Q:	Did you like school, and what would you say you were a good student?
A:	I did like school when I had a good teacher.  And it helped that in the 2nd
	grade as it was discovered I needed glasses.  I remember seeing clouds in
	the sky and being amazed at all the bits of trash in the gutters, but mainly I
	could see the black board, which helped.
Q:	Do you have any nicknames?
A:	Unfortunately yes.
Q:	At what  age did you decide that you wanted to be a musician?
A:	I started a band with two girlfriends in our late teens then, the punk showed
	up and that decided my future.   I had very little to do with it, I wanted to be
	a veterinarian, but couldn't afford it.
Q:	Can you remember anything about you first ever stage appearance?
A	It was at the Masque with The Bags.  I remember wearing Alice's Patti Smith
	shirt that had Radio Ethiopia on it.   Bobby Pyn (later called Darby Crash)
	kept jumping up on stage and grabbing Alice and the mike.  Our gimmick was
	to wear bags on our heads and they melted off in the heat.
	The opening act, The Spastics actually got chased out of the building.
	I remember the drummer running away clutching a snare drum.  At least we
	got a better reaction than that.
Q:	After releasing the 7" single Survive in 1978 do you think you would have
	released an album as The Bags did write more than two tracks the other
	being the flip side to Survive?
A:	Yes, I think that with all of us writing we could have easily released an album.
	Our set only ever had 1 or 2 cover songs, the rest were our own.  We were
	never short for songs, whether they were any good or not is another story!
	We were very good at doing cover songs.   Did some great versions of
	Tommy Roe's 'Dizzy' and Sweat Pea's  to Love's 7 & 7 Is, White Rabbit
	(which The Damned covered also) and Rolling Stones 'Paint It Black'.
	I have just heard a Bags gig from 1978 and I must admit it was excellent,
	not what I would remember us sounding like.  We were very tight as a
	band and the songs were not typical run of the mill punk song.  Alice's
	vocals weren't so much singing as threatening noises with horrifying screams.
	It was all very intense.
Q:	These days females are playing instruments more and more, but Patricia when
	you started back in 1976 did you find difficult to be taken seriously as a
	musician as females tend to sing instead of playing an instrument?
A:	It wasn't difficult, it was impossible.  You're either the singer or a keyboard player.
	The boys in bands humoured us which was nice, but it was punk that changed
	the male domination in music -- for a while at least.  Now it's girls to the
	background again, unless you have your ass and tits hanging out with a stylist
	and team of songwriters.  Talent ain't what it used to be.
Q:	Pop?
A:	Poop is more like it.  I can play festivals with 40 bands where I am the only female.
	On the Warped tour there were great bands with girls in them which is great to
	see,but they were unfortunately on   the small stages.
	Wonder why?
Q:	I asked you the year before last what musical influences you had and you replied
	Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Doors etc., but were there any individual musicians
	that influenced you personally, and also why the bass as most people tend to play
	the guitar?
A:	Thrifty Drug Stores used to sell musical instruments...well things that were
	shaped like them anyway.  I think they were $35 each.  My two girlfriends and I
	bought a guitar and a bass.  Margo, who I think actually bought the guitars, knew
	some chords so she became the guitarist.   Alice wanted to be the front person so
	got the bass.  On an 'always trust your instincts note':  when I was 12 years old, I
	saved up every cent to buy a guitar.  I went to the guitar shop and realized I could
	afford the guitar, but not the lessons or a way to get there as my mom worked.  So
	I walk out of the store empty handed, a decision I will always regret.  I learned to
	'play by playing along to Jeff Beck's Truth' album, Queen's first albums, 'Train Kept
	'A Rollin' by Aerosmith and David Bowie's, '5 Years' comes to mind.
Q:	In the early years of your career did your parents give you any support?
A:	My mother was always fantastic.   I have always had a great memory of when the
	Bags were playing somewhere very early on and my mother came running out of
	the driveway yelling 'Patricia you forgot your bag!'.  My mother making sure I had
	a bag to put over my head is a special moment in time.
