This zine is part of the collection of Punk Etc. It was put together by Nadine Bal (a.k.a. Ella de Bauquois) & Annik Honoré, active in the Brussels “underground” scene. Nadine did seven fanzines after this, each with a different name/title… Annik Honoré (R.I.P.) was a music-journalist and programmed shows at the Molenbeek (Brussels) venue Plan K. She is noted in history as Ian Curtis’ love-interest.
#7 (1978) has 16 pages featuring ‘Throbbing Gristle’ (presentation), ‘Buzzcocks’ (artwork), ‘The End’ (interview), ‘Generation X’ (promo + review), ‘X-Ray Spex’ (pic) & Rote Armee Fraktion (‘wanted’ poster).
Brob
Annik Honoré was one of my best friends; we did a lot of things together!!! The usual things…but a lot of crazy things too. I don’t have specific memories about People Of Today.
The late 70s, early 80s was a hyperactive period, everything was moving in all directions, there were concerts almost every day in the Brussels region. I traveled to London, Paris, … to discover new music. Musicians, bands were very accessible. I was a DJ (‘Barbara Montgomery’) at Radio Capitale (the first free Brussels radio-station) and did a radioshow every Saterday evening (Mystère and later Hysteria In The Mist, on FM-Bruxel), I organised concerts, I did interviews, did journalist work (pseudonyms Patricia Unk, Ella de Bauquois, Anne Jassens), made photos. I was also the manager of Belgian bands (under the name Time For Action & Another Excess, for the bands ‘Mad Virgins‘ [punk], ‘Digital Dance’ [new-wave], ‘Pseudo Code’ [electronic] and ‘Bene Gesserit’ [industrial]; 1979-1984). I sang for ‘Bene Gesserit’ (‘Benedict G.’) and collaborated with the band ‘Human Flesh’ [experimental project of Nadine’s husband Alain Neffe]. All while having a daytime job. It was a whirlwind. We lived the present moment to the fullest. Unfortunately I no longer remember the details. I have very little documents and recordings left…
Nadine Bal
‘The End’ (from Brussels) was ‘Mickey Mike’ Marcel Thiel (guitar; R.I.P.; ex ‘Chainsaw‘ bassist), Fanny (bass), Didier (vocals) & Jean-Pierre (drums).
Brob
After ‘Chainsaw’ ‘Micky Mike’ started ‘Fame’ [1978] – “post-punk assez rock’n’roll” – and after that he did ‘Snowy Red’ [“one-man electronic band”]. He was friends with Pedro [Ramis] & Jerry [Jean-Pierre Poirier] of ‘X-Pulsion‘.
Stéphane Maes (Bobel Simplex editor)
Fanny was ‘Mickey’s girlfriend before ‘Chainsaw’; the mother of their child I believe…
Dan ‘Mac Roll’ (‘Chainsaw’ vocalist)
[Translation below]
During festivals such as Grosse Nouba [“big party”] completely new bands get the chance to express themselves and the public the opportunity to discover them. At Nouba a lot of fairly ordinary bands presented themselves and among the newcomers two stood out; including ‘The End’.
Two weeks later we found ourselves around a table at Mc D., where we talked about the band, what is happening nowadays, science fiction, etc. The following covers the most interesting things that were said but first of all, I think we should introduce you to the members of ‘The End’: Micky Mike (guitar), Fanny (bass), Didier (vocals ), Jean-Pierre (drums).
(interview: Nadine).
Your songs: who composes them, what are they about?
D: I generally write the lyrics but since we haven’t been playing together for long, we cover some of Micky’s compositions.
M: When I compose things it’s always based on personal impressions, on what is happening around me, … It can also be the impressions of a person, of a fact. It’s never a made-up story; it’s always something that happened to me and I give my impressions, but in a journalist style.
F: The day I find song lyrics I will tell you what they mean.
D: Learn English first.
Why do you sing in English?
D: Because rock doesn’t sound right in French; except for ‘Streets’, Jacques Higelin, and certain bands…for ‘Starshooter’ for example. ‘Streets’: it isn’t to flatter Bob, but it sounds good. In English it’s much more full of imagery, much easier to tell things, much easier to make sentences rhyme and it’s almost more understandable than French.
