Q&A with 2-Tone Aficionado “Marco On The Bass”
Q&A with 2-Tone Aficionado “Marco On The Bass”
Interview by Steve Bringe
January 18, 2009
After taking part in the online Madness community for over a decade now, I would have thought I’d met the bulk of the influential and dedicated Madness and 2 Tone fans cruising the InterWeb. Fortunately, pleasant surprises haven’t completely abandoned me, for shortly after launching Madness Central last November I was contacted by the man behind the excellent 2-Tone/ska/bluebeat/rocksteady blog “Marco On The Bass.”
Marc Wasserman is his true name. True, he does play the bass for his band Bigger Thomas. True, he does compose articles and interviews about all aspects of the 2-Tone Universe. What comes across as the greatest truth, though, is his unabashed love of music, something that goes back to the very beginnings of the 2-Tone movement, a very exciting time in music indeed.
Marc’s become a fine citizen of the Madness Central community, so it’s a real pleasure to have him as our first victim for what will hopefully become a long line of Q&A sessions with fans of Madness dragged into the light here at Fan Central.
Where does your 2 Tone life begin? What attracted you to second wave ska?
It all started with The Specials first album around 1979-80. I borrowed a friend’s copy which he had lifted from his Sister’s very large collection. I remember dropping the needle on the record and It was like I had been struck by a bolt of lighting. I remember listening to it with my mouth wide open. In fact I think I was afraid because I had never heard anything like it. However I liked that sense of fear and awe that it inspired in me. That was my ‘gateway’ album to a 2-Tone addiction that quickly encompassed The Beat, Madness, The Selecter, Bad Manners, UB40 and many others. I used to haunt the record store in a strip mall near my house and visited it a few times a week after school. I quickly started buying as many albums that looked like The Specials first record and the clerks in the store would often suggest new things for me. I also used these bands to learn more about the history of ska and became a big fan of Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae.
I think I was drawn to second wave ska because I felt like it was something that only I knew about. I grew up in New Jersey which in the late 70’s and early 80’s was gripped by Bruce Springsteen fever as well as classic rock. There were a few kids into 2-Tone and new wave but we were few and far between. I was also developing a political consciousness and the music and the message the 2-Tone bands were communicating spoke to me in a way that other music didn’t.
I also got to see The Beat and Madness perform at a rock club at the New Jersey shore (deep in Springsteen country!) in 1983. I think seeing both those bands play live made me realize that I also wanted to play music and write songs that made people dance and think at the same time. Getting a Madness t-shirt that said ‘Fuck Art Let’s Dance’ also changed my life. I was finally making my own decisions and creating my own identity separate from my family and friends. It was a defining moment.
What convinced you that you should launch arguably one of the best ska blogs on the web (marcoonthebass.blogspot.com)?
That’s a good question. I think it’s fair to admit that I am a music blog junkie. I went through a period where I read several at a time and downloaded tons of mp3’s that were up and enjoyed the vast quantity of information that people made available to others from their record collections and their memories. After reading music blogs for about two years it dawned on me that I also had a lot to offer in terms of knowledge, information and rare tracks and albums.
I guess after playing in a ska band for 20 years and getting to meet and befriend members of many of the bands I grew up idolizing I figured it was my turn to give back. I really didn’t have a plan when I started. I just wrote about things I liked and that interested me, somehow and surprisingly an audience has developed. I guess I never considered there were so many fans of the same bands and music that I loved out there.
The most gratifying part of the whole blogging experience is to connect with people who have similar memories of seeing the same bands and hearing about how the bands and music have impacted them in their lives. I enjoy that the most.
You’ve interviewed a number of noteworthy names in the pantheon of ska, such as Rhoda Dakar, as well as lesser-known contributors like Nik Akrylyk (go read Marc’s blog for this interesting discussion). Of all the artists and producers and managers you’ve interviewed, do any stand out as particularly memorable?
