Breed 77

During their support slot on the recent Machine Head tour, my trust photographer Jo and I managed to have a chat with Breed 77 frontman Paul about The Osbournes, "amazingly huge nipple rings" and how he wrote the Bible as a child! Read on... 

Can you just say your name and what you do in the band please? 

Paul- My name's Paul, and I sing. 

How's the tour going? Is everyone doing OK? 

Paul- All things considered, yeah yeah, we are. For us this is like 9 weeks in cos we've been on like 3 tours back to back, but this tour's been an absolute monster, its been crazy from the word "go", like from the first day its been very very very cool. 

How did you hook up with Machine Head, like how did the tour come about? 

Paul- Um, well basically how it works is like, um, a big band is coming round and the agents kind of hook everything up, and you find out how much it's gunna cos you to get out on the road etc. And we got offered it, and when ya get offered something like this you don't have to think about it much, you just say, you know, "when do we start?!" 

Does everyone get on well? 

Paul- yeah, Machine Head are great guys. It's a band that a lot of people talk about, but we didn't wanna have any preconceptions coming in to meet them, if they're a band that you like and respect. The first day man, they came over to talk to us and we're into the same kinds of music, and um, they're just really down to earth guys. Really, really, really nice people. 

Which is your favourite country to play in? 

Paul- (makes weird horse type noise) (laughter)...um, er...well um...we've been really really, lucky these past few months cos we've been playing some really huge shows here in the UK. And, um, England's always been kinda home cos its where we play most gigs, but um, Holland is a very favourite place of mine. Their laws are kinda more in line with my way of life (laughs) and everybody works at my speed in Holland. But I dunno, er, we just feel really incredibly lucky, cos I think we've played somewhere like 26 countries in the last couple of months. Everything's been absolutely incredible, yeah its really, really great for us now. 

Your new single "la Ultima Hora" has been really well received in the UK, how does that feel? 

Paul- I was just mentioning to my friend Neil here how cool it is to hear everyone singing the words and getting such a cool reaction to the song, like, um, initially that song was kind of a promo single. We did an initial release in May, and we did a pressing of a thousand, and they sold out the minute we put them out. So, er, we were not expecting the video to do so good on TV, and for like 28 weeks it was in the top 5 on Scuzz, it like blew our minds. So we released it last week and it's been a huge success, we're dead, dead chuffed. 

I tried to get a copy of it and most of the shops have sold out, so, it's doing really well, well done on that! 

Paul- thank you. 

In your new video and on stage you often perform topless, is that cos your most comfortable this way, or is it just to show off your amazingly huge nipple rings?! 

Paul- (laughs, and laughter from everyone else in the room) amazingly huge nipple rings?!! 

They are really big though!! (laughter) 

Paul- you'd have to see my T-shirt if I kept it on for the whole show! We're a poor band, we cannot afford laundry, and if I keep my T-shirt on during 3 songs id have to wash it! If I take it off just before it'll dry enough for the show the next day! 

Jo- do you have any other piercings we should know about?! 

Paul- none left, no. I used to be covered in piercings, but I kinda went off that. 

On your website, there's a page devoted to the legalization of cannabis. (Paul throws up his arms in excitement) Are you all big pot smokers then? 

Paul- well, um, a couple of us have stopped because of health reasons. But um coming from Gibraltar, its engraved in our culture, we've grown up with it, and its something that's normal to us, it's not a big deal- smoke a joint for me. Alcohol seems much more damaging to yourself than cannabis ever is. I've been smoking it ever since..er, well I was smoking cannabis before I smoked normal cigarettes, when I was 11 or 12. And I just feel its not like a life or death issue, but its an important issue that needs to be addressed, and that's why we support the reform of marijuana laws.

Which bands did you grow up listening to, and did they influence you in later life? 

Paul- um...huge, huge Led Zeppelin fan, um, Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, we're really big into 70's rock. And we feel we kinda write songs from a classic rock perspective, its what we've been brought up with. I was in my mid-teens when the Seattle scene happened, so it was a really influential time for me also. Its kind of a mish mash of all that. Coupled with things from our territory, like the flamenco and all this ethnic music and that's what we're trying to mix in with the more straight on rock stuff. 

What do you do in you spare time when not touring? 

