Paranoid android: Hot Press meets Steve Ignorant

Over the last few decades anarcho-punk legend Steve Ignorant has been nothing short of inspirational to generations of counter-culture kids. He took on Thatcher's government with the absolutely seminal (and much missed) Crass, he continues to tackle the very seas themselves on a daily basis as a lifeboatman in Norfolk (more on that later) and he's also been a sculptor, an author and even a traditional Punch and Judy performer. Last year he added a new job to his CV, co-front-person with Dublin's own alternative icons Paranoid Visions and their team-up has yielded the recently released and wonderfully raucous new album When...?

“The original idea was to do one track with them ['Split Personality'],” begins Steve. “So I went to Dublin to record that and while I was there Peter Jones [Paranoid Visions' guitarist] said 'Well actually, I've got another track that would be good for you to do,' and I said, 'OK' and did that as well. Then a few weeks later he asked if I'd be interested in doing a couple more tracks and I said, 'Sure' and that turned out to be eight or nine! Basically Paranoid Visions' singer Deko had written these lyrics that he felt would fit my voice, so that's why they got me in on it and I'm really grateful they did as it's been brilliant working with them.”

Powerful, politicised and unafraid to kick against the pricks, When...? almost sounds like a debut album in some ways despite both Steve and Paranoid Visions having started in the late '70s/early '80s respectively. What were recording sessions like for the LP?

“We did all my parts in one night,” he grins. “They had pre-laid out the tracks and basically I went over to Dublin and put the vocals on. It was one of those things where I thought, 'Oh, I might have to take two days to do this,' but most of them ended up being done in one take and it worked out really well. There was definitely magic in the room that night, but I also think part of it was due to me knowing that time was kicking on and I wanted to make last orders at the pub.” [Laughs].

As Paranoid Visions have never been shy tackling Irish issues, we wonder, how does Steve, an Englishman, feel about fronting them considering the history between the two nations?

“Pretty good actually,” he replies. “Funnily enough, a couple of weeks ago Paul, the drummer, was saying how he thought it was strange that they're writing about situations in Ireland – some of which were possibly created by the English – and here's me, an Englishman, fronting up the band. I think that was partly why I wanted to do it as well, because I was interested in what Deko had to say and I just wanted to support him. Not to do that whole 'all hands across the ocean' clichéd bullshit, but I think there's a bit of that in there.”

Speaking of oceans (*tenuous link klaxon*) Steve found himself courted by the mainstream press recently after his work with the independent lifeboat service in Sea Palling, Norfolk was featured in a BBC documentary and he tells us it made him the talk of the town.

“Yeah, that piece ended up on the main bloody BBC news,” he laughs. “I didn't see it though - I was down the pub. It was a real surprise. Everyone was talking about it in the village the next morning.”

And does he find it difficult juggling his volunteer work on the lifeboats with rock 'n' roll?

“It's winter now, so it's a quiet time for the lifeboats, touch wood,” he continues. “In the summer it was hard fitting everything in and it can get pretty hectic during those periods, but it's worth it.”

Recognised worldwide as a punk innovator thanks to his time with Crass and now Paranoid Visions, how does Steve feel about the scene today?

“If you're talking about the modern punk rock stuff, I don't know anything about it,” he concludes. “I'm not interested in all that Green Day, American import stuff. For me punk was always more of an attitude than a musical style. You can do an acoustic show and it'll still be punk as long as you approach it right, as far as I'm concerned. Know what I mean?”

Yes we do Steve. Yes we do.