I find each interview fascinating in its own way. I have such respect and admiration for all the 2-Tone artists and the many others who were part of the movement that they are all interesting to me. It was great to learn more about Rhoda Dakar’s father who was a musician in Paris in the 30’s and 40’s and then opened nightclubs in London. Nik Akrylyk shared some great stories about what it was like for him and his band mates to back Desmond Dekker in the studio on his Black & Dekker LP on Stiff Records. I was a big fan of The Untouchables and enjoyed hearing from the bands keyboardist Josh Harris what it was like to work with Jerry Dammers on the ‘Wild Child’ LP.
However, the most enjoyable so far has been connecting with Stefan Tylunas of The Ammonites. They were a Brighton-based ska band who I had heard only once on a Brighton punk compilation. It was very satisfying to connect with him and learn more about the band. Shortly after my interview I learned that the band has reunited and is playing their first show in over 30 years. I would like to think I may have had a small part in that.
Is there anyone you’d like to interview that you haven’t gotten around to yet?
Yes! It’s a long list. The short list would include: Pauline Black, Lynval Golding, Robin Campbell of UB40, David Steele of The Bear/FYC, Andy Cox of The Beat/FYC.
Not all of your blogs are interviews. Many are historical vignettes that cover sometimes completely esoteric topics. Do you research each article from fresh, or are you so steeped in the history of ska that you could write without reference?
I research each one. I have a general sense about each topic when I start, but I generally do my homework, particularly when it comes to interviews. I was a newspaper reporter for a short time after college and also considered a life in academia so I enjoy the thrill of steeping myself fully in a topic or a personality and then trying to being that topic or person to life for others to read about and enjoy.
You not only report the ska, you perform the ska. Tell us about your band Bigger Thomas.
Bigger Thomas has become a ska institution here in the New York/New Jersey region. We formed in 1988 at Rutgers University and have been going strong ever since. It’s very much a labor of love as ska music has returned underground again after the US ska frenzy of the mid-90’s when bands like No Doubt, Sublime and Mighty Mighty Bosstones brought it into the musical consciousness of more people.
We do it because we love playing music and we are all great friends. It’s like being married to seven other people. We have our ups and downs but continue to be driven to perform and record because we respect the musical form. As long as their are people who want to see us play we keep playing.
You’ve opened for some big names in the business like Dave Wakeling and his English Beat. How cool is that? Are there other bands you’ve shared a stage with that are just as cool?
Meeting and playing shows with Dave Wakeling was surreal. He’s a wonderful guy, very down-to-earth and he was very kind to my band. We’ve played with him 6-8 times over the last 3 years. Each time is always a thrill. The longer we play together as a band the more opportunities we have had to play with bands that we grew up idolizing and who influenced us.
We opened The Special Beat’s first show in New York back in 1990 and that was an amazing experience. It was the first time we ever performed in front of a big audience and it helped us to build name recognition in New York. We toured with The Selecter back in the early 90’s when they re-formed and came to play shows in the U.S. We have opened shows for Bad Manners.
Other bands and performers we have played with include Colin Hay of Men At Work, Pato Banton, The Alarm, Burning Spear, HR of Bad Brains, The Skatalites. We play out a lot with other US ska bands including The Toasters and The Pilfers.
You mentioned to me that Bigger Thomas was tagged to open for the aborted NYC Dangermen gig in 2005. Was that a complete let down?
It was a huge disappointment. We went from the highest of highs when we were contacted about the support slot to the lowest of lows when the show was canceled. However we got the call to open for Dave Wakeling’s English Beat a few days after The Dangermen show was canceled so it was a case of ‘when one door closes and another one opens.’ I still hope we get a chance to play with Madness. That would be a dream come true.
Do you have any shows coming up for Bigger Thomas? Any other plans that you can share with us?
We keep busy and try and play 2-3 shows a month in the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. We also try and book a few short weekend tours a year when we play 3-4 shows. Last year we did a short tour of the South ending up at Ska Weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. We did a short California tour a few years ago and played San Diego and LA. This year we hope to get back to California. It’s got one of the best ska scenes in the US.
