Mickey Geggus packs a mean punch as the guitarist of the legendary hard-hittin high-spittin street-fightin bullet-biting Cockney Rejects (but personally I've always found him to be a fluffy old pussycat).

And talkin of pussycats, I met up with Mickey just as he was lobbing a sack of kittens into the Albert Dock, right after he'd mugged a group of pensioners on their way to church. *

We headed for the nearest East End boozer, and after a quick bar-room brawl in which Chas'n'Dave ended up falling Fred Durst down the apples'n'pears, we got round the Cain'n'Abel for a right old rabbit.

* Nahhhh, I was lying about Mickey mugging a group of pensioners on their way to church. The pensioners were actually on their way HOME from church.

There will be many UFO fans who've heard of the Cockney Rejects, but probably never bought any of the albums. The whole punk/oi thing of the 70s and 80s was miles away from melodic rock, and apart from appearances on shows like Top Of The Pops, the two genres didn't really overlap. So it might come as a surprise to SITN readers that UFO and the Cockney Rejects were linked in lots of ways. You and Pete Way were great mates back in those days (and still are!) and Pete even produced one of the Rejects' albums. We'll talk about your gig at the Mean Fiddler in a bit, but first, tell us about the origins of the band and about how you've evolved to what you're doing now. Hello there SITN readers, hope all is great in UFO land! The Rejects were formed in London's East End in late 1978. We really didn't have much of a scene around there at the time, apart from the Ruskin Arms in East Ham and the dear old Bridge House in Canning Town, so I guess we were a bit of a novelty at the time. Myself, singer Jeff Turner and bassist Vince Riordan were all massive rock fans from way back, and had been bought up on a steady diet of Zep, Queen, Sabbath and Nazareth way before the punk explosion.

When great bands like the Pistols and the Clash came along, it seemed that any 'erbert from any background could have a go regardless of how much cash or influence you had, so that's when we started. At the beginning we were obviously brick-wall punk, but we always used our love of catchy hooks and big riffs to good effect (even on a song from our first album,'Greatest Hits Vol.1' titled 'Fighting In The Streets', the riff is a direct nick from 'It's Late' from Queen's 'News Of The World' album!) After that we steadily progressed with each album, combining our love of stadium rock and punk until we thought that it was time to try the first crossover album, 'The Wild Ones', produced by our old mate Pete Way. Poor distribution led to poor sales despite great reviews, and eventually we disbanded.

Many years later I turned on the telly at 2am to hear one of our old singles, 'I'm Not A Fool' being pumped out for a Levi's commercial! We have been back on the road ever since, and have just released what we consider to be our finest album, 'Unforgiven' on G&R Records. We are playing a major London show at The Mean Fiddler on June 30th, where we will be playing a mixture of old and new. Check it out!

What's the significance of the new album's title? The title 'Unforgiven' is of course autobiographical, as we feel that we have never been 'forgiven' by the powers that be in the press and the industry for just being who we are - real people. We never ever kissed arse to get on, and if we thought that we were being disrespected by any industry bigwigs or jounalists (and there were many!) we would simply smash them in the mouth just like we would have anywhere else, and damn the consequences. As we found out, these consequences were huge as we found ourselves being blocked at every turn, but we can be proud of ourselves that we held our heads high. It just pains me that these same pricks wet their corporate pants over scum like 50 Cent (more like two bob) and Pete Doherty to name but two. 

What are your favourite tracks from Unforgiven? I like everything about 'Unforgiven'- it has taken us nearly three years to get it how we want it, and we have jettisoned eight tracks in the process. This is how it's meant to be, no more, no less.

Apart from yourself and Jeff Stinky Turner, who else is on the new album? Our current lineup is our best and most stable ever. On bass guitar we have the heir to the throne, the bastard son of Pete Way and Harry Hill - Tony Van Frater (pictured here beside me). Writing with Tony has bought an extra dimension of melody and power, and his stage presence is reminiscent of the High Priest himself. Andrew 'Lainey' Laing, formerly of Leatherface, is on drums. Simple as this, NOBODY hits the drums with such precision and power as this boy. The band now is as it always should have been.

