Terry And The Idiots

Terry And The Idiots are included here on the strength of their performance, which is perhaps flattering them, in the film DOA of the Pistols in America. Nothing can beat Terry as he performs his version of the punk apocalypse ( the lyrics of God Save The Queen to the tune of Anarchy In The UK!) to an unreceptive audience in a London pub. Meanwhile his band forgets the songs and he explains if he only gets new fan a performance he will be happy.

Terry the lead singer features heavily in the film giving his views on life, unemployment, TV, sex and punk rock in general (see script page) while he walks around grim council estates.

While everyone wondered who the band was and why no one had heard of them before, the reason was simple as the interview explains. The band were made up and played only gig which was filmed. They were never paid either. I presume the director wanted a salt of the earth punk band from the wastelands of London to give his film some sort of grass roots London credibility.

That said if The Unwanted were able to get on a top 30 album with their first gig and other amateurish and ramshackle groups went straight to recordings then why not Terry.

Courtesy of Ian and the Part Time Punk fanzine. Another interview with another member of that forgotten band of the punk era – Terry And The Idiots. Malcolm Joseph was 15 at the time and was the bassist in the band.

How did you first get to know Terry Sylvester?  How did the directors of “DOA” pick him and the band to be in the film?
I met Terry through an old friend Gibbsy who played guitar. The story of the DOA was that the director was in a cab and asked the cab to go the Kings Road but instead the cabby took him down to the Kingsmead Estate Hackney and then met Terry.  He asked if there was a punk band here gigging. At the time Terry didn’t have a band and so he arranged with the director that he had a band and would play for him that evening at the Golden Shoe pub. The rest was history in the making.

Did Terry and the Idiots exist prior to the filming of “DOA”?  If so, did you do many gigs are make any recordings/demos?  What songs were part of the band’s set?
No! We formed for that one gig got filmed and became an overnight sensation!  The only other song I could remember was ‘Ma Sylvester’s Apple Crumble Pie’.

When did the filming for DOA take place?  How long were the cameras with you?  Did you have any advanced knowledge on what the film-makers motivations were?  Did you yourself ever get any camera time/interviews that weren’t in the finished item? 
We started filming almost instantly there was no knowledge of us being filmed. We did quite a lot of filming round hackney and you know what? I still haven’t seen DOA yet I was 15 then? ha ha.

What’s your memories of the gig that is in the film?  Why do the band seem to be playing “God Save The Queen” when Terry’s singing “Anarchy In The UK”?!!  Did the band split afterwards?
Maybe we were seriously battered and only rehearsed before we went on.  The funniest thing was when Terry got a pint chucked at him from some old boy in the pub and yes we split up after a few days

Did you do anything else in music after the Idiots?
Yes formed my own band 7th Heaven in the 80’s then went to play for people like Massive Attack, Neneh Cherry and a few others.  Went into setting up a recording studio and now produce bands and solo artists like The Ulcers

Do you have any contact with Terry or any of the other Idiots now?
Only Gibbsy the guitarist.

Looking back on “DOA” now, what do you think of the film?  Is it a fair picture of what was going on in 77/78?
The vibe is good heard the film was great but back then we got nothing for it and I still haven’t seen the film after all these years if you have a copy send one?

All the best Malcolm Joseph 

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DOA Script & Pictures

People like me don’t never have friends coz we tell the truth we don’t care a shit about anything else. So people can’t relate to us they’re scared the media are scared to respond to us. I ain’t got no friends nobody. Its nice to know you’re different from everybody else but it has as many down points as good points. I get me labour money Thursday and up with about £2. Play cards. If I win I can go and have a drink. If I don’t I can’t I stay in or go and ponce of someone.My mum like any mum is sort of scared with me going out like this. My dad is like like all dads you should have been in the army look at you hair look like some poof. They don’t relate to punk as what you are. parents are like that in England because we won the war  so they are just kicking at you. whatever you do You just can’t be right to a parent in London.

I think you’ll find most punks don’t believe in heroes that’s why they have the courage or whatever you call it to walk down the street looking totally ridiculous. They just trying to get the message across it doesn’t matter what you got on. you are a human being and you’re messed up and with clothes, in my opinion, relate to how you feel around you. Like if someone looked at these clothes they’d say they’re fucked up clothes and that’s the idea you’re fucked up with the people and surrounding around you. You get too much with society and all this.

Someone’s living room….

We never started the band and said we’ll buy this and that. He already had his stuff and Steve had his stuff. We juts hooked up together, started mucking about, playing some tunes playing to our Grans, then we decide to play over the pub.

I think your television not the way its made but where it is in America its just great. Kids my age you’ll find that like, a 100% out of a 100 and you can’t beat that.  Over here its poxy, Our best programmes are the ones you don’t want and you sling us, Kojak or some shit like that! our telly goes off at 11.30 and you get to listen to God Save The Queen. It gets a bit monotonous after a while. Most kids ain’t in till 12 and 2 in the morning. But it still don’t mean they’re tired. Society says you go to bed at 12 but that’s totally wrong. If you’re awake and can’t sleep there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to switch the telly on which you can’t.

Terry appears to be singing Anarchy In The UK over the God Save The Queen tune which finishes to no applause.

This is for you all you patriotic heifers out there. I’m sure there ain’t an Englishman in the pub but anyway. I can’t hear you. Will you speak up. Shut your face and listen! You piss off! Don’t flippin tell me to piss off. Well you get up there!

A kind of reggae song starts then breaks down halfway and Terry leaves the stage. The gig is over.

We cut it about three times and they go nervous. What can I do. I’m made to look a cunt. I don’t go up there and get nervous and make them look like a cunt. Ain’t right that they should get nervous and make me look like a cunt. Its not what its all about. If you can’t take it don’t stand the pace.

What about the audience?
Not as good as we usually have but you know they were there we played and that’s it. I don’t care if one people turns up and they like us. So how many geezers do you give a chance to fucking get it right? I gave them three or four. I don’t know if you are supposed to give them more than that. But I never. That’s all you can give someone. I don’t even really expect to give anyone one chance and I don’t want noone to expect  to give me one chance.

If you come in the pub as an individual and said ‘what the fuck are you trying to achieve by this’ and I’d have to explain it to you. Then I’d have to explain it to another then another.  But if I get on stage I’m telling all of you at the same time.

What are you going to do to night?

Go home and try and get a bunk up. Then go to bed.

A what?
A shag. A fuck

Where?
Over the disco. Where I always go. If you don’t, you go to bed and try for tomorrow.

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