-members and they’re not coming to see us anyway, so who cares? Bannerman’s in Edinburgh is my home from home. Any touring band will tell you that Bannerman’s is one of the best places to play in the world, and that is not because it’s a great venue, it’s because it is run by great people. Christian and his staff know how to treat you and really look after you. Playing in Bannerman’s is like coming home. Of course there are other great bars, See-Scape in Toronto is a current favourite, and we’ll always play Subside in Birmingham.
How did being the lead singer shape your identity, both professionally and personally?
Thunderfuck is a persona. I wouldn’t say he’s a nasty guy, but he just doesn’t give a fuck. He’s going to have a party and he would love it for you to join him and have a great time, if you’re not into it, then that’s your loss. I’ve always liked being the centre of attention, I know not many people wouldn’t admit that, but it’s true. I love the fact that we can walk into a bar and people know that we’re the band! When I’m not on stage, I’m at home watching Netflix, or walking the dog, or doing normal stuff. I like the two lives, I couldn’t imagine doing either of them on a permanent basis.
Looking back, are there any decisions or moments you regret, or would handle differently today?
This is a simple question to answer. I don’t regret any decisions I have made. I have made some pretty stupid decisions, but every single one of them has shaped and defined the person I am today.
What have you learned about yourself through the Deadly Romantics?
Live a little each day. You’re not here for a long time. I don’t have time for the boring stuff. If I wanted to go cliff diving I would have done it by now. I’ve helicoptered over the Grand Canyon, I’ve parasailed in Hawaii, Cenote dived in Mexico, mountain climbed in Scotland, skied in the Alps, I’ve drank in dive bars from Las Vegas to Zagreb, Hamburg to San Antonio. I’ve acted in big budget movies, commercials and music videos, I’ve hosted radio and television shows and I’ve now written a book. I know people who haven’t done any of that! Envy is a bitch and I don’t envy anyone. I have a great circle of friends across the world, and every one of them means the world to me. The Deadly Romantics taught me to not give a shit what people think and do what makes you happy!
How do you feel about the band’s legacy today?
I know that there are people out there who will remember this band. There are ex-members of this band that will live on regret that they left the band. They would never admit it to me, but I know. There are other people that played in this band that were a massive part of the band and know that they were valued and will always be a part of the Deadly family. I doubt we’ll be remembered for the music, but I hope we are remembered for showing an audience a good time. I know that we have been mentioned in a couple of memoirs, and seeing the name in print solidifies that we meant something to someone. That’s cool.
What’s next for you? Do you have plans for more writing, music, or other creative projects?
We’re currently working on the new record, recording at least three new videos, and as 2025 is going to be our 20th Anniversary, we’re going to be doing some big shows with some great support acts, and hopefully a couple of tours!
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