M: Composing pieces in French, I’m sure it would go well in the context of the band but I don’t like it that much. We can reach fewer people with rock in French than with rock in English. If we ever get further – and I would like it to go further – English is the international language and what’s more, it’s a language that flows well.
JP: We will soon have a fifth member: an accordionist!
M: No, we’ll probably have a fifth member who plays synths.
Do you have other projects?
M: Get on stage as quickly as possible.
JP: We would like to go on stage to rehearse because we no longer have a rehearsal-space, so that’s the only solution.
Titles of your songs?
M: Search And Destroy, Funtime, …
JP: Iggy Pop covered them.
M: Expulsion, which I composed for ‘X-Pulsion’ simply because they covered a song of ‘Fame’ over time and because I get along well with Pedro and Jerry. There’s also O-Mind, Wild Life, Smashin’ The TV Screen, Suicide Chick, Don’t Treat Me Like A Dog.
Why do you call yourself ‘The End’? The end of what?
D: We saw that in a movie!
M: Everyone can have their own interpretation. I have my own interpretation: that we are at the end of something, at the end of a cycle.
What will the future be like then?
F: Too much – pa pa pa pa piou…
D: For me it will always be the same. I like the same music since ‘73… ‘The Stooges’, ‘New York Dolls’, … I don’t care much about these so-called new new-wave bands.
M: I think the music will become colder; we will use more and more technical means.
D: We’re going to become like the old rockers: old people who freaked out in their time and who don’t get away with it anymore.
M: Not me anyway!
D: I don’t want to evolve, I like this music and I don’t don’t give a damn.
M: That’s what’s good about the band: we all have different ideas.
D: And since Mickey is the boss, we have nothing to say.
M: I like cold music like ‘The Normal’, ‘Suicide’, … a lot. Didier, likes old rock, ‘The Stooges’, ‘New York Dolls’, ‘Blue Öyster Cult’.
F: I only like Bowie, he’s my god!
You never read fanzines?
Yes!
F: I don’t have money to buy them.
M: I buy them every time I know someone is talking about me in one of them.
D: At the Rockin’ Club [(punk) venue] we knew where to find them. I don’t always want to lug around town to buy a fanzine. When people sell them at concerts, I always buy them.
In the meantime, Pierre arrives…
D: Here is the sixth member of the band!
P: Yeah, I make the covers.
What do you think of the current Belgian scene?
F: The plank floors aren’t solid.
D: I like ‘Plastischke’ [Plastic-ske ???] …
JP: You don’t understand… What do we think of the Belgian scene…the scene: there are planks and nails…
F: It’s rectangular.
M: No, it’s annoying, the Belgian stages are too small. … When it comes to the Belgian scene, I like ‘Thrills’, ‘X-Pulsion’, certain things, ‘Streets’, I like it but they don’t go far enough in what they do. Other than that, it’s really not that. ‘Stalag 6’ [Brussels punk band], I had a good laugh.
D: I like ‘X-Pulsion’.
What kind of music do you want to do?
D: Jean-Pierre wants to play eurorock, Micky ‘Kraftwerk’, Fanny ‘valse musette’ [French waltz] and myself punk-rock.
M: It’s very embryonic at the moment. We’re working to do something completely new, something not yet heard. In any case, we can’t do walls of guitars until ten years from now. There was the ‘Ramones’ which was very funny. I was part of ‘Chainsaw’ and it was the guitar-wall with Jerry. Two years ago it was very funny but now it’s over. I don’t like any really punk bands anymore.
D: It’s because it feels good to say that. The day there’s no longer a wall of guitars, I will commit suicide.
What do you think of ‘Devo’, ‘Bizarros’, …?
P: They’re great!
D: It’s not bad, it’s still better than ‘XTC’ and all that nonsense.
M: I believe that for the moment the future of the rock-scene is to be found in the USA and Germany, not at all in England. We’re laying new foundations like ‘The Normal’. It’s very simple, quite repetitive but like all music that starts off, it will evolve.
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