Q:	If you were asked to describe yourself what would you say?
A:	Not much.
Q:	Bearing in mind you tour the US a lot do you miss anything about home?
A:	If I wasn't allowed back to shop I'd shrivel up and die.  Anyone who has been to
	the US knows what I mean.   Whatever you want it is there readily available and
	cheaper than Denny's Norms, Cracker Barrel, diners, etc..., are all sadly missed by
	both David and myself, takeaways' just don't do it for me and if you go out to eat
	to something other than a café or Indian it's very overpriced in the UK, but
	keeping in mind I've ,been here since the early 1980s food has improved
	drastically and is no longer the butt of the rest of the worlds jokes... you just have
	to have the money to afford it, or cook it yourself.  Proper English food is
	fantastic, Jed is a great English cook, if she invites you to dinner accept!
Q:	Living in the UK since 1984 what do you like about this country and dislike
	about it?
A:	The punk movement happened here due to very real reasons.  The prosperity of
	the present was nowhere in sight in 1976.   I moved hear after I left the Gun Club,
	realizing Jeffrey was his own worse enemy and despite loving the band it was
	going nowhere and I was finding it hard to watch. The music scene in London
	then was fantastic, it was a non stop party with something going on every night
	when I first moved here.   I was very lucky as when the original punk scene in LA
	was on the wane, bands breaking up, people moving on, I moved here and did it
	all again with the Sisters in the late 1980s.
	'The politics of both the UK and US both suck these days.  I moved here to get
	away from the Reagan Years which is now the same political agenda just with
	different names.  I miss a lot about the US, but unfortunately as with most people,
	a lot of what I miss are nothing more than memories now as they no longer exist in
	2003 LA.  I have wonderful memories of both countries, still when you are having
	a bar-b-que on the beach at sunset with friends it don't get better than that.
Q:	Your first and only solo album 'Reflect On This' was released in 1994, if the
	right situation occurred would you be prepared to record another solo album or
	was it something you have tried and thought maybe it's not for me?
A:	If I didn't have to do it all myself I would consider it.
Q:	'Reflect On This' saw you sing on all tracks, but only play bass on just two
	tracks 'Reflection' and 'Living End', with Jim Daley playing the remainder.
	People may have thought you playing bass on all tracks would be the natural
	choice?
A:	I did play two tracks, but Jim played the rest as that was what he was there for.
Q:	Whilst on the past how did you come to play bass on 'Countryfield Inner City
	Blues' a track from the album 'Silver Missiles and Nightingales' released by
	The Suicide Twins in 1986?
A:	I knew Nasty and Andy when they were in Hanoi Rocks so the pair asked me to
	play on a track and I obliged.
Q:	Grave Disorder is the first Damned album since 1986.  Are you pleased with the
	reaction of the press and music fans alike?
A:	It is the only recording I have ever played on that I am happy with and can listen
	to without wishing most of it were different.  I really love that album, the fact that I
	was part of it makes me very pleased.
Q:	The worst thing about releasing a new album most musicians would say is the
	countless promotional interviews would you agree with that?
A:	Usually yes, but with The Damned it is David and The Captain who the press .
	wish to speak to.  You can imagine how thrilled they are to answer the question '
	''tell me about punk in 1977' for the seventeenth squillion time.  I on the other hand
	got off lightly with the press obligations, I get 'hey its a girl' every once in a while
	'so they asked me 'So what's it like being a girl in a band?' I say "great!!"and
	they're happy.
Q:	Some people may or may not know you play bass in The Damned, but help with
	the business end.   Why did you make this decision as playing in a band is hard
	enough without the added responsibilities of arranging appearances and tours,
	etc.?