The East Coast ska scene has been going strong for better than a decade now, what with bands like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the Pilfers. What’s the environment like nowadays?
That’s hard to say. It’s not like it was and yet there are certain places where it remains popular. We play to two types of crowds. Amazingly, there is a huge audience for ska among under 18 kids. While they seem to prefer ska-punk, they do also enjoy more traditional sounds like the ones we play and they don’t seem to have an issue with the fact that most of the guys in our band are old enough to be their fathers.
The other is the 35+ crowd who remember us from 20 years ago or who have seen us from our opening slots with Dave Wakeling, Bad Manners and other 2-Tone era artists who are catering to the 80;s retro crows. There are a lot of people in their 40’s who want to hear music they remember from their youth. Funnily enough we are connecting with that crowd as well.
It’s the 30th anniversary of 2 Tone this year. Have any big plans to celebrate?
I like to think I celebrate 2-Tone every day! I feel very lucky that the time I picked to write a blog about 2-Tone ska coincided with both The Specials and Madness deciding to tour and release new music. There has been no lack of news to write about with regard to both bands and there has been tremendous interest among fans who are so excited that both bands are active again.
I also found the whole UB40 drama with Ali Campbell leaving the band fascinating and enjoyed writing about the way the UK media covered it. I would love to travel to the UK to see both The Specials and Madness perform, but it’s not in the cards for me this year. Hopefully, both bands will make their way across the pond and I’ll get to see them here in New York. Preferably from the side of the stage!
Speaking of the 2 Tone anniversary, what do you think of the original 2 Tone bands that are struggling to reform? Is it The Specials without Jerry Dammers? Dave Wakeling stated that “The Beat will reform when we’re opening for a reformed Clash.” Is it worth all the heartache trying to force these artists to work together again, or is it best to leave their legacy in the past?
I’m really sad that Jerry Dammers is not part of The Specials reunion. For whatever reason, he and his band mates still have a lot of baggage. I think the six other members of The Specials decided that it was now or never. From what I have heard there were a few attempts to rehearse with Jerry that just did not go well. He’s a brilliant musician and visionary and there would never have been a 2-Tone without him. That said, he’s also a difficult personality and I don’t know that he’s ready to cede control to anyone else. However, it’s really about the fans at this point. There are so many people who are fans who have never seen the band that it’s time to do this with or without Jerry.
The Beat situation is just as complicated. It’s clear that there will never be a reunion of The Beat. Both David Steele and Andy Cox have no interest in it despite the money they could get for reforming. However, it’s also sad that Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger can’t work together anymore. Clearly there is an audience in both the US and the UK for the band and both Dave and Roger are busy playing shows in each market. Again, it comes down to fan demand. I’ve been to several sold out shows that Dave has played here in the US. The audience are so grateful to be able to hear the songs they heard 25 years ago. It’s really about satisfying the fans at this point.
30th Anniversary 2 Tone Death Match: The Specials vs. Madness… who comes out on top?
That’s like that asking who would win in a fight between Superman and Spiderman. They each have their strengths and their merits. If I had to choose between only seeing one of the bands live this year I would have to say The Specials.
I had a life-changing experience seeing Madness perform twice in 1983. Once at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia as part of a bill with REM, Joan Jett and The Police and once at The Fountain Casino in Aberdeen, NJ. This show remains the funnest show I’ve ever seen. It had a little bit of everything including a stage invasion at the end that my friends and I participated in.
The other memory is that a rock DJ named from New York radio station WNEW-FM named Pat St. John introduced the band and he was greeted with jeers and boos as he looked like a hippie to the crowd which was predominantly new wave and ska. A chant of “Get A Haircut” chased him off the stage as Madness finally came on.
I also had a serious girlfriend at the time and I remember making out with her during My Girl which was our song. Looking at the set list now it’s shocking how many songs Madness played (23!) and the length of the set (almost and hour and a half). It made a lasting impression.
That said, I’ve never seen The Specials and for that reason alone, I would want to see them (with or without Jerry) at least once in my life.
You can find Marc at:
You can find Bigger Thomas at: