The Oppressed is well known by every skinhead in the World. For lots of nazi cunts it’s a most hated band, for thousands most loved and inspired skinhead band ever.
I hope you’ll enjoy the interview which I made with Roddy in January 2011.
1.PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY - HOW AND WHEN EVERYTHING BEGAN WITH THE OPPRESSED ?
IS THAT TRUTH THAT YOU WEREN'T IN THE FIRST LINE UP? WHO CAME UP WITH THE NAME OF THE BAND AND WHY THE OPPRESSED?
March 1981, Russel (DUCKY) Payne is released from Borstal and I get released from Prison. At the time we didn't know each other and it's just coincidence that we were both banged up for violence. Anyway, Ducky (GUITAR), his brother Ronnie (BASS) and Gary Tier (DRUMS), all Cardiff Skins, along with Martin Brennan (VOCALS) a valley Skin, form an Oi! band.
After tossing a few names around, including FORCED OPPRESSION, they decide that THE OPPRESSED fits the bill. So it was that with not much ability and a ton of enthusiasm the boys set out to have a ball.
Back at Duckys house Ronnie had left the band. No big story, he just wasn't into it. Looking for a new bass player they ask my mate if he wanted to join. My mate couldn't play a triangle so he suggested me. Me and him had seen their first gig and I remember telling my missus how "I should be in that band".
So Ducky, Gary and Brennan eventually turn up on my doorstep and make me an offer I couldn't refuse. I suggested Dom on Bass with me as second Guitarist and the boys were all happy. This was around Xmas 1981 and this line up lasted about a year. Brennan and Gary had decided to leave so I took over vocals and we found the Kid, Lee Jenkins, to take care of drumming. Lee was from Risca, about 20 miles out of Cardiff, a 16 year old Skin who told me "I'm fucking brilliant" when I asked him if he was any good, and "course I have, that's why I'm fucking brilliant" to "got a kit?" This line up lasted about 2 years and recorded nearly everything issued in the eighties.
Almost all our gigs ended in a ruck (boys will be boys) and eventually we just got pissed off with whole thing. We did get together in the studio with Juan Garcia, a punk from near Cardiff on drums. We recorded 3 cover versions but played no gigs. So that was it for the eighties. Less than 4 years but it seemed like a lifetime......
2.CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN AND HOW DID YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH THE SKINHEAD CULTURE AND THE MEANING IT HAS TO YOU?
As a 12 year old in 1969 I remember seeing a big mob of skinheads at a Cardiff City football match.
The sight made such an impression on me that I got my hair cropped and became a little skinhead.
Because I was only 12 there was no great great meaning except for the feeling of brotherhood with all my mates. We was kids but thought we was well hard in our boots and braces.
3.WHAT WAS THE REASON TO CONTINUE WITH THE BAND AFTER ALMOST 5 YEARS BREAK? YOU CAME BACK TO CARDIFF FOR EXCELLENT SHOW IN 2009 AND DECIDED TO CARRY ON WITH THE BAND NEXT YEAR , ALREADY PLANNING LIST OF GIGS. IS IT AGAIN THE SAME REASON LIKE BEFORE ( I MEAN ABOUT the MONEY) OR SOMETHING ELSE?
It’s a bit of both. Now we get paid and that’s great but we also play free gigs, for the cause, just because we love it. All our gigs now are like parties because people who come to see us know where we stand and the dick-heads stay away.
4.WHEN THE FIRST WAVE OF OI! EXPLODED IT HAS BEEN ALREADY SAID THAT THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THE POLITICS BUT AS WE KNOW NAZIS DIDN’T HIDE THEMSELVES ON THE OI GIGS. BANDS LIKE COCKNEY REJECTS, 4 SKINS, THE BUSINESS OR COCK SPARRER KNEW ABOUT NAZIS IN THE AUDIENCE BUT THEY NEVER TOOK A STAND AGAINST THEM. DON'T YOU BLAME ALL THOSE OI BANDS WHO NEVER GAVE A SHIT ABOUT NAZI SCUM SPREADING ON THE SKINHEAD SCENE? I THINK SAYING FUCK THE POLITICS IS NOT ENOUGH TO TELL SOMEONE PARTICULAR TO FUCK OFF!
YOU HAVE BEEN THERE AND REACTED STRAIGHT AWAY WHEN SOME NAZI STARTED TO SIEG HAIL.
I think the nazi scene would never have got off the ground if more Oi! Bands had stood up and said fuck off to them. I know the Rejects had plenty of run ins with the scum but never actually came out and said it loud like say The Upstarts. We didn’t want the scum at our gigs, or buying our records but too many bands were happy to have any cunt support them which helped spread the nazi scene.
5.DO YOU THINK THAT ALL SKINHEAD BANDS SHOULD DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS AN ANTIFASCIST OI? WHAT ABOUT THE BANDS WHO ARE APOLITICAL BUT ANTIRACIST? I NOTICE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DESCRIPTION “ANTIRACIST” AND “ANTIFASCIST”.
