Pink Angels On Acid Clouds
Peter Mengede communicates with Mary of Gaye Bykers On Acid
Rockpool #193 - June 1, 1998

Let's begin with the origins of the name, touted by the Brit press to symbolize an affinity with minority groups. My theory is one of cultural cringe. For a more plausible explanation you should look to the American ‘70s flick Pink Angels. It's heros are a roving gang of Californian homosexual bikers whose joy is to inebriate rival gangs and, once subdued, beautify them in a manner only Shirley Temple could be accustomed to.

Spawned in the Midlands of England (the hosiery town of Leicester), their first gigs were bikers' acid parties.
Mary: We were totally untogether, just noise. If we had been taken seriously then we'd be like the Butthole Surfers by now. They see themselves as identified with the Hell's Angels out of proximity, before such things became a fashion statement. There were all these drug parties in Wales. We were into that Stonehenge festival culture before it became the in thing. People would turn up, in their Golf GTIs and all these bands like Crass, the Subhumans and Hawkwind would play. Everybody would be loonin' around totally mental, bugged out. But the people in the GTIs would sit in them all night wondering, "why am I here?"

Their demo of "Everything's Groovy" found its way to Marc Riley's label In Tape, and was issued immediately opening the door to an inking with Virgin. Virgin in turn helped the Bykers make the move to London, the album Drill Your Own Hole and the accompanying feature length video.
We were not trying to appeal to kids filled with this vision of how pure rock should be. How they should listen to Big Black and Butthole Surfers and take it very seriously. We'd sooner bring that kind of music to people who are younger by putting in a pop perspective in the Warhol sense.
The video is a cross between the Monkees and Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. The whole thing is a homage to the Pranksters and the madness that Kesey and the bunch got away with. It's important to acknowledge the phenomenon that is acid and that it changed a great many people's way of seeing and thinking. What we had was this one nihilistic punk bus where everyone was vomiting gloomy doom, and this Hippy Dippy bus. They just smash into each other, collide and no lesson was learned by either generation and they still aren't learning.

Gaye Bykers On Acid is, in some respects, a name they find pushes the boundaries of the moral climate. They see it without shock value and prefer the original minority's explanation. However the name does have the desired effect on the staid Radio One listener.
We appeal to young people who are just getting into being stupid, enjoying themselves. We identify with hippies and punks because there really is not a lot of difference. In opposites there is a point of unity; in the Spanish Civil War fascism and socialism came togther.
However in the UK they have run into censorship problems, video edits and having their name asterisked.
I feel nothing but disdain when people are censored for what they do. Many big radio station in the US won't touch our music because of our name. The college radio stations hopefully can remain the bastion of common sense in realizing that we should be able to have freedom of expression.
Even with this last bastion, Big Business has had its effect.
What seems to have happened in England is the show process of marketing seems to have canceled out the fact that youth can rebel against anything. Everything is marketed and filtered down to the point where they can assimilate rebellion. Bass Weejun loafers and 501s are going to be the instrument of the revolution and everyone will be eating M&Ms.

Instead of aligning themselves with any fashion queue, The Bykers feel that most posturing of pseudo-metal bands is like covering shit with sugar, no matter what you put on top it still tastes the same. They market to a point where there is no danger of failing. It all sounds the same and it gets pretty mundane.

The Bykers wahwah wails between Hendrix and the Stooges. A tonic in the UK tinged with enough shadings of melody to stand them apart from any US guitar bands who might draw from the concurrent roots. Dwelling apart from the gloom of those suffering for their art, ...we don't endorse drugs, that does no good to a world view in the end. Those people are just a living example of human degradation festering away. And we don't endorse the yuppie route. I prefer to think of them as morbidly up-biles cos they make me want to throw up.

Having just dipped their toes in the US waters, Gaye Bykers swim in a pool where two cultures clash. With plans for a retirement in professional mini-golf (Drill your own hole?) They are busying themselves with serious fun. Hip to be square or smart to be stupid?

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