Peter Pan Speedrock from Eindhoven Rock City

intie with Bartmann on 1-7-2005

Please give us a short introduction of yourself? Why the contradiction in the bandname? What is the philosophy behind this?
I’m Bartmann, bassplayer of PPSR since 8 years. Before that I played (double-) bass or guitar in bands like Bang Bang Bazooka, The Lovesteaks, and Blazin’ saddles.
Besides me PPSR consists of Peter, who started the band about 10 years ago. He’s our singer & guitarplayer (recently voted best Dutch guitarplayer of 2005!). Before he founded PPSR he played in a.o. Life On Grey, a pretty well-known rockband during the 80’s.
Also in the band from the very beginning is Bart, our ‘animal’ drummer. Before joining PPSR he played drums in a.o. metal-band Skirl. 2 years ago, in 2003, he was voted best drummer of the Netherlands.
I don’t really see a contradiction in our bandname. Okay, it’s a bit weird maybe, I agree. The idea behind it was this: when Peter started this band, people told him to ‘grow up, get a decent job, and forget about that rock&roll business’. Since growing up was the last thing he was interested in, he picked the name ‘Peter Pan’; coming from the ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’, a medical term for the ‘disease’ people suffer from who don’t wanna grow up.
The sound of PPSR started to become louder & faster over the years, and because of that the name ‘Peter Pan’ became more & more confusing. Also, getting shows outside of Holland seemed to be impossible with a name like that. When trying to define the style of music (or genre) PPSR played, a friend of the band came up with the name ‘Speedrock’. To avoid any further confusion, we decided to add Speedrock to the bandname, so it became Peter Pan Speed Rock.

How is it going with the band and the new release? Lot of promotional work? Do you like this?
Well, we’re pretty fuckin’ busy. ‘Spread Eagle’ is doin’ really well; great reviews everywhere, and we’ve been doin’ a lot of shows (all around Holland, Germany, Belgium and even France) to promote the album. Also a lot of interviews. And yes, I like doing interviews. Because when you do interviews, you get to talk about music. And my second biggest hobby, after playing music, is talking about music. I can do that for hours & hours. Some of my friends even say music is the only thing I can talk about... and they may be right.

Do you spend more time on your looks in case the media is taking pics? What is your fav clothing brand?
That’s not necessary, because I always wear the same kind of clothes. On- or off-stage; there’s no difference. Ranger-boots, of Levi’s 501, and a band-Tshirt. The only things I gotta worry about are my sideburns. They gotta look good ofcourse. And if I’m not wearing some band-shirt, I like Lucky-13 stuff: they got some killer designs. Finally, if it’s cold, a bomber- or TurboJugend jacket comes in handy.

Who is the cock teaser for PPS? Does he/she know this?
I read the word in a book somewhere, thought it was a cool word & an interesting topic. So I decided to write a song around it. Pretty soon after that we came across a couple of girls who were the perfect role-models. Textbook cockteaser material, so to speak. Couldn’t have been better! I think I finished the song early the next morning. And no, I don’t think they know... maybe I should say thanks, next time.

Now you are in a band is it easier to get laid down? Lot of groupies? Who is getting the most?
It probably should be easy, yes, but all three of us have very dangerous & blood-thirsty girlfriends, so in order to avoid getting hacked up into pieces, or dying some other slow & painful death, we tend to stay away from this whole ‘groupie’ business. Up until about a year ago, our soundguy was still single, so he was the lucky bastard who got all the fun. But now we’re all in the same boat together; we gotta stick to the drugs & the rock&roll (and get a little more of them ofcourse!), and leave the sex part to others bands...

It is not hard to find subject of the lyrics nowadays. Where do you get inspiration from? How serious are your lyrics?
Inspiration comes from different things. From a movie, something you read, or something somebody says. On our previous records we only sang about the usual rock&roll stuff: Beer, girls, cars, more beer, etc. etc. You know, the stuff that makes life interesting. I guess when we were writing material for ‘Spread Eagle’ we were angry & pissed off enough to finally write some serious shit. Like ‘Damn You All To Hell’ for example. It’s about how religious fanatics worldwide are ruining it for the rest of us. Fuckers!

