MR. KRAWALL

My real name is Thomas, but some people know me better under my pseudonym Rudi Krawall (a name which I adopted many years ago, when some friends and myself started to issue a Punk-Fan-Magazine called 'Funzine' and at the same time founded the HC-Funpunk-Band 'Die Knallschoten') ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------- I'm originally from Hamburg (Germany) and live now for quite some time in sunny/windy Perth (Australia) The reason for this move are a) my wife b) the bloody cold European summers and c) just needed a change in my life ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------I'm currently playing in a punk band called 'Surprise Sex Attack' together with some young guys, who technically could all be my sons. But I'm not complaining, since it's almost impossible to find musicians over 40, who still like to play some decent hardcore-punk. We use to be the punk rock cover-band 'The Screwed Up', but we changed name when we got a new bassist and started to write our own songs. ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------IN THE BEGINNING:Before punk came along, like most kids at the time I was into glitter-rock and listened to some of those old heavy-rock-bands, which where just the hardest of music you could listen to at that time. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------- I've been always very interested in music, but good Rock'n'Roll wasn't a thing you could hear very often on German radio in the '70s. And if you went to nightclubs, you got confronted with songs from Bonny Tyler, Tina Charles, Rod Steward and rubbish like that. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------Schoolbands at the time were basicly all cover-bands and played the same songs from 60's artist like 'The Beatles' and 'Stones' to Jimi Hendrix.I just got soo bored with all that slow shit and been always on the lookout for something better, harder and faster. 'Deep Purple', 'Nazareth', 'Status Quo' and specially 'Black Sabbath' were the bands which brought me some limited fun in the mid '7os. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- So it was only natural, when punk broke and made it finally also to Germany, that I was hooked from the 1st time I heard bands like 'Pistols' and 'The Damned'. Finally a type of music which was raw, fast, full with energy and attitude, something I could totally associate with and freak out to.The first concert I ever saw was Black Sabbath' with warm-up band 'Van Halen' in autumn '78 ("never say die - tour" the last one with Ozzy, needless to say that it was really gooood). A few weeks later I saw my first new wave gig which was 'Wayne County & The Electric Chairs'. ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------- When Hamburg's 1st punk-pub (the famous 'Krawall 2000') opened in the summer of '79 I went very frequently to punk-gigs. A few years after that I joint my first punkband called 'Blausiegel'.After a Band split up (or if I just left a combo) I didn't waste much time to form a new one. So I ended up playing with several outfits (in Hamburg/Germany and later in Odense/Denmark) over the years, before coming over to Australia.Even though that the earlier bands were all rather poor, they were still good fun at the time I suppose (I mean, who could really play an instrument at that time?). Later outfits were quite ok. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------ Anyway after 'Blausiegel' disembarked I played with: 'Laumaenner, Die Knallschoten*, Meine Schuppen*, 100% Discretion*, Missing the Scene*, Hvid Regn, The Agitators, Blind Baby C., King Saul & The Prophets of Doom, Peepshow Messiah' and last not least 'The Belly Flops'.Some of those bands actually made it to vinyl (marked *), so record collectors: "get out there and get those rare gems!!"----------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------For a while I got also involved in arranging gigs ('83-'86). First only for my own and local Hamburg bands. But after a while some bands from other countries started contacting me and so I ended up arranging shows for NV Le Anderen (NL), Rattus (SF), Verdun (F), L.U.L.L. (DK) and (together with Juergen von 'Bitzcore Records') that famous Toxic Reasons (US) and Negazione(I) gig.Later in Odense (Denmark)I joined the 'Scumclub Badstuen' crew which organized monthly gigs, mostly for local and danish bands. But we had also a few great foreign bands playing like 'The Dons' (US/NL), 'Hybrid Children' (SF)and some others(ha, sound all a bit like 'that was your life'... but anyway, now you know) ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- For more pics and information about the cult magazine 'Funzine', the early Hamburg scene and bands, please visit BIG E's webpage: www.oldpunks.de