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On
Monday 16th July, I had the pleasure of meeting Danny McCormick, bass
player from The Wildhearts at Changes One Record Shop, in South Shields,
courtesy of Ian Tunstall.
Danny kindly agreed to do his first interview with me since the
unfortunate incidents at Newcastle and Dudley, when he blacked out on
stage due to a drug addiction that he was suffering from.
This was in the middle of the Wildhearts sell out reunion tour and Toshi,
from AntiProduct had to step in, in Danny's absence to complete the rest
of the tour.
A month later he is at home in South Shields recovering and receiving
help from the towns Drug Counselling unit.
He looks fantastic and is at one with himself in mind and body,
understanding what he has done to himself, as well as his friends,
family and all of the fans out there who have shown how much they care
about him over the past 30 days.
He is a determined man and is set on conquering his illness once and for
all.
MM - How are you feeling?
Danny - I feel absolutely fine,
happy because I am off the drugs and back at home out of temptations
way, but where ever you are there is always temptation and I have had to
find some will power. But I actually feel great, I have been getting
acupuncture done and it is absolutely brilliant, it really chills you
out.
You know for years I have had my foot on the accelerator pedal and feel
like I have discovered another pedal and said, "what does that one
do?" and went "oh fuckin' hell it is the brake" and
finally put the brakes on.
I am still enjoying a couple of cans and a ciggy and that is it. I won't
give up them because I don't want to, BUT with the problem that I had I
wanted to give up and that is when you know you really want to give up.
People pressure you to try and give up but you don't listen when you are
on it, you won't listen to anybody but when you listen to yourself, and
actually take heed of it, that is the time to stop, because you know
that you want to.
You have to make the decision. If you are on that drug that I was on
you're the biggest liar and you lie to yourself. You have to stop
lying to come off it!
MM - So are you pleased to be home and do you still
call here home?
Danny - Of
course I do!!! Not London, that is where I lived. Here is home,
London is past tense. I have no plans to go back, just to rehearse, fly
somewhere or gig.
I still have loads of mates down there who I love dearly but there is
also more of the wrong sort of people and I feel like it is just time to
knock London on the head.
MM - So are you playing the Bull Dog Bash?
Danny -
Yep, definitely and hopefully a few gigs after that.
MM - Are you looking forward to it?
Danny - Oh of course I am, I
love playing. You see with the problem that I had I was no good to
anyone. You know I was so gutted that I let so many people down, people
had travelled and ohhhhhh!!!
The amount of cards in the house is just unbelievable, it just made me
think "my god what have I done!" On the up side it shows that
people do care and it has given me a good knock on the head with a
fuckin big hammer.
MM - So where do you think that
your music is taking you now?
Danny - Exactly where it has
always been, punk, rock n' roll. Music I love, music I know I
still have the same musical influences that I have always had, The
Clash, Toy Dolls, Upstarts, The Damned. I love 50's, 60's and 70's stuff
too. Anything with a good sentiment that is written from the heart, as
long as it from a real experience.
My mam's favourite song is Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and it just
makes me go "ooooohh this is fantastic" because all that sort
of stuff is about things they have really been through and is really
heart felt.
MM - Are you going to start writing some new songs?
Danny - I have written five
since I have come up here and I have only been up here a month!
I've a good one called "Flying" which has to be done, another
couple called "Good Company" and "First Time".
MM - So are you going to record them with The
Wildhearts?
Danny - I am going to try and do it by myself. I have a lot of
friends that are willing to give me a hand and they are all in big bands
that you'll know, but I am not going to tell you who!!! Hee heee!
MM - Were you proud of the Yo-Yo's album?
Danny - Really proud. The whole point was to get a band together
that actually gives you a buzz when you're listening to it. I had
been looking through my record collection and couldn't find one that
really did that for me, so me, Tom, Neil and Bladz all got together and
wrote it - so yes I am really proud of that.
MM - Which one of your own songs is your favourite?
Danny - Toss up between "Sunshine Girl" and "Keep in
On, Keep in on".
MM - Have you seen loads of old mates since you have
been home?
Danny - God yes, I have seen loads and they all want to go out for a
pint.
MM - Finally, do you remember what happened at Newcastle
and Dudley?
Danny - I remember my family turning up and getting absolutely
drunk. I remember the first part of the Newcastle gig and I
thought it was alright and then after that I woke up at my mam's and
apparently I had hit CJ and I was all over the place and I couldn't
remember any of it.
I always thought that people were lying when they said they couldn't
remember something, but this was awful it was as if someone had turned
the lights off. So I turned up in Dudley the next night and then
Nottingham I was told just not to turn up at all, just to take it easy
and chill out and my girlfriend brought me home. She is an angel. And
now I am not on the drugs.
If you have a problem you have to try to sort it out, but you have to
want to do it yourself. Just try and be honest to yourself and
even if you give yourself a bit of space, just half an hour a day, then
you have the rest of the day to share your life with people and just get
on with living.
The acupuncture is helping and it sets you up for the whole day. I am
doing that 3 days a week now and am getting counselling and support from
the detox centre. I had to get my priorities right and admitting
the problem is the first step. I really couldn't have done it with out
my mam and dad and all my brothers and sisters.
I am really lucky, I have a really, a really lovely family.
There are people out there with cancer etc and they have got no choice
in the matter, where I have got a choice and that is the difference. So
I have made it.
I would personally have to thank Danny for this
interview, as he bared his heart to me and I and the rest of the people
on the Mall wish him all the luck and will power in the world to conquer
his addiction.
He is definitely on the road to recovery and deserves this chance to
prove he is a star and by defeating this, he is proving he is a bigger
star than he ever imagined.
Cheers Danny, you're a gem, we love ya
Special Guest Reviewer: Shen
Spencer
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