After punk got going in the late 70s, it wasn't long before there were loads of 'sham' bands pogo-ing onto the bandwagon. Bands whose only statement was 'we can't sing, we can't play, we haven't got a message, but this is easier than gettin a proper job and if we blag it hard enough people might not notice that we've got nothing to offer'. (This still happens today of course, especially in areas around Chalfont St Giles). But the Rejects have always been the real deal. When you lot wallop down a plate of pie'n'mash'n'jellied eels it's cos that's what you fancy for your dinner, not cos it's the politically-correct thing for *real* Eastenders to eat. So... back to what I was saying... as a band, you're all very accomplished musicians. How important are the music and the lyrics, to you personally? The perfomance of the music is every bit as important as the message. Few people know, but in our time we have worked with people such as Steve Marriott, Gary Edwards, John Fiddler (Yardbirds) and Ted McKenna (SAHB).

Knowing Pete for so long, you must have quite a few tales to tell.... Care to share? Oh yes! The Rejects were always big on UFO, and years before I met Pete, there used to be a little music shop in East Ham. It was run by this funny little fella who we called Harry-Snapper Organs, and we used to give him hell. I remember thinking that it was funny cos he had all these black-and-white publicity shots of Pete in his window.
One day, while my mate was distracting him, I nicked a guitar off the wall and had it away up the road. Old Harry came bolting after me. 'You bastard!' Harry yelled. 'I'll have ya! I never forget a face!'  Years later, me, Pete, and his then wife Jo went to her parents for dinner. 'You must meet my dad' she said. 'You two will really get on!' She knocked on the door, and... yes... you guessed it... who opens it but Harry-Snapper Organs! 'Dad, this is our friend Mick' says Jo.
I wanted to melt. He never said anything about it though, in fact we had a good afternoon. I thought 'F&£% me, I've got away with it!' On the way out, Harry leans over and whispers in my shell-like. 'You thieving Bastard. I told you that I never forget a face!' Then he laughed - and that's the truth!
We had many crazy adventures together, the 'ol high priest and me. Pete is a legend in every sense of the word, the most exciting bass player EVER to hit the stage. People have copied his style for years (Steve Harris, anyone?) but no-one comes close. It has been a pleasure working with him over the years, and hopefully we will collaborate many more times in the future. God bless you, old friend. Awwwww..... that's beautiful. Just beautiful...

What are your favourite UFO songs, and why? UFO truly broke the mould, in my book. Along with the beautiful melodies of 'Love To Love', 'Mother Mary' and 'Profession Of Violence' came the power of 'Lights Out', 'Shoot Shoot' and 'Letting Go' among many, many more. They still hit live with the same power and dynamics that they always have done, and they show no signs of slowing down. Thank God for that!!

In 1980 the Rejects recorded a version of the West Ham anthem, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles. How much have the links with football, and all that goes with it, played a part in the band's career over the years? The West Ham thing is in our blood. We have tried in the past to distance ourselves from it, but we can't. It's part of who we are. It has caused us plenty of grief in the past, but we wouldn't change anything. It all happens for a reason. All this was before football became a plaything for the middle classes, back when it was a real grass roots thing. We weren't plastic hammers, we were the real thing and pretty rough with it. I believe that West Ham became a global cult mainly because of the Rejects, and I'm very proud of that. Viva Tevez!

The Cockney Rejects have a very devout fanbase in Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia and South America etc. Is this because people in politically-troubled countries relate to your kick-down-the-walls-kick-up-the-arse kinda vibe, the same as when punk really got going here in England? Or do they just like the tunes? I really do not know... It's got to be a combination of the two, surely? I guess so - and don't keep calling me Shirley.....

Now, tell us about your upcoming gig on June 30th, when the 'East End Boys Go Up West'. The East End boys go up West on June 30th for a simultaneous world wide web broadcast at the Mean Fiddler, promoted by G&R Promotions. We try to play at least one show a year in our hometown and this time we have decided to come out of the East End for this one with the aim of getting some of you old school rockers to come along and see what you've been missing for all these years!

You and Jeff are also well known on the boxing circuit. Tell us more about that. And how much does boxing figure in your lives these days? We still have close links to the boxing fraternity (you never lose 'em), and Jeff still trains at the gym three times a week. He is currently working on a television documentary called 'The Boys Of '77' about the lives of those involved in the British championships that year (Jeff was one of the boxers). Something people might not know is that you also have hidden depths as a scuba diver. Yes, I was a commercial diver for a number of years - I started scuba diving when I was twelve years old! But obviously running a band and a record company precludes me from taking the plunge again - thank God!