A:	I have the bands best interest at heart.  If someone doesn't, I go for the jugular
	and I think the boys know that.  Luckily I have people I can trust who are
	excellent at their job to help these days.  We get by with a little(or a lot) of help
	from our friends.  The Damned fans have kept these band going throughout the
	years dispite bad record deals and press apathy.
Q:	Since the release of 'Grave Disorder' in the August of 2001 the band has toured
	endlessly for the last 2 years, is it hard to settle back into a home routine after
	so long on the road?   Or are you just glad to get home?
A:	Both.  Time to catch up on doing things that should have been done months ago,
	but as anyone who is self employed knows, you can never stop or the bills don't
	get paid.
Q:	What do you like and dislike about touring the most?  With touring comes the
	age old problem of bottle throwing, people just being thoughtless,  not thinking
	about band members safety and equipment, i.e., the unfortunate incident with.
	the previous bass player Paul Gray being hit by a bottle at the Forum in 1995,
	which saw you Patricia installed as bass player in 1996.  Have you had any
	experiences with this problem?
A:	Damned fans now know that it isn't 1977 and spitting and throwing things in 2003
	isn't needed, expected or tolerated.  The gigs are better for everyone without it.
	It really isn't a problem anymore.  Younger fans don't even think of doing it, unlike
	the rest of the band I never had to put up with it so never thought it was
	acceptable.
Q:	Patricia in 1996 you married David in Las Vegas.  Who's idea was it, why Las
	Vegas, and what is your opinion of Las Vegas?
A:	We both love Las Vegas.   On the last US tour our lovely tour manager Jill
	arranged for us to be in Las Vegas for our day off.  As Monty pointed out we
	wore our feet down to the nubs walking and looking all day.  None of us really
	gamble, but it's the spectacle, rather good shopping as well.  I am amazed when
	'people tell me I went to Las Vegas, I was bored'.  I couldn't be bored here if I tried.
Q:	Do you have any pre show routine before you go on stage?
A:	Nothing remotely interesting.   I want to know my stuff is safe and will be safe
	when I return there is a Dunlop 88 pick on my amp and plenty of water.  Nice if my
	amp works too!
Q:	Are you nervous or can you remember the last tome you were nervous before a
	show?
A:	I thought I was going to be nervous before the Warped Tour's first gig as it was
	an audience who didn't really know us, but the luggage had gone missing so I
	was preoccupied in the tour office phoning for hours on end to find it and was
	just amazed I had to go out onstage with what I'd worn on the plane over and two
	days.  I don't get nervous I get excited.
Q:	Patricia age is it a worry or just a number?
A:	Since it leads to death it's a worry.
Q:	Do you listen to music at home?
A:	Right now a CD of Uta Lemper is playing upstairs with David accompanying it
	on accordion.  I kid you not.  We have two accordions, one given to me years ago
	and one is my mothers, since she passed away we now have them.
	Bizarrely David is naturally really good at it.
Q:	Are there any bands you like at the moment?
A:	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The White Stripes and The Tiger Lillies
Q:	What bands have you toured with supporting or headlining that you have had an
	absolute riot with and why?
A:	Most of them!  It becomes a traveling circus, of special note was the US tour with
	The Toilet Boys and the Briefs.   The last night was sad, but full of practical jokes.
	Also the last US tour with Tiger Army and Tsunami Bomb... we were just all
	getting to know each other and having a good time when it all ended.
	While in the Gun Club the Sisters of Mercy were our support and we had a race
	in our vans up and down the country to see who could arrive at the gig first.
	I remember opening the hatch on the top and dumping cornflakes out at them to
	slow them down, obviously I was having a drink or two that day.  We also took
	across open fields at one point.   We won by about 30 seconds and boy did we
	lord it over them.
Q:	There are so many places and venues you have played over the years, is there any
	country or venue you would like to play if the chance ever arose?
A:	Yes, for the Sheiks in Saudi Arabia and the like (maybe not right now though) for
	years I have heard tell of the legendary fees one can obtain by doing these
	mythical gigs.  Alternately a decent tour of Japan/Australia wouldn't go a miss.