For me it’s the same thing. It’s making a stand against cunts who we could see fucking up the scene.
Being Anti Fascist / Anti Racist was natural for us as skinheads because the one thing skinhead stood for was taking no shit and the Nazis were pissing on the culture so the only thing for any sussed skinhead to do was to oppose the cunts. I don’t see how ignoring the cunts could be justified. It’s why I wrote “If you ain’t got the bottle to defend your roots, maybe it’s time to hang up your boots.
6.YOU BROUGHT SHARP IDEA TO EUROPE AND THANKS TO YOU IT IS SO FAMOUS AROUND THE WORLD. SHARP IDEA IS APOLITICAL IT IS AN ATTITUDE. BUT WE HAVE SEEN YOU PLAYED WITH RED SKIN OR RASH BANDS AND EVEN YOUR SELF WEARING RED SKIN T-SHIRT ;-) SO WHERE IS THE BORDER OF BEING APOLITICAL AND POLITICAL? HOW FAR CAN YOU GO?
Lets face it, life’s politican and you can’t ignore it. I ain’t got no overt politics but I hate the cowardice of racism and if this makes me political then so be it. I stand with anyone who stands against racism so RASH and RED skins are OK with me.I wear a Redskins shirt because I know it will wind people up. I don’t care what a mans politics are as long as it ain’t nazi politics.
7.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT RED & ANARCHIST SKINHEADS?
HOW WOULD YOU SEE RASH IN BEGINNING OF 80TIES IN THE UK?
DON’T YOU THINK THAT SOME RASH CREWS GO TOO FAR WITH THEIR COMMUNISM? I MEAN SUPPORTING SUCH SCUM AS STALIN OR LENIN?
All the RASH people I’ve met have been good people and get my support. There were no RASH in the early 80s, at least I never came across any. I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone who supported Stalin or Lenin. The RASH and RED skins I’ve met simply support the working class cause.
8.PLEASE TELL US LITTLE BIT ABOUT SHARP HISTORY AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU? HOW DID YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH André Schlesinger FROM THE PRESS BAND?
November 1988. Me and a mate jump on a plane and head off to New York City. I'd arranged for us to crash at Rob Hingleys (The Toasters) place. After one night at his place he unloaded us on Andre (The Press). He sorted us out and we stayed with N Y Citizens the 2nd night and The Radicts on the third. By the fourth day I was homesick so we fucked off home. Anyway while there I came across the first flyers put out by the N Y SHARP crew.
I thought it was a sound idea and when I got back I started to spread the word. Soon after there was a big 2 day SKA festival in London with an appearance from Prince Buster as was as Laurel Aitken and tons of other bands. I got a load of badges, flyers and contact cards with the SHARP design I stole from Trojan on, and me and Suede handed them out at the concerts. From there Skinheads from around the country would write for stuff to set up local chapters and within a year it had all gone global and the rest is history.
SHARP - A PERSONAL VIEW
"SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice". It's all so fucking simple!
If you're a Skinhead and you're against Racism, then by definition you're SHARP. Whether you wear a patch or not don't matter. Whether you make a stand against racism or not, the fact remains you're still a SHARP skinhead if you're against racism.
"Why should I apologise for what Racist Skinheads do and say?"
Fucking simple again, DON'T. But don't complain when there's no gigs and the only other Skinheads in your town are all wanking for Hitler. SHARP ain't an apology, it's openly declaring where you stand. We stand tall and proud. Where do you stand?
"Keep Politics out of it"
I couldn't agree more. Let's face it, the only politics in Skinhead culture was brought in by Boneheads. So if you want politics out then fight the boneheads. They've been pissing on Skinhead culture for years and it's groups like SHARP that's kept things true to the original meaning of what it is to be Skinhead.
"You're causing a split"
When SHARP first kicked off I was expecting Flack from Boneheads. What I didn't expect was flack from 'Non Political' Skins. The way I see it a lot of people use 'Non Politics' as an excuse. If you don't want to get active then fair enough, but don't slag us for fighting back.
As for causing a split then FUCKING RIGHT! The split is between Skinheads and Boneheads.
Thankfully, now everyone knows Skinhead History. From the late sixties right up to today.
From the Jamaican Rudies and British Mods we evolved into a working class culture that's gone around the world.
STAY TRUE TO YOUR CULTURE, REMEMBER YOUR ROOTS
IF YOU AIN'T GOT THE BOTTLE, JUST HANG UP YOUR BOOTS
9.HOW DID YOUR STORY WITH THE OI! RECORDS START? WHY DID YOU FINISH WITH THIS LABEL? WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE RIGHTS TO YOUR RECORDS?
OI! / SKA RECORDS.