In Jeff's autobiography, which I will unbiasedly recommend as a right-riveting-read, because it truly IS a right-riveting-read, there are moments when it looks like you were your own worst enemies. Is it fair to say that there were times when you bit the hand that fed you? Or was that cos those hands were feedin you with bullshit? Remind us of some of the incidents where people learnt not to mess with The Geggus Brothers. Yes, there were times when we bit back, but as I explained earlier, that was our mindset at that time, and we honestly knew no other way. We'd been brought up to be polite, but to NEVER let anyone, in any walk of life, take liberties with us. The people in the rock industry and some of the snottier press had had carte-blanche for a long while to treat people like shit, because so many bands put success before self-worth and let them get away with it. We came from a boxing background, and whilst being rough diamonds, boxers always put family, friends and loyalty before everything. I remember breaking my hand and having the fight of my life in some smoky, dingy hall in Hoxton. For three rounds we beat the shit out of each other, people threw money in the ring, and when it was all over we shook hands and embraced. THAT was what we were all about. We weren't about to change because some jumped-up snot offered us a record contract just so that he could line his own pockets (and they did!) and then talk to us like we were shit.

Back in March 2005 you got together with Garry Bushell and our blessed leader The Waymeister himself, for a one-off performance in front of an invited audience, where songs by The Cockney Rejects, The Gonads, and UFO were given a makeover that only the combined forces of rock'n'roll'n'punk'n'oi'n'alcohol could have come up with. Some have even likened the occasion to a religious experience - but that was probably due to those nuns who kept trying to storm the stage from the mosh-pit. Blimey, not sure what what brand of Holy Water they were drinking but put me down for a pint of it. Anyway dear, will we ever see a reprise of The Unidentified Flying Gonads? Prettyplease? Ahhh, dear old Pedro. We have just recorded a new track together called 'England's Glory' which will be out on the forthcoming G&R Records release 'The Kings Of Street Punk' which will be released at the end of July. The line up features myself and Reject Tony Van Frater on guitars, Pete on bass, Gal on vocals and Waysted's Paul Haslin on drums. We don't expect this to be the last of it, either.......

Serious question, but I've gotta ask it cos people will want to know. When you're sittin in the bath, washing away all the cares of the day, do you sing 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'? And do you do all the actions along with it? Of course I do! Doesn't everyone?

What has been your proudest moment as a Cockney Reject - apart from this interview of course - and why? One was when we were invited to play Morrisey's Meltdown festival at the Royal Festival Hall. Turns out the old quiff was a big fan, and for Ma Geggus to see her boys take their place in respectable society was quite an experience. Also what springs to mind was the gig at the Circus Tavern two years ago when we were reunited with most of our old firm, and also giving Slayer and Anthrax a run for their money at Germany's Full Force festival in 2002.

Tell us more about the record company. G&R London is a new record label created by myself and my old friend Andy Russell. He, like me, has been around the scene since the '70s, and we were concerned that current labels like Majestic and Captain Oi! were happy to merely rehash and retread sub-par material, and not attempt to nurture and promote new and exciting stuff. We aim to record and promote a wide range of material - new bands like the 'Usual Suspects', a major compilation titled 'The Kings Of Street Punk', featuring bands like Rancid, The Rejects, and lots of other bands, which is coming out in July, and many others. We will also be contacting old friends for a 'Kings Of Rock' compilation on which work will begin soon. Watch this space!

At this point in the interview we usually do an amps'n'valves question with guitarists, where they talk about what gear they've got and how they plug a 4x500 Marshall head through a Hughes'n'Kettner amp and feed the whole thing through the speakers of a Y-Reg Ford Cortina (or some such bollux) to get a sound just like Schenker had in the middle-8 semi-demi pentatonic major quaver thingy of On With The Action. Is this a waste of time in your case? If not, bring it on. You under-estimate me, woman! I use a beautiful old 1972 Les Paul Standard (The BC Rich is long gone, sadly) normally through a Marshall JCM 900 and a Line 6 floor pod for more versatility live. Tony uses either a Warwick or Musicman Stingray bass through an Ampeg Pro-6 and Ampeg cabs. I'm impressed!

What message would you like to give to our SITN readers? Thanks for reading this article, and I hope that this has opened your eyes just a bit to the Cockney Rejects' universe. If any of you get the chance, please check out our new album -'Unforgiven' - you won't be disappointed. If big guitars, hooks and tunes are your bag, chances are this is for you. It would be fantastic to see you at the Mean Fiddler on June 30th... It will be a great night of Rock'n'Roll. Tickets can be bought via our rather excellent website. Thanks to Batttttty and to all of you! Cheers!

This interview © Batttttty - 28th May 2007