What was the closest you came to never coming back as a band?
When we all had drug problems. There were offers on the table, but I knew that if we got back together in the late '90s, one of us would have died. Probably two of us. The only way of keeping people like us alive was to starve us from drugs; make it so we couldn’t afford enough gear to OD. It didn’t always work – junkies find money. But at least The Wildhearts wasn’t funding that lifestyle. If we weren’t all about the music I wanted no part of it.
Who's the best band who you have supported and vice versa?
The best band we ever supported was Wolfsbane. It was one of our first tours and they taught us everything; how to have fun, how to control a crowd, but most importantly, how to treat a support band. We ended up nicking their entire crew, and their tour manager became our manager. The Midlands was like a second home for us, and some of us didn’t even have a first home! I pick our support bands so I couldn’t choose a favourite. For me the show begins when the first band goes on, so I always choose bands that I think are going to make a great night. Actually, two of my favourites, The Darkness and Groop Dogdrill, didn’t always go down that well with our crowd. But we have had some incredible bands play with us. Strapping Young Lad, 3 Colours Red, Therapy?, The Hellacopters. The list is as amazing as it is long.
Of the many musical projects you've done outside The Wildhearts, which do you think had greater potential than you perhaps achieved?
Hey! Hello! should have got a break. That was a great band, great music, great look, great players and performers. We just couldn’t keep a singer. I’ve seen that be a problem with bands throughout history, which is why I got lucky singing for The Wildhearts. It was something I never wanted to do, but we just couldn’t find a singer so I had to do it. Given my luck with singers, The Wildhearts certainly wouldn’t be featuring in Kerrang! today, or spoken about as a classic band.