After the band had split in '84 I decided to set up an Oi! Record label. At the time you couldn't touch Oi! with a bargepole, the media and music press had written us all off as racists. Skrewdrivel and the rest of the White noise wankers had done their worst. So I set out to show that Oi! was fuck all to do with the Fascists. I could've called the label Streetpunk and life would have been easier, but like I said I was out to prove a point.
I placed an ad' in Sounds music mag' for a few weeks saying "Oi! bands wanted. Neither Red nor Racist" and the demo's started dropping through the letterbox. The first release was "Bricks, Blood'n'Guts (In 1985)" by Complete Control. This was Matty Blaggs (R.I.P) first band who went on to form The Blaggers/ Blaggers I.T.A. Later I released The Blaggers debut L-P "On Yer Toez". Some of the other bands on the label were: Oi! Polloi, Vicious Rumours, The Magnificent, Barbed Wire Last Rough Cause, Societys Rejects, The Press, The Radicts, Abnormal, Last Stand, The Glory, Winstone and the Churchills and The Oppressed. The Feckin' Ejits appeared on the This Is Oi! comp'.
There were a few mistakes along the way and I put out one or two bands I wish I hadn't. What you got to remember is all the bands I put out were new, with no track record, so when a band tells me their against racism and the songs they record for the label have nothing dodgy in them, I accept their word. Looking back I'm Proud of some of the bands that passed through my label. Especially Matty and the rest of The Blagg Brigade. Anti Fascist to the core.
Ska Records was just a sideline dealing with U-S Ska bands like The Toasters and Bim Skala Bim. Ska ran to 10 L-Ps and 2 E-Ps, one being the RUDE BOY SHUFFLE E-P by my Ska band The Rude Boys. By the end of the Eighties Business was going downhill and Jayne was pregnant with my little Oi! Boi (Paul), so I folded the labels and settled down.
Mark Brennan then picked up the Oi! batton with his Captain Oi! Label and he ain't stopped running since.
"Oi! = A WORKING CLASS PROTEST, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS".
10. AS AN OI RECORDS YOU RELEASED THE FIRST RECORD OF BAND CONDEMNED 84 THAT ISTODAY FAMOUS ON THE FAR RIGHT SKINHEAD SCENE
BOYS FROM C84 SAY THAT YOU NEVER GAVE THEM EVEN A PENNY FOR THEIR MUSIC- IS THAT TRUTH? ARE YOU IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE FROM C84? WOULD YOU RELEASE TODAY ANYTHING FOR THEM IF YOU WOULD HAVE A LABEL?
All the bands on my labels were unknown at the time but told me they were against nazi politics. A few went on to play for the scum and if I knew then what I know now I wouldn’t have released them but back then they had no track record. Every band on my label got paid 50% of profits and if they say dofferent they’re lying cunts.
11.HOW DO YOU SEE TODAY'S OI SKINHEAD SCENE IN THE UK? IT IS SAD BUT YOU ARE PROBABLY THE ONLY ACTIVE ANTIFASCIST SKINHEAD BAND ON THIS ISLAND.
The UK scene is full of flag waving ‘patriots’ not our thing.
12.HOW WOULD YOU COMMENT THE SONG ABOUT YOU WHICH HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY SCUMBAG CALLED DIETER FROM BAND KILL BABY KILL.
FORTUNATELY HE KILLED HIMSELF LAST YEAR, SO I DON’T THINK WE’LL SEE HIM IN VALHALLA BECAUSE HI DIDN’T DIE WITH A SWORD IN HIS HAND ;-)
He was a wanker, his band was wankers and the song is shite. I do get a buzz knowing how much I upset the scum.
13.WHAT DO YOU AND THE BOYS THINK ABOUT “A TRIBUTE TO THE OPPRESSED” CD? HOW DID YOU REACT WHEN YOU FIND OUT ABOUT IT?
DO YOU HAVE YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM THIS CD?
Of course were very proud to have a tribute album. It shows that our stand was a success. Sorry, no favourite.
14.DO YOU PLAN TO RECORD ANY NEW SONGS OR MAYBE NEW ALBUM? TWO YEARS AGO YOU RELEASED A 7” “FOOTBALL VIOLENCE” WITH FEW NEW SONGS BUT THIS RECORD HAS NOT BEEN DISTRIBUTED VERY WELL SO MOST OF YOUR FANS HAVEN’T EVEN HEARD THIS STUFF.
I’VE SEEN THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE BOOKED SOME GIGS IN EUROPE FOR THIS YEAR. SO LOOKS LIKE THE OPPRESSED NEVER SAY DIE?
Were gonna release a split EP with The Bois from Singapore but I ain’t written the songs yet.
I’ll keep on gigging till it becomes a piss off to do it.
15.ANYTHING TO ADD???
FUCK FASCISM BEFORE IT FUCKS YOU.
16.THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
Cheers mate.
