Uit de Sloot
an e-mail interview with...

Maarten emailed me with the question if i wanted to do an interview with Uit de Sloot (from the ditch). For sure I wanted to do that, so I set something up with Jack (bass and vocals) and Maarten (guitar and vocals) by e-mail. The following transport of questions and answers took place:

How did it all started with Uit de Sloot?
Jack: Maarten and myself had already started a hobby project earlier (around 1990, I think), but it never got off the ground. Then, in 1995 Maarten came with the idea starting a "classic" 1977 band and sing in Dutch, just for fun. Even though I was in another band (more serious, at that time) it sounded like such a good idea that we decided to do it. Someone came up with Melle as a drummer, and that worked brilliantly. From the beginning we've mixed doing translated covers and our own songs. The covers are great, because they force you to actually think about what you're doing, which isn't a bad idea given our mediocre musical capacities, and they're fun too. After a year or so we were thinking of getting a second guitar player, and right at that time Eric got fed up with Yawp!. What was pretty funny was that all three of us had heard that separately and wondered whether he'd like to join us, and that it turned out that Eric had been thinking along the same lines himself. So it was probably meant to be.
Maarten: In the begin 1993 Jack and I thought about starting a band. We had been playing together before, also with Erik, but that was on a very loose basis and fell apart because everybody went on holiday etc etc. Gwyn of N.R.A. (I'm not sure but I think it was him) told me he knew a drummer that happened to be vacant so I got Melle's phone number. We rehearsed for a couple of times, doing some old shit and trying out a little new stuff of our own, decided we got on well and became a band. After their Australian tour, Erik left Yawp (not because of us!!) and joined us.

Were you surprised that Mr. Lee played Punkrocknummer a couple times on the radio?
Jack: Very much so! I'd sent him a CD but not expected him to do anything with it. But, of course, we were very happy with it!
Maarten: No, of course not, this is the best punk-rock song by a Dutch band since Me poesje is dood by the CHOPS!! Well Mr. Lee is a very crazy punk-rock-mutherfuckaaa, so you could expect him to play that song.

On Punkrocknummer there is a very noticable Alexander Curly influence - where did you guys came up with that idea?
Jack: Marcel, there is one person in the whole world who hears an Alexander Curly influence in Punkrocknummer, and that is you! If you hear a G-l-o-r-i-a influence in it, okay, I can explain that, but your Alexander Curly has me baffled. Unless Maarten is hiding something? Well I do hear that too, and most people will say Bad Religion as well (but I don't wanna get into that). The G-l-o-r-i-a influence made more sense towards me then the Alexander Curly factor in the last part of the song.
Maarten: Where did YOU come up with that idea??!! Every body knows that we are a hardcore straightedge band! We decided to pay a tribute to Alexander Curly because he got well known with the song I'll never drink again, I'll never smoke again!. I'm thinking about a different hairdo as well to improve the effect on stage!!

The planned vinyl for December last year still hasn't been put out.
Maarten: That's correct.
Jack: Well, I guess that means we'll have to do it later:-) Seriously: the current plan is to do a vinyl on Red Ear. We're going into the studio in March or early April, so something should be out before summer. Jolly good.

Jack, have you already heard the Stiff Little Fingers tribute that has been put out by Sidekicks Records?
Jack: No! Please tell me more...
Thanx to a very good friend I got it about a week ago. It's a 4 song tribute. Dropkick Murphys (Nobody's Hero), Voice of a Generation (Alternative Ulster), 59 Times The Pain (Law and Order), and Bombshell Rocks (State of Emergency).

I read that you didn't wanna write political songs, but listening to the EP... sometimes it is about politics after all, isn't that a bit weird?
Maarten: Where did you read that?? We never said that. I mean, we all survived the 'system punk' era. In those days it had to be politics or you were on the wrong side. There's more things in life to write songs about, but we do have an occasional political song.
Jack: Hum. We're trying to strike the balance between some pure fun songs and some with some content. Whether you regard these latter (like Nagedacht or Uit de Boot) as political or not is a matter of opinion, and even the band members don't always agree. The bit about us not wanting to be a political band is more in reference to bands who advertise themselves as being political, as many of the Dutch eighties punk bands did, and currently bands like Propaghandi and such. While undoubtedly well-meaning these bands tend to bore the hell out of me pretty quickly. That makes sense.

Will there be an Uit de Sloot show when it does rain?
Jack: Yes, but no-one will show up. You never know Jack.

What's wrong with bands having a horn section?
Jack: That depends. If it also has a hooves section and a pointed-tail section it's probably a metal band. Nothing wrong with that.

Is there a band out there people should know about?
Jack: Most of the bands on Schorremorrie, I guess. I hadn't heard of most of them before, and there are some pretty good bands on there. De Klojo's, Outcasted Teens and Mihoen come to mind...
Maarten: Outcasted Teens, Mihoen..

When and where can we see Uit the Sloot play life in the near future?
Jack: Often, and everywhere! Check out the website.
Maarten: What did you say Jack?

Thanx for your time and are there any last words to say to the readers?
Jack: PUNK IS NIET DOOD!
Maarten: Wij zijn de mannen van Uit de Sloot. We zijn wel oud maar nog lang niet DOOD!!

Copyright © 2000 Marcel Etten