Paul- um, prepare to tour (laughs) or like kind of recover from a tour! That's basically what we do, its all music all the time. 

Do you get involved with the rock and roll lifestyle, such as parties, drugs and groupies? Or are you a fairly mellow band? 

Paul- well whenever we're invited! (laughs) I dunno, we need a balance, we're human beings, like you'll find out that behind the front that most bands hold up they're human beings and sometimes they'll have a mellow day, sometimes they party, just like you would. So we're the same as everyone else, except we get much more free beer than you! (laughs) 

Which song that you've written are you most proud of? 

Paul- um.."Ave Maria", yeah I wrote that! 

Any reason? 

Paul- no no, I wrote a lot of songs that Pavarotti performs nowadays! 
Stu (bassist)- he wrote the bible too! (laughter) 
Paul- haha, yeah I did, I wrote the bible yeah! 

That's quite an achievement! 

Paul- it was like in my early student days, I wrote it then! (laughs)...but no, um, you're proud of everything you put out really. The reason you're hearing the song is cos we're already proud of it. 

If you could be anyone for the day, who would it be? 

Paul- (thinks, looks lost) um...a plethora of porn stars, so I could look at myself in the mirror all day! (laughter) 

All right then! Whatever floats ya boat! (laughs) 

Paul- um..no, I dunno, who would I most like to be?! You know who I'd be, id be George W Bush! Id put a fucking gun to my head and blow it off!!! (laughter) 

What's in your CD player at the moment? 

Paul- um, eeeeeeerrrrrrr, Cash, Johnny Cash. I just bought it today. 

Man, sick of people being Johnny Cash fans. I'm really not a fan. 

Paul- not a fan? 

No. 

Paul- well my dad used to be into him, and he got me into him and I've always picked him up. But, that's what I'm listening to cos that's what I've just bought. Maybe I wont like it, who knows? (laughs)

Any funny tour stories? 

Paul- funny tour stories? Yeah, look at (breed 77 guitarist) Danny's head, you see that? (he has a big cut on his head) yeah, we inserted an alien into his head, it should burst out any minute now! Funny tour story, yeah, we get nearly knocked out before going onstage. Yeah, he threw a guitar on himself. 
Danny- yeah. No one saw though! (laughs) 
Paul- (sarcastically) why are you laughing? That's not a funny story, I was being serious. (laughs) well, everything's really funny, just hang around for a while and you'll find everything becomes funny after a while! (laughs) 

Mostly helped by alcohol I assume?! 

Paul- no, even without the alcohol, we are a set fireball (laughs), there's no little ingredient to add to the mix, we're good to go! 

Your name was Breed before, where did the 77 come from? I know it's a cliched question, but it had to be asked! 

Paul- you want the real answer or shall I make one up?! (laughter) 

Make one up if ya like! 

Paul- make one up? OK. If you add all the ages of the members of the band, who were in the band 3 years ago yeah, divide them, yeah...divide them by the last 2 digits of their birthdays, yeah, you will come up with a number that is very similar to 77, but not quite 77. So if you add whatever number, whatever the difference is, you get 77! That's why we chose the number! (laughter) 

You put a lot of thought into that didn't you?! 

Paul- um...no! (laughs) 

Jo- when you were younger did you always dream about being a rock star, did you ever think you'd get here? 

Paul- no, the thing is, growing up in Gerbralter, you have no scene, you don't have that many live gig for you to... actually have a grip of what it is like. Everything was a dream you know? Just a pipe dream. And in 1999 we got to support Black Sabbath, so all dreams came true. You dream about it all your lifer and when it actually happens your like (shocked/happy face) (laughter). That gig was heaven, you got to have Black Sabbath soundcheck you get Black Sabbath to hang out, you get to watch the show and it was the stuff dreams are made of completely. But it was over in a flash, as most dreams are. 

A long conversation starts about how Ozzy is so demented now and how its sad that people laugh at the Osbournes, when it was someone they looked up to for so long. And how legends such as Ozzy should be left as legend and it's sad when you see them in the harsh light of day like you do on The Osbournes. Paul and Danny also do some very funny Ozzy impressions! Danny then starts crooning away to "changes" and everyone agrees it is one of the single worst songs ever! 

I then thank the band for all their time and being such a great bunch of guys! 

Check out www.breed77.net for more info.