Eindhoven de gekste?
Op zéker!!!

Most likely you are fans of PSV. Ever thought of playing live on the field in halftime in stead of Lee Towers?
Lee Towers in Eindhoven? Well, actually our drummer is the only one who really cares about football, but if they would ask us I wouldn’t have to think twice. Hell yeah! Just for the sake of Eindhoven.

PPS is often called the Dutch Motorhead (hear the rattlesnake in Pay The Fuckin Bill). Is this something you like to be referred to or is the press totally wrong?
Motörhead has always been a huge influence ofcourse. Especially in my case: Lemmy is 100% responsible for my Rickenbacker Bass addiction. And the fact that people compare us to Motörhead is a big compliment, sure. But in my opinion we don’t sound like them at all. Okay, we do play the same basic, very loud & very fast, fist-in-the-air kind of rock&roll. And we’re both a three-piece, yes. But that’s as far as it goes. I think there’s a lot more punk, garage & rockabilly influence in our music. And also, the fact that Peter & Lemmy both ‘sing’ very loud, doesn’t mean that they sound the same...
Anyway, like I said, we don’t mind at all. You can do a whole lot worse you know: If they call you the Dutch Nickelback or worse: the Dutch Good Charlotte... thén you got reason to worry...

Did you ever met Lemmy in real life? What other celeberties did you meet in person? Any funny anecdotes?
I did speed with Lemmy, how about that? In Canada we met Johnny Blitz from the Dead Boys and Jesus Bonehead from Dayglo Abortions. We got to hangout with the guys from Rose Tattoo. In Austin, Texas, I saw Wayne Hancock do a 1 hour accoustic set in somebody’s bedroom for about 10 people. We met the guys from Slayer, and last but not least, when we won a silver harp a few years ago, we got to hang out with Bassie from Bassie & Adriaan, a hero from when we were kids!

What is the ultimate PPS car? How would it look like and will it ever be on the road?
I hope to drive a GTO someday. Jet-black & lookin’ all beat-up ofcourse. But I guess it will take a few years, because I gotta make a little more money first, and learn a thing or two about car-mechanics. You kinda need that if you drive an old American car, and I really don’t know shit!

I drive an Alfa and I have a wife so is the song Alfa Female about her? Ever saw her drive (you can recon my car with my logo on the rear window)?
Well, we didn’t actually have her in mind when we wrote that song, but it IS about her. In fact that song is about all women. Because, as we all know (all men, that is), women are all the same, are they not?... Exactly! And that’s basically what that song is about.

PPS is playing quite often in all kind of places, Is this something you like to do? Prefer playing live or in the recording studio?
It’s very simple: I play in a rock&roll band because I fuckin’ love to play rock&roll! So doing this many shows & travelling all over the place is the best thing there is. Playing live and seeing the crowd go wild & destroy the place is just unbeatable. Working in the studio is pretty cool too, but if things don’t work out the way you planned, it can become a nightmare. So I’d have to say playing live is definitely number one.

When is a gig succesfull for you. What should have happened that evening?
Like I just said: when the crowd goes mental, and tear’s the place apart. And it doesn’t really matter if it’s 10 or 1000 people, as long as they go fuckin’ crazy, you know you’re doin’ something right!

What is PPS hoping for the future? Are there any goals which want to be achieved?
Apart from total & complete world domination... Swimming pools with a gold-plated divingboard, and having a 21 year old girlfriend at the age of 65 ?... I really wouldn’t know.

How do you memorize the PPS days for your grandchildren?
Trust me, there won’t be any grandchildren for me, and by the time the others will or may have grandchildren (which could easily be within 10 years from now!), I’m pretty damn sure we’ll still be going strong, so there’s no need for memorizing or any of that stuff.
And you can hold me to it!

Last rites?
Sure! Just keep on rockin’, have a beer (or two), don’t let your head hang down, and everything will turn out just fine!