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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Steve Ignorant
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 29 September 2010
Steve Ignorant formed anarcho-punk band Crass with drummer Penny Rimbaud in 1977. Before the band split (as planned) in 1984, they’d been investigated by the police, had their phones tapped and had questions raised out them in parliament. Plus, they’d released some great music. Their debut album, ‘The Feeding Of The 5000’, has just been re-issued, and Steve is currently taking his ‘Last Supper’ tour around Europe, with UK shows this weekend, playing Crass songs live for the final time. Meanwhile, his autobiography, ‘The Rest Is Propaganda’, was also published this month. Steve did the SSQ.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
When I really started making music was when I met Penny Rimbaud, the drummer from Crass. I started off shouting down the microphone while he would bang the drums and we took it from there. Gradually, I started to learn how to play guitar and piano to an extent, but later on I could always pass that over to someone else to play so that I could focus on the singing.
Q2 What inspired ‘The Feeding Of The 5000’?
For me, firstly it was seeing other punk bands like The Clash and being inspired by what they were doing. Secondly, it was at last a chance for me to air my opinion in a way I knew how, from standing in the football tiers – all of it is very chanty.
Q3 How do you go about creating a track?
It definitely varies, and I write a lot differently now than how I used to. For example, when I was in Schwarzeneggar I was writing very differently to how I had been in Crass, I was trying to be more poetic and musical. I was really into Joni Mitchell’s ‘Hejira’ album and looked at the way the lyrics were written, which was almost like a poem. In fact, one of the songs I wrote in Schwartzeneggar, ‘Child Of The Times’, was based and written around a Joni Mitchell song.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Nowadays I’m influenced by Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and obviously Joni Mitchell. I still regularly go back and listen to old David Bowie, the Ziggy Stardust kind of era. I’ve always listened to and been influenced by Bert Bacharach, even before it was cool to like him. The first single I bought was ‘Close To You’ by The Carpenters, and I’m very much into Motown and ska. Bands that influenced me when I started out making music were definitely The Clash and Sex Pistols.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
I would say give it a chance, if you don’t like the music then read the words. If you don’t like it still, then melt down the CD and use it as a bird scarer, or if it’s on vinyl use it as an ashtray.
Q6 What are your ambitions for the ‘Feeding Of The 500’ re-issue, and for the future?
My ambitions for the record are that hopefully people will like the re-issue and that it sells well, and also that it gets through to people who are learning about Crass for the first time. My personal ambitions for the future are for the rest of the tour to go well, and to carry on working with the Independent Lifeboat Crew. I’d also like to do a lot more spoken word.
MORE>> www.steveignorant.co.uk