	The band is so much more together than our last sojourn there,  David has a bee
	in his bonnet to play China,and last but not least I would love us to play Prague.
	Any offers?
Q:	Would you like to release a live Damned DVD in the near future;  also is there
	scope for a follow up to the superb Grave Disorder album?
A:	There is a DVD due soon and then it's back in the studio to get songs together for
	the next album, music comes first then think about record companies and all that
	boring crap?
Q:	What has been the highlight of your career so far?
A:	Seeing the name 'The Bags' headlining the Whiskey A GoGo in LA.  I really
	thought I'd made it, we all had our parents in the audience.  If 'Grave Disorder had
	sold better the Ocean gig in Hackney would have been perfect, as it was it was
	still a wonderful night.
Q:	Have you had a low point in your career?
A:	Sleeping on a park bench when they took my flat away when I was ousted from
	the Sisters, while they were about to play Wembley Arena.
Q:	Patricia whilst on the same subject have you had any regrets during your career
	so far?
A:	Should have signed contracts checked by a good lawyer instead of going on
	trust.
Q:	Do you like making videos for singles?
A:	I love making videos and they are a necessity, both Tiger Army and Tsunami
	Bomb had videos, we didn't.  We were told we hadn't sold enough records to
	warrant a video!
	Oookkkkaaayyyy......
Q:	During you period in the Sisters you recorded an amazing  video for  the single
	'This Corrosion', where was the video shot and what was it like?
A:	'This Corrosion' was shot in Wapping or thereabouts in a warehouse or
	soundstage.  We wanted to go to Kazakhstan in the Soviet Union, but at the same
	time the Russian record company (Melody or something it was called) were in
	negotiations with the west regarding video rights.  We were not allowed to go as
	we would have botched up the negotiations.  No idea what legal ramifications
	there were in the end, but we had to keep ourselves out of the way. In Wapping.
	shooting that video was very fraught at first as I'd never done anything like it, but
	I had Jeanette Rivera, a wonderful make-up artist and friend with me.  They tried
	to hurry me up, but Jeanette saw them off  'til we were ready.  I made the corset part
	of the outfit I wore, but they were supposed to make a jacket and other bits which
	they didn't so it was a mad scrabble on the day.  I actually had the PVC stockings
	taped to my legs with gaffer and the collar around my neck the same.
	Ah, the glamour.
	At one point there were 14 people telling me what to do.  I remember counting the
	voices and wondering who to listen to.   The director Stuart Orme was lovely and
	all the crew were great which made it a long, but fun shoot.
	We had extras from 'The Ugly Agency who were very professional and great to
	work with, to this day I see some of the people in ads.
	The record company did what record companies do best and INSISTED there had
	to be a neon in the video somewhere. There is and they were happy.   You have to
	look hard to see it, but obviously it made a huge difference and I am sure no one
	would have bought the single without it.  As we behaved ourselves during the
	'shoot they allowed us to go to Jordan for the second video, Dominion.
	Good-bye Wapping, hello Petra.
Q:	The period that you were a member of The Sisters of Mercy, what was the most enjoyable?
A:	Petra, riding my little Arabian horse throughout the magnificent city
Q:	Patricia your star sign is Capricorn, would you say you are a typical Capricorn?
A:	Whenever I read the forecasts it's never right
Q:	If not a musician what do you think you would be doing now?
A:	I might have gone to school to become a lawyer or alternately a high class call girl
	getting ready to retire with my tax free fortune.
Q:	What transport do you own car or bike?
A:	I have a 1989 Harley Davidson Sportster and would like to trade my car in for a PT
	Crusier, don't see that happening anytime soon, but I can dream.
	David loves old cars, and still has his Humber hearse which I refer as the
	'Behemoth'.  I like vehicles that faithfully work when you turn the key

A huge thanks to Patricia for taking part in this interview.